Part 11 (1/2)

Scuffling with the remaining vampire, Severo shoved him against the wall. His powerful thighs flexed. He forced the vamp's shoulders into the wall. The Sheetrock cracked. A cloud of chalky dust flew about their heads.

His eyes fell upon the cross on the wall. A gift from Bella's grandmother, who had pa.s.sed a decade earlier. He grabbed the foot- long cross and slammed it against the vampire's face. Smoke hissed and the vampire yowled. The cross burned through to his jawbone.

Severo dropped the vamp at his feet. He flicked away the cross, sending it clattering across the floor.

”d.a.m.n, that was real silver.” He shook his hand and stalked about, surveying the b.l.o.o.d.y mess.

With intense focus, he marched up to the bed.

Now Bella did cringe. His eyes held the same intensity she'd seen when he'd made love to her, yet it had darkened and grown deeper, if that were possible. Was he in a rage? Some werewolf state that made him violent toward anyone?

He gripped the bedpost and yanked it off. ”Mind if I use this?” He wielded the serrated wood stake. ”Holy wounds take forever to kill,” he commented as he strode back to the suffering vampire. Plunging the stake into the vamp's heart brought his struggles to an end. Another ash reduction and the room fell silent.

And Bella let out a breath she must have been holding since the vampires charged through the patio door.

Severo wiped his b.l.o.o.d.y hands on the white chiffon drape. He looked over the destruction and winced. When he glanced to her, Bella rushed to him.

His bare chest rose and fell roughly. It was spattered with blood, which she didn't want to touch. She took his hand, which he displayed palm up. A deep burn from the cross reddened his flesh.

”Will it kill you?” she asked.

”No. But it'll hurt like a mother for a while. Get back on the bed, sweet. There's gla.s.s everywhere.”

Realizing the danger, Bella complied, backing carefully away until she climbed onto the bed.Though barefoot, her lover stood still, surveying his destruction. He must have taken cuts to his feet, yet he appeared only angry about the intrusion, and not at all concerned about his wounds.

”Sorry. I'll have someone come clean this up.” He dug a cell phone from his pocket and made a quick, mysterious call. When he hung up, he said, ”Stay right there. I'm going outside to check the periphery. You okay?”

Okay? In what sense? A glance to the piles of vampire ash made her wonder if she was safe. Nothing could come back from the ashes, right? ”No problem,” she managed.

As soon as he marched outside, Bella ducked her head and m.u.f.fled a scream against the pillow. She didn't want to look at what lay on the floor. It smelled so strongly of blood and ash, she didn't need to look.

The sight of the vampire's slashed throat had been seared into her eyes forever. The blood-spattered chiffon. The ash piles that had once been living men.

But he'd saved her. Again.

Now she wanted him back. Holding her. Protecting her. Sheltering her.

”Severo,” she whispered. ”Please hurry.”

He'd woken from a dead sleep to the scent of those nasty longtooths. Not soon enough to prevent Bella from witnessing the b.l.o.o.d.y killing. He hated himself for that. But that he'd kept her from harm meant he'd accomplished his goal-to protect Bella.

Protect his mate. The one woman he connected with on a visceral level. Even Aby he hadn't connected with like this.

You woke from a dream, calling her name, he thought.

Why had he been dreaming of Aby while lying next to Bella? And after they'd made love. That disturbed him. He and Aby had never had a s.e.xual relations.h.i.+p, though they'd been close on other levels.

But he wouldn't think of that. He must not. Bella had captured him by the tail, and he liked that just fine.

I'm afraid that I could fall in love with you. He remembered her words.

How could he erase her fear of him? He knew it was because he wasn't human. Did she fear his werewolf?

He'd been careful not to change when the vampires had attacked. Had he s.h.i.+fted, he could have taken both out with one swipe of a taloned paw. Vampires were no match in physical combat with werewolves. Yet Severo's strength was not to be disregarded while in mere were form.

With one last scan across the horizon from the roof of Bella's loft, he satisfied himself that no others were in the neighborhood. He scented vampires at a distance-probably five miles to the north-but their presence didn't agitate him.

Had the b.i.t.c.h Elvira sent the vamps to kill Bella? That was going too far for jealousy. He owed the mistress of the night a visit.

But first, he had to get Bella safe. She would probably balk at such an idea, but he wouldn't take no for an answer.

Jumping to land before the pool, Severo surveyed the damage as he strode inside the home. The patio door would need to be boarded up, which the cleanup crew would do. As well, they'd sweep up the vamp ash and clean the blood. The flimsy drape was a loss.During the height of the war between the vampires and witches, which had ended only a few years earlier, the need for discretion had grown paramount. As a result, most paranormals carried the number to a reliable cleanup team. No smart wolf left evidence for mortals to peruse and wonder over.

Bella waited on the bed, as if afraid to leave the safe island amid the blood and destruction. She plunged into his arms and he held her tight, the sheet wrapped about her and her limbs s.h.i.+vering against his body.

”Sorry,” he whispered. ”I heard them coming, just not fast enough. You shouldn't have had to see that.”

”You were so brave,” she said. ”I love you, Severo.”

That confession knocked him over, so he had to lean against the wall as he held her. She loved him? It was a wondrous confession that he'd never hoped to hear from a woman-let alone a mortal woman-in his lifetime.

He'd given up on love after Aby.

”You weren't frightened?” he asked.

”Yes, but watching you took away the fear. How is it that you are so much stronger than vampires? Are werewolves on top of the heap?”

”Not always. When I am in were form, I'm a match in strength to a vampire. As a werewolf...well, look out. But they were idiots.

And I did have the cross.”

He splayed open his hand. The burn was now a red indentation, as if he'd gripped the thing tightly for a long time.

”It's already fading,” she observed.

”The silver didn't enter my veins. I'm fine. Just a burn. You're still clinging like a koala, sweet. Sure you're not afraid? It's okay.”

”Of course I'm afraid. But I think it's that I want to be sure you're solid and real, and that I didn't just lose you. Kiss me.”

Her lips quivered at his mouth as they connected gently. He wanted to indulge that tremor of her fear; it was what had first attracted him to her.

He wasn't human, and he was different from her. He fed upon the different, the unusual. And Bella's fear fed him.

”Your skin is goose b.u.mpy,” he whispered as he slid a hand up her back. That induced a real shudder from her, but he sensed it was a sensual reaction to his touch.