Page 2 of Kidnapping Their Third

“Pike!” Cora said, excited to see potential rescue. Her relief was short-lived as she remembered that the man gently holding herhand was capable of astonishing violence. “Run! Find Imani and get help!”

To her horror, Pike finished stepping into the apartment and closed the door as if there wasn't a red-eyed monster standing between them exuding menace. “What are you doing?” Cora screeched and grabbed hold of the vampire's hands to keep him with her instead of attacking Pike.

“Do you have no sense of self-preservation? You saw what this creature is capable of! Run!”

Pike held up both hands palms out and made a soothing sound. His hazel eyes were bright with calm concern. The weird part was he was trying to soothe her, not the vampire.

“It’s going to be okay.”

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “We’re all dead,” she whispered.

“We’re safe with Kimble, I promise,” he said, crossing the room into the bedroom. “He’d rather die than hurt either of us. If anything, he’s probably going to need our help very soon.”

Cora went from raging fear to absolute confusion. “What?”

Pike didn’t stop until he was close enough to put his hands over Kimble’s. Standing at only five foot three, Cora was used to having to look up at everyone, but Pike’s hulking body towered over both her and the vampire. Letting go of Kimble’s hands, she rubbed her face, then met Pike’s eyes.

Frowning, Pike stared at Cora’s bloody knuckles. “What did you do?”

He was worried about a few scrapes while holding hands with Death? This was surreal.

Cora nodded to the wall. “Me vs the wall. Of all the luck, I hit a stud.”

Pike blinked at her a few times, then a slow grin spread across his face. “You punched the wall?”

Either she was lightheaded, or Pike’s grin was infectious. She found herself smiling up at him and shrugged. “Maybe.”

“You’re like a swan, gorgeous but surprisingly aggressive and scary. I bet you tried to hit Kimble first, didn’t you?”

She’d been compared to a lot of animals in her life, including a New York rat, but never a swan. No one ever called her something that was the symbol of grace and poise. Pike was like that, always finding ways to compliment her.

“I didn’t hit him,” she said, rolling her eyes up to take in Kimble's look of concentration. It seemed like he was trying to follow their conversation but wasn’t getting all the words.

“Don’t lie,” Pike pressed.

“I didn’t hit him more than two or three times,” Cora confessed.

Pike chuckled, then abruptly stopped when Kimble started swaying. “Damn it!”

Letting go of his hands, Pike swept Kimble up in his arms. The vampire seemed to deflate before her eyes. It wasn’t only because Pike was so much bigger compared to Kimble; he looked suddenly gaunt and exhausted.

Cora followed as Pike carried Kimble to the bed. After Pike’s words, she had mixed feelings about the vampire's sudden weakness.

He might be a brutal murderer, but he’d done that to protect her and Imani. He’d carried her off without permission, but even after they were alone, he hadn’t done anything to hurt her. He hadn’t even retaliated when one of her blows got him full in the face.

Pike drew the covers up over Kimble, covering his bare feet and old, too big clothing. Leaning in close, he gave the red-eyed man a kiss on the forehead. Jealousy raged through Cora, but confusion kept her quiet. She wanted to accuse Pike of cheating on her or making her his side chick, but she also felt moved by his display of gentleness.

A kiss on the forehead didn’t mean lovers. Maybe they were brothers or cousins?

Pike drew back so he could smile at the vampire. “Rest, I’ll get you food. I promise both Cora and I are safe.”

“No leave,” the vampire whispered, his voice fearful and hoarse.

“We won’t leave until you’re back on your feet,” Pike promised, then straightened up. “Cora and I need to talk. After you’ve fed, you need to do better. You can’t carry her off or restrain her like you did.”

Kimble’s brows wrinkled. “Kept safe.”

“You did great by killing Vincent, but you shouldn’t have flown here,” Pike admonished. He sounded like he was talking to afive-year-old and not a deadly mythical creature! “If you’d waited, I could have driven us all home.”

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