Authors: Maya DeLeina
She took a sip and closed her eyes.
“Nice huh?” Steffan asked, noticing Anya took a long moment to linger in the finish.
“Very nice.”
“I’m curious, what notes did you pick up on in the taste?”
“Hmm…strong hints of cherry, black currant, a slight oak flavor and chocolate.” Anya paused. “There’s something else there that I can’t quite pick up on. Whatever it is, they make a delicious wine.”
“Very good, Anya, very good.” Steffan smiled with a hint of surprise. He went back to work.
Anya sat back on her heels and watched Steffan as he worked on the presentation, placing the Asiago pieces in a fan design on the glass plate and spreading the goat cheese in a generous layer on paper-thin crackers.
Steffan looked up at Anya as he sliced the last of the cheese on the board. He flashed Anya a smile.
Within the silent exchange, he could taste their arousal hovering thickly in the air.
Steffan once again went back to his task, but he could feel Anya’s eyes still on him, as if in deep evaluation.
He’d wondered if Anya had any disappointment in the way he looked. Steffan wasn’t clean shaven like last night. He’d let his dark stubble grow and knew that against his white skin, it was no doubt well pronounced and very rugged looking.
But by the way Anya kissed him when he picked her up, he didn’t think this was the case at all. Hell, she didn’t even seem to mind the roughness of his stubble against her skin.
“Shit!” Steffan yelped out of nowhere.
Anya jerked suddenly.
The sound of the heavy cheese knife crashing to the plate was piercing.
Steffan sliced his finger with the cheese knife.
Before he could shield the flow of his black blood and close his wound, Anya quickly reached for his finger and placed it in her mouth. Her reaction was effortless and natural. She didn’t even cringe at the taste of his blood. Steffan tried to pull back, but the sensation of his blood pumping into Anya was overwhelmingly pleasurable. Steffan looked at Anya as her mouth puckered around his finger in a sucking motion. It was an erotic sight and Steffan couldn’t control his breath.
Retract your finger, Steffan.
It was too dangerous for her to consume his blood in its purest form. But then, she would surely see the black blood. And it wouldn’t be just a hint as Rhys had advised. Hell, what did it matter anyway? She was sucking on his blood of all things, clearly not in the realm of what Rhys had suggested. He was out of his element, not being as polished and elegant as he wanted. He just started his mate claim, and he had already lost control. Now, he would have to face the consequence and work through an explanation for Anya. He fought to still his mind and regain control.
The black blood was the telltale sign of an unmated vampire.
A vampire’s blood would not flow red until their fated mate was claimed. The color shift was the last part of the ritual, symbolizing the passion, the romance, and the burning desire the mates vowed to one another.
Steffan would not flow red until after he and Anya mated.
That is, if she would have him and give up her mortality.
He wrestled with the swirling thoughts and finally retracted his finger from her mouth. He held his breath in anticipation of her onslaught of questions.
Anya released his finger and examined the wound. “Steffan, your blood! It’s black!”
Steffan pulled his finger from Anya’s grasp and wrapped his finger in a wad of napkins.
“Are you okay? Is there something wrong with you?”
“Don’t be scared. I’m fine.”
“But your blood—i–it’s not supposed to be black like that. I think it may be a sign of low oxygen levels. Are you light-headed or anything?”
“I’m fine.” Steffan removed his finger from the napkins and stuck it in his mouth. “See?” Steffan said as he held his finger out for Anya to examine.
Shit!
He’d sealed the wound completely. He’d only meant to stop the bleeding.
“There’s nothing here!” Anya pulled his hand in closer for examination. “Not even a scratch. I know you cut yourself and were bleeding, I could taste it in my mouth!” Anya ran her finger up and down Steffan’s finger.
“Anya, I’m okay. I’m not hurt. I’m not bleeding. Really, honey. I am okay. Thank you for helping me. ”
“Stop it! Stop being all sweet. I know what I saw.”
“Look, don’t be scared, I’m okay now. C’mon, let me hold you again and enjoy the last of the colors. It’ll be dark soon.”
Anya stared at Steffan in silence, then responded, “Okay. You’re right.”
Anya slipped into Steffan’s waiting arms. She reached for his hand and held it up for examination once more. Steffan didn’t release his hand and allowed Anya to explore freely.
In their silent exchange, Steffan knew that the mystery of what had just happened weighed on her mind.
Perfect.
Clue number one was effectively revealed for her to deliberate on.
“Anya, I’m thinking about the dark chocolate mousse,” said Steffan, breaking the long silence of their embrace.
“Coming right up!” Anya pulled out two small ceramic dishes that held the chilled mousse and retrieved two small dessert spoons. “I hope you like it.”
Steffan took in a big spoonful and let it rest on his tongue. He loved the taste of dark chocolate. He savored the lingering palate of the smoothness, the sweet finish of a decadent velvet sin.
