Crave the Night (36 page)

She's there,
Dak told her.
Maybe out of range,
but I know what I felt, and since it's unlikely there are two
amulets, it must be her.

He opened the door and waited
impatiently while Nicole locked it. As soon as she put away her
keys, Dak caught her hand and pulled her to the stairwell. For a
big man, he managed to move silently and she tried to do the same.
But a question lingered.
If Mary Beth
fired the amulet, why weren't you affected? I thought you said
another shot would take you out of the picture?

Sure, wards offered some protection from
magical attacks, but that was limited and they did nothing to stop
physical incursions. Their main function was to conceal and even
that was imperfect.

The energy only
partially penetrated the wards,
Dak sent.

Was there an edge of hurt to his frustration
this time? Nicole wasn't sure and he bottled up his emotions so
fast, she didn't have more than a split second before they were
gone. Okay, so she felt as if she could trust him, but could
she?

They reached the lobby level and Dak took
the turn to the next flight, the one that led to the parking
garage.

Call her skeptical, but everything seemed
too convenient. Dak claimed he needed time to recover from the
blast earlier tonight, but a second shot from Mary Beth—a vampire
Nicole should have been able to sense if she were in the area and
couldn't—hadn't injured him. And instead of asking questions, she'd
put on her jacket and followed him as if she didn't have a clue
about demons.

Abruptly, Dak stopped, pressed her back
against the wall of the stairwell, and caged her in with his body.
His eyes were glowing red, a sure sign of high emotion. Nicole
guessed anger.

"You're my mate." His voice was soft, but
there was so much growl to it, that she upgraded his mood from
angry to royally pissed off. "That means something whether I like
it or not. There are two things that you need to know right this
moment—one, I won't lie to you even to make things easier for
myself. Got that?"

"Yes." He opened himself more, letting her
feel his emotions and leaving her no room to doubt his veracity.
"And the second?"

There was an infinitesimal hesitation, then,
"A demon male will die if that's what it takes to protect his mate.
It's biological, instinctual—there is no choice about it. Remember
that before you do anything stupid."

Nicole gasped, but he didn't allow time for
that to sink in before he was moving again, tugging her in his
wake. She wanted to be furious at his belief that she'd do
something dumb because getting mad would make everything easier.
Too bad she couldn't manage it, not when she knew he wasn't lying
or exaggerating about giving up his life to defend her.

Her hand tightened around his and a need to
keep Dak safe welled up—her own instincts at work? Nicole wasn't
sure.

They reached the door to the parking garage,
but while Dak put his hand on the handle, he didn't open it.
Instead, he tipped his head, as if listening.

The vampire must have believed her amulet
could take him out at a distance, leaving Nicole on her own. Only
that hadn't happened and she'd wasted the shot. There were things
Nicole couldn't figure out, though, like how had they been found
and why the attack?

Nicole didn't realize Dak continued to be
tapped into her head until he said softly, "This is an ideal time.
I'm not much of a threat at the moment and she's confident she can
beat you. We got lucky, though. The amulet is dead for a while,
long enough for us to get out of range."

He eased the door to the garage open and
hurried them through it. When they were away from the entry and
deep into the shadows created by the cement pillars, he carefully
studied their surroundings.

The intent look on his face made her catch
her breath. It wasn't the time for sexual fantasy, she knew that,
knew they were at risk, but Nicole couldn't suppress the desire.
He'd have that same intensity in bed, and she could see him, naked
and over her. Simply imagining how good he'd feel inside her made
her shudder.

"Don't do this to me," he warned her. "Not
now."

His voice was choked and Nicole blinked,
focusing on Dak's face again. Instead of bringing her back to
earth, the heat in his eyes sent her spiraling deeper into
lust.

"A demon's greatest weakness is how easily
emotion overcomes our intellect, but you're half human." Dak's hand
tightened around hers. "Use that part of yourself to contain the
desire. We're too tied together for me to disconnect from you and
neither of us can afford to be distracted in this situation."

