Eternal Kiss of Darkness

Mencheres hadn't taken the blood cooler with them when they'd rushed to leave the house in the few hours remaining before dawn. She'd been so shocked by her death video and Mencheres's murder and arson framing not to even remember to ask him to bring that. The only thing she'd insisted on doing before they left was to call Tina, but in their hurry, all Kira managed to relay to her sister was that she was safe and for Tina to tell her brother not to believe anything he saw on TV. It wasn't nearly enough of an explanation, but it would have to do for now.

"Please tell me you stuffed a couple blood bags into your coat before we left," she said, shifting uncomfortably as the clench in her stomach increased.

"I told you there would come a time when you wouldn't be able to cater to your feeding preferences. That time came sooner than expected."

Kira's mind revolted at the thought even as her stomach yowled in need once more.

She swallowed. If she refused, tried to wait it out until they came across a hospital or blood bank, she might be thrown into the same mindless blackout hunger that had dominated her first couple days as a vampire. And if Mencheres wasn't right by her side when that happened, she could kill someone.

"How should I go about doing this?" she whispered. No way did she want to try winging it by herself.

He gestured to the pile beneath them. "We'll change into some of these clothes and go up to the park level. There are hundreds of adults there to choose from." So saying, Mencheres gently rolled her over and sat up, pulling a T-shirt out from underneath him and slipping it on. He selected a pair of pants and donned them in the same careless fashion, completing the cover-up of his magnificent naked body, much to Kira's dismay. Still, she couldn't complain. If not for her, they could have spent more time making love in what was now her favorite room in the world.

Next he selected a hat from the pile, twining his long dark hair into a knot and placing a Disney ball cap over it. The effect on his appearance was startling. Somehow, in mere seconds, Mencheres went from looking like a striking, elegant man in his later twenties to a much younger tourist who might get carded if he attempted to buy a beer.

"You're like a chameleon, you know that?" Kira said.

He raised a brow. "Disguises are a necessary skil for vampires. It is not just a matter of changing clothes; it's affecting a new persona as well. Our faces have been publicized not only on the Chicago news, but also downloaded over the Internet. No need to chance any humans here recognizing us, even though our time will not be lengthy."

"You didn't say much about what our plan was when we left before, then, of course, I passed out at dawn. I don't even know how you managed to get us from Wyoming to Southern California. You couldn't have flown the whole way."

He shrugged. "It is easy enough to compel people to transport us where we need to go once I was certain we hadn't been followed."

And with Mencheres's hypnotic powers, none of those drivers would even remember their stint as a taxi driver. The thought made Kira pause. Did she now have that same ability to mesmerize people? Or was that something she'd grow into with time?

Another clench of her stomach reminded her that she didn't have the luxury of sitting here pondering the extent of her new abilities. She rooted through the pile of clothes until she found a T-shirt and some sweatpants, pausing to discreetly wipe away the remains of their passion with one of the torn pieces of her prior clothing. Then she tucked her hair inside a hat as Mencheres had done. It was unbelievable to realize that soon, she'd learn how to actually bite someone and drink their blood . . . all while wearing a Goofy ball cap and a Minnie Mouse T-shirt.

Her life had been blasted apart by Radje in every way possible, but right now, Kira wasn't thinking about that. Incredibly, she was happy, even though that happiness made no sense in light of the dire circumstances she and Mencheres were in.

He stroked her cheek when she stood up, staring with more than casual interest at her mouth. Kira licked her lips. If only she'd thought to tell Mencheres to stuff some blood bags in his coat before they left his house. Then she might have been able to spend the next hour or so learning what made him moan the loudest instead of figuring out how to bite someone.

He inhaled, his eyes glinting with green. "I love your scent," he almost growled. "I love it even more now that it's all over my body."

The flat hunger in his tone made things low inside her clench, but unfortunately, her stomach refused to take a backseat to her rising desire. There went her plans for more ceiling explorations.

"Let's go now," she said. "Or I won't want to leave at all, and that will be dangerous for any person who comes into contact with me later."

Damn her need for so many feedings. That would lessen as time went on, she'd been assured, and she couldn't wait. It would be a relief when all she needed was a cup of bagged blood a day, and that was it.

"Yes. Now," Mencheres murmured. His lips brushed across hers for one last, seeking kiss, almost making Kira decide to forget feeding, but then he stopped, and they exited the noisy equipment room together.

Chapter 21

It only took a few flashes from Mencheres's gaze to make the employees they encountered forget that two unauthorized persons strolled through the underbelly of the park. When they reached the stairs that led to the park level, Kira's eyes were already tingeing with green and her fangs began poking out from her upper teeth. This was her first time around mortals after her transition. Their blood would be calling to her even louder than normal because of her hunger. Her hand tightened on his until she would have shattered his bones if his power hadn't automatically protected him.

"Don't let me hurt anyone." Her voice was hoarse, her fangs growing even longer.

He lifted her chin. "You won't. You are strong enough to handle this. It will feel overwhelming in the crowd at first, but don't focus on their heartbeats. Concentrate on the other noises. It will help."

Kira managed a short nod. Her fangs retracted a bit, and some of the glowing green left her eyes as she mustered her resolve. He waited until almost no traces of emerald remained in her light green gaze before he opened the door.

A bush trimmed into the shape of an elephant hid the side door from the view of the tourists as they came out. He drew Kira along with him to the main walkway, right in the midst of the crowd. Though it was past sundown, the park was still busy. The extended summer hours accounted for so much activity after dark.

A shudder went through Kira, and her eyes flashed green again, but Mencheres didn't stop. She needed to learn to control herself around a crush of mortals. It was far sooner than he'd let other new vampires brave a crowd, but this harsh crash course was necessary. While Kira slept earlier, he'd attempted to see into the future again, but nothing had changed except that the dreaded darkness seemed to be closer. His time was running out, and Kira needed to be ready when he was gone. That's why he'd deliberately thrown away the blood bags that he'd brought in his coat before she awoke, and why he didn't simply let her feed from one of the employees under the park.