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  “Right.” She scanned the bar. Her gaze rested briefly on the demon’s body before returning to him. “Looks like I missed all the fun.”

  That was the problem. She was way too concerned with fun all the time. He didn’t want to be anyone’s fun. He wasn’t built that way. He eased back over the bar and nudged her thighs apart so he could stand between them. Maybe he wasn’t built to be anyone’s fun, but why couldn’t she be his? Just for one night? Tomorrow, he could kick his own ass, but tonight, he needed release and she was here, looking so tempting.

  “You want fun. Let’s have fun.”

  Not giving himself time to think, or her time to react, he gripped her shoulders and claimed her mouth. Her gasp of surprise gave him the entrance he sought to deepen the kiss. He ground his mouth over hers, giving her what she’d always said she wanted—rough, hot, and fast.

  It took him a minute to realize her hands were pushing him away, not pulling him closer. He lifted his head and caught her eyes. “What? You don’t want this now?”

  He leaned toward her. She turned her face away. “This isn’t you.”

  “But it’s what you want. What you’ve been begging for since the night I met you.” He gripped her hips, lifting her from the bar stool to the bar, and pinned her in his arms. “I think I finally understand how it works now. No emotions. Just sex. And then we walk away. Right?”

  “Please,” she whispered. “Don’t.”

  It wasn’t the pleading in her voice that brought him to his senses, but the fear in her eyes.

  Stepping away from her, Ryker grabbed the shot of Jack and downed it before smashing the glass against the wall.

  Kyana jumped, but remained where he’d left her. Ryker had been born fighting. Even before he’d known what he was, who his father was, he’d developed a reputation for himself. It was why Ares had claimed him instead of ignoring his existence the way he’d ignored his other bastards and Ryker’s mother when he’d raped her and left her pregnant and alone. But tonight, he’d broken all his rules when it came to engaging the enemy. He’d been stupid. Stupid for going out and looking for a fight. Stupid for facing down the demons alone. Stupid for letting his emotions rule his actions. He prided himself on his ability to control his anger, on not being anything like his father. Ryker saw the fear, the wariness still in Kyana’s eyes. Maybe it was true what they said about the apple not falling far from the tree.

  “Go home, Ky.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do.” The calmness in her voice was forced. She was shaken. Regret tore at him.

  She reached around the bar, grabbed a bottle of whiskey, and ignoring the tray of shot glasses in front of her, drank deeply.

  “The sun’ll be up soon. Go.”

  Kyana’s heart was pounding so loud, there was no way he couldn’t hear it. Whatever had gotten into him was scary. Not because he kissed her, but because he looked like he’d been possessed, like another person entirely. That wasn’t who she’d wanted to kiss. She liked it rough and hot, sure, but not forceful. She’d had her share of that, thank you very much.

  She struggled to appear unfazed by Ryker’s sudden show of force and looked out the window. Faint rays of pink would soon sprinkle the clouds to the east. She couldn’t linger long, but there was still no need to panic. Besides, if worse came to worst, she could always shift and make her way home in Lychen form. Right now, she wanted answers from Ryker, but she didn’t think he was going to be compliant.

  Her lips still tingled from his violent kiss. And as much as she’d liked it, the look in his eyes had scared the hell out of her. In her past life as a human, she’d thought she’d loved her sultan husband. But she’d been a young, naïve fifteen-year-old girl who hadn’t suspected he might turn that love into something ugly and violent. He’d used her that night, left her heartbroken and bloody. And the look she’d seen in Ryker’s eyes tonight had been very similar. His need to use her to take the edge off whatever he was feeling had turned her right back into that fifteen-year-old girl.

  The difference between Ryker and Mehmet, however, was that Ryker had stopped. He wouldn’t hurt her, and even though she’d practically begged him to make love to her once, he wouldn’t assume she still wanted it when she said no.

  For that reason alone, she stayed now, needing to make certain he was all right before she could leave him.

  Ryker swayed on his feet. His eyes had a glazed sheen to them that hadn’t been there a second ago.

