Free Thirst [All-American Vampires 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Bree Younger Page A

her. “And how did you do that? Figure things out?”
    He saw a smile crease her lips. “You know I’m a techno-geek, right?”
    “Ahhhh.” Realization struck him. “You started looking online.”
    “Of course. Oh, a lot of it was just crap. Wannabes and fantasy writers and some real sicko stuff, let me tell you. Then I stumbled on this blog. It was called Blood Ties by a woman named Anabel St. James. And I just knew.” She rolled her eyes. “Sounds stupid, but I knew she was the real deal just from reading some of her blogs. I e-mailed her, asking her all kinds of questions, and I guess she felt sorry for me and how ignorant I was. We started chatting online. She sent me the link to the NPA website.” She sent him a sideways glance. “I don’t know if you’re aware, but they have a whole section devoted to New Turns who have no one to help them cope with their new lives. It actually was a lot of help. Of course, you have to be registered, which puts you in their database. I wasn’t too crazy about that, but I was feeling pretty lost.”
    She licked her lips, and he was careful not to show how much the simple movement affected him. How much he wanted to bend down and lick them himself, to sample their sweetness before sliding his hand across the silky softness of her cheek and burrowing into her hair as he held her still while he took her lips in a hard tasting.
    “I can understand that.”
    “Wow, I’ve been doing a lot of talking. Are you sure you don’t want something to drink? I think I have a bottle of A positive that I’ve been saving.”
    “Sure. I’ll take a glass.” He knew he should probably leave. They would have a long night tomorrow, but he couldn’t resist the urge to find out as much about her as he could. Maybe he would be able to figure out what it was about her that appealed to him so strongly.
    “I’ll be right back.” She got up and walked into the kitchen. Hawk sat there, listening to the domestic sounds of Claire rummaging through the kitchen cabinets. It was actually quite a comforting feeling, and he’d almost managed to relax when he heard the splintering noise of glass breaking and a sharp cry of pain.
    “Claire!” He jumped up and rushed into the next room to see her standing over the sink, a large gash in her thumb oozing blood. He immediately stepped behind her and lifted her hand to examine it. “What the hell happened?”
    She managed a trembling smile over her shoulder. “I’m such an idiot. I accidentally broke one of the glasses.” He looked down and saw the broken shards in the sink. He studied the wound and realized she wasn’t seriously injured, especially not for a vampire.
    He turned on the cold water and held her hand beneath it, letting the flow wash away the worst of the blood. The gash was about an inch long and fairly deep. He looked it over carefully to be sure there were no small pieces of glass embedded in the wound. Spotting a dish towel sitting beside the sink, he grabbed it and held it over the gash to absorb the worst of the blood. The tantalizing smell of Claire’s blood taunted him. Knowing he was probably making a mistake, he lifted the dish towel from her hand and stepped closer. He pressed against her back, letting the heat from her body seep into his. As he reached around her, the back of his hand brushed against her breast, and he heard her gasp at the contact, but she didn’t draw away. Without thought, he grabbed her wrist and twisted it around so that he could see the injury more clearly.
    Slowly he lifted her hand to his mouth. He felt Claire stiffen as his tongue stroked across her skin, licking up every drop of her blood, the coagulant in his saliva stopping the bleeding and healing the wound. The taste of her blood sent arousal slamming into him. She relaxed, leaning back against him. He wondered if she could feel his hardened shaft pressing against her buttocks and then was left in no doubt as she rubbed against him in a