Lustre of Twilight (Love Bitten)

I replaced the cap on the water and returned it to my belt. Then Cian tossed me a knife before he and Athan left, no doubt to hunt for the master. I made quick work of the gag and restraints, then scooped my sweet love into my arms and—

Glass shattered and Narkissa screamed as a strong arm wrapped around my throat and a knee pushed into my back. In this position, with the right amount of torque, my neck would easily snap.

“Let him go!” Narkissa yelled.

“Shut up, bitch!” the master said, his vile breath nearly choking me more than the limb pressing on my airway.

She pulled and tugged at the arm until I gave her a tiny little shake of my head. Following my lead, she went still, and I slowly set her on her feet.

“Get back on the bed, little one,” he snarled. “I’m going to break your daywalker’s pathetic neck and let you watch his head burn in the fireplace while I claim you.”

I growled. This motherfucker is going to suffer before I turn his ass to ash.

With as little movement as possible, I opened the hand curled around the vial of water. I’d retrieved it from the belt as I set her on the ground. Narkissa’s eyes dropped to it, and she wiped away a fake tear, then grabbed the liquid when her hand dropped to her side.

“Do it!” the asshole shouted.

She backed up a step and turned as if to do as she was told, but shuffled up to the head of the bed, rather than climbing on right where we stood. Her shoulders moved up and down with a deep breath before she whirled around, flinging the contents of the vial at the nightwalker.

Her aim was on target because when a girly scream ripped from his throat, his knee jerked out of my back. It gave me enough leverage to break his hold on me, and I whipped around, my hand going straight to his junk. His screams were music to my ears as the cross in my palm burned through his pants and into the skin of his dick and balls.

I slammed my other fist into his jaw, enjoying the satisfying crunch when it broke. Then I dropped the cross and grabbed my stake, shoving it below his navel where it wouldn’t kill him but would be incredibly painful.

Kieran walked into the room and rolled his eyes when he saw the state of the master vampire. His gaze carefully avoided Narkissa, which was a good thing because I currently had no desire to stab him too. “Stop playing and kill the motherfucker. I want to get home to tuck my kids in and have some alone time with my wife.”

“Fine,” I agreed, trying not to pout. I yanked the wooden weapon out of his belly and drove it into his heart. He burst into flames for a moment, then disintegrated into a pile of gray ash.

Suddenly, the drapes were flung open, and sunlight streamed into the room. The pile of ash shriveled and turned black. Kieran laughed, and I glanced over to see Narkissa standing by the glass, her hand on her hips, and a triumphant smirk on her lips as she stared at the remains of the vampire.

“So fucking perfect,” I murmured with a grin.

I closed the distance between us faster than any human could and pulled my consort into my arms. After giving her a thorough kiss, which was interrupted by my cousin loudly clearing his throat, I touched my forehead to hers and muttered, “I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”

“Never is a long time,” she whispered back.

“It’s not nearly long enough.”

She smiled and snuggled closer. “Well, then we better make sure I have forever for you to keep me by your side.”

“You don’t have to ask me twice.”

I glanced at Kieran and lifted my chin. “Thank you.”

He nodded. “You would have done the same for me.” It was absolutely true. “We cleaned out the nest across the street, and Ren burned it to the ground. Once you’re clear of this place, he’ll do the same here.”

For the first time, Kieran’s eyes went to Narkissa, though they stayed on her face, and he smiled warmly. “Welcome to the family, Narkissa. My wife is dying to meet you. When your mate decides to stop hogging you, he can give you her number.”

“I will!” Narkissa replied with an excited smile.

Kieran disappeared, and I gazed down at my consort’s beautiful face. “Not nervous to meet the family anymore?” I teased.

“They can’t possibly be any scarier than this lot,” she said with a shrug, making me laugh. “Now, take me home.”

“With pleasure, sweetheart.”

9

Narkissa

He teleported us directly into our bedroom, which worked perfectly for me. Wrapping my fingers around his wrist, I tugged him over to the bed. “Remember how I said I wanted to start the new year off with a bang?”