Well, she didn’t know what it was as thereality she was having sex with a vampire slapped her upside thehead like a clown in a sketch comedy. The realization knocked herback a step as her hand flew to her mouth.
It couldn’t be possible! Hecouldn’tbe a vampire. Vampires didn’t walk around in the day, and theydidn’t eat human food. Besides, she would have known… wouldn’tshe?
How couldn’t she have known?
But she hadn’t.
“Melanie,” he said.
She winced when she realized his fangsdistorted his voice.
“Melanie,” he said in a pleading tone as hestepped toward her and stretched out his hand. “Please—”
She had no idea what more he was going to sayas something shot out of the shadows and hit him in the back.Kyle’s body jerked like he was a zombie learning to walk again. Andthen another flash of light hit him in the chest. And then anotherand another.
Convulsions shook him, and she cried out aspain twisted his face. He was a monster, but she couldn’t shake herimpulse to pull him away from what was happening. However, her feetremained frozen to the walkway.
He’d lied to her. He wasnotwho shebelieved. Their relationship wasn’t real, but she still wanted toprotect him.
However, she didn’t move toward him becauseshe knew vampires couldn’t care for anything other than themselves.They couldn’t love. All they did was hate and destroy.
When more figures emerged from the shadowsand more taser shots hit him, she recognized some of her father’smen, which didn’t surprise her. Nor was she shocked when he arrivedlast. Her father stared down at her with a false look of sympathythat enraged her more than all of Kyle’s lies, but she still didn’tmove.
“You didn’t know,” he said.
Kyle finally hit the ground. He’d withstoodthose tasers more than she would have considered possible. Each ofthem packed enough punch to drop a horse, and it had taken eight ofthem to get him down.
She tried to form words, but at first, onlystrange, gargled noises issued from her. Then, she swallowed andtried again.
“Did you?” she croaked.
“No, I would have told you if I’d known. Wewere tracking those two monsters.” He waved at the vampires Kyletook down. “And it’s a good thing we were after them. Otherwise,they would have killed you.”
Melanie wasn’t so sure about that as shestared at Kyle. He’dsavedher from those monsters. Theywould have killed her, but he stopped them. Would a murderousbastard do that? And why hadn’t he attacked or killed her yet?
None of this made any sense, and she couldn’tget her broken brain to try putting the pieces together.
Her eyes remained riveted on Kyle as more menslipped from the trees. When he lifted his head, his reddened eyesmet hers, and she winced at the fury and betrayal emanating fromhim, but she was the one who should feel betrayed.
Kyle struggled to overcome the effects of theelectricity running through his body as more men approached him.They carried thick cords, and when they tried to put those ropes onhim, he kicked out the best he could, but his feet were jerky andhis legs weak.
The incessant ringing in his ears blocked outall other sounds. His blurred vision made it so he saw double andtriple. Then, his vision snapped back into place, but the ringingintensified.
When his gaze found Melanie again, he saw herfather standing beside her with a look of utter disdain on hisface.What the fuck is going on here?
He didn’t know the answer to that question,but he had to get out of here. Unfortunately, knowing that andbeing able to do it were two different things.
Across the way, men knelt beside the Savagewith the broken face and pulled out a needle. Kyle’s vision blurredagain, and when it cleared, the Savage had stopped moving and laylimply on the ground while the men bound its wrists.
He didn’t realize men also knelt beside himuntil he felt three separate pinpricks pierce his flesh. Thenwarmth flooded his arms and legs as his body pumped whatever theyinjected into him through his system.
He tried to call out for Melanie, butblackness descended over him before he could utter any words.
CHAPTER 18
“Hurry up,” Melanie’sfather commanded as the two vampires she didn’t know were liftedfrom the ground and carried away.
Melanie remained standing, but barely as shestared at where Kyle lay hogtied on the ground. From somewherenearby, tires squealed and doors opened and closed. They must havedriven the vans into the park.
