Eternal Kiss of Darkness

That would make it a week since that fateful morning at the warehouse. The maximum amount of time Mencheres said it would take for the effects of her drinking his blood to wear off. Kira bit back the question that immediately popped up in her mind.

What if in two days, he still couldn't erase her memories? And if Mencheres couldn't make her forget everything she'd learned about him and the other vampires . . . would he ever let her go?

Mencheres lay on the bottom of the pool, the rays of the late-afternoon sun shining mutedly through the opaque glass. He'd been down here for over an hour in the artificially warmed water, yet even this normally relaxing pastime did little to soothe him. He kept thinking about how Kira's skin had felt under his mouth yesterday, how she tasted, and how her scent assumed a richer, deeper fragrance with her arousal.

He knew that arousal was only due to how he'd bitten her. Kira's response had been the same Mencheres had encountered from countless women and men he'd fed from before. What was so different was his response. When Kira moaned for him not to stop, for a moment, he was tempted. He could drink from her the entire time he took her, draining only the smallest amount of blood but giving her the same incredible sensations from his bite - and more. His desire had been so great that it caused physical pain for him to set Kira away. Mencheres couldn't remember the last time he'd wanted anyone with such intensity. Perhaps never.

And yet it was more than lust. When he'd been unable yet again to penetrate her mind, the relief that filled him was undeniable. He couldn't help but wonder if reluctance on his part played a role in his inability to erase Kira's memory. Yes, there was another possible reason for his inability to alter her thoughts, but the truth was that he didn't want her to leave. It was a pleasure seeing Kira's face each day. Her voice was something he found himself straining to hear whether she spoke to him or not, and her close proximity occupied his thoughts far more than he would ever let her know.

It was ironic; he held her captive, yet she'd captivated him.

Mencheres rose from the pool, abandoning this futile pursuit of tranquility. One thing would make him feel better, and it had nothing to do with basking underwater. He would have Gorgon pull all of Kira's information, discreetly and thoroughly. Mencheres had already decided to claim her as his so she would be left in Bones's care once he was gone. Now all he needed to do was ensure that Bones knew whom to look after once that day came.

The fact that this was one of the few items he was prioritizing didn't escape his notice, but he didn't care. He could pretend that Kira hadn't become important to him, or he could accept it and find a way to proceed regardless. Denial had never assisted him in the past.

"Gorgon!" Mencheres called out. He didn't even wait for the other vampire to come out onto the deck before he spoke again. "I have a task for you."

Mencheres could hear Kira pacing in her room. She'd been doing that for the past two hours. Doubtless, she was again chafing at her circumstances, for which he could not blame her. Her time with him had gone on longer than either of them had anticipated.

Still, in her sixth day since drinking his blood, he did not catch even the slightest glimpses of Kira's thoughts, which he should have been able to do by now.

He could no longer pretend that his blood was just taking an unusually long time to wear off in her system. It was time for him to make a decision. And he dreaded it.

"Screw it," Mencheres heard Kira mutter before she shut her door and came down the stairs. He stayed seated in the living area, keeping his expression composed, as if he hadn't been tuned in to her every nuance for the past few hours.

"I need to call my sister," Kira said as soon as she saw him.

He raised a brow at the urgency in her voice. "Is something wrong?"

"I hope not," Kira muttered. "Library phone okay again?"

"Yes," Mencheres replied, watching Kira as she almost ran toward there. What had her so agitated? When she'd hung up on her sister last night, Kira had been fine. Worried, but otherwise calm. Now she acted as though she'd just walked on her sister's grave.

Mencheres heard the mechanical beeps that signaled Kira dialing, then her tense breathing as she waited. After a dozen rings, Kira let out a curse, then hung up and dialed again.

He came into the library just as Kira muttered another curse and hung up again. Her face was pale.

"She's not answering. Something's wrong."

Mencheres didn't reach out to her, but to his bafflement, his first inclination had been to stroke her in a comforting way.

"You've been unable to reach your sister other times before, yet nothing was amiss," he noted.

"This is different. Ever since later this morning, I just . . . felt that something was off." Kira shot him a pensive look. "You'll think it's crazy, but sometimes I just know things. Call it instinct, gut reaction, whatever, but I've had it all my life."

On the contrary, he was one of the few people in the world who could relate to knowing things based on an unusual inner gift. Or at least, he used to relate.

"Concentrate on this feeling. Focus," Mencheres stated.

She looked surprised at his instruction, but then her brow furrowed, and she began to pace in a slow stride. Silence and concentration had sharpened Mencheres's gift when he was younger and unused to it. Then over time, he'd honed his ability to call visions forth at will. He'd even been able to use his power to locate people over countless miles, especially if he'd tasted that person's blood.

Until his visions abruptly ended and all he saw was darkness. Symbolism was often a part of his visions, and Duat, the underworld where his soul would travel to await judgment by the god Anubis, was a place of uniform darkness. Death was coming for him, but Mencheres would choose his own end. One that best served his people.

"If I'm right, and something bad happened, Tina would be in a hospital. I need to make another call," Kira said. She went to the phone and started dialing, not waiting to see if Mencheres objected. He said nothing, watching as her fingers twisted together in agitation.

"Mercy Hospital and Medical Center," he heard the operator's voice intone.

"I'm checking to see if my sister has been admitted," Kira said, taking in a deep breath. "Her name is Tina Graceling. She might also be in the emergency room."

"One moment." Hold music filled the line for several seconds, then the operator's voice again. "Yes, Tina Graceling is a patient here. Please hold while I connect you to the nurses' station."

Mencheres didn't speak as Kira was transferred and another voice explained to her that her sister was in critical but stable condition. From what he deduced, it wasn't due to an accident but a recurring medical ailment.