I can see the hurt in Janet’s eyes, but I need a minute to think. I haven’t wanted a woman like this in a long time. Hell, an hour ago, I wasn’t sure I even wanted to live to see another day.

  I’m terrified that I’m falling for the woman in front of me when we’ve only just met. It shouldn’t be possible. I’ve heard of tales of fated mates, but only among the werewolves I’ve read about in books. Not real vampires, such as myself.

  I brush her long hair back from her face, and her stomach growls. Her cheeks heat, and I smile at how absolutely adorable this woman looks.

  “Let me make you breakfast,” I say, meeting her beautiful blue eyes.

  “You need to eat?” she asks, a frown line forming between her eyebrows.

  I want to smooth it out. “Need? No. But vampires have enhanced taste buds, and I enjoy food.” I shrug. “And I love to cook.”

  “What are enhanced taste buds? Do you mean everything tastes too salty or—”

  “No. Everything tastes… better. I think it’s the only reason I still wish to eat. I’ve…” I trail off before I admit that I’ve lost interest in everything else, including living.

  In all the time I’ve been on this earth, I’ve seen everything there was to see and done everything there was to do. Hell, I sired vampires, built a kingdom, and reigned as their king.

  I’ve done everything I thought I wanted to do, and I was sure I was done with life. But Janet makes me feel alive just by sitting here, on the couch in her library. I want to experience everything with her. To see her eyes light up with joy at every new place we see, every moment we share. I can’t believe I just met this woman, and I’m already thinking about such things.

  “Breakfast sounds good,” she says with a small smile. “The kitchen’s downstairs.”

  “Why don’t you stay up here and relax while I cook?” I ask, handing her the paperback.

  “Are you sure? I could help.”

  I force myself to shake my head. “I’ll manage.”

  “In that case, I do have some work to do,” she says.

  I look around the empty library, and she grins.

  “I don’t mean around here. But that’s part of the problem. Which is why I signed up for a training seminar from the ALA.”

  I rack my brain to figure out what the acronym stands for, but she beats me to it.

  “The American Library Association. I missed it live because I mixed up the time zone, but there’s a recording. I’m hoping it’ll give me some ideas on how to make this place more lively.”

  I nod and force myself to walk away. I need some time to think about what I’m getting into here. Her cat, Page, follows me down the stairs to her basement apartment, probably hoping for a second breakfast.

  “It must be nice, being a cat,” I tell him.

  He meows in response, almost like he understands me and is in full agreement.

  “Until I met your mom, I’d been planning how I would meet my true death,” I tell the cat. “What if this thing I feel for her is just a phase? I can’t lead her on if I’m not even sure I’ll be around. I can’t risk hurting her.”

  Page examines one of his paws—rather judgmentally, I might add.

  I grudgingly refill his dry food dish and pull open the fridge. Eggs, milk, and bread… she’s got a fine start for breakfast. I dig through the cupboards to find a few spices and extras.

  Page ignores the food and climbs up on the back of the couch to watch me work.

  “What am I going to do?” I ask the cat as I whisk the eggs and milk. “She’s not just a flirtation. Janet’s someone I can see myself with forever, but I can’t promise her that.”

  He nods sagely as if understanding every word.

  “And she’s a human. She won’t live long.” I pour the mix into the pan and add some salt and pepper. “Unless I turn her…” I freeze and stare at Page. “It’s been ages since I turned anyone. Do you think she’d like being a vampire?”

  “Oh, who am I kidding?” I growl to myself. “I don’t even like being a vampire. I’m tired and I’m old, and if I turned her and then walked into the sun to meet my true death, she’d hate me for the rest of her endless life.”

  As the eggs cook, I pop the bread into the toaster. “Did I see some oranges in the fridge?”

  “Meow,” Page says. He hops down and comes to look in the fridge with me. He nudges an open can of tuna, and I take it out for him. A little extra for his breakfast won’t hurt him.

