Sav was sitting alone in his hotel room, wondering if he should go down the bar with the others. Yet something kept him away from them tonight. He just felt like going solo. Dara was coming into town the next night, so after tonight he would be tied down the whole time while she played social butterfly with the others. So he sat back, enjoying the quiet peace of his room this one last evening.

His mind began to wander and he thought suddenly about Lyra wandering where she was tonight. She’d been a bit distant since Sav had told her about his decision to marry Dara. She’d never seemed angry at his taking the chance on settling down, though he could tell she didn’t approve of his fiance. Lyra had warned him one night that Dara would bring him a lot of heartache, but he hadn’t wanted to hear it at that moment. He had settled on his choice for a wife and no one could sway him from it. Not even Joe and Lyra combined.

He explored the link between Lyra and himself and realized she was pretty close at hand at the moment. At the moment, certainly not more than twenty miles away. The more he thought of her, the more he wanted to see her again. He went out onto the balcony and whispered her name softly, wondering if she would hear him. He waited there for a few moments, then decided she wasn’t coming. He stripped down and climbed into bed, staring at the ceiling and wishing Lyra had heard his call. He drifted off to sleep slowly tossing and turning in his bed.

A few minutes later, there was a soft knock at his door. With a mumbled curse, Sav threw on his robe and answered the door, figuring Joe was wondering where he was.

“Hello, luv,” Lyra said softly, leaning against the door frame.

“You did come,” he whispered quietly. “I thought you wouldn’t.”

“Why not, Sav? I’ve always come when you’ve called me,” she answered. “Should I leave? I know you’re expecting Dara tomorrow.”

“Who told you that?” he asked curiously.

“Joe. He came to me last night at a club. Actually, I was rather surprised he found me. His bond to me must be getting very strong; under normal circumstances a mortal could never find a vampire like that.”

“Well, you have been seeing him a lot since his problems with Karla started,” Sav stated, a touch of jealousy in his voice. He turned and walked into the room, throwing himself petulantly on the bed. Lyra followed him in and asked quietly, “Does it bother you when I’m with Joe?”

He laid back on the bed and thought for a minute, then said, “No, not that. It’s just that, well, you rarely come to see ME anymore.”

She crossed the room and lay down beside him, brushing his hair away from his face as she whispered, “I thought you wanted it that way, luv. I didn’t think you wanted me in your life so much since you’d decided to marry her.”

“God, no Lyra! But you’ve always told me I was mortal, I had a normal life to live outside our relationship. What we’ve had is magical, outside any regular life experience. Sometimes I wonder if I’ve just dreamt you up!” he said with a small laugh. She ran a hand into his robe, rubbing his chest as she whispered, “Does this feel like a dream, luv?” Then she untied his robe and let her hand go lower, her fingertips tracing lightly over his rising cock. “Or this?”

Rather than trust words, Sav pinned her to the bed and gave her a hard, wanton kiss that made Lyra’s nine hundred year old knees turn to mush. He shrugged out of his robe and ground his body into hers, then whispered, “Lyra, luv, I wish I could come with you now!”

He leaned across her body, licking her far ear. His throat so tantalizing close to Lyra’s mouth her fangs descended of their own accord. They grazed Sav’s skin, leaving a small trail of blood across his throat as Lyra whimpered. Then he said softly into her ear, “Do it, luv! I’d never tease you like that.”

She throw her head back, for the first time in a decade nearly losing control of herself. The smell of his sweetness was right there being offered to her and she wanted it desperately. He nipped at her ear as his hands went under her shirt, teasing her nipples with his rough fingertips. Lyra fought with herself, trying to keep from bringing Sav over right then and there. He looked into her eyes, so golden with her inner struggle. And those deadly fangs, so razor sharp as they gleamed in the light. He felt a moment of fear, knowing she could kill him if she chose to. Then he kissed her, his tongue running along those razor sharp teeth and letting his blood flow from his mouth to hers. Lyra groaned, the taste of him driving her wild. Held back by a thin thread of control, she let her tongue run over his, stemming the blood pouring from it.

She thought briefly of flying away, knowing her inflamed vampire nature was a danger to him at that moment. Yet Sav continued, undressing her even as she tried to tell him she had to go. Within moments, he had her completely naked. When he lay down beside her, she rolled on top of him and looked down, saying in an unsteady voice, “Rick, this is going to far! I can’t stop myself right now. I want you too much!”

She tried to pull away gently, but Sav leaned up and grabbed her arm, saying calmly, “We’ll deal with whatever happens, Lyra. I trust you.” He pulled her back down onto him and as she gazed at his face, it blurred for a moment and she saw Ronan lying beneath her once again. She closed her eyes and shook the image away, wanting to see only the beloved man in her arms. Shifting positions, she took Sav into her body, throwing her head back as her fangs practically throbbed in her mouth. Within moments, a violent orgasm hit her and she leaned down to his throat. The very second her fangs pierced his skin, his body exploded into her. Panting, Sav wrapped his arms around her and held on as she pulled fiercely at his vein. He started to feel a bit lightheaded and wondered if he had finally pushed the vampire too much. Then she pulled back, rearing away from him as he lay dazed on the bed. Sav had never heard a scream like the one that came from her throat. Part lion’s roar and part wolf’s howl, it was a blood curdling sound to hear. She literally flew across the room and landed in the corner just as there was a knock on the door.

Sav swayed as he sat up and tried to pull on his robe. The knock became more insistent and they heard Joe yell, “Sav, are you okay in there?”

“Gimme a minute, mate,” Sav said as he rose unsteadily to his feet. Lyra crouched in the corner, not wanting to move, afraid she might just finish what she had started with Sav. She’d never felt a blood lust so strong! Her heart cried out a warning not to harm him, that he wasn’t ready, as Joe walked into the room. “Jesus, luv!” Joe exclaimed. “You were worried this might happen after so long away from him!”

“I almost didn’t stop, Joe,” she cried. “I wanted to bring him over, keep him with me!”

Joe picked her up gently and laid her on the bed, turning to Sav and trying to explain. “She’s in love with you, mate. And she’s been fighting with herself to stay away from you because of Dara. Bloody hard for her to do!”

“Jesus, luv, I’m sorry,” Sav whispered to her softly. He smoothed her hair away from her face and kissed her gently, then pulled her into his arms. “You’re never going to do that to us again, are you Lyra?”

“Never,” she whispered. Joe slid into bed behind her, holding her as Sav calmed her down. Exhausted from his blood loss, Sav was sleeping quickly. Joe kissed her and went to get out of bed, but Lyra stopped him and whispered, “Sleep here, with us tonight, luv. Please?”

“Whatever you want, Lyra,” he said softly. The three of them were soon curled together, sound asleep. Early the next morning, Joe slipped out of the room so that he wouldn’t be there when Dara arrived.

A knock on the door woke them and a panic stricken Sav threw his robe on to cover himself. Lyra gave him one last kiss before grabbing her clothes and taking off from the balcony to the roof to dress.

Sav opened the door and Dara walked in, throwing her arms around him. All he could say as he still thought of Lyra was, “Hello, Dara.” Then he sighed and turned away. A moment later, as he glanced out the balcony doors, he saw Lyra outside the doors giving him one last wave of goodbye.