A Time Apart: Book One of The Macauley Series Page 22

  Words could not describe what that one drink did to her. She was transformed, altered beyond belief. She had drunk William’s blood only a couple of hours prior – and while that had been a magnificent experience – this, however, was transcendent. Olivia felt every minute particle of the luscious liquid seeping into her body and adhering to each parched membrane, filling out her skin and breathing life back in to her.

  Then, despite William’s earlier admonishments about proper decorum, she consumed the remaining blood in one long drink. When she finished, she pushed the goblet in his direction, wordlessly demanding more.

  William went to take the goblet from her hand, and she instinctively fought against his pull. She was not ready to be done, and she would not let him stop her from consuming all that was left in the room.

  “Don’t you dare,” she warned.

  She didn’t know what she thought to do against a centuries-old vampire if he were to accept her challenge, but Olivia knew that she would fight him to the death for just one more ounce of that delicious human blood.

  “Olivia, you need to relax. I have no intention of starving you,” he said, placating her inner beast. “I was simply going to refill the goblet. I know you are thirsty beyond belief, but I want you to understand how the blood is working in you, and I want you to learn the varying degrees of thirst,” he explained as she grudgingly handed the goblet over and he turned to fill it once again.

  Handing the glass back to Olivia, William continued his lesson. “No one bothered to teach me these things, and I wouldn’t have you learning what it means to be a vampire the same way that I did. I want you to know when you are sated, and when you really do need more. Trust me, you will appreciate this education in the future. It’s a small price to pay now for being able to roam among humans undetected later.”

  What he was saying made perfect sense, but Olivia was still thirsty – so, so thirsty – that she had a hard time ceding his point.

  “Thank you, but I can safely say that I am nowhere near sated,” she pronounced before downing the second glass of blood.

  “More,” she demanded once again.

  William re-filled her cup and she drank deeply, not stopping to savor the succulent liquid, but still feeling its magic course through her body.

  “Again,” she demanded, holding out the goblet for yet another refill.

  “Before I give you more, tell me how you feel.”

  “I feel … well, I feel.” She stopped to consider her words, to figure out how to explain what she could sense physically happening inside her body. “I can feel the blood as it travels through my body. It’s distinct, and … wondrous. I feel like I was a wilted rose, brought back to life after a cold spring shower.”

  Satisfied that she had sufficiently answered his question she pushed the glass back in his direction. “Now, give me more.”

  William laughed, and instead of reaching for the goblet, he grabbed Olivia’s arm and pulled her toward him for a quick, open-mouthed kiss. When he pushed her away, his lips were tinged with red, and Olivia realized that three cups was all it took for her to go from ravenous for blood to ravenous for him.

  She dropped the goblet, heedless of its fragility, and lunged at him. Legs securely wrapped around his lean waist, she kissed him with all the force her new vampire body could muster. Her desire for him was a living thing, taking her to heights she’d never dared to explore. Higher and higher, Olivia could feel her soul wanting to break free of its bodily confines.

  She broke away, and sought his gaze. Their eyes locked, and for one precious second she remembered that night, centuries ago, when she had first given him her body, heart, and soul. It had been an exquisite coupling, tentative and filled with awe and wonder. Now, however, she wanted it fast and rough, no holds barred.

  “Now William,” she demanded, brooking no dissent.

  She needn’t have asked twice.

  As he plunged into her, it was only William and Olivia, and their bodies had their own stories to tell.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Rebecca read her first novel when she was just four years old and has been hooked on books ever since. When she wasn't writing her own stories, she was sneaking copies of her mom's romance paperbacks to read late into the night.

  After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Journalism, Rebecca embarked on a career in technology public relations, which led to a stint as an executive communications manager at a Fortune 500 technology company in Silicon Valley. After more than a decade of writing words ascribed to other people, in December 2014 she quit her job to pursue writing full time.

  Rebecca lives with her husband and beautiful-but-neurotic cat in Oakland, California. When not creating fictional worlds inhabited by strong women, rakes, rogues, and dashing heroes, she is planning her next vacation, trying out new recipes, or reading up on new releases of Islay scotch whisky.

  You can follow her blog at http://www.rebeccancaudill.com/ or via Twitter at @rebecca_caudill.