  “If I’m falling for her,” I say as I scoop the tuna into a clean bowl and set it on the floor. “Does that mean fated mates are real? Is that what we are?” But those only exist in books, and only shifter books at that. “Or soulmates, perhaps?” Though that sounds equally far-fetched.

  Page dives into the tuna, face first. I doubt he’s even listening now, if he ever was.

  “I could stay with her, while she’s human,” I say as I pull out the oranges. “But what happens when she dies and I’m left alone… again?” I flip through the cupboards, looking for a juicer, and find it in the back above the fridge.

  “One day at a time, that’s what Freddie says,” I mutter. Freddie likes to come play chess with me now and then, though I’m not his king anymore.

  I was going to meet the true death any day now… but maybe I could put it off for a while? See what happened with Janet first? I don’t have to decide right this instant.

  I finish up the eggs and set out plates and glasses on a tray. Then I serve everything and turn off the stove. I lift the tray filled with food and head for the stairs. Page meows and pads after me.

  “That smells amazing,” Janet says from behind the reception desk. She stands as I enter the library.

  “Breakfast is served,” I say with a toothy grin. I love pleasing her. She lights up when she’s happy, and my entire world is brighter.

  Her gaze drifts down to the tray. “That looks amazing!”

  “I’m glad you like it.” I glance toward a table and chairs near the front windows, where the sun is streaming in. “Is there a less bright place to eat?”

  “Yes,” she says, and leads me back into the stacks to a small table and chairs in the children’s section. They are too small for us, so we just move the chairs aside and sit on the floor. All around us are children’s books and stuffed animals. In one corner, there’s a model train set made of blocks. They look dusty.

  “There’s really no children who use the library?” I ask, setting out our plates on the tiny table.

  Janet glances around sadly. “No. Or adults. No one uses the library.” She bites her lip. “Well, not exactly true. There are a handful of regular patrons. Five, really.”

  My brow furrows. “But then, why keep the library open? No offense.”

  “Someone paid for the library as their legacy,” she says. “Not realizing that the town would dry up when the younger generation all moved to the city.” She digs into her eggs, takes a bite, and there’s that brightness again.

  For a split second, I picture how much joy she’d feel tasting the food as a vampire. The moment I take a bite, flavor explodes on my tongue, and I want that for her. But I can’t turn her and then abandon her… and I can’t promise I’ll stick around. I mentally shove away that thought and focus on the conversation.

  “Was the donor Mr. Peterson?” I ask.

  “Yeah,” she says, then looks at me. “You knew him?”

  I sip the orange juice and nod. “He was a friend.”

  She reaches over and rests her hand on top of mine. I look at this simple gesture of kindness and smile softly at her. “Jeb Peterson’s the reason I came to this town. It’s actually a funny story, how we met.”

  Janet takes a sip of her orange juice and waits for me to elaborate.

  “You know how I said being a vampire leaves a lot of time for reading?”

  She nods.

  “And that I was a king once?” I say. I realize I didn’t really explain it, and I’m not sure now is the time to go into all the details. I’d grown tired of ruling, just like I’d grown tired of living. “Anyway, I’m not now. I passed the mantle to someone else.”

  I shake my head, pressing on. “When I built my kingdom. I based it directly under the Lakeview city library.” Lakeview was the nearest city, but still a three-hour drive away from here. “Our home cannot be penetrated by sunlight, or found by humans, unless they know where to look. It’s safe… and, as an added perk, it allows us to borrow books at night if we’re looking for something to read.”

  “And an endless supply of books.” Janet’s eyes light up. Being with her is like sitting in the sun as a human. I feel warmer, kinder, and more alive. “So you met Mr. Peterson at the library?”

  “Yes, and no.” I chuckle at the memory. “I’d borrowed a copy of The Great Gatsby and I’d been reading it while eating dinner.”

  “I do that.” Janet nods in understanding.

  “Well, not quite. My dinner was a blood bag. But there must have been some manufacturing defect, so it exploded all over the book.”

  Janet gasps. “Oh no!”

  I nod. “And it wasn’t just a paperback. It was a beautiful, gilded copy donated by one Jebodiah Alexander Peterson.”

