A Midsummer Night's Demon

chapter Three

Ky reached for a bath towel knowing he would never be able to let her leave his home. He chose one of his favorite T-shirts for her to wear. It would be big, probably fall to her knees to drape over her body in a most delicious way. He imagined her in the bathroom, his shirt clinging to her wet body, hair dripping down her back. Shit! His libido awakened once more, which seemed to happen every time he thought about her.

If this was what it was like between heartmates, no wonder so many of them disappeared for months once they found each other. He struggled to keep his hands off her. And the attraction was more than just physical. He loved her fiery spirit, her determination to face her fears.

The holes in his life could be filled by her, as if she were the other half of his soul. Finding her gave him a sense of peace. A comfort he never again wanted to be without. He now understood why heartmates often chose to follow one another in death. He had almost lost her before he’d found her.

Ky needed to find the debauchee, but he had nothing to go on. The name the vampire gave to Lyn had obviously been a fake. He’d picked her up at her place, so they didn’t know where the monster lived. All Ky knew for sure was that the debauchee knew how to use the internet and possibly frequented the bar down on Fifth Street. Not much to go on, but he had found him once and he would find a way to do so again.

Ky took the towel and shirt into her room. Knocking on the bathroom door he called out, “Lyn, I have your stuff. You want me to leave them by the door or bring them in?” Please say bring them in.

“You can leave them by the door. And please close the bedroom door when you leave.”

Damn! Not that he had truly expected her to bid him join her in the bathroom, but a vampire could hope. “I’m going to make us a little something to eat. Call if you need anything. I’ll hear you.”

“Thanks,” the sultry, disembodied voice called from behind the door.

Twenty minutes later, Ky almost sliced his finger off when Lyn appeared in his kitchen dressed in his T-shirt, toweling her hair dry. With her hands lifted to her head, his shirt fell about half way down her thighs, allowing him a glimpse of her lithe legs. Her breasts jiggled as she worked.

“What are you cooking?” she asked bringing his thoughts back to the task at hand.

“An omelet.” His knife sliced through the ham. He used it to scoop the cubed meat into his hand. Dumping it into a pan, he turned his attention back to her. “I hope you like eggs.”

“Eggs are fine. It smells good.”

He tipped his chin toward the round table in the middle of the room. “Great. Yours is ready. Go ahead and eat. Mine will be done in a moment.” He flipped the omelet with a spatula, appreciating the way her hips swayed as she made her way over to table.

Lyn sat and much to his satisfaction, her stomach growled its approval at the feast before her. In addition to the omelet he’d made, freshly squeezed orange juice and a cup of coffee awaited her. He’d also placed a pile of toast, stacked high on a plate in the middle of the table next to some butter.

Ky brought his plate to the table and sat in the chair next to her. “Can I get you anything else?”

Her chocolate eyes widened. “No. This is more than enough. I usually don’t eat this much for breakfast.” Her gaze darted to the kitchen window. “It’s still dark outside. I thought the sun would be up by now.”

“The sun won’t be up for several hours yet.” Ky took a bite of his eggs.

“What time is it? I can’t seem to find a clock in this place.”

Ky looked at his watch. His body could feel the sun rise and set, so until now, he’d never noted the lack of clocks in his home. “It’s midnight.”

“Midnight!” Her brows shot up in surprise. “I slept all day?”

His shoulders lifted in an insouciant shrug. “You needed to rest to give the drug time to get out of your system.”

She took a sip of coffee. A low moan of pleasure left her lips, making Ky’s body tighten in response to the sumptuous sound. “Well it’s out now. I’m fine. I’ll be going home after I eat.”

Ky went as still as his river on a calm day. He fought to keep the anger and trepidation from his face. She intended to go home.

Not going to happen.

“What?” she asked impatiently. Lyn nervously stabbed a piece of her omelet, her fork clinking against the ceramic plate.

“You aren’t leaving,” he replied in a soft voice, crossing his arms over his chest.

