When they left the mall, Ana was wearing a black ankle-length skirt, a black short-sleeved sweater over a white tank top, and a pair of white sandals.
They stopped for lunch at Kari's favorite restaurant, where Kari introduced Ana to a triple-decker ham and cheese sandwich and a chocolate malt, both of which the girl polished off in record time.
After leaving the restaurant, Kari picked up her cleaning, then stopped at the gas station. She glanced at Ana Luisa from time to time wondering what the girl was thinking.
It was near dusk when Kari pulled into the supermarket parking lot. Shopping with the wizard's daughter was an adventure all its own. The girl followed her up and down the aisles, though she stopped frequently to examine whatever item caught her eye: a bottle of blue mouthwash, a stuffed animal, a Mylar balloon. Kari spent so much time explaining what each item was, she didn't think she would ever get her shopping done.
Ana marveled at the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables that were available. She popped a grape into her mouth, took a bite out of a carrot. She was reaching for a pear when Kari grabbed her hand.
"You can't sample the food," Kari said.
"But how am I to know if I like it?" Ana asked with perfect logic.
Kari could only shake her head as Ana ran her hands over a head of lettuce, a watermelon, a cantaloupe, a coconut.
In the bread aisle, Ana picked up one loaf after another, unable to believe that bread came baked, sliced, and wrapped in plastic. "This one is not done," she said, picking up a loaf of white bread.
Kari couldn't help smiling as she realized that Ana had probably never seen anything in her life except whole-wheat bread.
Moving on, the girl picked up boxes of cereal and cans of vegetables, stared in awe at the frozen-food section, shook her head in wonder as she picked up a carton of eggs. She stopped in front of the dairy section, frowning at the rows of milk contained in plastic bottles.
"But where are the cows?" Ana Luisa asked with a frown. "I have not seen any cows. Or sheep, or goats. Or chickens." She shook her head. "If you do not keep cows or chickens, where do the milk and eggs and butter come from? I have not seen any fields of wheat or corn, either. How do you have bread without wheat?"
Kari was doing her best to explain how bread and milk and other dairy items were delivered to various markets all over the country when she felt a familiar shift in the atmosphere. Moments later, Rourke rounded the end of the aisle. It took but one look to see that he had fed, and fed well.
Kari glanced at her watch. "You're up early," she remarked, keeping her voice low so Ana Luisa wouldn't hear.
"I was missing you."
His words, softly spoken, sent a pleasant tingle down her spine.
"Jason!" Ana Luisa hurried toward him, a radiant smile spreading over her face as she threw herself into his arms.
"Ana." He gave her a hug.
"Where have you been?" Ana Luisa asked, a note of censure in her voice.
"I had some things to take care of," he replied evasively. "You are looking well."
She beamed at him. "Thank you." She grabbed his hand. "This is the most remarkable place," she said, dragging him toward one of the counters. "Have you ever seen so much food in your life?"
"No." Glancing at Karinna over the top of Ana's head, he lifted one shoulder in a shrug that said, "What can I do?"
Kari had a few thoughts on the subject but wisely kept them to herself. She watched Rourke and the wizard's daughter indulgently as they went from aisle to aisle, wondering how she would ever get the two of them out of the store.
Although Rourke couldn't eat mortal food, he seemed as curious about the market and its contents as was Ana Luisa. The two of them trailed after Karinna, their heads together as they examined whole chickens, spareribs, fish, and hamburger in the meat department, exclaiming over the way the various items were packaged.
Rourke picked up a package containing a whole chicken, his nose wrinkling with distaste. "How long has this been dead?"
"I don't know," Kari said with a shrug. "Why?"
"It stinks."
"It does?"
He glanced at the package, then at Kari. "I thought mortals did not drink blood."
"We don't."
He lifted a package of steak. "There is blood in here."
Kari glanced at the juice in the bottom of the container. "We don't drink that," she said, thinking she would never look at meat the same way again.
Even though Kari had already visited the produce department, Ana Luisa dragged Rourke over that way, eager to show him the fresh fruits and vegetables.
Rourke had little interest in the food itself, but, like Ana, he was fascinated by the wide variety of produce that was available.
"So many choices," he mused, studying the items in Karinna's cart. So many things he had never heard of. He ran his fingertips over the edge of the metal shopping cart, the side of a box that held milk, the plastic wrap on a package of pork chops. His nostrils filled with a multitude of aromas, not all of them pleasant. Some he recognized from having smelled them in Karinna's house; others were completely foreign to him.