  “Are you . . . drunk?”

  “Maybe.”

  She frowned. “You were sober five seconds ago.”

  He smiled, his grin lopsided and devilishly cute. A far cry from the angry, hostile Ryker who’d kissed her senseless. “Had a full one of these.” He shoved a shot glass in her direction.

  “Wow. Impressive.” One shot and he was loaded. “Think I just found out why gods don’t drink.”

  He gave new meaning to the phrase cheap date. Her gaze flittered toward the window. “Sun’s coming soon, Surfer Boy. I can’t sit here and babysit you, and if I have to shift, I’ll be out of commission for longer than we can spare.”

  He didn’t seem to hear her. He leaned toward her and looked like he might topple off the stool. She caught him and held him upright.

  “So?” He slurred the word, giving it far too many syllables. “Go.”

  She had to go, but she couldn’t, wouldn’t just leave him here. He was too vulnerable and there were still Dark Breeds around. “Okay, cowboy. Let’s go. I’m taking you home.”

  “How can I be a surfer and a cowboy?” He slid off the stool, allowing Kyana to slip her arm under his shoulder. He didn’t protest when she guided him around the tables to the door. “Make up your mind.”

  “Walk faster.”

  If her senses hadn’t been thrown off by the stench of booze emitting from Ryker’s pores, she still had plenty of time to make it before sunrise. But she didn’t want to take the chance of slowing down and becoming bacon. They passed the small cemetery that rested barely a block from her place, and saw the interesting interlocked tree that had called to her since she’d moved here. She wasn’t sure what types of trees made up the glorious oddity, but one species of tree grew inside the other, two separate beings had formed into one, becoming stronger together than either would have been apart.

  A lot like Kyana.

  She ushered Ryker past the tree and back onto the sidewalk. “See that big yellow two-story on the corner?” she said. “That’s where we’re headed. I need you to concentrate and move those big-ass feet a little faster, okay?”

  “I can walk by myself,” he muttered.

  She caught him before he smashed his pretty face into a light post.

  “Sure you can.”

  When they were about ten feet away from Kyana’s house, he stopped beside a swaying palm tree. “I shouldn’t have kissed you back then.”

  “Hey, you were on a high after the bar fight. It happens.”

  “No. Not just now. Back then. When you came to me. I shouldn’t . . . have kissed you then.”

  She should have left him in the bar. “That was ten years ago, Ryker, and you made your feelings on that pretty clear.”

  His face contorted as though he was in pain. Kyana leaned him against the side of her house and took the stairs two at a time, opened the door, then returned to Ryker’s side. He wouldn’t budge.

  “I mean it. Big mistake. You . . . make me crazy. Always have.”

  What the hell was that supposed to mean?

  The wind picked up, slamming the door closed again. “Damn it. Stay put.”

  She leaned him against the wall again, opened the door, and turned back to find they weren’t alone. Leeches. Seven of them.

  They were surrounding Ryker before Kyana could so much as warn him.

  Chapter Twelve

  Leeches were mindless killing machines who usually worked under the control of someone else. But they always had their sights set on the aura of the gods. And given
the way all seven Leeches were now moving slowly toward Ryker and ignoring Kyana completely, his aura must have called to them immediately.

  A wide band of pink lightened the sky to the east. This was going to get interesting. The sun was going to rise soon, and unfortunately, Leeches didn’t share her need to hide from it. Tick tock.

  She glanced at Ryker. He was spinning in a circle, obviously using his telekinetic abilities to try to hold them back, but the booze was muddling the process because each Leech staggered backward only a few steps before stalking toward him again and again.

  Kyana jumped from the entryway of her house and placed herself in front of Ryker. She used their lack of focus on her to get the advantage. Never taking her gaze off the approaching attack, she slowly eased her dagger from her belt and sliced the throat of the Leech closest to her.

