Why not? It was a strange request, but then, considering the fact she was handcuffed to a vampire, who was she to say what was or wasn't strange? "Okay."
"Good. Now, let's run for it."
Before she could protest, he grabbed the handcuff over her wrist, and ran out the door to the right and down the hallway.
As they ran along the rusty floor, Amanda realized they were inside an abandoned factory of some sort.
At the end of the hallway were stairs that led down.
Hunter pulled her along after him until they reached the bottom of the stairs that opened into an enormous empty room with a cement floor. The old steel walls were cracked, with rays of the dawning sun streaming through.
The Dark-Hunter fell back into the shadows, away from the sunlight. His face looked a bit sunburned, but overall he didn't appear too much the worse from their mad dash.
"Now what?" she asked as she tried to catch her breath.
The Dark-Hunter wasn't even breathing hard. But his gaze was just a little too hot as he stared at her breasts with interest.
Amanda crossed her arms over her chest.
For the first time, she saw a real smile from him as she realized his hand was dangerously close to her breast. So close, his fingertips brushed the nipple, making fire rip through her veins.
She immediately dropped her hands to her sides while his smile taunted her. Though tight-lipped and devilish, it was still devastating. The amused gleam in his eyes was breathtaking, and his features softened into a boyish charm that could melt the heart of anything female.
He glanced around the empty factory. "Now I wish we either had a cell phone or subway system. I knew I should have taken that open position in New York."
Confused, Amanda looked up at him. "Open position? What? Is hunting really a job?"
"Yes. They even pay me to do it."
"Who pays you?"
Instead of answering, he held up a hand for silence in a gesture that was starting to piss her off--the main reason being because it seemed to herald trouble. And she was tired of finding trouble meant for Tabitha.
Two seconds later, Amanda heard someone walking around outside. Hunter pulled her deeper into the shadows with him while they listened. He had his free arm draped over her shoulders, pinning her to his body.
Amanda went stock-still as her back connected fully with his chest and a wave of misplaced desire tore through her. The heat of him warmed her and that raw, masculine aura of power overwhelmed her. Even more disturbing, his welcoming scent of leather and sandalwood invaded her head.
She wanted this man.
What are you, nuts? The man's a vampire!
Yeah, but he's a really, really sexy one.
Kyrian couldn't breathe with her so close to him. His heightened senses felt her all the way through his entire body. He heard her heartbeat speed up, felt the dryness of her throat, but even worse, he could taste her desire.
It whetted his appetite for her even more. And it reminded him why he had made it his habit to avoid being around women as much as possible.
Damn you, Desiderius.
Because right then it was hard to remember he couldn't have her. And even harder to forget the way she smelled. The way she moved--like a confident dancer. Her lithe body was a symphony of grace and all too easily he could imagine her sitting on top of him as he showed her a sexual pleasure he was quite certain no other man had ever given her.
His loins tightened to the point of pain. He couldn't even remember the last time he had been this hard for a woman. And it took all his willpower not to kiss her. Not to bury his lips against her throat and inhale her warm sweetness as he ...
Kyrian flexed his hand on her shoulder as he realized all he had to do was lower his hand three inches and he would be cupping her breast.
Just three tiny inches ...
Suddenly, the sound of a walkie-talkie broke the silence.
"It's a construction worker," she whispered, bolting to a window.
Kyrian hissed as she pulled him into the sunlight. He jerked her back into the darkness.
"Sorry," she whispered. She edged closer to the window, making sure to keep him out of the sun.
"Hey!" Amanda called as she saw the man a few feet away, poking around an old tractor.
The construction worker looked up at her and did a double-take. Scowling, he walked over to the window and looked inside. His eyes narrowed on them. "What are you doing in there? This area is off-limits to the public."
"It's a long story," Amanda said. "The short version is I got left here. You wouldn't happen to have a cell phone I could borrow, would you?"
Still scowling, he handed his cell phone to her through the open window.
