My Lady Vampire by Sahara Kelly Page B

there?”
    The question seemed to stop Adrian in his tracks, and he turned to Sidney, an arrested expression on his face. “No. No, she wasn’t. It was all Kat. Nothing but Kat.”
    “And you both--er--participated?”
    “Yes.” The answer was bitten off hastily.
    “Look, Adrian, I’m not asking from some prurient desire to probe your intimate activities. Every experience you have, every dream, every hunger, could be important. Could provide the clue to finding the answer we both seek.” Sidney leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, staring at his son.
    Adrian sighed. “I know, Father. Believe me, I know. It’s just that this particular…dream, vision--whatever it was--shook me. There’s something about her…”
    “What? What is it about her that’s different? Let’s start there…”
    Adrian closed his eyes in thought for a moment, obviously trying to find an answer to the question.
    Sidney watched him. How dear this lad had become to him and how important. Sidney knew his every mood, his every expression. There was a fundamental goodness within his heart that Adrian clearly doubted. The conflict of what he was and what he felt he should be tore at him regularly, Sidney knew.
    How could he be a demon of darkness and yet not wish to hurt or kill? Why had he been so afflicted when all he’d wanted was to live a simple and happy life? Had there been some terrible devil of inhumanity lurking in his soul that had resulted in his present condition?
    No matter how Sidney tried to reassure Adrian, to let him know that his “condition” was not linked to any defect in his personality, there was still doubt. Adrian still fought demons of his own on a regular basis. Demons that were borne of his vampire nature, his fangs and his thirst for blood. They were not borne of his soul.
    Sidney knew that there was still light within that soul--but he had little or no hope of convincing Adrian himself. It was one more battle Sidney fought on behalf of his son.
    He sighed. And now there was a new wrinkle, a shapely one, in the form of this woman who seemed to have breached some wall around Adrian. Perhaps it would be a good thing, perhaps not. That remained to be seen.
    A crash from across the room distracted both men as the doors were savagely pushed apart.
    It looked as though Sidney’s questions might be answered sooner rather than later, since the woman herself stood there like an avenging angel, all frothy nightgown, dark green blanket, wild red hair and blazingly furious blue eyes.
    Those eyes found Adrian. She strode towards him, lace foaming behind her like a wake on the surface of the ocean. Sidney vaguely remembered that nightgown, but found himself distracted by the woman’s evident fury.
    She stopped in front of Adrian, who was staring at her with one eyebrow slightly raised. It was a sardonic expression when coupled with the curl to his lips.
    She clearly did not like it.
    The whole force of her body was behind her arm as she swung at Adrian and slapped him across the face. Very hard indeed.
    - - - -
     
    “You-- bastard .” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. She never swore. Never got emotional in front of people, but there was something about this man that stripped away her façade of gentility to reveal the passionate woman beneath. “You came to my room and violated me.”
    His eyebrows snapped together in a sharp frown. “I did no such thing.”
    “Yes you did. I suppose you thought the laudanum would render me unconscious. Well let me tell you…” Her finger poked his chest, sharply digging into muscles that flexed as she touched him. “Let me tell you that no amount of laudanum could prevent my knowing when I am…” She faltered.
    “Do not say raped .” His lips hissed the words at her. “That was not rape, and you know it.”
    “Aha.” She jumped on that immediately. “So you admit it. You were in my bed.”
    “I was not . I was dreaming. And so, by