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He moved before she had time to act. In a flash, he had her pinned against the wall, framing her face in the firm hold of his palms.
“I know what you need,” he said, “and I’m going to give it to you.”
She realized his intention when his fangs extended. No. He needed to escape. Summoning inhuman power, she clasped her palms together, pushed her arms up between his, and broke his grasp as her forearms forced his apart. Then she knocked him on the joint between his neck and shoulders. The assault opened his chest and stomach to her, allowing her to plant her fist hard enough in his gut to knock the wind out of his sails. She aimed the next punch at a kidney. The force of the blow should’ve sent him to his knees, but he was still standing, albeit grunting.
“You want to hit me?” he asked when he’d caught his breath. “Come on, baby girl.” He stretched out his arms. “I won’t run. I won’t fight back.”
“Damn you.” She was panting. The exertion had taken everything from her. Her knees were growing too weak to carry her weight. “Don’t you get it? If you don’t get away, my team will kill you.”
He chuckled, coughed, and spat on the floor. “Well then, since you’re part of that team, I guess you better stay alive to come and hunt me down.” He jumped forward, fisting his fingers in her hair and pulling back her head to expose her neck.
“Don’t.” She hated the moan that came from her lips.
“Sorry, baby girl, but letting you die isn’t an option.”
He lowered his head even as she fought, his sharp teeth scraping over her skin. He groaned, the sound vibrating against her flesh, and then he pierced her.
Unlike before, the pain was sharp, but a second later it turned into the pleasure she’d come to crave. White spots danced in her vision. Her blood heated. Immediate relief rushed through her veins while Tim made the soft drinking noises she loved so much.
As the power seeped back into her body, the muted sound of gunfire reached her through the walls and ceiling. Ilano’s house was under attack. Tim tensed. He stilled and quickly pulled his teeth from her skin.
“Get the hell away!” she said.
He braced her with his body a second before a small explosion shook the space and blew the door into the room. She sheltered his head as best as she could with her hands. Pieces of shrapnel lodged into her skin. Crying out, he arched his back. The ceiling above the glass tank collapsed. Bricks and concrete tumbled down. Light from the upstairs room flooded the basement.
He grabbed her arms. “We’ve got to get out.”
Two figures appeared in the doorframe, fighting off three guards. Her heart contracted when she recognized Joss’s long black hair and Lann’s blond braid. Her team had arrived. If they got their hands on Tim, he was dead. The fighting on the top of the stairs continued, but Ilano’s guards were close to being overpowered. Already, they were falling back. She had precious seconds.
Pressing her face against Tim’s neck, she whispered, “There’s no other way. I love you.”
Then she lifted her arm and planted the knife into his shoulder. No organs would be damaged or veins severed, but incapacitating him would force him to run. If he couldn’t fight, he couldn’t lose.
His eyes went wide. He grabbed the knife and pulled it out. With his other hand, he touched the wound and brought his blood-covered fingers back to his face.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s not your fault.” They both knew if Tim ran, she’d soon be dead.
He narrowed his eyes. “I told you I’d always protect you, and I don’t break my promises.”
The guards were down. Joss was already making his way downstairs with Lann on his heels. Before Joss could reach them or lift his weapon, Tim moved, fast like a vampire, disappearing through the hole in the ceiling.
Joss rushed to her. “Maya! Are you all right?”
She gave a shaky nod. Lann was running to the hole through which Tim had escaped. He would track Tim and kill him.
“Wait!” she said. When Lann stopped in his tracks, she continued, “We have to find Ilano. He’ll escape.”
Joss dragged his hands over her arms. “You need medical attention.”
“I’m fine. We can’t let Ilano get away.”
“The fucker must be hiding,” Joss said, his silver eyes hard. “We’ve taken out his men. We’ll find him. We’ll get Tim first though.”
She grabbed Joss’s bicep. “Ilano will escape off the island by boat. We have to capture him. Cain needs him.”
“She’s right,” Lann said, his demeanor, as always, deceptively calm. “Tim is wounded. Ilano is our priority now.”
“I know where the opening in the reef is from where they launch the boats,” she said.