  Its shriek of pain was brief before it crumpled to the ground. The other six halted, no longer intent on Ryker. Kyana grabbed Ryker by the front of his shirt and shoved him out of the way. The first rays of sun would soon stab their way through the treetops. She attempted to back them toward her house, trying to move the fight indoors, but as stupid as they might be, the Leeches seemed to understand her intent and stayed put.

  “Get inside, Ky.”

  She ignored Ryker. If she locked herself indoors, the Leeches would break through the windows once they’d seen where she’d gone. She couldn’t have her home so exposed. The shutters were all that kept the sun at bay as it was. There were too many windows . . . she’d have too few places to hide.

  “Don’t move!” She rushed the Leech closest to her, kicking off the wall so she could smash in its face with the heel of her boot. Its nose crumbled inside its head like papier-mâché.

  One jumped on her back and Kyana thrust backward, crushing it between herself and the wall. Its bones sounded like splintered wood as the stink of its foul blood oozed from its nose. She turned and kicked it away before turning back to its five friends.

  “You wanted a fight, you should have waited twenty damned minutes!” she called to Ryker.

  Sadly, he took her frustration to mean she needed help and leaped into the fray. Even in his drunken state, he handled two of them with little problem. Using only his mind, he seemed to break through his drunken barrier and tossed one of the Leeches into the air, impaling it on a branch with nothing more than a hand motion and a glare.

  As Kyana ducked an attack from the two in front of her, she caught sight of Ryker chasing after his remaining victim, and turned her focus back to the two vile beasts in her face.

  Her fangs tingled in preparation for attack as she summoned more energy. The sun was closer. Already the coolness of the morning was giving way to slight heat. The Leeches came at her as one. One on her back, one on her front. She dipped to her knees, causing them to collide with each other before she rolled onto her back and leaped to her feet. A flick of her wrist, and she flung her dagger straight into one’s open mouth. It gurgled and sputtered, its jaw hanging open at a grotesque angle as it fought to pull the knife from its throat.

  “Come and get me, big guy.” While one Leech was indisposed, she pulled the other’s attention to her, leaping onto the small brick wall bordering the sidewalk. She swung around the lamppost, kicking out and catching the Leech between her calves. She twisted her legs, listened with satisfaction as the sound of its neck breaking drowned out the Leech’s scream of agony.

  As the dead creature slumped to the ground, the final Leech finally managed to rip the blade from its throat and toss it to the ground. The clank of silver on stone screamed of anger, and the beast raced at her with a viciousness its brothers had lacked.

  Kyana pushed off of the wall, but the beast caught her ankle and jerked her to the ground, sending her skidding across rough concrete. Her chin smacked against the base of her steps and it took her a second to gain her bearings before rolling onto her back and swinging herself to her feet. As she stood to full height, the weight of the Leech crushed her into the banister and slid her body up until her head cracked against her shuttered window. She tried to crush it between her thighs, but already, the approaching sun was weakening her. The pink rays were frighteningly close.

  All she could do was inch her way inside the house and pray she could finish it off before it could expose her to sunlight.

  The Leech seemed to read her intentions like it actually possessed a brain. It seized her foot and threw her once again to the ground, then dragged her all the way back to the corner where the fight had begun. She thrust her free foot into its shin, sending the thing to its knees. One deadly ray of sun broke free of the trees and seared her cheek. Kyana screamed and broke free of the Leech’s hold, shoving past it back in the direction of her house. It caught her before she could take the steps and pinned her to the ground.

  She was too weak to fight any longer. The sun was coming to claim her power, and the only thing that would save her was to use the last remnants of her strength to shift and save herself from the sunlight. Her shift came painfully, but as her Lychen half took form, she was able to slither her body out from under the Leech’s hold. It looked stunned by her transformation, and she used its disorientation to head for the steps once again.

  Pain tore through her thick coat and seared her ribs and breast, causing her to howl. She slumped over. Her attacker snarled. She fought to maintain form. Her body ached to return to Vamp, but the sidewalk was dusted with dots of sun, and they would turn her into a pincushion in two seconds flat.

