Hot droplets of water pulsed against my skin as I rinsed my sweat misted body off in Caleb’s walk-in shower. The air smelled like honey and eucalyptus. I inhaled its luscious scent and rested my forehead on the heated door of his glass encased walk-in shower.

Suddenly, a searing pain gripped my skull. I tried to hold on, but my hands slipped on the glass, and my legs collapsed underneath me. Dark mental images consumed my every thought. A jumble of emotions and images raced through my mind. My head felt impossibly heavy. I supported it with my hands, afraid that if I let go, it might break off completely.

A gray wolf-like creature crouched over me. His yellow eyes widened with sadistic glee when he saw the petrified look on my face. He ran his dirt encrusted paws down my slick skin. The edge of his razor-like fingers sliced me. My blood mixed with water, and the crimson flow surrounded me. I tried to scream, but my voice failed. I kicked him, but he caught my leg and bent it up by my ear.

Get off me, you animal. Stay the fuck away from me.

The creature’s nostrils flared, and his smiled widened to show-off his sharpened teeth. Their points were as sharp as knives, and his lip curled around them. His skin, matted with thick long hair, rubbed against my sensitive skin. Everything about the creature repulsed me. The hardness between his legs poked between my thighs. He spread my legs apart with his leathery, rough palms. I slipped against the edge of the shower, trying desperately to escape. My skin burned, and the water felt like hot acid against my skin.

He pressed me down harder. I couldn’t escape from him; no matter how much force I used to resist him, he had more. He spread my knees, and thrust against the hot flesh of my inner thigh. When I fought, it made him more gleefully sadistic.

I saw Greyson over me, his eyes wild and yellow. He’d come back to hurt me, maybe even to kill me. I was certain Caleb had destroyed him the last time he tried to attack me. Hadn’t he? I shut my eyes tightly and when I opened them, I saw the face more clearly. It was Derek, my ex-boyfriend who’d been stolen by Greyson. Caleb had tried to save him, but Greyson got to him first. He transformed Derek into something non-human. A lycan shifter. His teeth were long, and sharp like knives.

I turned my head away, sure that if I closed my eyes, he would disappear.

Get off of me. Now, Derek. Caleb, where are you? Caleb…

Real tears wet my eyes, and streamed down my face. I felt my vulnerable, human nature rising up inside. Stomach acid burned my throat. My tongue tasted like rusted pennies, and was wet with my own blood.

Oh God. What is he going to do to me?

His hand pressed against my shoulder, pinning me in place. I clenched my teeth and bit the inside of my cheek. Blood spurted out of my mouth and down my jaw.

Derek brushed his fur-matted face against my smooth skin and smiled.

“Little bitch. I’ll make you mine and steal you from him.”

“No. No,” I panted. “You can’t ever…take…me…”

My lungs burned, as if set aflame by the hot stench of his breath. I raked my nails deep into his biceps as I pushed him away from my chest. He didn’t even flinch.

The world around me went black and cold as I fell into an abyss. There was silence, nothingness, surrounding me. I hadn’t risen to heaven or descended to hell. I was somewhere in between…falling into the bleak and silent void.

“Abby. Damn it. Abby.”

Caleb grabbed me from underneath my arms as I laid naked on the floor of the shower, and scooped me up to his chest. The water pelted us like rain drops. I opened my mouth and tasted the hot liquid. It soothed my scorching throat.

I shivered in Caleb’s arms, and curled into a tight ball. He carried me across the room to the silk covered bed.

“Abby. Don’t leave me. Don’t…”

Caleb’s eyes filled with fear. The raw edge of pain in his voice seeped through, and the panic within him arose. When I opened my eyes, everything was still black, the room obscured by spots of darkness. The tears stung my eyes, and I pushed them away, trying to free myself from this nightmare.

“Caleb?”

He gradually came into view. His clear blue eyes turned amethyst in the soft bedroom light. His powerful arms cradled me, and drew me close to his muscular chest. I sobbed softly, still overcome with the terror of what had happened only moments before.

“Caleb. I was falling. Into the abyss. Greyson came after me, and he…” My words faltered. “Was it real? It felt so real.”

