Page 100 of Midnight Kiss

“What happened?” he asked. “I deserve to know what happened. While you were off doing whatever sick shit?—”

“Enough.”

“No,” Michael said. “I protected her while you were gone. I cared for her before you were a part of her life.”

I didn’t respond. Of all the people I trusted with Emily, Michael was low on the list. Yes, he had done all of those things, but he was a hunter, and he had his own motives for wanting to keep her safe. I doubted it had anything to do with his “love” for her.

“I want to talk to her.”

“As I said, she’s packing. Once she’s done, I am sure she’ll be ready to talk to you and say goodbye before she leaves.”

“Goodbye!” Michael’s fists clenched at his sides. “Goodbye? She can’t leave with you. You’re a danger to her.”

“I’m the one who helped save her.” But I hadn’t saved her entirely. Emily had done that for herself. “And you are the person who allowed her to be removed from this building in the first place. How did your ward break, Michael?”

He stared through me. “Let me in.”

“No.”

“I have to talk to her before she leaves.” He ruffled his hair irritably. “I’ve already summoned the rest of the hunters. They’re going to try to take down Sanguine Nox. They’re going to form a protective circle around the apartment building.”

“It’s too late for that,” I said. “And if you seriously think that a group of your finest hunters could harm Sanguine Nox, you are more naive than I realized. Sanguine Nox will crush all opposition.”

“Oh yeah? Then how come you think you stand a chance?” Michael asked. “She belongs here. With humans. With people who care.”

“Care?”

“Yes.”

“You haven’t once asked if she’s well,” I said. “If she’s cured of the curse that the book placed on her. You haven’t even asked what happened or how she escaped. You’ve simply demanded that you see her. Why is that?”

Michael hesitated. “Because I need to see for myself that she’s safe.”

“How did you know she was here?” I asked.

“Huh?”

“Why even knock on the front door unless you were watching for us,” I said.

Again, Michael didn’t answer right away. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I heard noises next door. And I don’t have to explain myself to you, vampire. I want to see her. I deserve to see her.”

“No,” I said. “You are?—”

“Alex?” Emily came out into the living room behind me, and I released a frustrated sigh.

This would only complicate our departure. We needed to get out of here as quickly as possible, but Michael’s presence would delay us. Because he would want to talk to her.

“Em!” Michael stepped into the apartment, past the vampire magic I had put in place to ward off other vampires, and rushed toward her. He wrapped her in his arms, and I held back on my base instinct to attack.

To rip him off her and throw him against the wall. How dare he touch her after what he’d done? He had failed to protect her.

And so have you.

“Mike,” she said, laughing. “Mike, I’m so glad you’re okay. How’s Morgan? Is she?—?”

“At work,” he said. “Yeah. She’s fine. She’s been complaining nonstop since you left. She wanted to call 911, like that would do anything.”

A strange look passed over Emily’s face. “I—Yeah, I guess. But she’s fine.”