Page 59 of Bound By Blood

“Come on, then,” she said, taking him by the hand.

He had already seen the main floor. The other levels were all downstairs. And underground. Being a vampire, he could appreciate that.

The first floor down held the kitchen, a dining hall, and a laundry room. A low hum of conversation filled the air. Two women were in the kitchen preparing dinner; another woman was folding a load of wash. They all smiled at Zack and Kaitlyn. They were all human and seemed remarkably happy.

As Zack and Kaitlyn were leaving, a woman with curly brown hair and brown eyes entered the dining room.

“Hello, Kaitlyn,” she said pleasantly.

“Hi, Northa.” Kaitlyn hesitated, then said, “Zack, this is Northa. She’s been with us for a long time.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Zack said. He stared at the woman. Her name sounded vaguely familiar. And then he remembered why. This was the woman who had offered to satisfy his thirst.

Kaitlyn and Northa exchanged a few pleasantries, and then, with a last glance in Zack’s direction, Northa excused herself and disappeared into the kitchen.

“I take it she knows I refused her offer,” Zack said dryly.

Kaitlyn shrugged. “It’s no big deal. It’s probably just as well.”

“Oh?” He lifted one brow. “Why is that?”

“Because she couldn’t keep her eyes off of you.”

“Don’t tell me you’re jealous?” Zack exclaimed, grinning.

“Of course not.” She moved past him, walking quickly to the stairs. “This floor has been remodeled,” she remarked when they reached the next level.

There were no windows down here, since this level was underground, but plenty of overhead lights to turn away the gloom.

“There used to be dormitories here and two large recreation rooms,” she said. “Of course, that was before my time. The dorms and one of the rec rooms were turned into individual bedrooms when my father took over.”

“You don’t have any reason to be jealous, you know,” Zack said when she refused to look at him.

“The second rec room is now a combination TV room and playroom.”

“All right, have it your way,” he said, amused by the fact that not only was she jealous of a mortal woman, but she refused to discuss it.

Zack peered into the playroom. There were rugs on the floor, boxes overflowing with toys, shelves filled with books and DVDs, a wall-mounted TV, several sofas, chairs, and tables, as well as a crib in one corner.

All the comforts of home, he thought as he followed Kaitlyn. Yet it still amazed him that there were humans willing to live among vampires, to trade their blood for a place to live. Bizarre. Totally bizarre.

“Our people live here,” Kaitlyn said when they reached the fourth level down.

There were no overhead lights down here. The corridor was dark.As dark as a tomb,Zack thought. Which, in a way, was what it was, at least when the sun was up. He glanced at the narrow door at the end of the long hallway and shivered in spite of himself, knowing it was the door to the dungeon below. How many people had died down there in ages past? It was obvious the vampires no longer kept prisoners locked up, since there had been no scent of fresh blood—other than his own.

When they returned to the main floor, Kaitlyn’s father was waiting for them. A woman with long black hair and beautiful brown eyes stood beside him. She looked enough like Kaitlyn to be her older sister.

The woman took a step forward, her hand extended. “Hello, Zack. I’m Kaitlyn’s mother, Elena.”

He shook her hand, his mind automatically brushing hers. He was surprised to find a mental block between them. Apparently, her husband had taught her how to shield her thoughts. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs.Sherrad.”

“Just Elena. We were on our way upstairs to watch a movie. Would you care to join us?”

Zack glanced at Kaitlyn, hoping she would decline. The thought of spending the evening with her father was less than appealing.

Unfortunately, Kaitlyn smiled at her mother and said, “Sure.”

“Come on,” Kaitlyn said, taking Zack by the hand. “Wait until you see this.”

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