I was so touched by the description of her connection with Kieran, tears filled my eyes. “I’m thrilled you found him. It’s really great to see you so happy. You’re practically glowing.”
“Oh!” Her lips formed a perfect O as she dropped her hand to cover her belly. “You raced out of the ballroom before I shared the news with Kieran, so you didn’t hear. That’s the pregnancy glow.”
“You’re going to have a baby?” I shrieked, clapping my hands together.
“Yup.” She beamed a smile at me. “I have a little daywalker on board.”
“That’s awesome.” I stood and pulled Thana to her feet, giving her a big hug before brushing my palm over her still-flat belly. “I’m so excited to be here for your pregnancy. I can’t wait to go shopping for adorable baby stuff with you. This is going to be awesome. Can we go tomorrow, or is it too soon?”
“That sounds perfect to me. I’ll have Kieran set everything up with the baby boutique in town so they stay open a little late for us,” she offered.
Living most of my life in the evening and night was going to take some getting used to, but spending it with Athan—and having Thana so close—was more than worth the minor inconvenience. “I’ll let—”
I broke off when I spotted a stranger striding through the garden toward us. The man was tall and pale, with blond hair and sunken eyes that glowed red. His lips spread in an evil grin, showing a set of fangs that were stained red. I gasped in fear, and Thana whirled around.
“Nightwalker,” she hissed, confirming my suspicion.
His gaze was locked on me, and he didn’t react to what Thana said. It was almost as though he couldn’t see anything beyond me until Thana stepped in front of me and blocked my body from his line of sight. “What are you doing?” I muttered, pulling on her arm so she’d get behind me. “I know you’re stronger than me because Kieran claimed you, but you have the baby to worry about now. You need to focus on protecting the life growing inside you, not me.”
Thana didn’t budge, no matter how hard I tugged. She kept her gaze on the nightwalker, not letting him out of her sight. “I won’t have to protect either one of us. Kieran and Athan will handle the nightwalker.”
The supernatural world was so new to me; it took a moment before I realized why she was so confident. Thana could telepathically call to Kieran, alerting him of the danger. Then it would only take a blink of an eye for them to arrive and save us. I was filled with a deep sense of relief...and a desire to be claimed by my sexy vampire as soon as all of this was over.
8
Athan
I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned my hip on the kitchen counter, my eyes glued to the door that led to the gardens. “How long do you think they’ll be?” I wondered.
Kieran’s whole body went rigid, and when he glanced at me, his eyes were a little wild. “Now. They need us now.” Then he disappeared. I popped into the gardens, only a few feet from Selene, thanks to the small connection we already had.
A nightwalker was barreling down the walkway, headed straight for my mate. He didn’t even seem to notice Kieran and me moving in to stand in front of our women until we were right in front of him. “Move,” he hissed.
If he hadn’t been threatening my mate, I might have laughed at his idiotic command. Not that I was altogether surprised. It was rare that a nightwalker had the balls to step foot on Bancroft land, which meant that this asshole was a moron with a death wish.
“Selene, let’s go,” Thana urged in a whisper when the nightwalker was only an arm’s reach away. It was perfect timing, which I assumed was planned by Kieran and Thana through their bond. I hated that I couldn’t comfort and reassure my woman through a telepathic and soul-deep connection. It also meant that Selene was vulnerable, and that was unacceptable. As soon as I dealt with this parasite, I was claiming my consort.
I heard the girls’ footsteps as they rushed away, and the intruder’s eyes flew over my shoulder. My hand darted out, and I grabbed his bicep in a punishing grip, keeping him from teleporting after our women since I refused to let him take me with. My power dwarfed his, and he could not force me to portal with him.
“They’re taken, so you should probably keep your eyes to yourself,” I drawled. The nightwalker sneered and took a swipe at me with his other hand.
I dodged his blow just as Kieran called, “Heads-up.” Without taking my eyes from the evil psycho glaring at me with red eyes and a bloodstained shirt, I reached out and caught the stake Kieran tossed to me.
“Going after a consort was a stupid idea,” I told him through clenched teeth. I would always protect Selene, but images of what could have happened to her were making me edgy. “But going after a Bancroft consort?” I tsked. “You obviously have a death wish. So I’m going to do you a favor and help you out.” He wrenched his arm and snarled at me before his eyes went wide, and he hissed as his face twisted with pain.
Staggering away, he grasped the stake embedded in his heart and tried to yank it out, but he burst into flames before disintegrating into ash and blowing away with the breeze.
It wasn’t as though that had been a difficult kill, but my heart
