Battle With Fire (Demon Days & Vampire Nights)

I furrowed my brow, digging through my hazy pre-bond memories. I wondered where he was going with this.

“Yeah, I remember. You needed to send a bunch of your vampires after me to get him back. I lost out on that contract because of you.”

“Yes. You intrigued me, which does not happen easily. I’ve been alive for nearly a thousand years. I’ve seen all manner of creatures and learned to expect the unexpected. I did not think I could be surprised by a mere human, magical or otherwise. Most shifters are not even fast or strong enough to combat a vampire of my stature. Only Roger would give me pause, and I knew he wouldn’t be able to get there in time.”

He took a deep breath and glanced out the window.

“And then a beautiful, if somewhat disheveled, woman waltzed in and stole my prize right out from under me. I couldn’t believe the audacity.”

“I recall that you were quite arrogant back in the day, yes.”

“Still am, actually. Just not with you.” He smiled and then leaned over to kiss me. “Your speed took me by surprise. Your affinity for violence. The menace you oozed, as if it were a birthright.” He shook his head, his smile growing. “Your smell enticed me. Your grace in battle. Your fire. I wanted you that night.”

“You had a helluva way of showing it,” I said with raised eyebrows. “You seemed incredibly put out by the whole thing.”

“Of course I did. An elder vampire does not show reactions to trivial things.”

There was that arrogance I remembered.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you after we parted. It hadn’t happened in…a great many years. So many I can’t think of the last time. I was unsettled, and so I cornered you into a meeting. When Vlad met you, he had a similar reaction.”

“And so you cornered me into a new contract.”

“Exactly,” he said, and I knew for a fact he didn’t feel even a little bit remorseful. He looked over at me, warmth seeping into me from our bond. “The surprises continued. How your magic was so incredible and unique. How the unicorns reacted to you. How you handled people, refusing to let them handle you.” His gaze dipped to my lips. “How you pushed back when I tried to steer you or manipulate you.” His pupils dilated. “How your blood called to me. When I think back on it, I realize the signs were always there. I started to fall for you that very first night. You have been on my mind ever since. I didn’t know what it meant at first, but your influence on me was a constant pressure until I had no choice but to give in. I may have tried to trap you in the beginning, Reagan, but you were the one who really trapped me, and I’m glad for it.”

He kissed me again, and I fell into it. His tongue claimed my mouth, deep and sensual, but all too soon he pulled back. He wasn’t through with his confession.

“When I found out what you were, I was blindsided, to say the least. The first thought that would’ve gone through most elders’ minds was the advantage of such an asset. They would immediately start thinking of ways to use you or leverage you for a better position. But I didn’t think of that. Instead, my first thought was about protecting you—guarding you—against those who might seek to use you.” He put his other hand over our joined hands. “What truly blindsided me wasn’t what you were, but the way I reacted to it. The effect you had on me. In the days that followed, I became aware of the feelings I was developing for you. Feelings that vampires are said to be incapable of. But there they were, against all odds. And they were deep and true.”

I blinked back moisture. It was official. He’d turned me into an incredible sap. Moss better not tell Penny, or she’d make fun of me.

“Moss is driving today in remembrance of how we met. He’s driving to give homage to the start of our journey together.”

“And if we could go back in time and pick literally anyone else…”

There came those dark eyes in the rearview mirror again. I grinned wickedly at Moss and tightened my hold on Darius’s hand.

It was then I became aware of where we were. I’d been so engrossed in what Darius was saying that the scenery had passed by without my noticing.

A scowl creased my face as we turned off the main road. I recognized the little red house on the corner, and the town was just as sleepy as I remembered. A couple of people ambled along the sidewalk, one with groceries and another with coffee.

I turned my head as we passed, watching them. A pit formed in my stomach, and sorrow rose to choke me. At this point, I expected the next turn, and the two that followed. I didn’t utter a word as we took the long driveway deeper into the trees and then stopped in front of the tiny house I’d grown up in. That my mother had died in.