Blood and Soul

Blood and Soul (Blood and Soul Box Set 1)
2nd Edition
Kate Hill
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2007 Kate Hill

Mel took a long sip of blood laced wine and leaned back in her chair. Her eyes half closed, she watched couples dancing on the polished black floor of Burgundy Peak, a notorious club in New York City. It was a seedy place filled with booze and prostitutes -- mortals and vampires alike -- willing to offer their blood to anyone who turned them on. Still, after spending the past few months in a South American jungle with only wild animals for companionship, the club offered just the kind of relaxation Mel needed.

"So you really lived naked with the apes and fed off the blood of great cats?" Sue stared at Mel and rested her head against her husband Paul's shoulder.

"Sure did."

"And you actually used your hands to dig a hole in the ground to wait out the day?"

"Only sometimes. Parts of the jungle are so heavily shaded that it's usually safe enough to stay out in the daytime."

Sue wrinkled her nose. "Stay out with your naked butt on a pile of leaves while bugs the size of eagles swarm all over you. I always told you, Mel, if you're going to give blood, make sure it's to studs only."

"You said that?" Paul's lips turned up in a half smile. "So I guess you married me for my body."

"No, with you my heart ruled, not my eyes."

"Pardon me?"

"Just joking, you big, handsome hunk of vampflesh." Grinning, he draped an arm around Sue. "That's more like it. I don't understand you, Mel. Most women I know don't like giving up their creature comforts."

"Yeah, well, I've never been like most women." Mel leaned back in her chair and tugged at a rip in the thigh of her jeans.

Sue shook her head. "Still trying to find that bloodlust rush in something other than feeding?"

"I guess so." Mel sighed deeply. "When I became a vampire, I thought life would be more exciting than this."

"You're not old enough to be cynical," Paul snorted. "Hell, I've been around since before the great wall started going up in China and I still think there are awesome experiences just waiting for me out there."

"It's not that. I've had great experiences on my own. I'm just looking for the right..."

"Companion?" Sue grinned. "You're rough on guys. You have to give them a chance."

Mel believed she had given too many men too many chances. It might not be all their fault. She wasn't an easy woman to handle and never had been, even as a mortal. She spent her childhood as a regular tomboy. She loved sports, action movies, and anything physical. She was active in the women's rights movement. Burned her bra and everything. That's where she met Sue. The two women had become good friends instantly.

In spite of her delicate appearance, Sue possessed admirable strength, both physical and emotional. Though she looked around Mel's age, she had seemed so wise, so in control, unlike Mel who spent her life in overdrive. When Sue had first told Mel about her vampirism, she had been skeptical. Then she witnessed Sue's power and was entranced. It beckoned her like nothing she had ever felt before. She wanted it badly, and Sue willingly obliged.

Mel loved everything about immortality. Ever since that first night of unparalleled strength coursing through her, she had made it her duty to experience her vampiric gifts to their fullest. When she wasn't in the wilderness living like an animal, she was seeking out others of her kind to challenge. Nothing compared to engaging in a good old-fashioned brawl with another vampire. Such violence incited an almost sexual sensation inside her. Maybe that was why she was still looking for the right kind of mate, the kind she had only heard about from other vampires.

The stories of the ancients, the alpha males who roamed the world when it was young, fascinated her. She knew plenty of modern alphas. Their power lured her, yet most of them had adapted to the world enough to give people the respect they deserved. These males treated those beneath them like beloved pets, not wanting to hurt them unless directly threatened. What would it be like to meet one of the ancients untouched by the political correctness adopted by the vampire world?

There was one way she might satisfy her curiosity. Her heart pounded just from thinking about the possibility. She had considered it many times before, but something always stopped her. Could it be that she didn't truly have the guts to go through with it? No. She had faced pain, even death, many times before and not lost her nerve. Still, this was different. If she did this, she wouldn't be surrendering her life, but her very soul...