At first, she was lost in the raspiness of
his voice, the way his lips moved when he spoke. Then what Dak said
registered. That should have been enough to snap her out of it.

It wasn't.

"Come on. Help me here, Nikki."

"I knew you'd use that nickname!" One corner
of his mouth quirked up and Nicole yanked her hand free. Maybe he
wouldn't lie to her, but he clearly wasn't above pushing her
buttons. "Asshole."

"It worked, didn't it? Let's get out of
here."

Yeah, it had worked. Mostly. The desire was
there, simmering beneath the surface, but the spike of anger had
gotten her to regain control. With his head, he gestured to his
left. Nicole followed on his heels, so close that when he came to
an abrupt halt, she bumped into his back. Going up on her toes, she
peered over his shoulder.

"Leaving so soon?" a feminine voice
asked.

Nicole cursed under her breath. She'd
forgotten to monitor the vampire's whereabouts.

Son of a fucking
bitch.
Dak clamped down on his emotions fast, but not
quickly enough to prevent the vampire from catching the burst.
Smugness emanated from her.

This late at night, the parking garage was
filled with cars, limiting his ability to maneuver. How the hell
had she zoomed in on them? No, he and Nicole hadn't been paying
attention, but Mary Beth had been out of Nicole's range the last
time she'd checked and they shouldn't have found themselves
cornered.

Nicole moved and Dak shifted, keeping her
safely behind him. He'd warned her about instinct, but the strength
of his reaction rattled him.

"This should be fun," Mary Beth said. "You
have all the disadvantages of being mated."

Dak fought to remain impassive, but he
didn't like that the vampire could read him so clearly, and he
hated that she was aware that she could use his need to defend
Nicole as a weapon against him.

With an icy smile, the vampire splayed her
fingers at her side and extended her talons one at a time. Those
claws were long enough, strong enough to sever his head from his
body.

There were no exits behind them—that meant
they had to go through her to get away—and Dak extended his own
talons. His were as long and sharp as the vampire's, but he'd never
used them in battle. He checked his power level. Maybe enough for
one magical blast, but nothing more than that. Hell.

With casual deliberation, Mary Beth strolled
toward them. The talons on her other hand came down without the
theatrics.

Dak moved forward, cutting off the vampire's
angle to Nicole. This wasn't good. The only thing he could think
about was keeping his mate safe and he wasn't planning strategies
or countermeasures against his opponent.

The idea of dying because he couldn't
contain some damn demon trait pissed him off.

With a sudden burst of speed, Mary Beth
surged right, as if to go around him to reach Nicole, and Dak
intercepted her. He growled before he could stop it. The sound was
low, it was dangerous, and it was filled with anger.

Control. He'd been trained to lock down his
emotions and do his job, but he couldn't find the off switch
tonight. Dak felt wild, raw, and more like an animal than a
demon.

The vampire went the opposite direction and
Dak stopped her again.

Mary Beth's laugh grated. "I believe I'll
incapacitate you first," she told him. "You'll watch me kill her
before I end your life, too."

Nicole moved, trying to reach his
side, and using his shoulder, he blocked her.
Stay put,
he sent.

I'm a vampire hunter; I
can help you.

He knew that, damn it, and he knew they had
a better chance if they worked together, but it meant exposing
Nicole. Everything inside him balked at the thought.

The vampire lunged and Dak brought his arm
up, blocking a strike. Mary Beth's claws ripped at the leather
sleeve on his jacket, but she didn't reach skin.

Damn, they were in a bad position, hemmed in
by cars and pillars. He needed to go on the offensive, because even
without his magic, attacking was better than reacting to the enemy,
but Dak couldn't take those few steps away from Nicole.

Mary Beth came at him again. In other
circumstances, he would have spun out of her reach, but not this
time.

Not when his body protected his mate.

The talons scored his jacket, hitting the
left chest and trailing down. A finger reached his T-shirt,
shredded the cotton, and drew blood.

