Kyrian lay still while Esmeralda and Amanda peeled his bloodied clothes from him. He hurt so badly he could barely breathe. Over and over, he saw the Daimons attacking him and he wanted blood. "Let the sun have him." Desiderius's mocking voice rang in his ears.
That bastard would pay. Kyrian planned to make sure of it. Amanda's heart wrenched at the wounds on Kyrian's body. His forearms and hands were covered with nail holes. Never in her life had she hated anyone, but right then she hated Desiderius with so much passion that if he were here, she'd rip him apart with her bare hands.
She left Kyrian only long enough to call her parents and check on Tabitha. While Essie bandaged Kyrian, Nick paced the floor.
"What do you want me to do about Desiderius?" Nick asked Kyrian. "Stay away from him."
"But look at you."
"I'm immortal. I will survive this. You wouldn't."
"Yeah, well, had we taken another three minutes to get there, you wouldn't have survived it, either."
"Nick," Amanda warned. "You're not helping. He needs to rest."
"I'm sorry," he said, raking a nervous hand through his tousled dark brown hair. "I attack when I'm worried. It's a defense mechanism."
"It's all right, Nick," Kyrian said. "Go home and get some sleep." His jaw rigid, Nick nodded. He looked at Amanda. "Call me if you need anything."
"I will."
As soon as he was gone, Esmeralda finished tending Kyrian. "That really must hurt. What happened?"
"I was stupid."
"Okay, Stupid," Esmeralda said pointedly, "we're going to have to set those legs and I don't have a splint."
"Can I borrow the phone?" Kyrian asked. Frowning, Esmeralda handed it to him.
Amanda carefully bathed the blood from his face as he dialed. "How can you be so lucid?" she asked him. "This has to be excruciating for you."
"I was tortured by the Romans for over a month, Amanda. Believe me, this is nothing."
Still, it made her ache for him. How could he stand it?
She listened while he talked to whomever he'd called. "Yeah, I know. I'll see you shortly."
Amanda took the phone from him. Kyrian closed his eyes and rested while Esmeralda motioned her into the kitchen. "Now I want an explanation. Why is there a wounded vampire on my couch?"
"He saved my life; I'm just returning the favor."
Esmeralda glared at her. "Have you any idea what Tabitha would do if she ever found out?"
"I know, but I couldn't let him die. He's a good man, Es."
Her cheeks paling, Esmeralda's jaw dropped. "No, not that face."
"What face?"
"That weepy, Brendan-Fraser-is-on-the-screen face."
"Excuse me?" Amanda asked, offended.
"You're infatuated with him."
Amanda felt her face turn red. "Mandy! Where's your brain?"
She avoided her sister's probing stare by looking back to the couch where Kyrian lay. "Look, Essie, I'm not stupid and I'm not a child. I know there can never be anything between us."
"But?"
"What but?"
"You look like there should be a 'but' on the end of that sentence."
"Well, there isn't." Amanda pushed her gently toward the stairs. "Now go on back to bed and get some sleep."
"Yeah, right. Are you going to make sure Mr. Vampire doesn't snack on one of us while I sleep?"
"He doesn't suck blood."
"How do you know?"
"He said so."
Essie folded her arms over her chest and gave her a piqued stare. "Oh well, that makes it official, then, doesn't it?"
"Would you stop?"
"C'mon, Mandy," she said, gesturing toward the couch. "The man is a killer."
"You don't know him."
"I don't know any alligators, either, but I sure as hell wouldn't leave one in my house. You can't change the nature of a beast."
"He's not a beast."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Still she saw the skepticism in her sister's eyes. "You damn well better be, little girl, or we'll all pay a foul price."
While Esmeralda dressed for work several hours later, Amanda made a small breakfast for Kyrian. "I appreciate the thought, but I'm really not hungry," he said gently. She set the plate on the coffee table. Tenderly, she traced her hand down the bandage on his arm where blood had already seeped into it. "I wish you had listened to me and stayed home."
"I can't do that, Amanda. I have an oath and a duty to fulfill."
The job. It was all that mattered to him and she wondered if he protected her because he cared, or if she were just part and parcel of what his duty entailed. "Still, you tell me you believe in my powers and then when I tell you—"
"Amanda, please. I had no choice." She nodded. "I hope you kill him."
"I will."
Amanda squeezed his hand. "You don't sound quite as sure as you did before."
"That's because I spent the night nailed to a board and I don't feel very well this morning."
"You're not funny."
"I know," he said. "It just bothers me that he really did know where to strike to do the most damage. Right down to—"
She waited several minutes, but he didn't elaborate. "To?" she prompted.
"Nothing."
"Kyrian, talk to me. I want to know how he got you into this condition."
"I don't want to talk about it."
Before she could press him, someone knocked on the door. "Please," he said quietly, "go let D'Alerian in."
"The Dream-Hunter?"