Free A Night at Tears of Crimson by Michelle Hughes Page A

arched back, he sank his fangs in deeply and drank until he felt her heart beat slow. Licking the wound closed, he removed her memories and sent her on her way. Climbing back into his car, he raced back to the mansion needing to be in the safety of his home before the first rays of sun filled the sky. He made it home with only minutes to spare and knew that he needed to take greater care of his timing. His rest came quickly and for the first time in months he didn't feel the need to invade his sweet Cara's dreams.

5 tears of change
     
    She managed to wake up just in time to meet Angela and Rachel for lunch that day. As much as she loved hanging out with them, her mind was a million miles away. They ate in silence and didn’t talk for long after. Rachel had to go shopping before work tonight and Angela had some errands she needed to run as well. She felt bad somewhat for not being more talkative, but the truth was she didn’t want to talk about the drive with Rafe. She wanted to keep their relationship, or lack thereof, to herself.
    She quickly finished up shopping that day and managed to grab a nap for a few hours after making it home. She wasn’t sure why, but lately her body was just exhausted. Taking a quick shower, she got ready for work. This nagging fear kept moving through her mind as she worried about how awkward things might be at work now. Pulling up into the employee lot, she walked inside the lounge and was shocked beyond belief to see Rafe sitting at the table, apparently waiting for her to arrive. There was no way she could stop the smile that found her face.
    “With everything that happened last night, I forgot that there was something I wanted to talk with you about,” he smiled seeing her blush at the mention of their night together. “Last night I actually meant to bring this up and see if you might be interested in different living arrangements?” he smiled warmly trying to put her at ease.
    She looked at him in confusion waiting for him to continue. Was he asking her to move in with him? They had only spent a few hours together, she reminded herself and decided to wait until he explained what he meant.
    The thought of having her in his bed whenever he wanted her was enough to make him consider her thoughts. Shaking them off, he forced himself to remember what he was actually offering. “I acquired some property and had some small villas developed to accommodate our employee's,” although, he thought her idea was more appealing at the moment. Standing up, he held out his hand, pleased when she took it, because he just needed to have some contact wither her. “If you would like to come over after work tonight I'll show them to you, and you can make a decision,” he waited on her answer, with more patience than he was really feeling at the moment.
    “I have been saving up to move,” She was a little shocked that Rachel or Angela hadn't mentioned this on one of their many days out.
    “After work tonight then,” he leaned over and kissed her hand with his cool lips. The scent of her blood called to him again and he knew he had to leave before he allowed that compelling fragrance to tempt him again. Dropping her hand abruptly he simply smiled and walked out of the room.
    After he left she just stood there staring at her hand for a few minutes in a daze. Shaking her head to clear out the cobwebs, she went over to the mirror to make sure she was ready for work. There was a dreaminess to her eyes that hadn't been there before, and excitement about the possibility of moving closer to her new friends. She walked out to the bar, with a happy smile on her face as Rachel walked up.
    “I can tell by your face that you've got some good news,” she laughed merrily already having talked to Rafe earlier that evening. Rachel had been waiting for this day for months and was giddy about the possibility that Cara would be joining them at the Villa's. "Just so you know it's been killing me to not talk about this