Ana Luisa picked up an orange and began peeling it before Kari could stop her.
"No samples, remember!" Kari exclaimed. "I have to pay for these things before you can eat them."
"But I am hungry now," Ana said, popping a segment of orange into her mouth.
"I still have to pay for it," Kari insisted. Plucking the orange from the girl's hand, she dropped it in a plastic sack and added it to the items in the cart.
Ana Luisa looked at Rourke. "There is enough food in this place to feed our village for over a year."
Rourke nodded. In his day, people had raised their own food. True, on occasion they had traded goods with their neighbors, and sometimes, in the summer, an entire village might get together to swap goods. But there had been no markets like this, nor such an abundance of produce. If their crops failed, people went hungry.
He watched Karinna as she bagged and weighed the fruits and vegetables she wanted and added them to her cart. He never tired of watching her, knew he could spend hours admiring the gentle sway of her hips, the way her hair fell over her shoulders, the pink in her cheeks, the soft glow in her eyes.
He followed her to the checkout counter, waited with Ana Luisa while Karinna paid for her purchases. He grunted softly as it occurred to him that he was going to have to find a way to earn some money to support Ana Luisa. He couldn't keep expecting Karinna to pay for the girl's food and clothing, though he had no idea what he could do in this day and age to earn a living.
Outside, he helped Karinna load the groceries into the back of her car. Ana stood nearby, looking lost and ill at ease as numerous cars and trucks pulled into and out of the parking lot. He would have to be patient with her, he mused. It was obvious she knew less about this new world than he did.
When the groceries were loaded and Ana was settled in the backseat, he plucked the keys from Karinna's hand and slid behind the wheel.
Kari couldn't keep from staring at him as he drove home, thinking how amazing it was that she knew a vampire and that he was nothing like the creatures she had read about in books or the emaciated, bloodthirsty monsters depicted in so many movies, or eluded to in myth and legend.
When they reached home, Ana Luisa went into the living room to watch TV. Ever the gentleman, Rourke carried the groceries into the house, then went to talk to the wizard's daughter.
Kari had just finished putting the groceries away when she realized she was no longer alone. She didn't have to turn around to know that Rourke was standing behind her.
"It bothers you," he said, "having her stay here."
Kari turned around to face him, her heart pounding a little faster at his nearness. "Not really, well, yes, maybe a little," she admitted with a shrug. "It's just that I'm used to living alone."
"Does that mean you want me to leave, as well?"
"No." Her cheeks warmed under his regard. "I like having you here."
"No more than I like being here." He took a step toward her, his presence seeming to fill the room.
"I found a coven not far from here. I e-mailed them and..." She gazed into his eyes and forgot what she was going to say next.
"Karinna?"
She shivered with delight at the sound of her name on his lips. "Where is Ana Luisa?"
"She is watching something called Bewitched."
"Oh." In spite of Rourke's nearness, Kari had to smile at the thought of a real live witch watching Samantha's silly antics on TV. "What kind of magic does Ana do?" Kari asked, thinking she'd never seen the girl do anything remotely supernatural.
"Let us not think about her now."
A thrill of excitement shot through Kari's whole body when he reached for her, his arms sliding around her waist to draw her into his embrace. She went willingly, every fiber of her being yearning to be close to him, to feel his hands sliding over her skin, his mouth branding hers.
"I cannot be near you and not hold you." His voice caressed her; the look in his eyes made her stomach flutter with anticipation. "Or touch you." He cupped her cheek in one hand. "Or kiss you."
His gaze held hers as he slowly lowered his head and claimed her lips yet again.
With a sigh, she closed her eyes, giving herself over to the incomparable pleasure of his touch, the incredible sense of belonging that overwhelmed her whenever she was in his arms. She swayed against him, wanting to be closer, swallowed a gasp when she felt the evidence of his desire, although it wasn't completely unexpected. Still, she was glad her own desire was less obvious.
She lost track of time as he kissed her again and yet again, might have suggested they go to bed and be comfortable, if someone hadn't coughed softly to get their attention.
Peering around Rourke, Kari saw Ana Luisa standing inside the open doorway, her eyes shooting sparks of anger and jealousy.