Nikolai smiled when Lilith told him that she wasn’t afraid of the needle.  “Good.  I would not want to be causing you fear.”  She really did retain a surprising amount of courage, considering everything she’d been through.  Her master clearly underestimated her -- and, given her heritage, he was playing a dangerous game by keeping her alive.  If Nikolai felt any loyalty to his kind, he would have been compelled to warn somebody.  But he didn’t.  Seeing her smile again meant more to him than the safety of every vampire in the world.<br/><br/>“I will need to order the meal,” Nikolai explained.  Since he no longer ate, he only kept food around when his patients required it.  Otherwise, it simply served as a reminder of everything he’d lost when he became a vampire.  “After that is done, I will come right back.”<br/><br/>Nikolai kept reading until Lilith drifted off to sleep.  Quietly, he marked his place in the book, and then stood up.  But he couldn’t leave the room without pausing to gaze down at Lilith.  Relaxed by the sedative, she looked so peaceful.  Before Nikolai thought about what he was doing, he bent over and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.   Unfortunately, that tender gesture proved to be a mistake, as the scent of her body rushed into his nostrils.  A growl of hunger rumbled deep in Nikolai’s throat.  For a moment, his mouth clamped onto Lilith’s throat, and his fangs grazed her flesh.  But before the tiny daggers could pierce skin, Nikolai pulled back.  He craved her -- but not like that.  Not like that.<br/><br/>Nearly stumbling over his own feet, Nikolai fled from the bedroom.  His dazed state carried him all the way downstairs.  Only as he began flipping through the phone book, trying to decide on a suitable meal, did he begin to calm a little.  What did people eat these days?  Finally, he decided on Chinese -- that should have a good variety of nutrients.  Calling the restaurant, Nikolai arranged for them to deliver the food at around the time he expected Lilith to wake up.<br/><br/>Then Nikolai went back upstairs.  Sitting down on the side of the bed, he took Lilith’s hand in his own, holding it like a drowning man clinging to a life preserver.  And he tried not to sink beneath the waves of unfamiliar emotions crashing over him.