N. Walters - Damek's Redemption

He was a fool.

Nothing could come of his attraction to her. She was human and he was a vampire and, contrary to what some people believed because of movies and certain novels, making a vampire was no small task, nor was it a sure thing. A person had to die to become a vampire, and only a very few who actually went through the process survived. The rest stayed dead. No way would he risk Sonia’s life on the slight possibility that she might be one of the ones that survived.

That’s assuming she’d even want to become a vampire.

Now he was being a complete idiot, something he detested. He was not fond of weakness or frailty of the mind, especially when it was his own. He should return to her hotel, take her memories from her and be done with it. That was the safest option for both of them.

The area in the region of his heart ached. Humans might believe otherwise, but his heart still beat in his chest, albeit at a much slower rate than a human one. And it was still capable of hurting.

What was it about Sonia that conflicted him so? Yes, she reminded him of Elizabetta, but that was neither here nor there. It was a mere passing resemblance that had attracted his attention. The two women were nothing alike in personality. Sonia was…Sonia. She was no copy of another woman. She was strong and vibrant and intelligent and simply beautiful to him.

And courage, the woman had more than enough courage for three men and then some. The way she’d stood up to him and to Isaiah was foolish, considering she knew what they were. But she’d done it anyway, and it only made him want her more.

Her gray eyes seemed to see right into him, past all his defenses. That alone made her a danger to him, and he’d always dealt with danger quickly and quietly. He let few people into his life, didn’t allow himself to get close to anyone. They’d all be gone in a matter of decades while he’d still be here…alone.

Sonia’s breath caught in her throat as her attacker grabbed her. She clutched at the thickly muscled arm that was cutting off her air supply. It tightened and she gasped for breath and tried to fight. The knife flashed in the darkness.

Vampire hunter. Why she was so certain, she didn’t know, but she didn’t question her instincts. The man holding her was larger than her. Muscular. But she was much stronger than she appeared and was fighting for her life. Sonia lifted her foot and managed to kick her attacker in the shin. He flinched and cursed, but held on to her.

Even though panic was closing in on her, she reached inside herself and tapped into the part of her that was different, drawing strength from the blood of her ancestors. Giving a hoarse cry, she shoved at his arm with all her strength.

Her attacker’s muscular arm snapped back and she whirled away. His reflexes were sharp and he was fast, a hunter through and through. The sharp blade slashed at her, cutting through her coat and sweater and into her arm.

A dark premonition pressed down on Damek and he hissed with growing fury. Sonia was in danger. He had no idea how he knew that, but he didn’t question it. He pressed down on the intercom. “Stop the car.” Jerome obeyed immediately and put on the brakes. “Go back to the hotel and wait for me.” Ignoring the blare of horns from the irate drivers behind them, Damek threw open the door, surged out of the vehicle and quickly slid into the shadows.

Using his preternatural speed, he raced back to Sonia’s hotel, cursing himself all the way. He should never have left her alone, should have brought her to his home for safety’s sake. He knew the vampire hunters were watching her. They might not have known where she was going tonight, but they knew she’d return to her hotel.

And he’d dropped her off and left her there. If anything happened to her—

Damek blocked such thoughts from his mind. Sonia would be okay. There was no other option.

Sonia cried out at the shock of the blade sinking into her flesh, but kept moving, knowing that to stop could mean her death. The hunter was almost as dangerous as the creatures he hunted, maybe even more so. He wouldn’t care that she wasn’t a vampire. If he was here it was because he’d determined she knew something about one of the paranormal creatures he was hunting, and she knew he’d do anything to gain that information.

Her heart skipped a beat. Was she responsible for bringing Damek to the attention of the vampire hunters? It made her stomach lurch and her chest ache to think so. She had to get away. Had to warn him.

To do that she had to get out of the room or at least attract the attention of someone outside. “What do you want?” Grabbing the chair from the table, she put it between them. The dim light from the window, along with her acute sense of sight, illuminated him enough for her to make out his shape. He was broad and tall with short blond hair. His thin lips were set in a sneer and he glared at her as he tossed the knife from hand to hand, doing his best to frighten her.

He was succeeding.

She forced herself to think, to watch his every movement. He was wearing dark jeans and a dark shirt, which made it harder to see which way he was leaning.

The man moved closer, his knife glinting in the light from the streetlamps. “I want to talk to you about the company you’re keeping.”

Oh, God. She was right. This was about Damek. “Who are you?”

This had to be the same vampire hunter Damek said was following her. With everything else that had happened tonight she’d completely forgotten about him, a mistake she was currently paying for. She’d let her guard down and that was simply not done, not when one was a member of The Keepers. Hunters of one sort or another were everywhere.

He moved closer and Sonia eyed the bed off to her right. She could jump on it and make a break for the door, but she knew she wouldn’t make it. The bathroom was an option. She could at least lock the door and yell for help.

“You don’t need to know who I am, but I know who you are.” He was so much larger than she was and he was brawny. He would also have skills he’d honed to slay vampires. She might be stronger than the average human, but Sonia knew she couldn’t beat him in a fight. “You study vampires and werewolves and other unnatural creatures.”

Sonia managed a derisive laugh. “I study folklore and legend and how it affected people in the past and in modern day. Hardly worth getting upset over.” She had to keep him talking.

He smiled slowly and it sent a shiver down her spine. The slight stubble on his jaw made him appear even more menacing. He was enjoying her fear, feeding off it. “My boss thinks you might have stumbled upon something real and wants to talk to you.”

Crap. Crap. Crap. She could get out of this. “You’re obviously off your meds if you think vampires and werewolves are real. They’re. A. Myth,” she said the last three words slowly, drawing them out as though he were too simple to understand. “Like Nessie or Big Foot.”

As long as she could keep him talking he wasn’t attacking her. She didn’t think the situation would last long, but she was going to do her best to keep it going. The longer this went on, the more of a chance she had to attract attention of some kind. Her gaze flew to the desk. Maybe she could grab the lamp and heave it through the window, or she could simply pick up the chair and use it to break the glass. Now that would attract attention. But he’d probably kill her before anyone could get to her.

His jaw tightened and he took a step closer, his nostrils flaring. “Oh, you’re gonna talk. You’re going to tell me everything I want to know.”

She knew exactly how far away she was from the bathroom door and prayed she could make it. Without any warning, she jumped on the bed, shoving the chair toward her assailant as she did so. Her feet fit the mattress and she bounded off the other side, sprinting the few feet to the bathroom door.