"If you don't mind a little smooching in a cattle pen..."

She didn't.

A few minutes later I had to pull away from her. "I should have brought you along sooner, it's a lot more fun like this."

"Just as long as you don't feel the same way about the cow."

"Good grief, no."

The animal hadn't moved. I crouched next to it, careful to keep my knees out of the muck, and centered in on the vein. Not so very long ago I'd been quite squeamish about the whole business, now I cut straight through without any fuss-and I drank.

Bobbi crowded in to see. I finished and wiped my lips and she patted the cow.

"Nothing shows, at least nothing I can see now," she said.

"They get worse battering on the trip in."

"Maybe you should keep one as a pet."

"Charles hates cattle, too messy for him. So-what do you think?"

She shrugged. "It's not what I expected."

"And what was that?"

"I'm not sure... maybe that you'd sprout horns or something or start foaming at the mouth. Actually, you looked like you were enjoying it."

"Maybe I should start selling tickets."

"Get an agent first. Shall we go?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

We went back to her place and she shucked out of her old clothes while I flushed some soap and hot water over my face. When I came out of the bathroom I immediately noticed the lights were out and that she hadn't bothered to get dressed again."Something on your mind?" I asked innocently.

"I'd like to take up where we left off in the cattle pen." She slid her arms around my neck and fastened lightly onto my lips. "That is, unless you think you've already had too much for one night..."

She stifled a shriek as I picked her up and carried her to the bed. We fell into it, laughing, and proceeded to do some delightfully indecent things to each other.

Between the giggles and gasps, we talked of love and, eventually, consummated it.

Bobbi dozed a little and I stared at the dull white bowl of her overhead lamp, drifting in a pleasant haze of good feeling. Our legs and most of my clothes were tangled up in the sheets, but at the moment it seemed like too much trouble to straighten things out. Elsewhere in the hotel two radios played, each at a different station, but faint enough so as not to be annoying. Outside, traffic sounds oozed in through the windows.

"What are you smiling at?" she murmured.

"You were right. The world isn't so quiet since I put it down and started listening."

"I'm a font of wisdom," she agreed, and stretched luxuriously.

"Have you thought about what comes next?"

"You mean about changing me?"

"Uh-huh."

She snuggled in closer. "Well, it's kind of scary, but then so's love."

"How can love be scary?"

"It just is; the most important things always are."

"You scared of me?"

"Never, but you're still important."

"That's good. What do you want to do?"

She propped up on one elbow and looked at me. "I want to spend forever with you, or at least try."

d.a.m.n if I didn't start to get a lump in my throat. I pulled her close and couldn't let her go for the longest time.

"Jack... ?"

"Mm?""You may not breathe, but I still..."

I opened my arms a little and she emerged, smiling, her lianas rumpled as the sheets. "What do we do?" she asked.

I stroked the whole length of her body as though for the first time, making new discoveries, tasting new tastes. They say when you make love to produce a child it's different, more intense and vital. I felt that now and savored it. This was something to always be remembered and I wanted it to be the best of all possible memories for both of us.

She moved against me and on top of me, her warmth soaking into my own flesh.

With her I had no need of sunlight. I spread my arms to her and her hands generated new heat where they touched me.

Her lips plucked at my face, my chest, my neck...

That felt wonderful. I encouraged her to continue.

Her blunt human teeth wouldn't be able to break the skin easily, but the touch of them was maddening. I caressed her long, smooth back and worked my hand around front, between us, to her flat stomach. She lifted a little and I moved my hand lower.

Her sighs lengthened, matching my own.

The clean scent of her rose perfume filled me, the roar of her heart deafened me, the weight of her body on mine was a delightful burden I never wanted to set down.

She lifted her head, arching it back, her mouth open in a breathless cry as she accepted the climax I gave her. Her legs went stiff, her arms wrapped convulsively around me. Her hair and skin glowed in the faint light from the window. Dear G.o.d, she was beautiful.