Hunter immediately took it from her hand.
"Hey!" she snapped, reaching for it.
Moving it out of her reach, he ignored her while he dialed a number.
"Where are we?" Hunter asked the construction worker as he placed the phone to his ear.
"The old Olson Plant."
"In Slidell?"
Amanda arched a brow that the Dark-Hunter would recognize it. She'd lived in New Orleans all her life and had no idea this place existed.
"Yeah," the worker said.
Hunter nodded.
"Hey," he said into the phone, "it's me. I'm at the Olson Plant in Slidell. Do you know where it is?"
He paused as he listened to whoever was on the other end.
Amanda watched him closely. It amazed her that he was able to talk without showing his fangs, but he disguised them well.
And now that she thought about it, how could a vampire be so tanned and warm? How could he have a pulse and a heartbeat?
Weren't vampires supposed to be the cold, pale undead?
"Yes," Hunter said. "I need a ride out of here, preferably before the sun gets any higher."
The Dark-Hunter turned the phone off and tossed it out the window to the construction worker.
"Hey!" she snapped, reaching out of the window to reclaim the phone. "I need that."
"Who are you going to call?" Hunter asked menacingly.
"None of your damn business."
Hunter took the phone out of her hand. "As long as we're attached, it is my business."
She narrowed her eyes on him as she grabbed the phone. "Mess with me, buster, and I'll take another two steps to my right."
His heated glare sent a shiver over her. "Don't you dare call your sister."
The seething look on his face made her rethink pushing her luck. She handed the phone back to the worker. "Thanks," she said.
The construction worker clipped the phone to his belt and gave them a chiding stare. "You know, you two need to get out of there. This b--"
The Dark-Hunter held his hand up and the man's eyes went blank, empty. "There's no one in the building. Go do whatever you need to do."
The man walked off without another word.
Mind control? Amanda gaped at Hunter.
Of course he had mind control. He was a vampire.
"You better not use that on me," Amanda said.
"Don't worry. You're too strong-willed for it to work."
"Good."
"Not from where I'm standing, it isn't."
Though the words were edged, there was an amused light in the depths of his eyes that said he wasn't as peeved as he sounded.
She looked askance at him. He was leaning nonchalantly against a post with his eyes closed, and yet she had the distinct impression that he was alert to everything around them, both inside the building and out.
"Why did you become a vampire?" she asked before she could think better of it. "Did someone turn you against your will?"
He opened his eyes and cocked a brow at that. "No one becomes a Dark-Hunter unless they are willing."
"And you were willing to..." Her voice trailed off as she expectantly waited for him to explain.
"To sacrifice a nosy little human if she doesn't stop pestering me."
She should be frightened of him and yet she kept hearing Desiderius's words in her mind telling her that he would never harm a human.
Was it true?
She ran her gaze over his scrumptious body wishing she knew for certain.
They stood without speaking for quite a bit, until Amanda couldn't stand it any longer.
"So," she said, trying to break the awkward silence. "How long do you think we'll have to wait?"
"I don't know."
"Who did you call?" she tried again.
"No one."
Amanda took a deep breath and fought the urge to strangle him. "You don't like to answer questions, do you?"
"Honestly? I don't like to talk at all. I'd rather just stand here in silence."
"And brood?"
"Yes."
She blew her hair out of her face. "Well, I happen to be bored and if I have to stand here waiting for your ride, I'd like to do something to pass the time."
His gaze dropped to her lips, then slid slowly down to her breasts and hips. He shuttered his eyes, but even so she saw the raw hunger in the midnight depths. She felt it, hot and demanding.
"I can think of one way to pass time..."
She widened her eyes. "You're not going to bite me, are you?"
He smiled wickedly. "I don't want to bite you, agapee-menee. I want to nibble every inch of your bare flesh, especially your bre--"
She reached up and stopped his words by placing her hand over his lips. The softness of them contrasting with his whiskers stunned her. And the sensation of his skin under her hand jolted her with electricity. Swallowing hard, she dropped her hand. "I didn't think vampires could have sex."
