Page 18 of Shadow Hunter

A kiss that felt like a first, better than every other time before.

And God help her, she didn’t know hide nor hair about this man, but….

She wanted more, and that thought should have terrified her, and yet somehow…

It didn’t.

5

Damon didn’t know what the hell had happened or why the fuck he’d chosen to kiss her.

He glanced down to where Tiffany remained, slumped against the wall where he’d left her, his heart jumping inside his chest. The curls of her hair was slightly ruffled from where his hand had cradled her head, and her bottom lip was flushed a brighter shade of pink from where he’d sucked on it—hard.

Hard enough he’d let himself forget she was Mark’s little sister.

Hard enough he’d wanted that kiss to only be the start.

Shit, he had never intended the night to go this way. When he’d heard the approaching footsteps and covering her mouth wouldn’t quiet her, well...he’d done the first thing that had come to mind, and damn if that hadn’t been a huge mistake.

If he’d wanted her before, now he wanted her tenfold.

What the hell was wrong with him? This was Tiffany.

He had feelings for this woman.

She wasn’t some fucking play toy.

He fought the temptation to curse under his breath. He needed to knock some sense into himself. He couldn’t afford to lose his cool. Long before he’d ever sworn himself to the Execution Underground, if there was one thing his father had taught him about being a hunter it was to never let his emotions get in the way of the job. He’d already made that mistake once before tonight. He wasn’t about to let it happen again. Not by a long shot.

He hadn’t even been with Tiffany more than a handful of minutes and already she was unraveling him, getting under his skin, but he sure as hell wouldn’t let whatever this game between them was get in the way of his job. He couldn’t.

No. He needed to get her out of here, to safety.

Then and only then could he truly deal with his situation with Caius, with Mark.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his fingers in slow circles over his temples. There were six missing women out there, all probably dead, and who knew how many murdered and drained of their blood on the streets. It was his job to protect any future targets from harm.

He couldn’t neglect his duty, his sworn oath, for any woman, even Tiffany.

Still uncertain what he was doing, he picked up his Desert Eagle and holstered the piece behind his back, before Tiffany grabbed her Smith & Wesson from the floor and reloaded the magazine. He glanced at her, his heart jumping into his throat.

Could she see how much she meant to him? Know the truth from a single look?

He had to get out of here, but he sure as hell couldn’t leave her behind.

“Well, that was fun and all, but—”

She moved to step past him, but he caught her wrist in his hand before he could think better of it. Her touch sent ashock through him, lightening him up like an electric jolt. “You shouldn’t be dealing with vamps, Shortcake. Shouldn’t place yourself in danger like this.”

Her jaw dropped. If she’d expected him to say something, clearly that hadn’t been it.

Pulling her wrist away from him, she crossed her arms over her chest, fixing him with a hard stare. “And since when do I answer to you, huh? Last time I checked, I didn’t wake up each morning with the goal of pleasing random strangers. So do me a favor and shove off.”

Damon snarled, fighting the urge to throw her over his shoulder and carry her out of here once and for all. He didn’t care if she kicked and screamed the whole way. He had to get her out of here, away from Caius. That part was non-negotiable.

Mark wouldn’t have had it any other way.

He exhaled a long breath, attempting to reason with her. “This city isn’t safe. Six women are missing, and more have been murdered. I won’t have another death on my conscience because I let you waltz back in there to play with murderers.” He gestured to the main floor.

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