Caleb’s voice, soft and comforting, soothed my rattled nerves. “It was a hallucination, sweetheart. A manifestation of your fears. It’s…”

“It’s what?” I studied his face, now so serious and drawn.

“It’s part of the transformation process. It happens sometimes.”

I wiped my hands across my eyes, and pushed back the wet strands of hair that laid heavily against my forehead.

“What do you mean sometimes?” I bit my lip, afraid of his answer, but still needing to hear the truth.

His hands ran smoothly down my neck and over the curves of my body. I felt at once on fire, and then unfathomably cold. I shook as chills overtook my body, when moments before, I’d been sweating.

“Angel. Sometimes…” he paused. “Sometimes the transformation process doesn’t go smoothly. It doesn’t always take.”

“Take?” I shook my head.

“Yes,” he nodded his head solemnly. “Sometimes, rarely…but it does happen…the human body rejects the vampire antibodies. The human blood and body is kept alive by the rush of adrenaline and the antibodies provided by the initial infusion. After a time, the human antibodies begin to attack the vampire strain, and well…”

I collapsed into his hold, my body unable to support myself. The world spun around me, and a dizziness overtook my mental faculties.

“And,” he continued. “It means that your body is attacking itself. Your immune system can’t tell if it’s vampire or human, friend or foe.”

I shook my head. “An autoimmune disease?” I’d heard of that before, and struggled with a diagnosis when I was in law school. After rounds of tests, I’d found out that I had Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. I’d been unusually exhausted and emotional that year. When the doctors finally tested my thyroid hormone, they’d found it was over one hundred times the optimal level.

I remembered the admonishing of the endocrinologist. “Once you have one autoimmune disease, the odds of acquiring another one increase greatly. You have to be careful with your health now.”

I gulped. All the strange symptoms I’d had since my transformation made sense. I was sometimes overcome with elation and euphoria. Other times, I couldn’t get out of bed. With Hashimoto’s, there was a treatment. Not a cure, but a way to live with it. Would this be the same? Could my body ever acclimate to being a vampire?

“Sweetheart.” Caleb gazed into my eyes and drew his smooth fingers down my cheek, tracing a pattern from my jaw to my exposed neck.

When a portion of my strength returned, I scooted to the edge of the bed. Caleb fell on bended knee in front of me, and pulled a cashmere blanket around my tender skin. My eyes raked over his body. He was dressed in his black leather jacket, and his car keys were stuffed into the pocket. His black leather shoes were laced, and he smelled like cologne. When I’d left him, he’d been nude, relaxing in bed. I’d expected him to join me in the shower, but he never came. By the time I passed out, I’d been in there at least twenty minutes.

“How long was I in there? Why are you dressed, Caleb?”

His eyes darted to the doorway, and he broke eye contact with me. He bit his lip, and his brow furrowed. I knew he was hiding something from me.

“I had to go out for a minute.”

“Go out?” Why did he have to rush out at two in the morning when he’d just been in bed fucking me?

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart.”

I laid my head against his strong shoulder, and held onto his muscular biceps for support. He’d hidden something else from me. For the second time in one day. What did Caleb not want me to know? Why was he being so secretive?

“No?” I raised my chin and gazed up at his chiseled jawline, and his perfectly sculpted face.

“I’m here to protect you, Abby. I would never hurt you.”

My heart believed him, but my head felt differently. My best friend, Natalie, told me not to trust Caleb. He was a party animal, a known womanizer, and most of all—a notoriously powerful vampire.

Why did I think I could tame the ultimate bad boy?

In the battle between my heart and my mind, the heart won out. A soothing warmth emanated from deep inside my body. I felt alive, and warm again. The strength came back to my limbs as he rocked me in his arms.

Caleb patted my wet hair, and stroked his fingers through the unrinsed shampoo. My eyes met his when he touched the slick part of my neck.

“Let me rinse you off in the shower,” he said.

I shuddered at the thought of returning to the place of my nightmare, but Caleb was right. My shampoo encrusted hair needed to be rinsed. I shivered when Caleb pulled the towel tighter around my body. I didn’t dare close my eyes, for fear of the vision of Derek returning to me. Even his imaginary scent permeated my nostrils. I wanted to wash him away, and let go of my fears.

