Cravings Read Free Page A

that he was twenty and still filling out. He was
luscious to look at, and I was almost certain he would be nearly as luscious in
bed. But though he was living with me, cleaning my house, buying my groceries,
and running my errands, I still hadn't had intercourse with him. I was really
trying to avoid that, since I didn't plan on keeping him. Someday Nathaniel
would need to find a new place to live, a new life, because I wouldn't always
need him the way I did now.
    I was human, but just as I was the first human Nimir-Ra the leopards had ever
had, I was also the first human servant of a master vampire to acquire certain…
abilities. With those abilities came some downsides. One of those downsides was
needing to feed the ardeur every twelve hours, or so.
Ardeur
is French
for flame, roughly translates to being consumed, being consumed by love. But it
isn't exactly love.
    I stared up into Nathaniel's wide lilac eyes, cradled his face between my
hands. I did the only thing I could think of that might keep Jessica Arnet from
embarrassing them both at the reception to follow. I kissed him. I kissed him,
because he needed me to do it. I kissed him because it was strangely the right
thing to do. I kissed him because he was my
pomme de sang
, my apple of
blood. I kissed him because he was my food, and I hated the fact that anyone was
my food. I fed off Micah, too, but he was my partner, my boyfriend, and he was
dominant enough to say no if he wanted to. Nathaniel wanted me to take him,
wanted to belong to me, and I didn't know what to do about it. Months from now
the ardeur would be under control and I wouldn't need a
pomme de sang
.
What would Nathaniel do when I didn't need him anymore?
    I drew back from the kiss and watched Nathaniel's face shine at me the way
Jessica Arnet's face had shone at him. I wasn't in love with Nathaniel, but
staring up into that happy, handsome face, I was afraid that I couldn't say the
same for him. I was using him. Not for sex, but for food. He was food, just
food, but even as I thought it, I knew it was partly a lie. You don't fall in
love with your steak, because it can't hold you, can't press warm lips in the
bend of your neck, and whisper, "Thank you," as it glides down the hallway in
the charcoal gray slacks that fit its ass like a second skin and spill roomy
over the thighs that you happen to know are even lovelier out of the pants than
in. When I turned to the next smiling person in line, I caught Detective Jessica
Arnet giving me a look. It wasn't an entirely friendly look. Great, just great.
    Â 
    THE Halloween theme continued into the reception hall. Orange and black crepe
paper streamers dangled everywhere; cardboard skeletons, rubber bats, and paper
ghosts floated overhead. There was a fake spiderweb against one wall big enough
to hang someone from. The table centerpieces were realistic looking
jack-o'-lanterns with flickering electric grins. The fake skeletons were long
enough to be a hazard to anyone much taller than I was. Which meant most guests
were having the tops of their hair brushed by little cardboard skeleton toes.
Unfortunately, Tammy was 5' 8" without heels; with heels she got her veil
tangled with the decorations. The bridesmaids finally got Tammy's veil unhooked
from the skeletal toes, but it ruined the entrance for the bride and groom. If
Tammy had wanted the decorations safe for the tall people she shouldn't have
left it to Larry and his brothers. There wasn't a one of them over 5' 6". Don't
blame me. Groomsman or not, I hadn't helped decorate the hall. It was not my
fault.
    There were other things that I was going to get blamed for, but they weren't
my fault either. Well, mostly not my fault.
    I'd escorted Jessica Arnet into the room. She hadn't smiled at me at all.
She'd looked way too serious. When Tammy's veil was safely secure once more,
Jessica had gone to the table where Micah and Nathaniel were sitting. She'd
leaned