He retreated slightly to end contact and
bumped into Nicole. She backed up to give him room. Dak didn't
think the wound was too deep—it stung more than hurt—but he could
feel warmth trickling down his chest.

"I killed your kind in the demon wars," Mary
Beth told him, her eyes glowing that freaky white-blue that
vampires exhibited sometimes. "I'll kill you, too. You're delaying
the inevitable."

"Right." Dak had no doubt she'd killed
demons, but did she seriously expect him to concede so that she
could murder him and Nicole without expending more effort? "You
know that even a weak demon is stronger than a vampire and you know
that I'm not a weak demon, right? Do you seriously think I'm going
to surrender?"

And why was she tossing out an inanity like
that anyway instead of striking? If she knew enough to realize he'd
do whatever he had to in order to protect Nicole, the vampire also
had to be aware that he'd never give up. So—

The amulet.

She was trying to delay until it recharged
enough to blast him again. The vampire might not be able to use
fangs, but that damn wizard's charm was enough weapon to bring him
down without risking any injury herself.

Desperation rose and Dak wrestled with yet
another emotion. He already had too many to contend with; he didn't
need more.

He forced himself to take one step away from
Nicole, but before he could think about attacking, Mary Beth
whirled and kicked out with her foot. It caught him in his
midsection, doubling him over. The claws raked his back.

Coming up, he slashed out with his own
talons, but he was clumsy and the vampire easily evaded him. She
jumped on the hood of a car and leaped to the next, working to get
around him.

Trying to get to his mate.

Dak shifted, nudging Nicole back a few
steps. One good thing about the parking garage—the ceiling was low,
preventing Mary Beth from going airborne. He had enough trouble
without that.

The damn vampire knew exactly what to do to
keep his brain out of this fight. Part of him could see her
tactics, observe his own reaction to them, but he couldn't overcome
his automatic response.

Mary Beth jumped onto the roof of a SUV,
crouching to avoid hitting the cement beam above her. Dak stepped
back again, keeping Nicole behind him.

His mate huffed out a breath and he didn't
have to be connected to her to realize she was annoyed. "I'm
armed," she said quietly next to his ear, "and I know how to fight
vampires. This is stupid."

Frustration rose. Didn't she think he knew
that? What he couldn't figure out was how to stop acting like an
untrained fool.

With a laugh, Mary Beth hopped off the SUV,
landing on the pavement near him. Dak stepped away, shifting to
keep himself between Nicole and the vampire. His elbow hit a cement
wall.

They were fucked. Mary Beth had forced them
to retreat until there was nowhere else to go. Cars to the left,
cars to the right and the vampire in front of them. If he didn't
overcome this need to shield his mate, they were both going to
die.

Nicole might be overmatched on her own, but
if they worked together, they could protect each other and go on
the offensive. If he could manage to allow her out from behind his
back.

Now that she had them trapped, Mary Beth
slashed out with her talons once more. As he blocked one blow, her
other arm came out. The tip sliced along his jaw line, but he
wasn't the target. Nicole's body jerked against his as the claws
connected.

Her gasp of pain should have driven him into
a rage. Instead, it cooled his emotions.

Dak struck out. His blow merely grazed the
vampire, but it was enough to drive her back and buy them some
breathing room. She hissed at him, her fangs dropping momentarily,
but he ignored the posturing.

She moved forward quickly and he came out
far enough to block this attack. Mary Beth sliced open the leather
over his biceps and more blood flowed.

Dak, let me help.
Nicole touched his shoulder lightly.

Yeah. There was no other choice. Without
giving himself time to second guess, Dak lowered the mental and
emotional walls between him and Nicole. He felt naked, but he
ignored that and reached out psychically for his mate. She didn't
have the barriers in place that he had and they were linked in
seconds. He sent his plan to her.

She went left. He went right.

Mary Beth tried to claw both of them, but
failed. Dak got a blow in with his own talons, but the vampire wore
leather, too.