when caleb awoke, he immediately recognized two things. first, the room that he was in was dark except for the dim illumination of a digital clock on the nightstand. second, he was lying in a bed rather than on the living room couch. still groggy and feeling somewhat dazed and disoriented, he rolled over in bed to find katrina staring back at him with a beguiling expression.

"good morning, sleepy-head," she wryly offered. she could tell by the expression on his face that he was confused, which amused her to no end.

"wha..?"

"our bed," she supplied with a soft voice. "no, it wasn't a dream. no, you didn't walk; i carried you. and finally, you're welcome."

he took a moment to comprehend everything that she said. for one, he couldn't believe she had transported him to the bedroom without waking him. never mind the thought of her carrying a grown man to bed seemed utterly silly, if not embarrassing. he imagined that paige would tease him to no end about it, of course. finally, he wondered what he was supposed to be grateful for.

"i'm welcome? for what?"

"helping you get back to sleep, of course."

"oh. thanks. i think."

he squinted at his watch, noting it was almost nine o'clock, and yawned. "well, i want you to stop carrying me to bed like some oversized rag doll," he grumbled.

she affectionately kissed the tip of his nose. "what's on your agenda for today?"

he pursed his lips. "well, if it's a nice day, i thought i might go for a jog. otherwise, i'm pretty open to suggestions. why?"

"no reason. paige would like to spend some time with you, i think."

"that would be great. you okay with that?"

"well, she is your surrogate vampire and guardian, after all. so, yes, i'm okay with it."

his eyes narrowed slightly, and he pressed, "why do i get the feeling that you two negotiated the terms on this already?"

"caleb, i'm sure i don't know what you mean."

"mm-hm."

"why don't you get dressed, and i'll see about getting breakfast ready." she slipped from beneath the sheets in a single, fluid motion.

before he could inquire further, she had dressed and was exiting through the doorway leading to the first floor hallway. he stared after her curiously for a few moments before finally getting out of bed.

he shaved, dressed, and went upstairs to find katrina cooking breakfast for him while paige sat at the kitchen counter watching her with a lazy expression. she immediately perked up as he walked into the room.

not wanting to pass her by and seem rude, he exchanged a quick kiss on the cheek with paige before hugging katrina from behind. he breathed in the scent of sausage links and eggs as they sizzled away in a large pan on the stovetop.

"good morning, cookie," he teased.

"cookie?" katrina paused with a spatula in her hand.

he almost winced from her tone. "um, it's just a historic nickname for the wagon trail cooks who used to feed the cowpokes on the cattle drives."

"let's just stick with kat, shall we?" she suggested.

"right. sorry, kat," he apologized. he rose up on his toes and kissed the back of her neck.

"much better," she responded, neatly slipping the cooked food from the skillet onto a nearby plate.

"i don't know how you stomach cooking dead meat for him," paige bleakly observed while shriveling her nose. "the smell's horrible."

"i'm actually getting used to it in small quantities. still, you do that when you love your mate. sometimes the small sacrifices are the most meaningful," katrina said.

she glimpsed at paige over her shoulder with a pointed expression.

caleb discreetly peered at the two women as he filled a glass with ice water at the refrigerator.

"yeah, makes sense," paige off-handedly conceded.

during breakfast, caleb and paige discussed their plans for the day. once sunset arrived, paige wanted to drive by a couple of local houses that were for sale. she also mentioned taking him out to dinner at a restaurant of his choice after they ran a special errand, about which she was tight-lipped.

it all sounded like fun to him, but he couldn't help wondering what the errand might be. the last time she had taken him on a mysterious errand, he had been forced to interact with a vampire who had nearly beaten him to death. granted, that meeting had turned out better than he had expected.

katrina left the pair to their own devices and occupied herself with activities in her office. caleb couldn't help wondering if that might have been part of some arrangement between the two vampires, but he couldn't say for certain. after breakfast, he talked paige into joining him to play a medieval role-playing game on the console in the theater room. while he already had a character drawn up for use, paige needed to create one.

caleb queued up his ipod on the stereo system, and bear mccreary's "passacaglia" began to play. paige looked up curiously as he returned to his seat.

