Page 12 of Her Vampire Hero

His tone was dark and delicious. Jenny’s toes curled. “Why not more than once?”

“I wouldn’t want to become dependent on the taste, and I wouldn’t want my supplier to become dependent on me.”

“Dependent how?”

“A vampire’s bite is very erotic.”

Hoo boy.

“And it wouldn’t be fair to lead on someone who isn’t my soul mate.”

Was it getting warm in here or was it just her? Jenny had a hard time looking at him. She had a feeling that she’d like to be bitten by him. Especially if it led to other more intimate things. Letting out a shaky breath, she asked, “What would finding your mate do for you? Would it cure you? Would you no longer be a vampire?”

He gave a humorless laugh. “No. But I would be able to walk around during the day, among other things. It’s been a few centuries since I felt the sun on my face.”

Jenny wondered if she was being selfish. If she was someone’s fated mate, shouldn’t she try to help them? Wouldn’t it help her as well? What would it be like to have a boyfriendor someone who supported her throughout everything? But that wasn’t in the cards. She had other plans for her life. Of course, that was before she realized that the world was larger than she had ever imagined.

When they arrived in the stacks, her jaw dropped. The interior was vast, far larger than the outside of the building suggested was possible. Bookshelves stretched up to dizzying heights, and floating staircases spiraled between levels. But it was the books themselves that really caught her attention. Because they were moving.

Volumes floated through the air, reshelving themselves or zipping off to answer unspoken queries. A particularly harried-looking tome nearly collided with Jenny's head before Rook gently redirected it.

"Careful," he murmured. "The reference section can be a bit enthusiastic."

"This is impossible," Jenny breathed, her eyes wide as she took in the magical scene before her.

"Improbable, perhaps," a new voice purred. "But here in Beastly Falls, impossible is just another Tuesday."

Jenny turned to see a woman approaching them. She moved with a feline grace, her golden eyes glinting in the soft library light. As she got closer, Jenny could have sworn she saw the woman's pupils contract into slits.

"Jenny, allow me to introduce Anya Kanea, our esteemed library director," Rook said. "Anya, this is Jenny Cortado, our newest visitor."

Anya's smile was warm, if a bit predatory. "Welcome to our little corner of literary heaven, Jenny. I hope you're feline fine this evening."

Jenny blinked. "Did you just—"

"Make a cat pun? I'm afraid it's a bit of a purr-sonal weakness." Anya winked. "Comes with being a cat shifter, I'mafraid. We're legally required to make at least three cat puns per conversation."

Despite herself, Jenny found a grin spreading across her face. "Well, I'd hate to see you end up in the litterbox of the law. I'll try to keep up."

Anya's laugh was musical. “Feel free to browse. Just remember—the books can sense fear. And for the love of Bastet, stay out of the ancient curses section. We're still trying to turn the last patron back from a newt."

As Anya sauntered off, Jenny turned to Rook with wide eyes. "Please tell me she's joking about the newt thing."

Rook's expression was carefully neutral. "Of course. Mostly."

Jenny decided it was probably best not to ask for clarification.

After a whirlwind tour of the library—during which Jenny narrowly avoided being paper-cut to death by an overzealous copy ofWar and Peace—Rook led her back out into the night.

"So, what did you think?" he asked.

Jenny shook her head, still trying to process everything she'd seen. "It's terrifying, amazing, and completely bonkers, but incredible. Is everything in this town like that?"

"Not everything. But I do have one more stop I'd like to make, if you're up for it."

Jenny found herself nodding before she could think better of it. "Lead the way. I'm all in on this crazy train now."

As they continued their tour, the night air was cool and crisp, filled with the sounds of supernatural nightlife. In the park, a group of pixies were having what looked like a rave in a cluster of mushrooms. A werewolf jogged past, nodding politely to them. Rook led her to a quiet corner of the park where a stone bench overlooked a moonlit pond.

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