Kiss of the Vampire by Miranda Thorn

He’s doing this on purpose. I ground my teeth and wondered if I’d break one in the next few hours.

The only whisper of noise in the library was the soft patter of computer keys as the vampire pounded out his magnum opus across the aisle from me. The sound would have been soothing if he’d been anyone, anything, else.

His long fingers danced over the keys. Did his big hands make any typos? He was a fast typist, but vampires were fast in general. He could probably type at speeds his computer couldn’t keep up with.

We were the only two people in the place, minus one missing librarian.

He’d probably murdered her. I shifted in the uncomfortable wooden chair. Yep, he’d probably killed her right under my nose. It would be a little reckless, but I could see him doing it.

Sally’s limp, mousy brown ponytail came into view as she circled the taller shelves. Shelving books. I guess he hadn’t drained all the blood from her body.

If I left him alone with her, would he? Worry ate at my gut, joining the annoyance. Now, I couldn’t leave until he did, and judging by the stack of books he’d pulled, he was here for the long haul.

He stood and stretched, and the crack of his spine was audible from here. He pulled a hand through his short blond hair, and even I had to appreciate all that perfect muscle clenching and unfurling. His white t-shirt rode up, revealing a slice of flat abs and an Adonis belt any woman would want to lick.

Why did his jeans have to be so low? And why did all vampires have to be perfect?

I knew the answer to that last part, but it still made me grumpy. Their beauty helped lure prey.

But I wasn’t prey.

He winked at me, and I went ramrod straight. He’d noticed I’d been watching him. Of course, he’d noticed. Heat crept into my cheeks as I watched him walk toward the shelves, bare feet not even making a whisper over the maroon carpet. It was nearly the shade of drying blood.

Why are you blushing, idiot? You’re not watching him because he’s hot. You’re watching him because he’s an evil bloodsucker who’s invaded your territory, and he needs to die.

Every night for the past three days, when he got here, he kicked off his shoes as soon as he sat down. Like he owned the place. I didn’t like it. It made him quieter, something that, as a vampire, he was already unnaturally gifted at. And there was nothing sexy about his large bare feet. Nothing.

All vampires were preternaturally gorgeous. The change wiped away all flaws and enhanced their best features. Like expert cosmetic surgery. As if they needed another advantage over humans. Strength, speed, and psychic powers weren’t enough?

I got to my feet and glanced around, double-checking that we were alone before I went after him. I’d solve this right now. I’d let it slide for the past two nights.

I didn’t want to fight him here. In spite of the seeming emptiness of the library, Sally was still here, and there were other places to sit that were blocked from my view and could be hiding more people. Trying to kill him would cause a big scene and involve cops.

Maybe I could scare him off. He knew I was a witch. Our powers had sparked off each other when we’d collided in the stacks.

A strange experience. Usually, a vampire’s energy would irritate me, like sandpaper running over my skin. Maybe even mild nausea if they were powerful enough. His magic had felt like a lover’s caress as it rolled down my spine. It had made my body take notice of him in a very feminine way, which I’d found even more disturbing than my usual reaction.

Ever since he’d been sending me flirty little glances. Suggestive little smiles. They made me blush every time, damn him. They did funny things to my stomach. Lower.

Why him? I’d never given much thought to guys. I was busy overachieving in high school, learning every skill I could to escape vampire hunting. When I hadn’t been in class, I’d been hunting his kind—a pattern that had continued into my first year of college.

He might know I was a witch, but he couldn’t know which coven. Which family. He couldn’t know I’d been raised to kill his kind.

Usually, when vampires found out I was a McCormic, they bolted. Or, at least, tried to. It was rare I let one get away, but this time, I’d let him go for a little peace.

My classes were brutal, and if I studied at home, my mother would find an excuse to interrupt me. She thought a career was a waste of time.

I should be dedicating myself to hunting vampires and deepening my craft.

The coven sold spells and potions, and if I practiced more, I could do the same.

She didn’t know I couldn’t, and I planned to keep her in the dark as long as possible.

I followed him behind a row of books in the metaphysical section. He was flipping through one at an impossible speed, but the way his attention shifted from page to page told me he was reading it. Vampire speed translated to reading? You really do learn something new every day.

Now, there was a superpower that had some appeal!

He snapped the book closed and glanced up at me. “Can I help you, gorgeous?”

I couldn’t place his accent—something distantly European, like he hadn’t been there for years. I wasn’t well-traveled. At all. I’d only been allowed a trip here and there to kill his kind. My mother didn’t exactly believe in sightseeing.

However, I had heard a lot of languages spoken. Witches came to study with the coven from all over the planet. I wondered if he was so old that the accent from his region had changed.

“I’m a McCormic.”

The most powerful line of witches there was. The leading family of the most powerful coven in the southern United States. The ones most dedicated to hunting his kind. The stuff of scary vampire bedtime stories. The name held weight among his species.

