Page 61 of Bound By Blood

She couldn’t argue with that, not when her father was scowling at her from across the room.

“Come on,” she said, taking Zack’s hand in hers. “Let’s go for a walk.”

It was a beautiful, clear night. Hand in hand, they strolled along a winding narrow path behind the Fortress that meandered through a copse of trees and opened into a lush green meadow.

Zack glanced back at the Fortress. It perched on the top of a craggy mountain like some medieval giant bird about to take flight. “Looks like Dracula’s castle,” he muttered. The only things missing were a full moon and a couple of wolves howling in the distance.

“It does not!”

“No? Take a good look. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Bela Lugosi peering out of one of the upstairs windows.”

“That’s my home you’re talking about,” Kaitlyn said, punching him on the arm.

“Ow!” He lifted his head as the breeze shifted, carrying with it the scent of prey. It aroused his innate instinct to hunt and stirred his hunger. “Katy, come hunting with me.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Kaitlyn stared at Zack. “What?”

“You heard me. Let’s go hunting together.”

She stared at him, speechless. Was he serious? A part of her was excited by the idea, another part was repelled. It was one thing to share blood with Zack in the intimacy of their relationship, quite another to feed from someone with him there, watching. Aside from sexual intercourse, which she had not yet experienced, she couldn’t imagine anything as intimate or private as hunting.

“Come on,” he coaxed, tugging on her hand. “It’ll be fun.”

“Fun!” she exclaimed. “You think hunting is fun?”

“Don’t you?”

She shook her head. It was necessary, it was satisfying, but it had never been fun.

“Have you ever gone hunting?” Zack asked. “Aside from those times with your father?”

“Rarely. It seems so … undignified. So … feral.” Truth be told, it embarrassed her.

He laughed softly. “Feral? Yeah, I guess hunting does tend to bring out the beast in me.” He stroked her cheek with his forefinger. “You don’t like that feeling of power, of being in total control?”

“Well, I’ve never really thought of it like that.” Hunting with her father had been remarkably civilized.

“And you call yourself a vampire!” Zack chided gently. “Come on, Katy, give in to your wild side.”

Hunting with Zack. How could she refuse? Just thinking about it awakened something buried deep within her, something that had been dormant for far too long.

He grinned, seeing the excitement in her eyes. “Stay close, Katy darlin’.”

“Zack, wait.”

“Come on, don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind?”

“What if … what if I can’t control myself? I don’t want to kill anyone.”

“Trust me. I won’t let that happen.”

“Some vampires turn into savage killers. How do I know that won’t happen to me? Alcoholics don’t know they’re going to be alcoholics until they take that first drink.”

“Believe me, Katy, you’re not the type to turn into some ravenous monster. For one thing, you’re only half vampire. I don’t think you were born with a killer instinct.”

“When I drank from you, I didn’t want to stop.”

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