"you have your own soundtrack music?"

"bear mccreary is far better than the game's music. trust me."

paige rolled her eyes at him.

as she scrolled through the game's available avatars, she noticed a pre-saved character called kat, which predictably was a red-haired amazon warrior. she adopted a wry expression and selected a petite elf archer-mage for herself.

"cute choice," he noted as he stared up at the character images on the wall-sized screen before them.

"cute?" she retorted. "we can't all be tall amazon warriors, kiddo, but i can still get the job done. perky people can be deadly too, you know."

he stared sidelong at his friend. "what's that all about?"

her pale blue eyes darted to him then returned to configuring her avatar. "i'm just sayin'."

he stared back at her in confusion, which she noticed. she focused a piercing gaze upon him.

"what is it with you and tall, imposing women, anyway?" she pressed with a hint of annoyance. "you defy most standards, my friend. i mean, most guys that i know like women their own height or shorter, and a lot less demanding."

"what's your beef with me?" he demanded, pointing to himself with his thumb. "i'm the happy one here. you're the one who sounds annoyed."

his attention reverted to the screen before him. "and yeah, it's true that most of the women i dated in the past were my height or shorter, but what the hell does that have to do with anything? it's the nature of the person rather than their physical stature."

she dryly observed, "yeah, right. like you don't melt before her when she towers over you. i think it's a turn-on for you. face it, you like imposing women."

"imposing? kat's not -" he broke off, flustered. "i mean, yeah, she can be, i suppose. but she's kind, loving, and --"

"i get it. you like 'em tall, angry, and mysterious."

"she's not angry. she's, well, protective."

"uh-huh," she noted in a dubious tone. "i can be protective."

he stared at her in confusion. where the hell did this conversation come from anyway?

"you're protective," he finally observed in a quiet voice. "listen, you've saved my life on no less than two occasions since i've known you. i cherish your role as a guardian in my life, paige, as well as my best friend."

she turned to mark him with a penetrating expression. the corners of her mouth upturned slightly with satisfaction, and she moved in a blur to close the distance between them, lightly kissing him on the check before returning to her original location next to him. it startled him, but he was nevertheless pleased.

"okay, harry potter, let's go kill some trolls," she relented while saving her avatar settings.

he rolled his eyes. "my guy's a holy warrior, not a magician. and i think we're fighting orcs."

"yeah, yeah, whatever. you're such a nerd," she teased. "nothing complex here. just some ugly little dudes with clubs who need slayin'."

they thoroughly enjoyed the remainder of the day with no more uncomfortable topics.

by late afternoon, they looked through printouts of houses for her to consider visiting. a couple of hours later, the sun had dropped below the horizon, and katrina raised the metal shutters on the windows around the house to reveal the colorful hues of the evening sky. it was one of the few near-daylight conditions that a vampire's physiology could safely endure.

"hey," caleb prompted paige as he appreciated the view of the manicured front yard via the sitting room window. "it's almost sunset. i'll race you!"

she smirked. in a blur she was opening the front door before he even got up from the couch. they both walked outside onto the front lawn, and he admired paige's pale skin in the final moments of dusk. while a vampire's skin was pale under artificial lighting, it took on a nearly ghostly appearance at dusk or pre-dawn. he stared at her thoughtfully, finding her pallor just as eerily beautiful as katrina's.

she acknowledged his attention, cheerfully recognizing the sense of awe in his eyes.

"careful staring at vampires, caleb," she warned with mock-seriousness. "we're mean and always raring for a meal."

he moved to stand next to her and reached up with one hand to touch the side of her face lightly. her skin was soft and warm to his touch, and he smiled at her.

