Page 11 of Midnight Kiss

It was insanity, and I clenched a fist and stepped back, shaking my head at myself.

Not once had I been tempted to this degree by a mortal. Or by a vampire. Even my fling with Cassia hadn’t elicited this behavior in me. It was a weakness I didn’t want to consider.

This woman wasn’t special. She was one of many beautiful women. Ones who were equally caring.

But even as the thoughts flitted through my mind, I dismissed them. There was something else.

The book. Focus only on the mission.

The last thing I needed was Cassia rising above me in the ranks. She would?—

Citrus tainted the night air just as Emily took the first step toward her apartment. A vampire dropped from the roof of her apartment building and landed in front of her.

Emily let out a terrified shriek, turned, and ran, but the vampire was too fast. He caught her by the arm and wrenched her backward a step.

I was on him within a millisecond, my hand closing around his throat.

He dropped her, and she fell to the concrete, releasing another terrified scream. I let go of my invisibility and crushed the vampire’s throat with all my power, enraged that he’d dare touch her.

His eyes blazed silver-blue, and he extended his fangs, grasping at my throat in return, but I had the advantage. More strength and size.

I drove him into the wall and punched him in the solar plexus, receiving a hiss in return. I couldn’t stake him or tear his head from his shoulders in front of my target. If Emily realized what he was—what we were—she was as good as dead.

And so? Collateral.

But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Instead, I punched again, dodging the lightning quick response from the Sanguine Nox vampire. He wore the black cloak of Sanguine Nox, the armored corset that was meant to deflect stakes from hunters.

He grabbed me by the throat, his other hand reaching for a weapon at his belt.

I cut him off by tugging his hand from my throat and breaking it. That’s for touching her.

“911! Hello? Hello! Yes, I need help! A man just attacked me outside my apartment on—” Emily cut off as the other vampire howled and slipped away from me. He darted off, his hand shattered, and I let him go.

I let him go.

The alternative was speeding after him, leaving the book, and alerting Emily to the existence of vampires. There were ways to wipe her memory, but the cost would be great.

“Yeah, yeah, he just, he ran off.” Emily held the phone to her ear, trembling.

I went over to her and extended a hand to help her up.

She took it and rose, her lips parting as she studied me, more of that intoxicating essence exhaled onto my suit, my skin. I kept my expression impassive, trying to block myself from taking her in.

“I—” The person on the other end of the call tried to rouse her attention. She continued staring at me, frozen like prey caught before the moment of sure death.

I took the phone from her hand and lifted it to my ear. “This is Alexander Knight,” I said. “A masked man just attacked a woman outside her apartment in Kingsbridge, on Roxbury Street. Please send an officer at your earliest convenience.” And then I returned the phone to her hand. “I am sure they will be here soon.”

Emily held the phone at her side, her head tilted back to take me in. “Who are you?” she asked. “You seem familiar.”

“Alexander,” I said. “Or Alex to the people closest to me.”

“Alexander.”

I shifted my stance, aware of how close she was to me. “Alex,” I corrected.

“Alex.”

“Yes, and you are Emily,” I replied.