  “Mr. Peterson,” Janet says softly.

  I nod. “I could have just left it alone, but I felt so bad that I tried to replicate the copy, down to the binding and gold leaf lettering. I returned the book and wrote an apology letter to Jeb. He’d been so impressed with the binding, we started corresponding. We began to meet at the Lakeview library. He’d drive in all the time until…” I trail off. Until he died.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Janet says softly.

  “So am I. Jeb was a great man.”

  “Sounds like it.” Janet nods. “I see now why he donated the library to our town. He must have really loved books.”

  “He did.” I nod.

  We lapse into a comfortable silence. Janet digs into her breakfast, and when she clears her plate, she reiterates, “This food is amazing.”

  “I love how you glow when you’re happy,” I say quietly.

  She meets my eyes, and I just want to take her in my arms and kiss her again. Well, more than that. I want to hear her moan in passion.

  “Thank you for breakfast.” She looks off toward the front of the stacks. “And for talking with me. It’s been so lonely here…”

  I slide around the table and take her hands in mine. “I think we’ve both been lonely, and I think we could help each other be less so.”

  Her cheeks grow pink, but she doesn’t draw her hands away.

  I stroke her fingers. “I’d like to kiss you again.”

  She nods.

  I pull her into my lap, pressing my lips to hers as I stroke her shoulders and her arms. She tastes like sunshine and light. I deepen the kiss, wanting more, wanting everything. My interest rises beneath her, and she wriggles on my lap. I growl in response, and my fang accidentally pierces her lip.

  Blood wells. She draws away with a gasp and wipes the blood from her lip with her index finger. I can’t help it. I take that finger and suck it into my mouth, tasting her blood.

  Janet inhales sharply.

  A tiny cut on a human shouldn’t affect me, but somehow, I want… I don’t even know what I want. Except I do. I give her finger one last lick and pull back.

  “I want you, Janet,” I say, my gaze locked on her lip. “I want all of you.”

  I let my eyes trail down her body as she gets to her feet and moves away from me. I expect to see fear on her face, but desire is reflected back at me instead.

  She bites her lower lip, drawing another drop of blood, and I zoom to my feet.

  As I lean in to lick the blood off her lips, Janet’s pulse speeds up, and I stop abruptly. What if it’s fear? I need to know for sure.

  “Do you want me to stop?” I ask.

  I brace myself for rejection, but she shakes her head and takes my hand in hers. She leads me downstairs to her apartment and to her bedroom. We stop in front of her bed, and she looks up at me, the tempting droplet of blood no longer on her lip.

  “I want you, Archie,” she says, her cheeks flushed with desire.

  She reaches to pull off my suit jacket, and I shrug out of it. Her fingers tremble as she reaches for the top button of my dress shirt, but I don’t have the patience. I rip it wide open.

  Janet’s eyes widen, and she can’t seem to tear them off my abs. I can’t help my grin.

  I want to be patient, but my dark side roars within me, and I drop my pants. My fangs ache, and I know my eyes have turned red, but I can smell Janet’s desire. I won’t be able to hold myself in check much longer.

  I reach for the waistband of my boxers, and Janet licks her lips. That’s all the encouragement I need. I shove the material down, and my cock springs free.

  Janet’s cheeks flood with color. “I want you, Archie.”

  Her words break the last of my self-control, and I rush toward her.

  Janet

  Archie zooms towards me at vampire speed, his fangs bared, his eyes blood-red and glued to my chest.

  I barely have a chance to gasp before he grabs the collar of my bookish exercise t-shirt and shreds it. The rip of fabric is loud in the silent room.

  It’s one of my favorite shirts, but the fact that I’ll need to order another one—or possibly five, just to be safe—is the last thing on my mind. Desire and anticipation course through me, and Archie’s eyes drift down… to my old beige bra.

  I cringe. Why in the name of books did I wear this thing? Then again, when I dressed this morning, the chances of me getting naked with an attractive man weren’t just slim… they were non-existent. But I should have worn something less plain. Should I say something? Laugh it off? Change?