"don't kid yourself. some vampires are genuinely wonderful beings," he observed as he withdrew his hand.

her eyes widened in momentary surprise. "so are some humans," she softly amended as her gaze met his.

then the front door opened, and he turned to see katrina standing at the top of the porch stairs. he stared at the beautiful woman before him.

my mate, my vampire.

she moved in a blur to stand next to him, and one arm gently draped around his waist. he swallowed hard as he appreciated her beautiful eyes in the faint glow of daylight from the horizon.

i love you so very much, he thought. the woman before him had not only saved his life as an adult, but had killed his abusive father when he was merely a child. those memories, so recently restored, flooded back through his mind in a raging torrent. he recalled the formerly short-haired brunette named amber who had ended his years of abuse when he was merely eight years old. angel amber, he recalled.

katrina must have read the adoring expression either on his face or in his eyes, because she pulled him to her as she bent down slightly to kiss him on the lips. he responded only once so as not to make paige feel uncomfortable.

still, the blonde vampire discreetly observed the exchange.

rub it in, red, she thought.

"beautiful evening," katrina congenially observed as she looked to the faint glow remaining on the horizon.

"yep, and night's finally arrived," paige agreed as both the sky and western horizon continued to darken.

caleb stole a fleeting glimpse of both vampires and felt immediate contentment. he realized at that moment how fortunate he was to have each of them in his life and how completely happy it made him.

"life is good," he whispered.

both vampires turned to look at him with satisfied expressions.

"c'mon, tiger, it's time to go out on the town," paige insisted as she hooked one arm through his.

but katrina maintained her grip around his waist and bent to place a final warm kiss on his lips. it was a somewhat possessive gesture, but she wanted to make a point to paige. caleb responded to her kiss in kind, and katrina tossed a set of car keys to paige.

"you two have fun tonight. take the audi."

"thanks, red," paige replied as she tugged on caleb's arm. message received.

"we'll try to stay out of trouble, kat," caleb gently offered. "see you later tonight?"

"sure," katrina responded as she reluctantly released her grip on him. "be careful."

as paige pulled him behind her up the porch stairs to enter the house, she quipped, "don't worry, you overgrown amazon. the elf archer-mage is on top of everything."

katrina's expression turned slightly confused. "what?"

"never mind. i'll tell you later," caleb called back with a chuckle before being pulled into the house behind the short vampire.

paige changed into a pair of jeans and red camisole and slipped into a black leather jacket as she bounced down the stairs. caleb met her in the kitchen, and she took a long look at him in his jeans and fitted black t-shirt that accentuated the definition of his chest. she flashed him a look of approval.

"grab your leather jacket," she advised as she stuffed her license, credit cards, and cash into her jacket pockets.

minutes later, they were on the road. caleb thoroughly enjoyed the drive around town with paige in katrina's audi. the car was an impressive piece of automotive machinery and effortlessly glided down the road. she noted his enthusiasm, silently appreciating the happiness emanating from him.

they had only driven a block from the addition before he was able to convince her that he should drive, since he knew the locations of the houses that they planned to see. the spunky vampire was happy to indulge him, doubting that katrina let him drive very often. she knew that the red-haired vampire was a control freak, which likely extended to her driving habits.

however, their house-hunting wasn't as satisfying as caleb's appreciation for driving was. it only took paige a few minutes at each of the four prospects to determine they just weren't for her. the first was much larger than she wanted, and the second was in a neighborhood that she didn't care for. the third house had a nice layout from what she could see through the windows, but didn't have a basement. she wanted a sublevel room, though not one as elaborate as katrina's. the final home on their tour was too far across town, nearly outside the county.

"expecting trouble?" he asked when she voiced her concern.

"babysitter's always expecting trouble," she dryly observed. "especially when it comes to you. you seem to attract it."

he shook his head at her response, amused by both her continued reference to being his babysitter and for sounding so much like katrina at that moment. still, he silently conceded that his life had become a lot more exciting, and dangerous, since becoming involved with vampires.

paige studied him with a curious expression as they stood on the front lawn of the final property.

after a moment, he broke from his reverie and asked, "so, where to next?"

she expectantly held her open palm out towards him. "my special errand. and i'll drive."

half an hour later, they pulled into the parking lot of a harley davidson dealership.

caleb gaped at her with a wide-eyed expression and challenged, "you're kidding."