Caleb carried me back to the bathroom, and sat me down on the plush leather ottoman near the spa shower. I watched him undress before me; his hard muscles and powerful body were all the distraction I needed. His firm body flexed instinctively as he slipped off the last of his clothes. His long lean body and his impressive cock took my breath away, just as they had the first night I met him.

He gently reached for the edge of my towel. His eyes had a sensual look to them, as if he wanted to comfort me the way he knew best. Our bodies fit together as if they were made for each other. His strong arms scooped up my naked form, and he set me down gently in the shower.

“Is it too hot?” Caleb stood behind me, gently pushing my hair to the side of my neck. His lips met the nape of my neck, and kissed a trail down my shoulder.

“It’s perfect.” Because you’re here.

His strong hands slid around my waist, and caressed the curves of my body. His voice shook as he whispered in my ear. “I was so worried about you, angel. So very worried.”

“I’ll be okay,” I said softly. “It wasn’t real. I know that.” My muscles relaxed under the warm spray of water, and Caleb massaged the knots of tension from my aching back.

I tried to say more, but my voice quivered. All of my pent-up emotions over my transformation, and now my nightmare, bubbled up to the surface. My eyes stung as tears streamed down my face. My body shook from the release, like I was finally coming to terms with what had happened to me.

“Sweetheart…” Caleb pulled me closer to him, and laced his muscular arms around the curve of my waist. The sensation of his defined pecks on my slippery back comforted me, like he’d catch me if I fell again. He pressed harder against me, supporting my whole weight in his protective hold.

“I hate seeing you cry, Abby. I want to fix this. I need to fix this. Was this the first time a vision like this has happened?”

“No.” I shook my head, as my teeth clenched down tightly. Since my transformation, I’d had terrible visions – ones that I dared not tell anyone, especially Caleb. Would he think I was going crazy? I couldn’t risk it. But now, faced with his direct question, I couldn’t lie to him. He deserved to know the truth. “The visions are becoming more frequent, Caleb. Worse every time.”

“What can I do to help you?” His words fell hotly on my neck, as the warm steam of the shower surrounded us.

“Stay with me,” I whispered. I leaned back into him, and melted into his tender yet sturdy hold. His cock pressed against my buttocks, gently pushing against the sensitive skin. I drew my hands across his arms, and traced a path down his hips.

“Always.”

I squinted, and pushed the last of my tears from the corners of my eyes. I tried not to think about Derek, or Greyson, but it was all too raw. The fears inside me bubbled up to the surface. I knew Caleb could read my thoughts, especially when they were this strong.

“Abby. I won’t let them hurt you. Greyson is gone. I killed him. And as for Derek, I will protect you against him if he ever tries to harm you. I won’t let him, or anyone else, near you. You’re too precious to me.”

“You don’t have to,” I breathed. My fingers tightened around his muscular hips.

“It’s not up for discussion, Abby. They will never touch you again.”

My throat ached. I wanted to tell Caleb how much he meant to me. Caleb Crane, the sexiest and most eligible vampire in all of Hollywood, had sworn to protect me against an army of evil. He wanted to keep me safe.

“Caleb, I don’t know what to say.”

His cheek brushed the back of my head, and he caressed the curve of my neck. He positioned my head under the luxurious rain fall of the shower, and swept the warm water from my face. I closed my eyes, and tried to forget about Derek and the nightmares plaguing me. All that mattered was the here and now. Caleb was here, not the monsters I feared. He was all I needed.

I melted at his touch. The sensation of his fingers gliding over my scalp made me weak in the knees. I placed my hands on the warm shower tiles in front of me for balance. As his fingers kneaded my scalp, I sighed a feral moan of pleasure.

“How does that feel?” His voice was low and husky.

“So good.”

I closed my eyes and savored the sensations of his hands massaging my scalp. His fingers stroked the wet locks, and brushed them gently. When his hands left my scalp, I whimpered in disappointment.

He leaned against me and whispered in my ear. “Do you want me to keep going?”

