Page 44 of Shadow Hunter

“I’ll get backinside Caius’s inner circle, make up some excuse for running off last night, and then I’ll let you in to help me fight once I have him alone.”

Damon shook his head. “Absolutely not.”

She placed her hands on her hips. “Do you have a better idea?”

He grunted in exasperation, fixing her with a hard stare. “Why do you want to tempt death?”

She scoffed. “Would you quit with that? Maybe I just want to avenge my brother, all right? How do you know I can’t—”

He interrupted her as he walked to her side. “Even if you were completely capable of handling an ancient vampire on your own—” he narrowed his eyes “— which you’re not, I still wouldn’t want you anywhere near Caius. If you were hurt, if I was unable to protect you…” His voice trailed off as he placed a hand on her cheek. “Don’t try to pull the wool over my eyes. You trying to fight a vampire as ancient as Caius is foolish. We both know why you’re willing to risk your life. I can see your pain over your brother, Shortcake, and I can’t imagine how painful it was losing your parents to vampires at such a young age, but there are few things worth throwing your life away over, and your family wouldn’t have wanted you to throw it away over them.”

Tiffany’s heart stopped, and her eyes suddenly searching his face.

How did he...?

She swatted his hand away from her, slowly stepping away. “How did you know that?” she rasped. “How did you know my parents were killed by vampires, too? Did Mark tell you?”

Damon didn’t respond.

Instead, he swore, raking a hand through his hair.

But he didn’t have to say anything more for her to see the truth.

No. No. It couldn’t be.

Damon Brock. Damon Brock.

The words fell out of her mouth before she could stop herself. “Has anyone ever called you B?” She shook her head.

No. She didn’t want to know. She couldn’t know. It would ruin everything.

Damon flinched as if she’d struck him.

Before she knew what she was doing, she rushed forward and shoved his chest as hard as she could. He didn’t even stagger. “Hasanyoneever called you B?” she yelled.

Tears poured down her face. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t. No.

She pummeled his chest, but he didn’t move, didn’t defend himself.

“Didhecall you that?” she shrieked, the tears coming faster now.

The muscles in Damon’s throat strained as if he could barely choke out the words. “He called me B because my last name is Brock. That’s why I signed the letters that way.”

Tiffany could hardly bring herself to breathe.

All sound, all movement, all feeling...stopped. Her hands shook at her sides, her heart thumping against her chest, as the sound of her own blood throbbed in her ears.

Numb.

Every inch of her body went numb.

She’d never knew it was the letter for hislastname.

She had always assumed it was his first initial.

“B’s an amazing fighter, Tiff. I wish you could meet him.”

Her brother’s voice played in her head, unbidden, the memory making her chest ache.

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