Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21582 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 108(@200wpm)___ 86(@250wpm)___ 72(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21582 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 108(@200wpm)___ 86(@250wpm)___ 72(@300wpm)
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.”
“Back off, Bancroft. You have no idea what you’re stepping in the middle of here,” Jonathan spat.
“You’re the one who doesn’t have a fucking clue,” Kieran replied smoothly. The contrast between the two men’s stances was like night and day. Jonathan was practically frothing at the mouth while Kieran looked as though they were having a friendly chat. His posture was relaxed, with his right hand tucked in his pocket and his left foot forward. “Tell me something, Jonathan. When did you get turned? It couldn’t have been very long ago if you’re this unaware of who you’re up against right now.”
Jonathan’s head reared back, his glowing red eyes widening. “You know what I am?”
“Oh, yes. It’s impossible to miss.” Kieran’s nostrils flared. “I smelled the stench of you on my woman the moment I opened my door to her, nightwalker.”
Keeping my eyes on them, I slowly edged my way over to the table Kieran had pointed out. Wrapping my palm around the drawer knob, I flinched when Jonathan hissed, “You’re one of those daywalkers my sire warned me about, aren’t you?”
“He must’ve done a piss-poor job of explaining shit to you.” Kieran shrugged, and his right hand moved deeper inside his pocket. “Not that I’m surprised. Nightwalkers are soulless bastards who don’t give a damn about anything other than their bloodlust. Your sire probably won’t even notice that I’ve sent you straight to hell.”