  Archie freezes and takes a step back. “I'm frightening you, aren't I?”

  I flounder, racking my brain for an explanation that won’t leave me completely embarrassed.

  Archie’s gaze turns repentant. He zooms across the room with vampiric speed, moving as far away from me as the small space will allow him.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you,” he says softly. “My fangs pop out when I'm turned on. And fuck, I want you so bad. But I would never do anything to hurt you. If you want me to stop, I will.”

  “I know you’d never hurt me.” My cheeks flush, acutely aware of the state of undress we’re both in. Archie, fully naked, and me in my worn-out bra.

  I grab the edges of my torn shirt and pull it closed in front of me. Archie feels no such modesty. How is he oblivious to the fact that he's as nude as the day he was born… well, human-born? I'm not sure what he was wearing during his vampire birth, though I make a mental note to ask him. Right now, I can barely focus on anything but him.

  My eyes trace down his toned chest, taking in every inch of him. His abs are perfectly defined, and a thin trail of hair runs down from his navel downward, like an arrow pointing to his huge cock, which is standing at attention… and pointing directly at me. I look away briefly, my gaze jumping to his muscular thighs. They’re as huge as the rest of him. The sight makes me even wetter.

  I lick my lips, my mouth watering in anticipation. I want him inside me, possessing me. I want to know what it feels like, being with a man. No, not a man. A vampire.

  “You like what you see?” Archie purrs, his voice low and seductive. A smug grin spreads across his face, sending my heart racing.

  I swallow and tighten the grip on my torn shirt. “I do like it,” I admit. “But, Archie, you should know… I’ve never done this before. I want to, but…” I trail off, too embarrassed to admit that I have no clue what I’m doing.

  Archie nods. “I know being with a vampire is different,” he says, misunderstanding me. And why not? Who's ever heard of a virgin my age? Not in this century, anyway.

  Though, considering how long the guy's lived, shouldn't he be used to virgins?

  “We can take it slow. There’s no rush. And I'm sorry I tore your shirt,” he says.

  “The reason I reacted the way I did,” I press on, “isn't because it's my first time with a vampire. It's because it's my first time with anyone.”

  His eyes widen. “First time? Janet, are you saying that you're a virgin?”

  I nod.

  “Fuck.”

  His reply sends a flood of heat traveling up my cheeks, and I feel a sudden need to defend myself… especially since Archie's reaction makes it clear he doesn't want to do this anymore. Which isn’t my fault. It’s not like there have been that many opportunities to lose my virginity, especially these last few years. I haven’t met a single eligible man… well, except Archie. Who, as he reminded me, isn’t a man, but a vampire.

  I place my hands on my hips and glare at him. “Don't blame me. I work in a library in the middle of nowhere. Before today, the youngest man I've seen in over a year was sixty-five. And library school was practically all women.”

  At Archie's incredulous look, I turn away from him.

  “Never mind, Archie. It's fine. Let's get dressed. Clearly you were just after a random fling, and you don't want an inexperienced virgin who has no clue what she's doing. Though technically, I've read so much romance, I'd probably be a natural,” I murmur.

  I try to ignore the lump in my throat. Even though I've only known Archie for a short time, I feel drawn to him in a way that I've never felt with anyone before. And getting to know him, talking about our favorite books and our lives, has made me feel close to him. Like we could be friends, and maybe more. But it’s more than that. It’s like something primal, deep down, is telling me he’s the one… Only now I know it’s all in my head. I probably won't see Archie after this, and it hurts more than I'd like to admit.

  “Janet, I didn't stop because I only want a fling. I stopped because I care.”

  I turn around to face him. His words send a surge of hope coursing through me, but I hold my breath and wait for him to say more.

  “I like you, a lot, and I don't want to take your innocence. Not when you're obviously not ready.”

  “Of course I'm ready,” I scowl at him. “I'm twenty-freaking-five, and I still haven't had sex with anyone.” I realize how that makes me sound and quickly add. “And I don't want to have sex with anyone.”

 

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