He arched a taunting brow at her. "Why don't you and I conduct a little experiment and see?"
Amanda knew she should be offended. She should be angry. She should be anything other than turned on by his words. But the idea actually appealed to her as she ran her gaze down his lean, perfect body.
Kyrian felt her confusion. She was actually considering his offer. Had the fire in his groin not been so fierce, he would have laughed. But as it was, he wasn't sure whether or not he was toying with her, or truly propositioning her.
All he knew was that the sight of her parted lips tempted him in a way he'd never been tempted before.
Not that he should be surprised by the way his body responded to her. She was just the type of woman who had always appealed to him. Intelligent. Brave.
And simply beguiling.
He glanced to the wall behind her, and imagined what it would feel like to press her against it while he took her hard, fast, and furious.
He swore he could feel himself already inside her. Could hear her moaning in his ear as he ...
Kyrian shook his head to dispel the image. There were times when he hated his psychic abilities. Right now was definitely one of them.
Licking his dry lips, he remembered a time when he wouldn't have hesitated to take a woman such as this to his bed. A time when he would have peeled those safe, conservative clothes off her body and kissed every single inch of her bare flesh until she was wild with unbridled desire. Touched her until he brought her to the edge again and again as she clung to him and begged for more.
Kyrian clenched his teeth at the heat searing his blood. How he wished he could relive those days.
But that was a long time ago. And no matter how much he might want her, she was not his to take.
He would never know her body.
He would never know her. Period. It was why he hadn't asked her name or given her his. He had no intention of using it. She was nothing more than another nameless person he had sworn to protect. That was as close as he intended to get.
He was a Dark-Hunter, and she was an uninitiated human. The two were not to mix.
Kyrian looked up as he heard the faint sound of a siren approaching. Silently, he thanked Tate's timing.
Amanda glanced out the window as she heard an ambulance. Oddly enough, it stopped in front of the factory.
After a brief pause, the two front factory doors opened and the ambulance pulled inside.
"Your ride?" she asked.
The Dark-Hunter nodded.
Once the ambulance was deep enough inside the factory so that the sunlight didn't reach it, a tall African-American man got out and approached them. He gave a low whistle as he caught sight of Hunter's sunburned face. "Man, you look like hell. Should I ask about the handcuffs?"
Hunter led her toward the driver. "Not unless you want to die."
"Okay," the driver said good-naturedly. "I can take a hint, but here's the next problem. You're not going to be inconspicuous in a body bag wearing those. People are definitely going to notice."
"I already thought of that," Hunter said. "If anyone asks, tell them I died of a heart attack during a wild sexcapade with her."
An eerie chill went up Amanda's spine as she recalled Selena's words the day before. "I beg your pardon?"
Hunter cast an amused look to her that let her know he was thoroughly enjoying her torment. "And she can't find the key."
Tate laughed.
"I don't think so," Amanda said heatedly.
Hunter gave her that devilish grin that warmed her all over, and the look he swept over her made her tingle. "Look on the bright side; you'll have men lining up to date you."
"You're not funny."
Hunter shrugged. "It's the only way out of here."
"For you maybe," she said. "I can walk right out of here on my own, and dust you."
He cocked a taunting brow at her. "Try it."
She did, and quickly learned that tall, dangerous vampires didn't budge unless they wanted to.
"Okay," Amanda said, rubbing her wrist where the cuff was biting into it. "We'll be getting in the ambulance, then."
Hunter led the way.
When he got to the back of the ambulance, Hunter lifted her up with such ease that it startled her. She moved to the left, trying to make room for him, but he was so tall, he was doubled over. In one fluid motion, he lay down on the stretcher, inside the black body bag that was on top of it.
Without a word, Tate zipped it closed.
"You two do this a lot?" she asked.
