"That's cheating! "

I came back out to find that the stalls were all cleaned out. Fresh hay was scattered in, the water hole was refilled and the horses were out in the padock munching hay.

"Vampire speed is not allowed on farms," I exclaimed indignantly.

Lucian appeared from behind the hedge that for some reason he had started pruning. Shirtless and sweaty he took my breath away and with it my natural good sense.

I leaned towards him automatically mesmerised by him. But he took a pace back grimacing his difficulty. "I can't, " he said.

My face fell at that and with it my spirit crushed unintentionally beneath his boots. I turned away to walk back to the house. All aims of a fun filled day gone like it never was. In just that moment I was catapulted back into the city and my usual existence with Lucian.

He was quick to fall into step beside me but I refused to look at him.

"Kira," he said my name insistently trying for my attention but I would not let him do this. I would have him make me suffer beside him simply because he had to suffer beside me.

" Where are you going? " He fell back finally letting me go but raising his voice to ask what I intended regardless.

" My mum fixed me up for a lunch date. I think its time I got started in getting ready," I said frankly. I had been intending to refuse the lunch but saw no reason to do so now.

I felt the wind before I felt him but then I did. My senses went into overload as his lips took mine in a ferocious kiss. We were moving again and a moment later I was on my back in the freshly cleaned out stall on a clean batch of hay. They prickled under my back crunching under our combined weight. His lips left mine bruised, battered and craving for his as he moved to drop worshiping like kisses all over across my face then down my throat.

He wrenched away then but not after flicking his tongue across the base of my neck where he usually bit to feed. He left me awashed in fresh sensations. But I opened my eyes to find his darkened in hunger.

Only not of the carnal nature. I saw me stare back and made a belated attempt to hide his lengthened canines. But it was too late. I knew as well as he did there was no hiding what he was from me. I knew too he was in pain. A pain from the thirst that flared up from our proximity.

I couldn't see him suffer. Not because of me.

So I turned my head and offered up my neck instead.

His curses were fluent but without heat already his head bent to nuzzle at my neck but then with a force of sheer will I didn't know he was capable of he wrenched free and hauled back against the wooden structure that was the barn.

He stood there for what seemed like an indeterminable hour staring down at me. His hunger evident and tearing at him. I looked back quietly. Not moving not provoking. He wanted to stop. So I would do all I could to help him.

His facial features slowly relaxed. Unwinding from the strain they had been in. Still I waited not moving. I waited till he moved to come back to me. He lowered himself to his haunches beside me. Dangling there to stare down at me. His expression inscrutable. Then he leaned back and lowered his ass to the ground. Letting a knee fall to the side he used the other to brace against even as his hand reached out to hold mine.

We held hands then looking away from each other. Him at the seemingly endless horizon and me at the skies above in apparent lament.

A lament not without good reason.

But our silent thoughts remained our own for a good stretch of time.

"We should get going, " he said finally. "I believe we have a lunch appointment to keep."

I turned to gape at him.

Not only had he appeared to have said that we were going to that lunch but he had also said we.

" He's my lunch date... not your lunch," I said simply.

His hand tightened almost painfully on my own. "Don't push it," he glowered down at me.

Then I was being hauled up to me feet and keeping my hand still firmly held in his we walked back indoors... to prepare for the luncheon from hell.