Instead of the fear I’d expected, rage flashed through his gaze a second before he could smother it. His face became a pleasant mask, and that somehow made me more tense than the rage I’d seen. Calm and collected meant controlled. It meant no stupid mistakes and possibly plotting my death.

His lips twisted into a cruel smirk. “Well, it can’t be a coincidence that we’ve moved here. You better watch your back, little huntress. Someone is plotting to kill you.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. I couldn’t say I was surprised he was making threats. “When are vampires not trying to kill me?”

His smile became a little more genuine. “I’m sure you’ve pissed off a lot of us.”

“Actually, most of the leeches I’ve faced are dead, so…”

He held his hands up, the book still clasped in one. The gesture was meant to be non-threatening, but I knew that could change in a heartbeat.

Faster.

“I’m not interested in a fight, witch. I’ve come here for research. Not to be hounded by a hunter. Can we agree to a truce, or are you going to try and kill me?”

What could he be researching that was so important he refused to avoid or kill an enemy? My gaze flicked to the cover of the book he was holding. It was old. Simple black with silver lettering. His fingers obscured most of the text, but one word stood out below them. Demonology.

Oh, man.

Toying with demons was nasty business. If it were just this vampire at risk, I’d let it go, but when demons broke loose from their summoners, they carved a path of carnage so vast that previous occurrences were taught as some of the darkest times in human history.

In the days of camera phones and instant connectivity, it would risk exposing us all. Not to mention, the loss of life would be unimaginable.

If I managed to scare him away, I’d never find out what he was up to.

I was never going to pass my summer semester classes.

“I want you to leave.” Now that I’d confronted him, I couldn’t let him stay without a fight. He might realize I planned to watch him and get in the way of whatever nefarious plot he was working toward.

His eyes narrowed. He placed the book on the shelf and stalked toward me. I’d underestimated him. He wouldn’t be easily threatened. I might have to hurt him to get him to back off. Though if I had to kill him, it would solve my problems.

I backed up to keep some distance between us, but he came at me in a burst of speed. My back hit the shelves, and he was in my face, his body pressed flush against mine.

I went for the knife hidden at the small of my back. If he was going to get aggressive, I’d just kill him. To hell with the consequences. But I was too damned slow. He grabbed both my hands and pinned them against the shelves above my head.

There was a sharp pop as the fluorescent lights above us exploded right before the whole library was plunged into darkness. He hunched his body over mine, shielding me from falling glass. It emphasized how much bigger than me he was. Though at five-three, most men were. He had to be over six feet.

I was stronger than a human but not as strong as him, and now I didn’t have the element of surprise on my side.

His dark chuckle caused things low in my body to clench. I flushed at my lack of control over my libido.

His warm breath brushed my throat, and chills broke out over my arms. He wouldn’t try to feed from me here, would he? He seemed reluctant to cause a scene, but he could manipulate the minds of anyone in here if they heard me scream and came to help. I tried to get free, but his hands were like manacles.

“Now, now. Play nice, beautiful. I don’t appreciate your threats or being showered with glass. You could have hurt yourself. We’ve been at peace for several days now. No reason to change that.”

“I didn’t blow out the lights, you did.” I didn’t have enough power to put out a candle most days, let alone blow the electricity in the whole building.

His lips brushed my ear, and I shivered. “Whatever you need to tell yourself. You think I haven’t noticed you watching me? You’re threatening me, but every time you lick your lips and shift in your seat, it’s like an invitation. Are you thinking about my cock between your thighs? I know I am. If you weren’t a prejudiced little witch, maybe you’d be coming for me right now.”

His breath brushed my lips, smelling like coffee and cinnamon. His words might have been crude, but the confidence was sexy.

Kiss me.

“If that’s what you want.”

Had I spoken out loud? I didn’t think I had, but that would be absolutely mortifying.

His lips slid across mine. The caress was gentle, but I felt it down to my toes. My nipples tightened as I rubbed myself against his chest, arching for more.

He pulled back enough to whisper against my lips. “No, you didn’t ask aloud. Vampires can’t usually read minds, but we can hear a mental scream. You want my lips that badly, my curious witch? I’ll kiss you all damned night.”

I’d mentally shouted at him to kiss me? Okay, equally as mortifying as saying it out loud, but before I could be embarrassed enough to pull away, he deepened the kiss with a chuckle. When I gasped, he slid inside. His tongue against mine made me tingle all over.

I threw my arms around his neck, the hand not clenched around my dagger threaded through his hair.

When he pulled away, I was breathless. I wanted to ask him why he’d stopped, but he cursed and muttered, “They’ve found the breaker box. Our fun is over.”

His weight pressing me into the shelves was gone, and when the lights came back on, he was nowhere in sight. I realized then he’d released my hands without taking my knife, and instead of stabbing him, I’d clung to him like I’d never let go.