“Yes,” I murmured breathlessly.

I instinctively pressed my back against his hard body. He put a dollop of body wash into his smooth hands, and rubbed them together. His slippery palms glided over the curve of my waist until they reached the tops of my arms. His fingers pressed gently into my weary muscles, and his thumbs massaged me until I let out a sigh of pleasure.

His fingers worked their magic on the back of my neck, and then journeyed down my back to the curve of my buttocks. I reared into him with pleasure as his thumbs massaged the tension in my lower back and down my legs.

“I feel weak,” I whispered.

“I can be strong for you.”

My nightmares and fears washed away as his smooth, healing hands glided over my slippery skin. His touch took me away from my worries, to a place where only pleasure existed.

His hands guided me, and turned me around to face him. Then, he was on his knees before me, massaging the backs of my legs. His body glistened in the water droplets, and he looked up and smiled at me with an expression that melted my soul.

“You make this all okay, Caleb, as long as I have you.”

His eyes closed as he took in my words. Then, his hands glided up my slick body until he stood at full height before me. His lips brushed my cheek.

“I will always protect you, Abby, and keep you safe. It’s my greatest pleasure.”

“Your greatest pleasure?”

“Yes, Abby.” His hold around me strengthened. “I love everything physical about our relationship. But it doesn’t top being with you, the most amazing woman I’ve ever known.”

I gulped. Caleb had been alive for centuries now. I added up in my head all the women he’d probably known. It was a lot.

“I love you, too,” I whispered into his ear. I hugged him back, and our wet bodies melded together in the shower spray. There was nothing better than feeling so close to Caleb, with no separation between us. If I could stay this way forever, I’d be eternally happy. His thick, hard cock pressed against my thigh and grew even larger as I hugged him tighter.

“You feel so good against me,” I moaned. My hands traced down his hard muscles until they reached his firm ass. I held it in my palms and pushed him closer to me. “I want more of you.”

“Abby,” he said in a low, controlled voice. “This isn’t about sex. I want you to know how much I love you.”

“I do know that, Caleb.”

“Good.” His hands cupped my jaw and lifted it towards him. His smile turned serious, and I didn’t understand why he’d want to wait now. After my nightmare, I needed the emotional connection with him. Why didn’t he want to have sex?

I threaded my hands around his cock, and felt the weight of him in my hands.

“I think I can change your mind,” I whispered.

My fingers slowly pumped him up and down. He released me, and tried to control the erotic pleasure racing through his body. His head dipped back, and he moaned as he tried to regain control of his emotions.

“Not after your nightmare, Abby. You’re so vulnerable right now. I can’t risk hurting you when you’re in such a fragile state. What if you slipped back into one of your hallucinations while I was holding you?”

“That won’t happen, Caleb. Please,” I begged. The desire in my body for him overtook all my senses.

“I want you, too, angel.” The sharp points of his fangs glinted in the soft water spray.

I slid my hands down his slippery abdomen, until I landed on his hard, thick cock. With my other hand, I gently tugged his palm and placed it around his cock, underneath my own hand. The heat of his body burned my skin, and grew hotter as we both worked his rod, pleasuring him.

I let go and leaned back against the steamy shower tiles, eager to watch him as he pumped his cock. I couldn’t stop looking at his strong, masterful hands. He took a step back, so I could get a better view of his glistening body.

“Mmmm. You like to watch?” His voice was husky as he pumped the shaft slowly and deliberately.

His words broke the locked stare I had on his cock. My gaze returned to his beautiful face, and my whole body tingled with pleasure. He looked at me hungrily. His piercing sapphire eyes bore into me, and turned back to a deep shade of amethyst. He licked his lips slowly, as if he tasted my blood. He bit into his lower lip, tucking the plump curve under his white teeth. I knew that look. It was the way he looked at me during our most intimate, sexual escapades. When he got like that, he was unstoppable and his stamina was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

He gazed at me through heavily-lidded eyes, and everything in my body responded to him. He leaned against the far side of the spa shower, and kept eye contact with me as he rhythmically drew his handsome cock in long, deliberate strokes. He was the embodiment of masculinity, of all things perfect and beautiful. If I hadn’t seen him with my own eyes, I’d have never believed that he existed. My nostrils flared as I took in his aroma. The air was heavy with his pheromones and his natural, clean scent.

