“For two reasons,” I answered. “First, I think you deserve to know the truth about what was going to happen to you tonight if you hadn’t run.” I moved my hands from her face and cupped her hips, lifting her into my lap. She wiggled a little to get comfortable, and I groaned when her firm, little ass brushed over my hard cock.
Amazingly, in my concern for her, my need had backed off. Since I’d never experienced desire or arousal, I hadn’t considered the state of my dick when I put her in my lap.
Thana froze and glanced up at me in surprise as her cheeks bloomed with dark crimson. I knew the proper thing to do was apologize and put her back where she’d been sitting. Hell, in the days of my youth, courtship was practically non-existent. Considering my parents' rank and wealth, it was likely that if I’d been born human, my marriage would have been arranged while I was in the cradle.
But that was a long fucking time ago, and I’d never been known for manners or patience. In fact, I could be a ruthless son of a bitch if I wanted something. And I wanted Thana.
While I was attempting to ease her into her new life, I was not the least hesitant in letting her know how much I desired her. So, when she blushed like the pure little virgin I knew she was, I smiled wickedly and settled her more firmly over my engorged shaft.
“We’ll talk about that too, baby,” I practically purred. The flush of her skin spread down her neck into the top of her dress. I nearly tore it away to follow the trail of pink. Fortunately, common sense hit me on the head and reminded me that ravishing my sexy, little consort would have to wait a bit longer.
“I don’t know how much your aunt was aware of, but by handing you over to Jonathan, she’d essentially sentenced you to death.”
“What do you mean?”
The lack of surprise in her eyes was disturbing, and it pushed her aunt’s fate a little closer to Jonathan’s.
“I’m not sure when it happened, but Jonathan—”
A loud banging on my front door cut me off, and I cursed when Thana jumped before shrinking into herself, the terror returning to her blue orbs. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, baby,” I vowed again. “Trust me.”
Thana nodded, and when the pounding started up again, she still looked terrified, but this time, she clung to me.
I had a pretty good idea who was at the door, and while I didn’t want my woman anywhere near that motherfucker, neither did I want her out of my sight.
“Open the fucking door, Bancroft,” Jonathan growled. “I want my fiancée.”
I was only able to hear him due to my enhanced senses, which I appreciated because it meant Thana hadn’t heard his demand. It took all my strength just to keep from roaring in outrage at him referring to Thana as his fiancée. The last thing I needed was for her to be even more frightened.
Taking a deep breath and pulling her cinnamon scent into my lungs, I placed a quick, hard kiss on her lips. “Stay here, baby. I need to take care of this.”
Her hands fisted in my shirt when I tried to set her away from me. I covered them with my own and squeezed gently, giving her a smile when she unclenched from the material. “Be careful,” she whispered. “I...I don’t want to lose...just, be careful.”
Warmth seeped into my cold heart, and I tenderly kissed her one more time. “I will never leave you, baby,” I promised as I ran my fingers through her long, silky tresses. Then I clenched them tight and forced her head back a little. My voice was pure steel when I added, “And no one will ever take you from me. No one.”
5
Thana
My head was spinning as I tried to come to terms with Kieran telling me he was a vampire—but the good kind. A daywalker who protected others from the evil nightwalkers who should never have been turned. Most women probably would have run from him the same way I had from Jonathan earlier, thinking he was either a liar, delusional, or about to drain all their blood. But I believed he was being honest—vampires were real, and Kieran would never hurt me.
My reaction—or lack of one—to everything he’d said might not be normal, but my instincts told me I could trust him. I felt as though it wasn’t just a coincidence that it had been Kieran’s door I’d knocked on tonight. The pull between us was magnetic. I’d never felt anything like it before, and I truly believed that fate had stepped in to make sure we met because we belonged together. It might be nothing more than wishful thinking...but if vampires, shifters, and witches were real, then maybe soul mates were, too.
A loud noise from the front of the house pulled me from my thoughts. When it was followed by a crashing sound, I jumped up and twisted my hands together. Kieran had told me to stay put, but I had an awful feeling that I’d brought trouble to his front door. What if Jonathan had come looking for me here? If Kieran was right about my engagement being a death sentence, then Jonathan was even more dangerous than I had realized.
Kieran had seemed confident that he wouldn’t come to any harm, but I was terrified that Jonathan would hurt him while searching for me. Even vampires had vulnerabilities. What if Jonathan knew what Kieran’s were? What if he was able to defeat the only man I’d ever been attracted to while I stood there doing nothing?
I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to help, but I couldn’t run the risk of Kieran being taken from me after I’d just found him. After taking a deep breath in an attempt to settle my nerves, I headed in the same direction Kieran had gone. Although I wasn’t familiar with his home, it was easy enough to follow the shouting that started as I left the living room.
I recognized the raised male voice instantly. Jonathan was ranting about how Kieran would pay for daring to keep his fiancée away from him. Glancing down at my bare finger, I cringed over how he was going to react when he discovered I wasn’t wearing his ring anymore.
Kieran must not have had the same fear because, as I rounded a corner and they came into view, he pulled the diamond solitaire from his pocket and tossed it at Jonathan. “Thana isn’t yours; she’s mine.”
Jonathan’s reaction was terrifying. I stumbled to a stop when his face turned monstrous—with glowing red eyes, distorted forehead, and mouth spread wide to display fangs. He looked nothing like the man I’d been with only an hour ago, and I suddenly understood what Kieran had been about to tell me before we were interrupted...Jonathan was a nightwalker. I gasped, and both men turned toward me.
Locking his gaze on mine and holding out his hand, Jonathan growled, “Come to me, Thana.”
I felt as though I was being drawn toward him, my feet moving before my brain realized what I was doing. Suddenly, Kieran was somehow at my side, stepping between us and blocking me from Jonathan’s view. “I need you to stay out of the way, baby.”
My legs felt as though they wouldn’t be able to hold me up much longer, so letting Kieran handle Jonathan sounded like a great idea to me. “Okay.”
Kieran pressed my back against the wall behind me. Jerking his chin toward the walnut console table to my left, he whispered, “There’s garlic and holy water in there. While I keep him busy, grab both just in case you need them.”
I gave him a jerky nod, feeling as though I’d fallen into another dimension where protecting myself from an evil vampire who wanted to marry me was normal. Before I could blink, Kieran was across the room to face off against Jonathan. “You’re not taking Thana anywhere.”