My other hand came up, because I couldn't stand to wait any longer. With one of my fingernails I dug into my neck over the large vein. I felt no pain, only a sudden trail of scarlet fire seeping onto the flesh.

She saw-and understood. She kissed my lips once and then put her own to the wound. My sigh stretched into a moan as she took from me and as I gladly gave. I'd never had this kind of a climax before, not as a human, not even with Maureen. Like a storm, it rolled over and through and went soaring up to a peak lasting as long as she drew on my red life, taking its promise into herself.

Chapter Eleven.

"COME ON, JACK, this isn't funny."

Something energetically tugged and shook my arm, hard enough to wake the dead.

"Wake up.""Mmm?"

The shaking stopped. "Are you in there? Wake up and answer or I'll get a bucket of water and-"

"Mmm!" I was more affirmative this time and waved her off." 'M 'wake already."

My voice was slurred and it was an uphill battle just to open my eyes.

"So convince me," she insisted.

After a bit of concentration I managed to keep the lids up long enough for a glimpse at her face. Her expression was an interesting combination of anger and worry. "Whas the 'mergency?"

"You are. You haven't moved for hours. I thought I'd killed you."

I considered the heavy feeling of pleasure that still dragged at my edges. "What a great way to go."

"Are you all right? What happened?"

"Just having a little rest. I should have warned you that I might conk out afterwards. Is it very late?"

"A little after ten. You mean that's normal for you when we do it this way?"

"Yeah, but don't worry, it feels just great." I reached for her and pulled her close, craving her softness again. "I think it happens because of my blood loss."

"But you'd just eaten, sort of. I couldn't have taken that much from you."

" I think this had less to do with amount and more to do with sensation."

"Does it hurt you?"

" Anything but. How do you feel?"

"Fine, I guess. You just scared me with that stunt-I mean, you were so still."

"Maybe you wore me out."

"Is that how you sleep during the day?"

I nuzzled her hair again. "That's right. Having second thoughts?"

"It's a little late for that, this is just healthy curiosity."

"I'm all in favor of any kind of healthy activity."

"No kidding." She burrowed a little closer and a low laugh bubbled from her.

"You know, one of my friends says sometimes it's so good for her she pa.s.ses out. Is that what happened to you?"

"Yes, my sweet love. That's what happened to me. Accept it as a tribute to your talent and its effect on me."

"Wow."

And that said it all for some time and we held lazily on to each other until she stirred and stated she was starving-for solid food.

"Take you out?" I offered.

She stretched. "Maybe tomorrow; all I want are a couple of scrambled eggs and then I have to sleep. I've got to get up to rehea.r.s.e at the radio station and then work out what I'm going to wear at this broadcast."

"How come you get dressed to the nines for a radio show? Your audience can't see you."

"The ones in the studio can, and so do all the people I work with. Another thing is that I sing better when I know I look good."

"Oh."

"Besides, the other women dress up and I'm not about to have any of them see me at less than my best."

"You dress for other women?"

"Oh, Jack, it's only showing a little compet.i.tiveness."

"And I thought I'd put you out of the running."

"You have, but I don't want people thinking I don't care how I look anymore."

"Bobbi, you'd look like a queen even in a gunnysack."

"I'm glad you think so, but I still wouldn't be caught dead wearing one. Now give me a kiss and let me go fix some food."

A short while later she was slipping some b.u.t.ter yellow scrambled eggs onto a plate along with a slice of dry toast. "If I do change, I think I'm going to miss this stuff a lot. You said you missed the socializing but not the food?"

"That's right." I gulped queasily at the cooking odors and watched in fascinated horror as she dropped a dollop of ketchup on the plate. Even before I'd changed, I'd never liked eggs with ketchup; mustard, maybe, but never ketchup.

"If we do this exchange again, are you going to pa.s.s out the same way?"

I must have had a sappy look on my face. It wouldn't be the first time. "I certainly hope so.""What, do it again or pa.s.s out?"

"Well, they both felt terrific..."