"be nice," she mildly admonished. "there's still a lot you don't know about me, kiddo."

he expectantly followed her into the main showroom. a burly-looking fellow with goatee and harley t-shirt greeted them as they entered. paige had apparently been shopping ahead of time, because she knew exactly what she wanted to see.

the man led them to a red and chrome touring bike, though it appeared to be built more for speed than touring. caleb had only ridden a motorcycle a couple of times and only as a passenger when catching a ride around campus with a friend while he was a college student. caleb had a hard time imaging the petite young woman before him commanding the road on the impressive street machine.

paige's appeared delighted as the salesperson described some customizations that had already been made.

"how about a spin?" she asked with a menacing grin.

"uh," caleb stammered.

the salesperson chuckled at his reaction and offered, "little lady, take him out, but bring him back alive."

he rolled the bike as if it were a toy towards the extra-wide doors leading out to the parking lot. caleb marveled at the guy's strength and at how easy he made it look to move the huge cycle across the floor.

geez, does this guy bench press these cycles in the back room or something?

paige grabbed two visor-equipped helmets and passed one to caleb as he absently followed behind her. the guy scowled as he noted caleb's hesitant expression, but the man's face reflected sincere surprise as paige easily balanced the bike between her legs and remained upright.

"somebody's a natural," he observed.

"somebody's had a history with hogs," she clarified then turned her attention to caleb. "put on that helmet and hop on, kiddo," she ordered before slipping on her own helmet.

caleb swallowed hard as he popped the helmet over his head and moved to sit behind paige. the engine started with a growl, and she revved it slightly.

"arms around my waist," she ordered in a loud voice.

he tentatively wrapped his arms around her petite waist, but she reached down and grabbed one of his wrists.

"tighter!" she ordered, and he increased his hold around her.

caleb lifted his feet to press against the passenger foot pedals as paige kicked the bike into gear. they proceeded at a slow pace until reaching the street, at which point she gunned the bike, and they leapt out onto the road.

"crap!" caleb exclaimed as his arms instinctively tightened around her waist. he thought that he heard her laughing, but wasn't entirely certain.

she was quite satisfied to feel him tightly hugging her, and she relished the wild freedom of being on a motorcycle again. this was the surprise she had been waiting all day to spring on him, and it was working out just perfectly, in her opinion. she had researched the various models on her flight from california, having decided that her new life in atlanta would include a cycle. she had been an avid rider since the 1950s, but had not owned one in many years.

now it's time to rekindle my relationship with harley davidson.

caleb finally reconciled himself to the fact that paige wasn't going to let them fall over on the street and was surprised that she rode so well. he had definitely found a topic to talk about over dinner later that night. suddenly, he was happy that they hadn't eaten yet because his stomach was knotted with tension. as if by instinct, his arms enveloped her waist.

that's my boy, paige thought, loving the feeling of his strong arms encircling her. she increased speed while weaving in and out of traffic.

they test drove the cycle for about twenty minutes before paige made her way back to the dealership. by the time they whipped into the parking lot, caleb had become a permanent fixture on paige's back. she lurched the cycle to a stop just outside the main doors, cut the engine, and flipped the kickstand into place with the toe of her shoe.

"time to let go, tiger," she suggested as she lifted her helmet off. "not that i'm complaining, mind you."

he released her with a start and slipped his helmet off just as the salesperson walked outside. they both got off the cycle, and the man looked at caleb with a raised eyebrow.

"i see he didn't fall off or throw up in the helmet," the fellow observed.

caleb scowled but remained silent.

"nah, i took care of him," paige replied with a smirk.

"lucky guy," the man said as he eyed her with an appraising look. "well, whaddaya think?"