She put her fork down on her plate with more force than necessary. “What do you mean I’m not leaving? Of course, I’m leaving. I need to get home. I have to go to work tomorrow.”

“It isn’t safe, Lyn.”

Her attacker knew where she lived, and the bastard would come back. They always did. Ky had to make sure she remained safe, even if it was against her will. He didn’t want to have to use mind control to force her compliance, but if she wouldn’t be reasonable than he would do whatever it took to keep her protected.

“Why?”

“Because the…your attacker knows where you live.” He watched the color blanch from her face, her bronze skin turn ghostly pale.

Lyn’s fingers covered the raw wound on her throat. “You think he would come find me.”

“Yes.” He refused to sugar coat this, hoped that brutal honesty might keep her with him. “I think he will want to finish what he started, unless we stop him. The way I see it, honey, it’s you or him. And I pick you. Stay here with me where I can protect you. We’ll figure out a way to find him and once he has been eliminated, you’ll be safe.”

“How can we find him? We don’t know his real name.”

Ky reached out to take her hand in his, thankful she did not pull away. His finger stroked the warm, soft skin on the back of her delicate hand. “I promise you, Lyn, I will not rest until I find him.”

“But I don’t even know your full name. How can I stay here? I don’t know you.” She pulled her hand from his.

He leaned back in his chair, putting a small compulsion in his voice to help ensure she would believe the next thing he said. “You already know enough about me to feel safe. You know I saved your life. You know that if I wanted to hurt you, I could have done so already. You know that I can make a mean breakfast, so you’ll be well fed.” He let his smile reached his light blue eyes to disarm her. “I can take care of you, Lyn. Let me. Say you’ll stay.”

He allowed her to feel his sincerity, it poured from him to surround her in its warmth, in an effort to make her feel secure, cared for. He pushed into her mind to discover she believed him, thought it wise to stay with him.

At least no one, including the male who attacked her, could find her here.

“Fine,” she said at last. “But tell me what Ky is short for.”

“First, you tell me what Lyn is short for,” he countered, taking a sip of his coffee.

She swallowed the last bite of her omelet before answering. “Daelyn.”

“And your last name is…” His eyes never left hers while he finished his own eggs.

“Torres.”

“Daelyn Torres.” He tested the sound of her name on his lips, finding it as beautiful as she. “Well, Daelyn Torres, let’s get these dishes cleaned up. We have a lot left to do tonight.”

“Like what?” Lyn cleared her dishes from the table.

“Like we need to go back to your place and get some clothes. As much as I admire the way you look in my shirt, I think you should have your own clothes.”

“I’ll need some work clothes for sure. I have a huge pile of receipts waiting on my desk for tomorrow. My boss, at the accounting firm, wants the books balanced and a report on his desk by the end of the week.”

Ky began rinsing the dishes in the sink. “You can’t go to work until we dispose of your attacker. It isn’t safe.”

Lyn stopped mid-stride. “Listen, Ky, I have meetings, things that require my attention. I have to go to work.”

He watched the fire burn in her eyes, fueled by her anger.

He despised using the power of his voice on her again, but they did not have time for her foolhardiness. He couldn’t protect her during the day. Though the vampire would be in his day sleep, he could have minions who would take her from her place of business. No, he definitely could not risk her safety by allowing her to work, at least not until he killed her attacker.

He captured her eyes with his enthralling stare, putting a strong compulsion behind his voice as he slipped into her mind. Daelyn, you will email the accounting office tonight. Tell them you are ill and the doctor has advised you to take some time off. Inform them you will email or call again in a few days to update them.

He released the enthrall, feeling like a bastard for manipulating her. But dammit, he must keep her safe. He couldn’t tell her what kind of monster she was up against—at least not yet.

“Ky, have you seen my cell? I need to send an email.”

“It’s in the living room,” he answered without meeting her eyes, his guilt riding him hard.