NocC 016 - Laura Kaye - Vampire Warrior Kings 02 - Seduced by the Vampire King - Harlequin 2012-06 Read Online Free Page A

they were too heavy to lift, and ultimately fell closed.
When she was as settled as she could be with him sprawled over her legs and lying in her lap, she stroked his forehead back over his messy hair. “Okay, just hurry. You need to get out of here. And leave me some.”
His mouth and tongue moved languorously against her skin. The sensation ricocheted up her arm and through every vein, spiking the fire raging within.
My guardian angel , he intoned in solemn Russian in what she now knew without question was his voice.
Her heart squeezed at the reverence of his thought. “Well, I don’t know about— Oh, shit.” Warmth flooded over her thigh. His blood. His neck seemed to leak as fast as he drank. Icy fear snaked down her spine. “You’re bleeding really badly.”
Her gloves and his cap were long gone.
Kate only had one thing left: she unzipped her parka and shrugged it off her free arm. Frigid air flooded into the bubble of warmth she’d imagined surrounded them and made it hard to breathe.
A scuff, from the far end of the alley.
Kate froze and tilted her head, listening.
It sounded like… Her ears strained. Footsteps?
Fear erupted in her gut. Couldn’t be the ambulance. There had been no sirens. No vehicle noise. And why would the paramedics be so purposely quiet?
Brilliant red rage displaced the fear and set her senses on high alert.
All her calm disappeared and morphed into stone-cold protectiveness and fierce possessiveness. He is mine. And no one will take him.
Operating on instinct, Kate’s hand found and removed the SIG from her jeans, a dark satisfaction flooding her as she returned the decocking lever to its live position. She was so damn glad he’d gone for her left wrist, leaving her dominant hand free to shoot. If necessary.
Holding the gun out over his body, she aimed for the darkness of the driveway. Her heart lodged in her throat, but her hand held steady.
Three hulking shapes stepped into the dim light behind the building.
“Jesus, we found him,” one of them said.
“Fuck. The human’s armed,” another called.
Before she’d even blinked, they’d disappeared. “Drop your weapon,” a deep male voice barked.
As if. She whispered, “You have to wake up now, vampire. There are others here. And I don’t know if they’re friend or foe. Please. Wake up.”
“Drop your weapon,” the unseen man barked again. “Last chance.”
“No way. Leave us alone. We’re not your business,” she said with more bravado than she felt.
“The hell you’re not—”
“Enough,” someone commanded. “I’m coming out,” the same voice continued. “And I’m unarmed.” Hands raised, he stepped where she could see him.
The man—the vampire, she assumed—was huge. Same dark paramilitary dress and black cap as her vampire wore. Didn’t mean they were on the same side, though. He pointed with his chin. “He’s hurt.”
Kate glared at him, refusing to be distracted. Her shooting hand remained ready. She had no idea how she was going to get them out of this.
“I’m Mikhail.”
“I don’t want to shoot you, but I will.”
He nodded. “Won’t you put the gun down so we can talk about how to help him?” he asked in accented English.
The vampire’s sucking pulls slowed against her wrist. He groaned and his mouth went slack.
Kate wanted nothing more than to divert her gaze and check on him, assure herself he was still breathing. For the first time, her hand trembled around the gun. Over her frozen cheek, a single tear trickled, leaving a hot saline trail that burned against the cold air.
“His neck,” she whispered in English, forcing her eyes to hold Mikhail’s gaze.
He nodded. “We will help him.”
She shook her head, not daring to believe he was a friend. If she was wrong…
A thought came to mind and she gasped. “What color are his eyes?” she asked. Her plan wasn’t foolproof, but it was better than nothing.
Mikhail cocked his head to the side. “Blue.”
Kate narrowed her gaze. They