"How long?"
"I have no idea. But it'll probably be a while, and until then, he's human, and since he hasn't been human in over two thousand years, he's weak from it. Vulnerable."
Panic gripped her as she looked back at Kyrian. He still had one hand over his eyes and she could tell by the tautness of his body how much pain he felt.
"Will he be back to normal by sundown?"
"I hope so. Because if he's not, the Daimons will have him."
Her throat constricted as fear gripped her. The last thing she wanted was for him to be hurt because of her. "Can't you help him?"
"No. It's against our Code. We hunt alone. I can't go after Desiderius until Kyrian is dead."
"What kind of Code is that?" she shrieked.
"The kind that doesn't usually pierce my eardrum," Talon hissed. "Damn, girl, with that set of lungs, you have a bright future as an opera soprano."
"You're not funny."
"I know. None of this is. Now listen to me for a second. It's going to be embarrassing, can you handle it?"
His dire tone gave her pause. What was he going to say to her? "I think so."
"Good. Now, I think our problem stems from when Kyrian came. It's imperative that you not let him do that anymore. Because there's a real good chance it will drain his powers out of him again. You need to stay away from him."
Amanda's heart ached at his words. She reached out and touched Kyrian. "Okay," she breathed. "All right. It's a little after seven right now. Do us both a favor and watch over him until Nick gets there."
"I will."
Talon said good-bye and she hung up the phone, then returned it to the nightstand. Kyrian looked up at her and the pain she saw in his greenish eyes tore through her. "I only wanted to make it better. I never meant to hurt you."
He took her hand in his and held it gently. "I know." He pulled her into his arms and held her close, but still she could feel the rigidness of his body.
"You made it better, Amanda," he breathed in her ear. "Don't take away what you gave me by feeling guilty."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"Just let me hold you for a little while."
His words tugged at her heart. She lay cradled in his arms and felt his warm breath fall on her throat. Kyrian buried his face in her hair and breathed the sweet scent of her. He'd never felt as weak as he did just then and yet something about her presence gave him strength.
"You have your out-clause." Talon's words rang in his head. Once a Dark-Hunter found something to drain their immortal powers, they could regain their soul. It was something he'd never thought about before. Something he'd never dared dream about.
He could be human again. Permanently. But to what purpose? He was what he was an eternal warrior. He loved his life. Loved the freedom and the power it gave him. Yet as he lay there with Amanda nestled in his arms, bare skin to bare skin, he began to think of other forgotten things. Things he had banished to the deepest crevices of his heart.
Closing his eyes, he saw her holding Niklos. She would make a good mother. And as he drifted back to sleep, a part of him knew she'd make a wonderful wife. Amanda came awake to someone tracing slow, scorching circles around her breasts. She opened her eyes and looked down to see Kyrian's hand gently kneading her. He had his thigh buried between her legs.
Her heart pounded as he slid his hand down, over her stomach, while he nibbled her neck with his long, pointed teeth. "Are you going to bite me?" she asked.
His laughter vibrated down the column of her throat. "No, love, I'm going to devour you."
Rolling onto her back, she looked up and saw his eyes were even greener than before. They were a light, gorgeous, vibrant green. She reached up and ran her finger just below his right eye. "Why did they change color?"
"When I lost my Dark-Hunter powers, my eyes went back to their human color."
She frowned at him as she vaguely recalled the color from her dream. "This was the color of your eyes before you lost your soul?"
He nodded, then dropped his head and suckled the hollow of her throat.
"Should you be doing this?" she asked as she ran her hand down his spine. "Talon said you needed to rest."
"I am resting."
She sucked her breath in sharply as he separated the tender flesh between her legs and stroked her with his long, strong fingers. "You're not resting, you're playing."
His eyes searched hers. "I want to play with you."
"But won't this make you weaker?"
"I don't see how."
"But what if—"
He stopped her words with a hot, scorching kiss. Amanda's thoughts scattered. He nibbled her lips with his teeth and pulled back. His green eyes tugged at her heart. "I can't feel what's inside you anymore, Amanda. Tell me you don't want me and I'll let you go."