"i'm game," she said. "throw in the helmet and a set of leather saddlebags and you've got a deal."

the man seemed momentarily caught off guard by her smooth, haggle-free terms. "done," he replied. "come on in, and we'll knock out the paperwork."

"my new toy," paige cooed as she followed the guy into the showroom.

"him or the bike?" the guy asked, gesturing with his thumb towards caleb.

she merely giggled in response as caleb blushed in three shades of red. both, she silently confirmed.

as paige completed the sale, caleb browsed the host of accessories on display. after a few minutes, his eyes settled on the one-piece leather riding suits, immediately recalling something he had once seen in a vampire movie. he beamed with satisfaction as he turned to stare across the showroom where paige was standing.

"oh, babysitter," he cooed softly.

paige's head pivoted in a blur, and her blue eyes expertly targeted him in her sights. after a spontaneous assessment, she beheld him with a curious expression. he discreetly used the crook of his finger to beckon her to him. she said something to the salesman and wandered over.

"wassup?" she asked.

"so, promise me you'll give me another ride on your new bike," he baited.

she frowned. "well, yeah. anytime, anyplace. i'm riding it home tonight, after all."

"great," he said. "tomorrow, then. shall we say, just after lunch?"

she spared him with a deadpan expression. "not funny, caleb."

"shouldn't be a problem," he optimistically ventured, pointing to the leather outfit before him. "that is, if you're wearing one of those."

her eyes darted to the apparel display, and the edges of her mouth upturned slightly. smart kid.

"hate to tell you, sherlock, but it's not like one of our kind hasn't already thought about that," she offered in a milder tone. "it's not without some risk and not very practical for anything but riding around. but yeah, i'll bite."

she paused with an evil grin, which merely elicited a groan from him.

"however, you have to promise me something," she stipulated. "if i give you a daytime ride, you have to commit to a nighttime ride."

"you're on," he agreed with a shrug.

then he wondered what the catch was.

she seemed quite satisfied as she picked one of the black leather suits from the selection before her. she selected a set of leather gloves and briefly browsed the leather riding boots. minutes later, she proceeded over to the counter with the additional merchandise while the salesman observed her with anticipation.

after dinner, they returned to the estate, where katrina was surprised by paige's purchase, but smoothly congratulated her on the acquisition. caleb recounted a more sedate version of his test drive experience and deliberately avoided any mention of his riding agreement with paige.

the following day, it was barely eleven o'clock when caleb sat down to lunch in anticipation of his daytime ride. as he ate, katrina walked into the kitchen to heat some blood in the microwave.

"somebody's hungry early, i see."

he casually shrugged. "i've got plans at noon."

"that's nice," she remarked as she removed the glass of blood and took a quick swig. at least he's staying active with all his spare time. "what's on the agenda?"

"riding with paige," he replied around a mouthful of potato chips.

a steely expression crossed her face. "at noon?"

paige walked through the kitchen with an armful of clothes, heading for the utility room at a speedy pace. "high noon, red. a deal's a deal."

katrina's green eyes narrowed to slits, and her demeanor darkened as she intently stared into caleb's eyes. he shivered slightly at their intensity.

"what deal?" she demanded in a stern, quiet voice.

he swallowed his bite of sandwich and drank from his glass of cola. oh no. not good.

katrina patiently waited, looming before him like a statue while staring at him flatly.

"um," he awkwardly began, "paige offered to give me a ride on her cycle at noon."

"caleb taylor!" katrina exclaimed.

he winced slightly.

"how could you? as if you don't fully know how dangerous that is."

paige zipped back through the kitchen wearing a mischievous grin. "ha! i get him tonight, though."

as the blonde vampire raced upstairs, katrina demanded, "exactly what does that mean?"

caleb immediately regretted the agreement with paige. "well, i kind of agreed to a nighttime ride in return for a day ride."

she glared at him, and he swallowed hard at the stony expression on her face.

