Page 82 of Shadows of Eternity

“No. Have you?”

“No. It’ll be a first for both of us.”

Leia glanced at the table, which was round and made of solid oak. “Sounds uncomfortable.”

“You can be on top.”

Laughing, she began to undress him, only to pause when she saw the bite mark on his neck. “It’s not healing,” she remarked, everything else momentarily forgotten. “It’s black and blue around the edges.”

Rohan ran his fingers over the ragged wound Josiah’s bite had left behind. It was about an inch wide and just as deep. During performances, he’d had to cover it with stage make-up. Occasionally, it hurt like hell.

Leia shook her head. “It looks bad.”

“Forget about it,” he growled.

She would have argued, but when he whisked away their clothing, he somehow managed to whisk away her concern as well.

With Rohan on the bottom, she discovered that making love on a table wasn’t bad at all.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Leia had intended to go lingerie shopping first thing Monday morning, but after making love to Rohan until the wee small hours of the morning, she got a rather late start. By the time she left the apartment, it was almost one when she reached the mall.

There were so many lovely nightgowns to choose from, so many styles and fabrics—long and slinky, short and sexy, silk and satin and nylon. Nighties that hid nothing at all, others made of soft flannel that hid everything.

It took her a while to choose. Even though she was no longer virginal, she picked out a long, filmy white gown for her wedding night, a sexy black satin one with a provocative slit on the side, and a hot-pink baby doll set. She bought slippers to match each nightie. She also bought a robe, as well as a very sexy bra and matching bikini panties.

After paying for her things, she wandered into the Ladies’ Department and spent an hour trying on dresses but couldn’t find anything she really liked.

Her next stop was the food court where she bought a decadent chocolate doughnut and a pint of milk. How did Rohan live without chocolate? she wondered. But then, a love for chocolate seemed to be more of a female thing.

She had to pass through the Men’s Department on the way to the parking garage. She paused in the underwear aisle. Rohantended to wear a lot of black, she mused, as she looked at the briefs. Grinning inwardly, she bought him several pairs to match her nightgowns—a couple pairs of skimpy black briefs, a pair of white ones, and a pair in hot-pink.

Pleased with her purchases, she left the store, surprised to see that the sun was low in the sky. She hadn’t realized she’d been in the mall for so long.

Leia had just put her shopping bags in the trunk and closed the lid when she had the uneasy feeling she was being watched. Suddenly wary, she glanced over her shoulder, felt a trickle of alarm when she saw a tall man with brown hair standing a few feet from her car. She tried to look away and found that she couldn’t draw her gaze from his, nor could she move.

Fear sent a cold chill racing down her spine as he strode toward her. She recognized him then. It was the man who had been sitting behind her during two of Rohan’s performances in San Diego. The vampire who had turned him.Josiah.

“Leia, how nice to see you again.” His voice was without inflection.

She shivered violently as the wintry chill running down her spine turned to ice. “What do … do you want?”

“I merely wished to meet the woman who has stolen my fledgling’s heart.” Lifting his hand, he stroked his long, narrow fingers lightly over her cheek and down the length of her neck. “I wonder,” he mused. “Are you as tasty as you are lovely?”

Leia’s gaze darted wildly from side to side, desperately hoping to find help, but the parking garage was empty save for the two of them.

Her fear turned to horror when his hands folded over her shoulders, his nails digging painfully into her flesh. He smiled wolfishly as he leaned forward, his tongue laving the soft skin below her ear.Oh, Lord, she thought.He’s going to bite me.

The thought had no sooner crossed her mind than she felt the sharp prick of his fangs at her throat. There was no pleasure in his bite, merely a sharp pain that was quickly over.

The vampire licked her blood from his lips. “I can see why Rohan is so entranced with you,” he remarked. “I haven’t had a human companion in decades. Perhaps you and I … ”

She never knew what he’d been about to say. One minute they were alone, the next Rohan was there.

Fangs bared, he stepped between her and Josiah. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he snarled.

Josiah lifted one shoulder in a negligent shrug. “Merely taking a taste. Surely you don’t object?” he said, his voice thick with warning.

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