Page 7 of Total Eclipse of the Moon
He cooled, hyper-focused on the petite curvy woman still on top of him. Oddly, the demon seemed in total agreement they needed to help her. All responsibility toward his three brothers, all the seething hate directed at her as the cause of decades of being forced to hunt paranormal terrorists for the monarch of England was put on pause as he asked softly, "Why are they hunting you?"
Would he kill them for her?
Yes.
The curse she cast on him and his brothers tied their fate.
He was the only one who got to…to what? Hurt her? No. Exert pressure on her? Yes. At least enough pressure to make her release them from the curse if she could. She might be the only one on the planet with a clue on how to undo it. Maybe he’d also kiss her again. This was messed up. He couldn’t be this attracted to the source of years of suffering. He didn’t know if her getting his clothes off had been planned so she could get him like this—trapped.
"Whatever this is between us…" She leaned in and kissed him, gentle and with a soft moan before she pulled away. "It’s unexpected, but it’s not meant to be even if we meet again." The vulnerability and desire in her gaze gutted him. The pull between them looked to surprise her as much as him. Perhaps it scared her? It did him.
"Let me free. I’ll kill whoever's after you."
"They’re human. That’s not something you do. Kill humans, that is. The curse probably won’t let you go after these guys since they’re likely protected by the king."
"I’m not under a never-kill-humans order. If they pose a threat to us, I’ll do it." He meant it, but he wasn’t clear on why he experienced this fierce need to protect her.
"God, I wish…" Her face softened as she put a hand on either side of his face and leaned in to touch her nose to his.
His chest tingled. That sounded a lot like the start of a spell. "What’d you just do?"
"Both of us need to stay alive," she said as her fingers released his face. "The only way we both live is for you to stay here. I'm sorry." She kissed him once more, a soft press of her warm lips on his.
The world went dark.
Chapter Three
Shane struggled to see.A haze clouded vision and dulled his mind, which had nothing to do with the demon. Baku also seemed confused and subdued.
He didn't detect Madeline's energy. The upside of the curse she'd cast was it enhanced his ability to detect inhuman auras nearby.
He rattled the cuffs. How could she leave him like this?
"Say it. You want to. This calls for a damn-it or fuck,"Baku taunted.
Why was he surprised a Sleeping Beauty kiss wasn't myth? That sneaky witch...
"She did it to protect you,"the demon pointed out.
Had he been out minutes, hours, or days?
This was the kind of whacked universe he lived in. The kind where the witch who cursed him into eternal misery might be protecting him from a new threat.
Something slid against his chest when he shifted position. A glance down found his two protective talismans back around his neck. She’d done this. Why?
A subtle rustle of fabric came from outside the room. Maybe her?
His paranormal creature aura detector went off.
One sniff. Not her.
Someone deadly, though. His throat closed and his stomach hardened. He was a naked sitting duck. This might be a person hunting her, but this being wasn’t human.
"Looks like you had an interesting night," Antonio Dulanto said from the doorway in his Spanish accent.
He flinched since he hadn't heard the door open.
A match lit up the darkness. Cigar smoke wafted around the room. The vampire wore a retroMiami Vice–style white suit with a T-shirt. His long dark hair was pulled into a ponytail.
