"You heard him, Dark-Hunter," the Daimon leader said. "He doesn't need your help. So, go on. Go away."
More tempted to leave than he ought to be, Kyrian let out a slow breath. "Yes, but you know, sometimes you just have to save them even when they don't want to be saved."
The tallest Daimon attacked. Kyrian tossed the asrad, but before it could make contact with the Daimon, Cliff grabbed the Daimon and whirled him away. "Now, I'll show you who's bad." He punched the Daimon who just stood there, laughing at him.
The asrad bounced off the wall, breaking into two pieces. Moron! If not for Cliff's bullshit heroics, the Daimon would be dead.
Forcing himself, Kyrian ran to get between Cliff and the Daimon before the Daimon struck. He barely made it. As it was, he ended up being kicked into Cliff's flabby body.
The two of them fell to the ground. Rolling with the fall, Kyrian got to his feet in one swift move while Cliff struggled on the ground. Kyrian fought the urge to roll his eyes at the weakling. "Would you run already?"
Cliff blustered as he gained his feet. "I'm just as capable of fighting them as you are."
Kyrian growled low in his throat at the imbecile. For one thing, Cliff was barely six feet tall while the Daimons were Kyrian's height and over. Cliff had the body of a couch-warrior and the Daimons were well-honed and ready to kill.
Oh yeah, Cliff was a big threat. Before he could move, two Daimons rushed him. Kyrian caught the first one with his boot and obliterated the Daimon into dust. The other slashed out at him with a sword.
Kyrian flipped up and backward, coming to rest on the fire escape above them. "Hey!" Cliff said. "How did you do that?"
He didn't have a chance to answer before the other three Daimons started up the ladder after him. Kyrian jumped back to the alley. The Daimons followed. Kyrian braced himself for them. As soon as the leader drew near, Cliff came running up beside him with a long two-by-four. He swung to hit the Daimons at the same time the Daimons moved for Kyrian. Caught between the two, Kyrian couldn't maneuver. As a result, Cliff's board caught him across the back of his head.
Pain shot through his skull as he staggered back. With a shake of his head, Kyrian recovered his senses a second before two Daimons grabbed his waist and knocked him to the ground. They grabbed his arms and spread him out. Panic set in the instant they held him there as his old memories surged through him.
"We found his vulnerability," one of the Daimons said. "Tell Desiderius that with his arms spread out, he goes nuts."
They might have found it, but none of them would live long enough to reveal it. Roaring with rage, Kyrian brought his legs up over his head and flipped himself up between them. His fangs bared, he stabbed one Daimon and then the other.
The remaining Daimon took off toward the street. Kyrian tossed the other asrad straight into the Daimon's back. He evaporated. Kyrian turned to see Cliff gaping at him.
His face ashen, Cliff's eyes rolled back in his head an instant before he passed out.
Disgusted, Kyrian went to check on him. His pulse was fast, but stable. "What did she ever see in you?" he asked as he pulled out his cell phone and called an ambulance.
Hours later—once he was sure Cliff would live—Kyrian made his way into his house.
Still no Desiderius to be found. Anywhere. Damn.
He stopped at the kitchen door to watch Amanda curiously. It was almost five a.m. and she appeared to be making soup and sandwiches.
How very odd is this?
She moved around the kitchen like a graceful nymph, completely unaware of his presence. She hummed a gentle tune, "In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Grieg if he wasn't mistaken. What a strange choice.
He'd never seen a more beguiling woman in his life. She wore a silk dorm shirt that gave a hint of transparency, yet completely concealed her body from his view. The light blue color was a perfect complement for her pale skin and auburn hair.
His body reacted instantly to the sight of her, growing hard and hot. The more he watched her, the more he wanted her. She poured the soup into mugs, then dipped her finger into the soup to test the warmth. It was more than an immortal man could take.
Moving like a shadow, he came up beside her and caught her hand. She looked up with a gasp until she registered his identity. Smiling at her, he guided her finger into his mouth where he swirled his tongue around it, tasting the soup and the woman.
"Delicious," he breathed.
A blush covered her cheeks. "Hi, honey, how was work?"
He laughed out loud at her Donna Reed impersonation. "Been watching Nick at Nite again?"
She shrugged coyly. "I thought you might like to come home to a hot meal for once. It must get lonely to have nothing but an empty, dark house to greet you."