Page 54 of Night Pleasures (Dark-Hunter 1)
Kyrian took a step back as Tabitha whirled to face him. Her battered face was still bruised from the beating she had taken from Desiderius's minions and she wore a bandage over one cheek to cover the sutures. She dropped into a wobbly, tough fighting stance.
Anguish swept through him that he had failed to protect one of the people Amanda loved best in the world.
He swore it wouldn't happen again.
"Who are you?" she demanded. "Where's Esmeralda?"
Kyrian glanced to the mirror to see his missing reflection and quickly took a another step back before Tabitha noticed it, as well. "Her car broke down on her way home. Amanda went to pick her up."
He realized too late that he should have kept his mouth closed because recognition flared in her eyes as she registered his unique accent.
"You!" she screamed. "What have you done to my sisters?"
"They're safe."
"Like hell!" She rushed him.
Unwilling to hurt her, Kyrian pivoted on his feet and ran down the hallway.
"Vampire!" she screamed.
He heard rustling downstairs and realized she wasn't alone in the house.
"Pull open the curtains." As she screamed out the order,
Tabitha grabbed the curtain cord in the upstairs hallway that shielded the line of windows there, and gave a yank.
Kyrian hissed as the daylight touched him. Leaping over the banister, he landed in the living room below.
Two pairs of eyes widened as they took in his size. The dark-haired man turned pale, but the blond woman reacted quickly, running to the window to open more shades.
Before Kyrian could move, Tabitha was on him. She kicked out and caught him right in his sore side. "Die, vampire scum!"
Kyrian hissed, baring his fangs at her, then back-flipped away from her, and started for the kitchen. He slid to a halt in the doorway as he saw the sunlight streaming through the room. There was no place to go in there that wouldn't kill him.
Something hard and sharp bit into his shoulder. Growling, he turned to see Tabitha with a long dagger. She drew back to stab him again.
Kyrian caught her wrist at the same time her two friends rushed him. The four of them stumbled back. Kyrian slung one of them off and broke free. He tried to run back to the living room, but Tabitha somehow managed to get in front of him.
Hatred burned in Tabitha's eyes as she swung the dagger in a way meant to slice open his stomach.
Kyrian jumped back into a ray of light. Pain lacerated his back. Hissing again, he dodged her and ran for the living room, trying to stay in the shadows.
They rushed him at the door, slamming him against it. Desiderius's words rang in his ears as they tackled him to the floor.
"They'll take you down like a pack of wild dogs."
Tabitha sat on his chest, her hand on his throat as her two friends grabbed his arms and held them down. Had they attacked him like this yesterday, he would have gone mad with panic. But today he felt a strange lucidity as he remembered Amanda restraining him last night.
"What did you do to my sister?" Tabitha demanded.
"Nothing."
"Don't you lie to me! I saw the blood in the trash can."
Trying his best not to hurt her, Kyrian brought his legs up and wrapped them around Tabitha's upper body and pulled her away as the dagger slashed, barely missing his throat.
He caught the man on his right in the stomach with his fist, then sent the woman flying over them, onto the couch. He cursed as Tabitha sank her teeth into his thigh.
Kyrian pulled the knife from Tabitha's hand and embedded it deep into the hardwood floor. "Listen to me."
"No!" she shrieked, squirming and punching.
Kyrian rolled over with her, pinning her to the floor. Instinct demanded he knock her unconscious, but as he caught sight of the face so close to Amanda's he realized he could never hit her.
That moment of hesitation cost him as her friends grabbed him again. Kyrian rolled with them, rising to his feet at the same time the door opened, spilling more light into the room.
Cursing, he barely made it into a corner.
Amanda's shrill tone rang out. "Stop!"
The humans froze when they heard Amanda's voice, while Kyrian tried to catch his breath. His new wounds throbbed as blood oozed down his back. Amanda rushed to his side and slid her hands over him to inspect the damage.
Tabitha pulled the dagger from the floor. She approached him with a determined stride, her angry eyes never leaving him. "Out of my way, Mandy. I'm going to kill a vampire."
"Wrong," Esmeralda inserted, closing the door and moving to stand between him and Tabitha. "You're about to kill your twin sister's boyfriend."
Tabitha gaped and paused mid-stride. She looked from Kyrian to Amanda. "Excuse me?"
Amanda ignored her. "Are you all right?"
He rubbed his hand over his bleeding arm. "Never better."
"Him?" Tabitha asked in disbelief. "What about me and the guys? I don't see you asking about us. He almost tore our heads off."
Amanda glared at her sister. "I don't see any of you bleeding. Believe me, if he had really wanted you hurt, none of you would be standing."
Tabitha raked them with a disgusted sneer. "You're defending a vampire?"
"I'm defending Kyrian," she said emphatically.
Curling her lip even more, Tabitha looked back and forth at them. "What are you? Insane? You want a boyfriend who drinks blood, lives forever, kills for fun, and can't go outside in the daylight? Why, Mandy, I do believe you've finally found the King of the Losers. Congrats. I didn't think anyone could top Cliff's loserness."
That set off a whole deluge of insults and shrillness.
"Loser? I don't want to hear it from a woman who dates a man who hasn't worked more than two weeks in the last three years."
"At least Eric has a soul."
"Kyrian has a heart."
"Oh, please. You think that makes up for it? Tell me, Mandy, are you willing to give up everything for him? Your life, your future? What can a vampire offer an accountant? You want kids. Can he give you those?"
Kyrian's heart sank as he listened to them fight. With every word out of Tabitha's mouth, he became more and more aware of just how right she was.
He looked at the daylight streaming into the house.
Daylight that was lethal to him and vital to Amanda. Humans needed sunlight as much as they needed to breathe. As long as she was with him, Amanda would never have peace. She would have to sacrifice all her dreams for him.
