The Vampire's Kiss (Other World Series Book 1) Read Free Page A

accepted the cup and sipped at the
steaming liquid.  It had a woodsy, velvety taste to it and she stared curiously
at it.  “What type of tea is this?”
    Maria smiled.  “None that you would
recognize.”
    “Are you from my world?”  Abby asked
tentatively.
    “No.  But I was married to one who was.” 
Maria replied.  “At least I think you’re from the same world.  You speak in a
similar manner to him.  Tell me – do you have metal wagons that propel
themselves using a liquid that catches fire?  Metal tubes that fly in the sky?”
    Abby nodded.  “Yes.”
    Maria smiled.  “I thought so.”
    “Where is your husband?”
    “He’s dead.”  Maria replied bluntly.
    “I – I’m sorry.”
    Maria nodded.  “It was a long time ago. 
Are you hungry?  Would you – “
    There was shouting from the living room and
Abby followed Maria as she hurried out of the kitchen.
    “I ain’t letting him bite me.”  A redheaded
woman was staring furiously at Neil.  “You have no right to ask me to do that,
you big lug!  You think I don’t know what will happen afterwards?  I won’t
become his meal ticket every night just because he knows I won’t be able to
stop myself.”
    “Erin, if we don’t do something he’s going
to die.” Neil said desperately.
    “So, let him die!  What do I care if some
dirty leech lives or dies?”  Erin shouted.
    “That leech has saved our lives more times
than we can count.”  Neil said through gritted teeth.  “Are you honestly okay
with just letting him die?”
    Erin didn’t reply and he stared around the
room at the other women.  “Is there not one of you who will help him?”
    “What’s going on?”  Abby whispered to Maria
as Neil went and knelt beside the couch that Val was lying on.  The vampire was
noticeably paler, and his wounds from the mesh and the chain were still oozing
a steady flow of blood.
    “Val needs human blood to heal.  He’s going
to die if he doesn’t get it.”  Maria replied.  Her hands were wringing together
and she was staring anxiously at Eone.
    “Eone, what if one of the women was to just
slice her arm and drain some blood.  Val can drink it that way.  It will heal
him.”
    Eone shook her head.  “It will help but not
quickly enough.  You know how this works, Maria.  A human’s blood works best
when we can drink directly from the source.  We do not have time to drain blood
and wait for it to heal him.  By tomorrow night vampires will be all over this
place.  We killed three –“
    “Five.”  Val said weakly from the couch.
    She rolled her eyes.  “We killed five of
them tonight.  They will belong to a large nest.  We are too far west for them
to be striking out on their own.  The others in their nest will search for them
tomorrow night when they don’t return.  They will find the house easily.”
    “This is all your fault!”  Erin suddenly
hissed at Abby.  “Val and the others should have let you die.  You’re going to
get us all killed!”
    “Erin, enough!”  Maria said sharply.  She
turned to Abby.  “Ignore her.  She’s just frightened.”
    “Why does it have to be a woman?”  Abby
asked quietly. “Can’t one of the men do it?”
    Eone laughed, a tinkling soft sound that
made the hair on Abby’s arms stand up.  “The act of taking blood from a human
is a very sensual experience, Abby.  Once a vampire has fed from a human, there
is a connection between them that humans cannot resist.”
    She drifted closer and stroked Abby’s soft
hair.  “Sometimes the act of feeding even leads to the act of lovemaking.  We
vampires are very aware of the needs of our humans.  We are attentive and
thorough lovers, Abby.”
    Abby stared into Eone’s dark blue eyes.  An
ache was starting up in her pelvis and she wondered what it would be like to
press her mouth against Eone’s.  Wondered how it would feel to have Eone’s soft
hand squeezing her breast, her thumb rubbing against her