  Pain like nothing she’d ever felt gripped her body. Forcing her head up, she caught a glimpse of her own dagger protruding from her side. She’d never known Leeches to use physical weapons before. Now was a fine time for them to learn.

  She struggled to maintain the only shield she possessed from the sun, but the pain stole her focus. Her injuries were extensive. Blood soaked her fur and pooled beneath her body, creating a tiny river in the sidewalk crack beside her. Blinded by the mind-numbing ache in her belly, she lost her tenuous grip on her Lychen form. She quickly shifted from wolf to Vamp and back to wolf several times, making the world around her flicker like Christmas lights before she lost the struggle and her Vampyric form won out.

  Immediately, her exposed skin warmed and blistered. Kyana bit her lip to keep from crying out. Behind her, she could hear Ryker’s muffled voice calling her name, felt the Leech being thrown off her, heard the Leech’s sudden scream and just as sudden quiet. Ryker was hovering over her in the next minute, jostling her. But she couldn’t respond. She was slowly being burned alive.

  She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the last bit of shade protecting her naked body to fade. The stench of burning flesh clogged her nose and seared her throat. Strong, gentle hands lifted her, and then she was floating, drifting, desperately clinging to consciousness.

  Something warm and soft covered her. She risked opening her eyes enough to see Ryker’s shirt resting over her naked body. He was trying to shield as much of her from the sun as possible.

  He tightened his grip and raced up the steps, stumbled, but quickly regained his balance. The rays scorched her back, her arms, her legs. Her cry of pain and Ryker’s roar of frustration rang in her ears.

  He shouldered the door open and kicked it closed behind them. Gently, he carried her down the hall and into the bathroom, setting her naked body into the large tub. The sudden coolness of water soaking her caused her to quake and threatened to rip the skin from her body.

  She flailed, splashing bloody water all over Ryker and the bathroom floor, but Kyana couldn’t stop the trembling. The hilt of the dagger hit the side of the tub, vibrating against her ribs like a tuning fork. Kyana roared, slamming her skull into the porcelain.

  Ryker knelt at her side. “I’ve got to get that out.”

  Kyana blinked to clear the stars from her vision. The dagger wound wouldn’t kill her, but it sure as hell hurt. It was her scorched skin that was going to do her in. Already, the poison of the sun see
ped through her pores and into her bloodstream. Soon, it would attack her heart and stop it completely. She’d rather not be in so much pain when that happened, so she struggled to stay still and bit her lip in preparation for Ryker’s drunken ministrations.

  He gripped the hilt in his fist, then tilted her chin, forcing her to look at him. The look of devastation on his face made her close her eyes. He quickly pulled the knife from her body. A long, slow hiss found its way from between her clenched teeth.

  “Shit. Kyana, I’m sorry.” He reached for a washcloth and pressed it to her wound to stanch the flow of blood. With the poison working its way through her body, she could barely cover his hand with hers.

  The water eased the burning, but at the same time, intensified the pain. She glimpsed her arms. The skin was charred black. Any second, it would slide off the bone.

  Ryker snatched a large towel from the rack and covered her with it, then lifted her from the tub. He carried her to her bed and set her in the center. She felt him kneel beside her. Felt him watching her. Kyana refused to meet his gaze. The last thing she needed was to see his pity as he stuffed the towel against the knife wound. He whipped off his belt and fastened it around her waist to keep the towel in place. She wanted to tell him to stop, that it didn’t matter how much she bled. The wound wouldn’t kill her. It was the rest of her that needed tending, and yet, there was no tending that could be done.

  “You should have let them have me.” He gripped her chin, turning her head toward him. She could see his struggle to focus and was willing to bet that, after this, he’d never touch booze again. “May the gods find mercy for us both.” He raised his arm and tore open his wrist with his fang. Not giving her a chance to refuse, he held his wrist to her mouth. His warm, rich blood coated her tongue.

  Kyana tried to move, tried to make him stop. This wasn’t the same as feeding off Icky. Icky had been a soulless beast, with no essence to feed her. Ryker definitely had a soul, definitely had a powerful essence that could drive her into insanity.