"kat, it's just a ride," he protested. "and, after all, she's going to wear protective gear."

paige reappeared, twirling around like a model in her new leather outfit complete with black leather boots. a cocky expression accompanied her energetic aura as she pulled on a pair of leather riding gloves.

katrina took a moment to stare at her friend before looking to the ceiling with exasperation.

"you're an idiot to go through with this, paige," she said. "what if something goes horribly wrong?"

"everything will be fine. just a quick out and back," paige insisted in a cavalier tone. "keep your shirt on, red. tell me we haven't done far more dangerous things for far less reasons."

"we both did some stupid, careless things out of sheer ignorance when we were younger," katrina corrected. "now i know my limitations better and realize the consequences of failure. i won't be able to help you if something goes wrong. what if you wreck and your suit becomes torn? your exposed skin will start burning in seconds."

caleb didn't like the direction of the conversation, and the implications of failure generated a series of horrific flashes in his mind. why did i have to be so stupid?

"look, this was a mistake," he insisted. "we don't have to do this, paige. we'll wait to go riding tonight instead, okay?"

paige let out a deep breath, shaking her head as she perched her hands atop her hips. "honestly, red. you wanna scare the kid by arguing about this?"

"he should be scared," katrina growled as she cast a glare at caleb. "i vividly recall how painfully the sun burns. get burned badly enough, and there's no coming back from that."

her memories replayed the past. it had only been eighteen years since she had tried committing suicide by facing the morning sun. though she had lost her nerve at the last minute, severe damage had been done to her body. it was only the actions of an innocent, eight-year-old boy named caleb that had saved her. the momentary recollection almost lightened her mood. almost, but not quite.

"i know what i'm doing," paige insisted between clenched teeth as she reached out to grasp caleb's arm. "hell, i did something like this a decade or more ago, anyway. and we'll both be safely back before you know it."

"wait," caleb protested, but paige took his arm in her vise-like grip and pulled him towards the direction of the hallway leading to the garage.

"oh, shut up! honestly, the lengths you have to go to these days just to have some freakin' fun," she muttered.

"be careful!" katrina barked with aggravation as caleb was dragged into the garage. you better be careful, or i'm never going to forgive you, she silently added.

paige shoved her helmet over her head and thrust the spare helmet at caleb. after putting it on, he stared into the charcoal-tinted visor on paige's helmet, wondering if she were actually planning to go through with their plan.

"do you see any exposed skin?" she asked in a muffled voice.

she looked almost like a black-clad astronaut in her leather outfit. he scrutinized her closely then shook his head. she flexed her arms and wrists and seemed satisfied. then she pointed to the garage door and spun her finger in the air. he went to press the garage door button on the wall.

paige straddled the cycle and hurriedly waved him to return to her as the door rose. sunlight permeated into the garage little by little until the garage was illuminated by the ambient glow of daylight. he hiked his right leg over the back of the bike, and she revved the engine.

she glanced back over her shoulder at him while feeling his arms slip in front of her stomach and tighten around her waist. she took a deep breath as she put up the kickstand, and they lurched out onto the driveway, marking her first journey into direct sunlight in nearly fifteen years. despite her outward display of confidence, she wrestled with feelings of uneasiness as she realized how vulnerable the sun made her feel. still, paige turner liked nothing better than a challenge.

as they rolled onto the neighborhood street, paige steeled herself for any negative reactions. however, the charcoal-tinted visor did its job, and her face and eyes felt nothing more serious than a mild tingling sensation. the complete coverage of the remainder of her body effectively protected her. as they proceeded past the gate and out onto the neighborhood street, her confidence grew by the moment. by the time they were on the county road outside the addition, she once again felt completely in control of her situation.

however, caleb was still concerned for his friend and silently berated himself for placing someone he cared about in potential danger for the sake of a spontaneous dare. as they smoothly coasted atop the asphalt, his imagination ran scenarios about what he should do if paige suddenly found herself in distress from the effects of sunlight exposure. a macabre vision of feverishly trying to bury her body in dirt along the side of the -->>

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