“Oh my, this is excellent, Anya.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Steffan took another spoonful and let the mousse slide down his throat. As he swallowed, he felt a pain in the pit of his stomach. His body started to race with fever. He glanced at his wristwatch.
Idiot
.
It was 7:41 p.m. He had taken Consumption just as he made his way down the mountain to pick Anya up. That was at 1:40 p.m.
How did I lose track of time?
Steffan was in a full-blown panic. His mind was racing for things he could do or say to block Anya’s involvement in what was about to happen. He could enthrall her, forging the scene that took place. But enthralling to erase memory was dicey during a mate quest or claiming. It could hinder the strength of the bond she had to him. Worse still, he could completely sever the ties, never regaining the ability to connect with Anya again.
No. The price was too high. This was not an option.
Steffan quieted his anxiety and settled into the reality of the moment.
There was nothing else he could do. It was going to happen, and Anya was going to be witness to it. His body was going to erupt violently, trying to force the intake to process through his vampiric system. Of all the drastic transformations the human body design went through at turning, this was by far the most radical. Vampire digestive systems adapted to accommodate a liquid diet, ready to quickly deliver blood protein throughout the circulatory system. Without Consumption suspended in his body, there were no processes to manage any solids. Instead, his cells would go on the attack, treating the intake as an intruder. As the war inside raged, his body would burn with fever and convulse viciously.
The pain would be excruciating.
And with that, clue number two was just around the corner. If his earlier assessment in carelessly cutting his finger was his idea of losing control, then this was absolute hysteria.
“Anya, I need your help,” Steffan said calmly as he pushed the blanket off his shoulders that cocooned him to Anya.
Anya turned around. The alarm in her eyes told Steffan that she knew something was very wrong.
“Don’t panic. I’m burning up with a fever right now. I need something very cold, ice water or ice to put under my armpits and behind my neck to help bring down this fever…fast.”
“I…I…” Anya’s voice was panicked. “I have all of these instant ice packs!” She scrambled to retrieve six of the instant ice packs that she’d used to keep the mousse chilled. The flexible packs looked like little frozen pillows, resembling the pattern of the quilt. Anya took off her sweater shrug and balled it up.
“Let’s take this off.” Anya unbuttoned Steffan’s shirt and removed the material from his chest and shoulders. Heat radiated from his body. She placed her hand around his neck and then tested his temperature on his forehead with the back of her hand.
“Lie back, Steffan, you’re burning up!”
She placed her sweater behind his head as she gently guided him to lie down on the blanket. Anya hovered over his body as she formed the ice packs to fit in the crevices of his armpits, behind his neck and on his forehead.
Steffan watched Anya in admiration as she moved with swift care and attended to his needs.
“Steffan, do you feel better? What else can I do?” Anya searched his eyes.
“Better. I’m sorry if I scared you, Anya,” Steffan said with a ragged breath.
“You mean scared me
again
, right?” Anya responded in an obvious attempt to make light of the situation.
Steffan nodded. “Anya, I think I may scare you even more with what’s about to happen. No matter what you see or hear, just hold on to me and try to keep my body down, close to the ground. I promise it’ll be over with quickly.”
“Huh?”
Steffan’s body started to shake violently. He tried to remain quiet in an effort not to further frighten Anya, but the pain was excruciating and he let out a deep, agonized cry.
“Steffan!” Anya tried to hold him down by his shoulder to no avail. “Oh my god, please, what’s happening?”
Anya started to tear up.
“I don’t know what to do, Steffan! I’m scared.” Anya’s tears streamed down her face.
Suddenly, Steffan’s eyes rolled back in his head. His body continued to contract powerfully.
“Oh shit! Steffan, can you hear me?”
Steffan didn’t have the ability to communicate with Anya to reassure her that they were almost in the clear.
He felt helpless.
“Please, I’m falling in love with you. Don’t leave me, don’t leave me now!” she pleaded.
The pain slowly dissipated, and Steffan’s brutal body convulsions subsided. His eyes flew open in search of Anya. She was kneeling above him, tears streaming down her face as she gently ran her hand through his hair. Steffan sat up and embraced Anya.
With the rush of adrenaline gone, Anya collapsed in Steffan’s arms, crying uncontrollably. A mix of emotions ran through Steffan. He was torn between regret and elation. Regret for the fear and anxiety he had just put her through, but pure elation in the knowledge that she was falling in love with him. Through his attack, he’d heard everything she said.
Anya pulled back from his embrace and screamed at him. “What’s going on, Steffan? Tell me! Tell me now what’s wrong with you!”
“Shh, Anya. It’s okay. I’m okay. I am so sorry you had to see that.” Steffan held Anya closely as he tried to calm her.
“Steffan, you have me. From the moment I saw you, I was yours. But now I’m seeing that you’re ill and you won’t tell me what’s going on. Obviously, it’s bad if you can’t tell me. Look, I can’t go through another heartbreak. I’ve been through too much. I’m sorry, I just can’t.” Anya cried as she spilled out her heart to Steffan.