Single White Vampire (Argeneau #3)(49)

"So control mine."

"I can't, Kate. Your mind is too strong."

"It is?" She felt pleasure fill her. Her mind was too strong. Wasn't that nice? She had a strong mind. Oh, she realized suddenly, she even had a stronger mind than Chris, because, from what she'd seen upon returning to the room last night, Lucern had no difficulty in controlling him. She would have liked to gloat about that, but Lucern was still speaking.

"The only time I can get into your head is when you're sleeping, or when you're wrapped up in passion. At least, I assume I can then. You didn't feel any pain when I bit you last night, did you?"

Kate shook her head. "No. No pain at all."

He nodded. "Then your mind must have opened enough for me to infuse it with pleasure."

"Hmm." Kate digested that. "How do you know you can get into my head when I'm sleeping?"

Guilt crossed Lucern's face, and Kate suddenly recalled the erotic dream she'd had in his home. "You didn't…" she said.

He flinched at the accusation, then raised his hands placatingly. "I was just… checking on you. And you looked so sweet and sexy, I started thinking about what I'd like to do to you and I didn't realize you were receiving my thoughts until you… er…" He shrugged uncomfortably. "I stopped right away."

Kate glared at him, feeling vulnerable and exposed. The dream she'd had in his home hadn't been a dream at all. Or had it? His fantasy? Was it a dream? A waking dream? It hadn't been hers.

The bathroom door opened, and both she and Lucern glanced sharply toward it as a middle-aged man started into the room. Lucern scowled at him, his eyes flashing silver fire. Leave.

The man stopped abruptly, his eyes glazing over; then he turned and obediently left the room.

The minute they were alone again, Kate grabbed Lucern's hand and pulled him into one of the stalls—she could hardly let him keep putting the whammy on people who entered the bathroom. The stall was a close fit, but she supposed it was good enough for biting. "Just do it, Luc. You need the blood. You're starting to look like the walking dead."

"I don't want to hurt you."

She heaved a sigh of exasperation, but was secretly pleased that he was so reluctant to cause her pain. Especially when he was obviously suffering so horribly himself from something she could ease. The pain would be the equivalent of a shot. At least, she hoped that was the extent of it.

"Look. What if I open my mind to you?" she suggested, though she hadn't a clue how to do it. She supposed she would just think open thoughts. "Let's try that, shall we? I'll open my mind and—"

"Kate," Lucern began, and she knew he was going to refuse. She was standing in a damned men's john—in a stall, no less—offering the stupid man her blood like she was some freak female Renfield, and he just stood there being all chivalrous and Old World. He must be really old. In her experience, men these days took what was offered regardless of whether it was good for the woman or not. Hell, sometimes they took what wasn't offered.

"Dammit, Luc," she interrupted impatiently. Grabbing the collar of her scoop-necked dress, she twisted it over to reveal the pin she'd used to attach her bra strap to the material.

"What are you doing?" He was scowling again.

Good, she thought irritably. She was feeling rather crabby, herself. She'd thought only babies needed spoon-feeding. Undoing the pin, she slid it free of her bra, quickly jabbed herself on the tip of a finger, then squeezed it viciously until a nice fat drop of blood came to the surface. She shoved it under his nose determinedly.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. She followed when he backed up against the stall wall trying to avoid her finger, then waved it under his nose. Triumph rose within her when she saw his nostrils flare. "Come on. You're hungry. Have a taste. Just a lick. If you don't like it, we'll find you someone else. If you do, a little nibble at my neck will make you feel better. Come on, Lucern, try a little Kate for breakfast and…" Her words died on a startled gasp as he licked the blood off the tip of her finger. It was such a quick scrape of his tongue across her finger she hardly felt it, but much to her satisfaction, his eyes glowed silver. She had him.

Kate tipped her head to the side and squinted in preparation for what was to come, then remembered about the opening-her-mind thing. She thought, My mind is open. Lucern can come in. My mind is open. Lucern can come in.

Apparently, opening one's mind wasn't so easy. She felt Lucern's hands on her arms, then the brush of his lips against her neck, then agonizing pain as he began to insert his teeth.

"Ow, ow, ow." Despite herself, Kate began to struggle. Lucern pulled away at once. He still held her, though, his hands digging into her arms, his breath coming heavy, the silver fire in his eyes an inferno as he fought to control his thirst.

Kate bit her lip unhappily, ashamed to learn that she was a wuss. But it had hurt so much. No shot had ever been that bad. But, then, shots weren't nearly as large as Lucern's teeth. She pressed a hand to her throat. "I guess I don't know how to open my mind."

Lucern pulled his hands away. "You'd better leave. I don't think I can control myself much longer."

Kate hesitated, then moved forward, sliding her arms around his neck.

"What are you doing?" he asked harshly.