In his blind rage Mikhail took a step too close, and the berserker swept his feet out from under him. He hit the pavement hard and propelled himself up just before the second slayer could ram the silver-tipped stake through his chest.#p#分页标题#e#
Enough of this bullshit.
He rushed the weaker of the two, taking the slayer down in a full-body tackle. With both daggers gripped firmly in his fists, he slashed the berserker’s throat through to the spine. With Mikhail’s attention diverted, a solid kick connected with his jaw and he flew backward, skidding several feet over rough pavement before coming to a stop. The berserker warlord pulled a pistol from his holster and leveled it with Mikhail’s face.
“We are Fate.”
Before he could pull the trigger, the slayer collapsed to his knees. A long blade protruded from his throat and his breath gurgled in his chest as he was shoved forward. Siobhan towered over him, her booted foot planted firmly on the slayer’s back as she cut down again, severing his spine at the back of his neck. She wiped her blade clean on her thigh and sauntered over to Mikhail, her spiked heels clicking on the sidewalk.
“Well, Mikhail,” Siobhan purred. She cut a glance toward the first yellow rays of sunlight and turned back to him with a triumphant smile. “It looks as though I’ve saved your life. I think for such a favor you owe me a debt, no?”
* * *
After half a day with Vanessa, a full shift, and a few hours’ sleep yesterday, Claire wasn’t ready to start all over again with a long morning shift. Who in the hell wanted breakfast at 5:00 a.m. anyway? The past twenty-four hours blurred together as she set several cheese Danishes onto a platter and put the plastic lid back in place. The scent of brewing coffee did wonders for her nausea. Maybe dhampir babies liked Colombian roast.
Warmth bloomed in the center of her chest and Claire froze in her tracks. It spread outward to her limbs, a radiant heat that infused her with strength and vitality. Banished all traces of the nausea and crippling exhaustion. Made her feel more alive than she had since leaving Mikhail alone in his bed.
Mikhail.
Her vampire was close. She sensed him in the core of her soul. The need to go to him overwhelmed her, sent one foot in front of the other as though she had no control over her own limbs. A heavy weight lifted from Claire as she opened the connection between them, allowing his strength to flood her, replenish everything she’d given to the tiny life growing inside of her.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Gunfire echoed in her ears and she forced her body away from the glass door. She took refuge behind the tall counter, crouching down and cradling her abdomen to shield her unborn child from impending danger. Oh, god. Mikhail is out there!
He was strong. Infallible. An immortal vampire who tore his enemies’ throats out with his bare hands. Surely he could hold his own in any situation, but as the sound of angry shouts melded with the clash of metal the first traitorous signs of doubt shredded her confidence.
She had to help him.
All she could hope to do, weaponless, defenseless, was distract any attackers long enough for Mikhail to gain the upper hand. She threw open the door with enough force to take it off the hinges and sprinted out onto the street just as the first morning rays of sunlight crested the cityscape beyond. Holy shit! The street looked like a war zone. Bodies littered the ground and Claire raced toward the carnage in search of him, praying that he wasn’t among the fallen. A blur of motion caught her attention from her periphery and Claire turned in time to see a tall, thin woman dressed from head to toe in black, her dark hair flying out behind her like curls of satin ribbon as she ran. To her left, a company of rough-looking brawlers hauled a body in their wake, forcing him toward a side alley as he fought to free himself.
“Mikhail!”
Claire’s strangled shout echoed in her ears, drowning out the sound of approaching sirens. Sunlight filtered through the tall buildings, cutting a swath down the darkened sidewalk, but still Mikhail fought against his captors. The golden rays caressed his skin, and his back arched as his face contorted with pain. Claire doubled over; his pain was hers and the scorching heat seared her flesh and brought the blood in her veins to the boiling point.#p#分页标题#e#
The men dragging him away used Mikhail’s weakness to their advantage as they hauled him into the shadows of the alley. Claire’s own pain subsided and she sprinted down the sidewalk, desperate to get to him. Muscles aching, lungs burning, she pushed herself as fast as she could go, rounding the corner at a full sprint only to find the alleyway empty.
He was gone.
No! Her soul called out for him, a soundless yet keening cry that resounded in her mind and left her weak and shaking. Someone might as well have ripped Claire’s beating heart from her chest, the separation was so acute. She collapsed to her knees, her chest heaving with each labored breath as white lights danced in her vision. The whine of sirens grew closer, a cacophony to drown out her own screaming thoughts as L.A.P.D. and emergency services personnel arrived on the scene.