Page 63 of Midnight Kiss

“You think that him taking the book away from you, when it’s going to kill you by being far away, means he’s protecting you?”

I didn’t want to talk about it any more. I covered my eyes with my hands and rubbed the tears away, trying to find something that made sense in all of this mess.

Mike touched my shoulder, and I jolted on the spot. “It’s okay, Em. I’m here with you, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you, all right?”

I nodded, even though I still couldn’t believe any of this was happening. “How did this all start?”

“Start? It’s always been like this for me,” Mike said, and helped me toward the door.

I pulled free of his grasp. “What do you mean?” I was feeling well enough to stand and walk. “From the start?”

“I was raised by a family of monster Hunters,” he said. “We take care of everything paranormal, but we specialize in vampire hunting. There’s more to the world than just vampires, though. Werewolves, ghosts, demons.” Mike opened the door, checked the coast was clear, then quickly shuttled me down the hall and into his apartment. “Curses and magic.”

“This is a lot to take in.”

“I know, but it’s not like you have a choice any more, Em. You have to accept it because it’s real, and it’s dangerous.” He shut the door behind us and locked it. “For now, I think you should stay here with me until I can get hold of my superiors and figure out what next steps we should take. It’s safe here.”

But I was starting to wonder if anywhere was safe for me.

22

ALEXANDER

“You will have to come with us.” The vampire wore the black and gold of the U.C. I recognized him from the front desk, but the stare still infuriated me. As did the command. I was being told what to do. That I had to follow his instructions, even though Emily needed me now.

“I have places I need to be.”

“The elders demand your presence.”

A second member of the security team had exited the building and stood next to the first. They weren’t going to let me leave.

I followed the vampires into the building, seething that I was being forced into this. Emily was in danger because of Cassia, and I couldn’t reach her now. Disobeying a direct order from the elders meant ejection from the U.C. It was almost as good as a death sentence or exile. The alternative to joining the U.C. at this time was being a part of Sanguine Nox or going solo.

And being on your own was … dangerous for normal vampires. For me, it would be a disaster. Sanguine Nox would stop at nothing to get me back into their organization.

The guards brought me to the elevator, and I entered with both of them. They stood at either side of me, which only served to increase my irritation. “I do not need an escort.”

“It’s a security procedure, Mr. Knight.”

I gritted my teeth but didn’t respond.

I had never met the elders. During my time at the U.C., I had only dealt with Haldren, even though my arrival had caused shockwaves through the New York City coven, mostly because of my past association with Sanguine Nox.

The elevator’s glass walls looked out on the city, and it pained me. Emily was out there, and she needed my help. I couldn’t allow her to die.

Why not? Is she not just a human? Collateral damage?

That was how the U.C. treated the deaths of the few. If it was for the greater good of humanity, it was fine.

But the thought was repugnant to me.

The elevator continued upward to the very top of the tower in Manhattan, so high that the cars were dots far below us.

The doors behind us opened onto a long corridor decorated in deep crimsons, the walls made of a thick paneled wood and decorated with sconces that cast warm light. The members of the U.C. security team didn’t follow me as I stepped out, nor did they need to direct me.

There was only one door in the entire hall.

It was at the far end, and it was carved with fleurs-de-lis, the door handle encrusted with a ruby gem that flickered in the half-light. I reached the door and stopped in front of it, listening for sounds from within.

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