A Midsummer Night's Demon(10)

“Why?”

“Because the…your attacker knows where you live.” He watched the color blanch from her face, her bronze skin turn ghostly pale.

Lyn’s fingers covered the raw wound on her throat. “You think he would come find me.”

“Yes.” He refused to sugar coat this, hoped that brutal honesty might keep her with him. “I think he will want to finish what he started, unless we stop him. The way I see it, honey, it’s you or him. And I pick you. Stay here with me where I can protect you. We’ll figure out a way to find him and once he has been eliminated, you’ll be safe.”

“How can we find him? We don’t know his real name.”

Ky reached out to take her hand in his, thankful she did not pull away. His finger stroked the warm, soft skin on the back of her delicate hand. “I promise you, Lyn, I will not rest until I find him.”

“But I don’t even know your full name. How can I stay here? I don’t know you.” She pulled her hand from his.

He leaned back in his chair, putting a small compulsion in his voice to help ensure she would believe the next thing he said. “You already know enough about me to feel safe. You know I saved your life. You know that if I wanted to hurt you, I could have done so already. You know that I can make a mean breakfast, so you’ll be well fed.” He let his smile reached his light blue eyes to disarm her. “I can take care of you, Lyn. Let me. Say you’ll stay.”

He allowed her to feel his sincerity, it poured from him to surround her in its warmth, in an effort to make her feel secure, cared for. He pushed into her mind to discover she believed him, thought it wise to stay with him.

At least no one, including the male who attacked her, could find her here.

“Fine,” she said at last. “But tell me what Ky is short for.”

“First, you tell me what Lyn is short for,” he countered, taking a sip of his coffee.

She swallowed the last bite of her omelet before answering. “Daelyn.”

“And your last name is…” His eyes never left hers while he finished his own eggs.

“Torres.”

“Daelyn Torres.” He tested the sound of her name on his lips, finding it as beautiful as she. “Well, Daelyn Torres, let’s get these dishes cleaned up. We have a lot left to do tonight.”

“Like what?” Lyn cleared her dishes from the table.

“Like we need to go back to your place and get some clothes. As much as I admire the way you look in my shirt, I think you should have your own clothes.”

“I’ll need some work clothes for sure. I have a huge pile of receipts waiting on my desk for tomorrow. My boss, at the accounting firm, wants the books balanced and a report on his desk by the end of the week.”

Ky began rinsing the dishes in the sink. “You can’t go to work until we dispose of your attacker. It isn’t safe.”

Lyn stopped mid-stride. “Listen, Ky, I have meetings, things that require my attention. I have to go to work.”

He watched the fire burn in her eyes, fueled by her anger.

He despised using the power of his voice on her again, but they did not have time for her foolhardiness. He couldn’t protect her during the day. Though the vampire would be in his day sleep, he could have minions who would take her from her place of business. No, he definitely could not risk her safety by allowing her to work, at least not until he killed her attacker.

He captured her eyes with his enthralling stare, putting a strong compulsion behind his voice as he slipped into her mind. Daelyn, you will email the accounting office tonight. Tell them you are ill and the doctor has advised you to take some time off. Inform them you will email or call again in a few days to update them.

He released the enthrall, feeling like a bastard for manipulating her. But dammit, he must keep her safe. He couldn’t tell her what kind of monster she was up against—at least not yet.

“Ky, have you seen my cell? I need to send an email.”

“It’s in the living room,” he answered without meeting her eyes, his guilt riding him hard.





Chapter Four

Ky pushed through the front door, closing it behind him with a soft click. He sauntered to the fridge, and sent his senses throughout the bungalow to find his mate in her bedroom. And like the previous five nights, she slept.

He’d been working hard to run down leads to find her attacker. He made it his priority case and since he’d already been working on finding the rogue before her attack, his boss thought nothing of his tenacity about tracking the male down. But he knew otherwise. He knew that before meeting Lyn he had merely wanted to find the debauchee, but now obsession to destroy the monster consumed his thoughts.