Enchant the Night. Amanda Ashley
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the familiarity of her blood, though he didn’t yet understand its significance.
Callie clasped her hands in her lap. She found it somewhat reassuring that he wasn’t a murderer, but couldn’t help asking, “If you don’t kill people, then I don’t understand why those knights wanted to kill you.”
His gaze moved over her, lingering on the pulse throbbing in the hollow of her throat, the swell of her breasts. “Because, unlike other vampires, we can breed with mortal females. Our offspring are always male. The Knights perceive our ability to reproduce as a threat to the future of humanity.”
Vampires fathering babies. Who’d have thought? A rush of heat flooded Callie’s cheeks, followed by a sharp stab of alarm. Good heavens, was that why he was here? Was he looking for a woman to have his child?
And then she frowned. “Wait a minute. If your kind comes from mating with a human female, doesn’t that make you half-human?”
“Only for a short time.”
“What does that mean?”
“We are human for the first few years of our lives. Gradually, as we approach puberty, usually around the age of thirteen, our innate vampire nature takes over. Our necessity for food lessens and our need for blood grows stronger. By the time we reach our late teens, the change is complete. When we reach thirty, we stop aging physically.”
She mulled that over before asking, “How old are you?”
“Thirty.”
She lifted one brow. “How long have you been thirty?”
“A little over six hundred years.”
Six hundred years. It was beyond her comprehension. Her grandmother had been over a hundred when she’d passed away, but that seemed young compared to Quill. Head cocked to the side, Callie looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. He was a tall, handsome, virile male who exuded sensuality and strength, something the female within her found incredibly attractive. How many women had he loved in the six centuries of his existence? How many children had he fathered?
Quill laughed softly as he read Callie’s mind. He had survived a very long time, made love to countless women, but he had never met one he wanted to spend a lifetime with. Until now. Looking at Callie, he found himself wondering for the first time what it would be like to settle down in one place, with one woman.
Chapter 5
Callie shivered under the intensity of Quill’s scrutiny, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure he could hear it. What if he wanted her to bear his child? Lordy, the very thought stole her breath away. He was tall and dark and dangerous, his eyes hot as his gaze moved over her, lingering on her throat, her breasts, her hips.
She glanced at the door, wondering if she could outrun him, and even as the thought crossed her mind, the door closed, seemingly of its own accord. Feeling like a mouse trapped by a mountain lion, her hands gripped the arms of her chair.
“Ah, Callie,” he murmured. “I do want something from you. Not what you’re thinking,” he assured her, amusement evident in the depths of his eyes.
“What am I thinking?”
“You’re wondering how many children I’ve sired, and if I’ve chosen you to be the mother of the next one.”
Callie pressed her hands to her heated cheeks as she blushed from the soles of her feet to the crown of her head. How could he possibly know that?
“To answer your question, I’ve never fathered a child. But make no mistake, I would love to have one with you.”
Callie swallowed hard, felt her heart skip a beat at the thought of being in his arms, in his bed, of giving birth to a vampire baby. She shook her head imperceptibly. This couldn’t be happening.
He pushed off the edge of the mattress to tower over her. “Put your mind at ease, sweet Callie. All I want is a hot bath and a change of clothes.”
Relief swept through her, leaving her feeling totally drained. “A . . . a bath?”
He glanced down at his blood-stained shirt and trousers. “Don’t you think I need one?”
Nodding, she sprang to her feet. “I’ll fill the tub right now,” she said, eager to put some distance between them.
“I don’t suppose you’d want to wash my back?”
A fresh wave of heat climbed up her neck and flooded her cheeks. Uttering a wordless cry, she flung open the door and made her escape. The deep, throaty sound of his laughter followed her down the hall.
Quill stared after her, his expression thoughtful. What would it be like, to make a baby with Callie? To hold her beautiful, slim body close to his and plant his seed within her? To taste and tease those sweet lips all night long, run his hands through the golden silk of her hair and over her soft, smooth flesh, to bury himself deep inside her sweetness and never let her go?
* * *
Callie paced the living room floor, trying not to imagine Quill lying naked in her bathtub. Wash his back indeed! How dare he even suggest such a thing! It was . . . was . . . She blew out a sigh as she admitted that a small part of her found the idea very tempting.
What was wrong with her? The man was a vampire, for goodness’ sake. Why wasn’t she more afraid of him? Why was she still here? She could have run away any time in the last three days while he’d been recovering. So why hadn’t she?
She paused as an unwanted thought crept into her mind. Was he using some kind of vampire hypnosis to keep her here against her will? Was that why she wasn’t afraid of him? And if he was exerting some kind of supernatural influence on her, how was she to know? But he couldn’t be keeping her here, she thought, not when she’d gone out to the mall that very day.
Needing some fresh air, she walked out the front door and stood on the porch. The night was cool and clear, the air fragrant with the scent of her neighbor’s night-blooming jasmine. Feeling suddenly carefree, Callie walked down the stairs to the end of the narrow path that led to the sidewalk.
Turning left, she continued on her way. If she decided not to go back home, she could always spend a few days with Vivian. Except she’d have to go back home to get her purse and a change of clothes. And her car. And her phone.
And he would be there.
Pausing on the corner, Callie chewed on the edge of her thumbnail. She didn’t have to go home. She didn’t need her handbag or anything else. And Vivian would be more than happy to lend her something to wear and drive her wherever she wanted to go.
* * *
Quill reclined in the tub, arms resting on the sides, his eyes closed. The air was moist, fragrant with the scent of Callie’s lavender-scented bubble bath. He smiled inwardly, amused by the turn of her thoughts. She worried that he was controlling her actions. Control was not quite the right word, he mused, though he had planted suggestions in her mind, like telling her to meet him in Hunter Park and calling her to him after the Knights attacked him. He wondered if she would decide to spend the next few days with her friend.
And if he would let her.
* * *
Callie was a block away from Vivian’s house when there was a shimmer in the air and Quill appeared on the sidewalk, fully clothed, in front of her. Startled, she reeled back and would have fallen if he hadn’t grabbed her arm to steady her.
“What . . . what are you doing here?” she exclaimed. “How . . . ?”
“It isn’t safe for you to be out walking alone at night.”
“I’m fine!” she snapped, jerking her arm from his grasp.
“Come home, Callie.” His voice caressed her like dark silk. Lost in the depths of his eyes, she didn’t resist when he captured her hand with his.
When