Tate smiled in easygoing friendship. "Every now and again."
Amanda frowned as Tate adjusted the bag so that her hand was on the outside and Hunter's inside it. It seemed strange to her that Tate was so willing to help a vampire.
"How did you two meet?" she asked Tate.
"I was feeding off a body when he found me," Hunter said from inside the bag.
Tate laughed as he straightened. "One night while I was on call, I went to pick up a body that wasn't dead. If not for Hunter, I'd be the one in the body bag."
"Shut up, Tate," Hunter snapped, "and drive."
"I'm going," Tate said as if completely unoffended by the high-handed way Hunter treated him.
"You know," Amanda said to Hunter as Tate got up front and started the ambulance. "You could try being nicer to people. Especially when they're helping you."
She heard his aggravated sigh even through the plastic. "Shouldn't that advice apply to you, as well?"
Amanda opened her mouth to respond, then closed it. He was right. She had been rather testy with him since all this started. "I guess you're right. Maybe we should both try and make the best of this."
If he responded, she didn't hear it since the siren blared again. Tate drove them to the hospital in record time, but the ride was far from smooth.
By the time they arrived, she felt as if she had been tossed around like sweatsocks in a dryer.
Tate pulled up to the rear of the hospital, under an awning that kept the sunlight from touching them. With a warning to her to remain quiet, he carefully pulled the stretcher out of the back so that he wouldn't hurt her arm as they descended out of the ambulance.
Once inside the hospital doors, Amanda held her jacket closed to hide the bloodstains on her sweater.
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Hunter remained completely still and silent as Tate pushed the stretcher through the bustling areas. Amanda walked along beside them, and wanted to cringe and die given how obvious the handcuffs were.
Did they have to gleam so brightly under the fluorescent lights? Couldn't Desiderius have found nice, small police-sized cuffs?
Oh no, these had to be five inches thick with some kind of weird Greek design all over them. And a chain that ran a good four inches in length. Anyone who saw them would definitely think they came from one of Tabitha's weird sex catalogues.
The horror of it! Amanda had never even been inside a Frederick's of Hollywood. For that matter, she'd blushed profusely the handful of times she'd been in Victoria's Secret.
And everyone they passed turned to gawk at them.
"I haven't seen that in at least six months," an orderly said as they passed the admissions desk.
"I heard that," another orderly responded. "Wonder how old the poor guy was?"
"I dunno, but by the looks of her, I'd say sign me up."
Their laughter made her entire face burn. By the interested looks the men were raking over her body, she could surmise Hunter's words about her having dates might not have been too far off the mark.
"Hey, Tate?" a young doctor asked as they drew near the elevators. "Should I ask?"
Tate shook his head. "You know all the weird shit comes through my office."
The doctor laughed while Amanda covered her face with her hand.
As soon as the elevator doors closed behind them, Amanda whispered under her breath, "Hunter, I swear, I'm going to kill you for this."
"Dearie," an elderly hospital volunteer said from beside her. "It looks to me like you already did." She patted Amanda lightly on the arm. "The same thing happened to me and my Harvey. Poor thing. I sure do miss him, too."
Tate choked on his laughter.
Amanda groaned and prayed for this ordeal to end.
Once they reached the morgue, Tate took them into a dim, metallic lab and locked the door. Hunter unzipped the bag from the inside.
"Thanks," he said to Tate as he sat up and removed the bag from his body. He folded it and placed it on a table.
Tate opened a drawer in the small cabinet next to the door. "No problem. Now, take your coat and shirt off and let me see what happened to you."
"It will heal."
Tate set his jaw stubbornly. "What of infection?"
Kyrian laughed. "Immortals don't die from infections. I am completely incapable of carrying any disease."
"You may not die from it, but it doesn't mean it won't hurt and it'll heal faster if treated." He gave Kyrian a look that said he would not be swayed. "I'm not going to take no for an answer. Let me treat that wound."
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