Page 39 of The Guardian's Curse

His tone changed immediately. “Hold on,” he said. Loud music blared in the background. “Kitten, move or I’ll move you, no matter how great your ass looks in that dress. Stop it. Touch me again and lose the hand, sweetheart.”

And she’d just left Alistair in the house alone. Well, to be perfectly fair, he was the two-hundred-year-old vampire, and he had a far better chance of protecting himself from the burglar from Hell.

But Jesus Christ on a cracker, they were going to be pissed. Surely they’d take issue with her inability to keep a monster out of the house. And if they didn’t protect her, then she was screwed.

The other end of the line went quiet. “Deep breath, cherie. Tell me what happened.”

“Something got in the house,” she said again. “I locked up before I went to bed, I swear. And I have some preliminary protections, but everything isn’t finished because there was a shipping delay and I’m still waiting on my order of fluorite and—”

“Get to the point, Shoshanna,” he said. “Why did you call?”

It took her a moment to catch her breath. “I got up for a glass of water and this creature came through the door. I know how crazy it sounds, but it looked like a demon. It came at me, but I blasted it and ran out through the garage.”

“Fucking hell,” Paris said. “Did you kill it?”

“No,” she said. “I forgot the gun, so I used magic. I yelled for Alistair to get out of the house, but then I sealed it up, and now he’s stuck in there. I’m so sorry, I just didn’t know what else to do, and—”

“Okay,” Paris said. “Stop talking.”

“I’m just—”

“Shoshanna,” he said sharply. “Go back to the house and wait for me.”

“Are you going to kick me out?” Her throat clenched with fear. “Elliott is coming to my work, and I don’t know where I can go that’s safe. I’m really sorry. Please don’t kick me out.”

“Dear God, Shoshanna,” Paris said. “You’re not in trouble. But we have to talk. And this will be easier face to face. You’re safe, I promise.”

Her hands trembled as she made a U-turn in the middle of the empty road. It was still and quiet in Midnight Springs, with only the hazy glow of streetlights to cast a dreamlike veil over the dark landscape. The quiet darkness only made her feel more alone. When she reached the house again, she parked halfway down the driveway and kept the engine running.

That creature was still in there. God, she hoped Alistair was okay. Sure, he was a little aloof and moody, but she liked him. She certainly didn’t want him getting ripped to shreds because she’d sealed him in with a horned demon on the rampage.

Thirty minutes later, a black BMW parked behind her in the driveway. Two well-dressed vampires climbed out, both glancing up at the sky. At nearly five in the morning, it was dangerously close to sunrise. Her heart thumped as she slid out and stared at the approaching vampires.

Paris’s blue eyes swept over her, taking in her loose sushi pajamas and bare feet. “That’s quite a look.”

“Not funny,” she said.

His head tilted, then his gaze flicked to Dominic. “He’s hurt. And pissed.”

“Alistair’s hurt?” Shoshanna asked. Her stomach lurched, sending a wave of guilt and despair through her. “You have to go help him!”

Dominic winced. “Alistair is in no danger.”

“But that thing is still in there!”

“That thing is Alistair,” Paris blurted. He took a silver flask from his jacket, took a sip, then offered it to Dominic. The other man gave him a dismissive gesture, and Paris shrugged. “Surprise.”

She frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Did this demon have dark gray skin? Glowing red eyes? Bulging veins?” Dominic asked.

Paris stuck his fingers up at his forehead. “Couple of twisty little horns? Shoshanna, was it ugly as fuck?” Paris asked. Dominic elbowed him hard enough to send him reeling. “What? He’d say it, too.”

“Oh, God,” she murmured. “I didn’t know.”

Dominic glared at Paris. “You should have told the truth from the beginning. Your lies only cause more trouble.”

Paris scowled back. “I was respecting his wishes.”

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