Instinctively, he reached for me.
And instinctively, Jax pounced.
The Vampire stood between me and T, eyes blazing. T staggered back a step, and his hand gripped the hilt of his dagger.
"Don't touch her," Jax hissed. I couldn't see his face, but he held his body rigidly. The muscles in his back jumped as I placed my hand placatingly on his shoulder.
"Jax, it's okay," I whispered soothingly, aware that T was watching our exchange with narrowed eyes. "He's not going to hurt me."
Jax's breathing was heavy, erratic, and he still did not relax. It was moments like that when I remembered Jax wasn't just my mate, but a predator. A Nightmare. A Vampire. His entire species was designed to hunt and kill prey. He was the monster that would hide in the shadows, lurk beneath beds, sink its fangs into unsuspecting humans.
It was times like that when I remembered he wasn't human.
Stories had one fact wrong.
Vampires were able to stand in sunlight, despite contrary belief. They just preferred the darkness. No one knew for certain, but it was rumored that their powers became stronger at night, under the watchful eye of the moon. Not even Mali could confirm or deny this. The rumor solely focused on the royal family. For normal Vampires, night or day didn't make a difference.
As the sunlight streamed through the window, highlighting the golden streaks in Jax's hair and the muscles accentuated beneath his thin shirt, I wondered if those rumors were true. In the day, Jax was powerful. A beast of a man just waiting to run rampant on the unsuspecting population. I couldn't even imagine him with more power.
A hiss escaped him, even as his body leaned further against mine, seeking my comfort. T's eyes fixed on that diminutive movement, and his brows drew together.
T wasn't stupid. He could read between the lines easily enough. He might not have known the extent of my relationship with Jax or any of the princes, but he could see that something was up.
Without a word, he dropped his dagger to the ground followed by the sword he always kept over his back. Weaponless, he held his hands up like a prisoner approaching an officer.
"I'm not going to hurt her," T said soothingly. Despite speaking to Jax, his eyes remained fixed on me. "I care about her."
Jax growled low in his throat, and I curled my body against his, pressing my cheek to his back.
I didn't know why I did that. I wasn't the cuddling type, but something about Jax called to me. It could've been how broken he was, or it could've been the damn mate bond. Either way, I hated seeing him distressed.
"Not like that," T said, reading something in Jax's expression I couldn't see. "Like a sister. I care about her like a sister."
"Jax," I whispered into his ear. At my voice, his body wilted against mine like a neglected flower. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him to me from behind. "Calm your ass down."
Not the most romantic statement, but it seemed to worked. Jax turned in my arms, blinking down at me rapidly. I hesitantly reached to grab his wrist, my fingers brushing bare skin. The fog receded from his eyes, and a tentative smile touched his lips.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
I reached up to trace the cut beneath his eye, ignoring T's snort of disgust.
"I'm fine. What about you?"
Before Jax could respond, the window shattered, glass piercing the opposite wall. I jumped, even as both Jax and T moved to stand in front of me.
I grabbed a dagger off the dead Mage's person, facing the now opened window. I didn't know what I expected to see, but it wasn't a creature with dark green skin, leaves for hair, and a circular mouth showcasing large, sharp teeth.
"What the hell is that?" T whispered, echoing my own thought. The figure didn't walk into the room. No, it crawled, abnormally long arms and legs supporting a small body.
The creature was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It wasn't a Mage or a Shifter. It wasn't a Vampire, an Incubus, or a Shadow. It wasn't a Genie or a Mermaid.
It was something else, something other, something that instilled fear deep in my heart.
The creature lunged at us, mouth opened, and I stealthily sidestepped out of its path. Jax was not as lucky, falling to the ground as the creature pounced on him. T raised his sword, slamming it into the monster's side. For most creatures, it would've been a killing blow.
However, it merely raised its head, eyes glinting like rubies in the dim lighting, before pulling the blade from its skin. Black blood gushed out of the hole.
"That wasn't supposed to happen," T mumbled, already reaching for his dagger on the ground.
Jax buckled beneath the creature's weight, propelling it off and against the wall using his Vampiric strength. The entire house shook as it slid down the wall, blinking its red eyes wildly.
"They come from the trees," Jax whispered. His shirt was in tatters, hideous gashes from the creature's claws taking up the majority of his chest. I gasped at the sight, my protective instincts rearing.
Without thinking twice, I charged at the creature. It roared, those keen teeth inches from my face. I avoided its clawed hand, rolling out of the way. Just as it came after me a second time, I lifted my sword and jammed it through where I assumed its heart was.
It released a roar but did not let up its assault. Blow after blow was delivered to me, but I parried each one. It pounced on me, snapping jaw inches from my neck. I let out a cry as its rancid breath polluted the air around me. My nose began to bleed, but I couldn’t lift a hand to scrub it away.
The creature froze suddenly, teeth inches from my bare skin, before its head was ripped from its body. Black