“Caleb.” I could barely speak. My body shook with desire for this man, who could make me forget everything else in the world.

His eyes stayed on me, taking in every curve of my body. “Touch yourself,” he said.

I stepped forward, ready to run my hands across his long, lean limbs, before I realized what Caleb was doing. He’d been right not to want to touch me after my nightmare about Derek. But he wanted to please me, and drive me wild with my desire for him. He was turning me on without laying a finger on me.

“I like watching you,” I breathed.

“I like watching you, too.” His voice, dark and strong, sent a chill of ecstasy through my body. His palm surrounded the thick, pulsing head of his cock. He tugged it with a slow, enticing rhythm, his eyes never leaving mine. His skin drew color, and became almost pink in the dimly lit shower. He purred with pleasure as his instincts overtook him.

I cupped my hand nervously around my breast. The water streamed down my body, live with a thousand nerve endings on fire. The steam around me was warm and inviting. I smiled furtively at Caleb. Never before had I seen such a virile man, the embodiment of pure masculinity.

My face flushed instinctively, a relic from my human form. The vampire inside me grew, until I was at a fever pitch of desire for him.

“That’s it,” he purred. He drew his hands across his muscular thigh, and caressed his balls. His other hand pumped harder, faster. I’d never been so turned on in my life, and all from watching him in front of me.

My teeth caught the curve of my lip. As I bit down, a trickle of blood emerged. It didn’t hurt like I thought it would. It was tasty, and I raised my eyes to lock with his. His seductive smile sent me over the edge.

My own body felt alive, and supremely sexual. The way he looked at me made me feel like the most gorgeous creature, as if my flaws didn’t matter to him. To Caleb, I was perfect.

His gazed seared into me, setting my flesh afire for him. I needed him, wanted him, with a burning desire that overtook me. I caressed the curve of my waist, until my other hand landed between my thighs.

The spark of desire intensified in him. His eyebrow cocked, and he licked his lips with delight. Even though his hands were not touching me, I felt the powerful eroticism pulsing between us. It felt raw, vulnerable, and a little dangerous to let him see me this way. His steady gaze held onto me, as he whispered all the deliciously sexy things he wanted me to do to myself.

“Rub yourself in slow circles, just like that. Pinch your nipples, and roll them between your fingers. Caress your beautiful skin. Slip your finger inside as your palm rocks your clit. Oh God, I want you. Imagine my dick inside you, hot and wide inside your tight, wet…”

“Caleb,” I said breathlessly. I couldn’t take any more. My hand pulsed my clit and massaged it with fast, quick strokes. My hips responded, and pushed back against my touch. My mouth went dry, and my eyes closed briefly. It was every bit as hot as him being inside me. When I opened my eyes and saw him pumping his thick, juicy cock faster, my breath caught in my throat. A sensation of supreme pleasure rocketed through my core. The ecstasy overtook my body, and I shook with delight. I leaned against the shower tiles for support, and moaned as every nerve ending in my body cried out. My fingers kept massaging, rotating in faster circles, bringing me to a higher state of bliss.

Caleb’s eyes trained on me, and he growled in a primal, seductive way. He stepped towards me, and pinned my shoulders against the tile as his hand jacked his rod faster and harder. Our bodies pressed together, as if heat sealed them as one. His scorching body warmed me as the heady elation overtook me. With one last, long deliberate stroke, his cum rocketed onto the curve of my stomach. It flowed hotly across my skin. His jaw clenched as he cried out with a feral roar.

His ferocious moans echoed against the shower’s glass door. His mouth opened, and his teeth pierced the edge of my neck as the cum spurted faster. When his fangs sank into me, I felt none of the pain as I had before. It was as if he’d infused me with his power, and pulled me into the vortex of his sexual magnetism. Our bodies as one, he came in long, glorious spurts as my orgasm swelled up again. My body felt afire, and all the nightmares I’d had faded into the distant, dark past.