Sanctuary . Amy Blankenship

      “Damn it,” she hissed and he heard her stomp her bare foot on the soft carpet.

      Kane suddenly turned around and grabbed her, hauling her against him and gracing her with a dazzling smile. “You didn’t really think you could sneak up on the boogieman, did you?” he teased, nuzzling the side of her face before stealing a kiss.

      Tabatha let Kane kiss her and felt her toes curl at the passion behind it but she was dying to know about the girl that was moon-bathing on their roof. She ended the kiss quicker than Kane would have liked… at least that’s what his soft growl was telling her.

      She licked his bottom lip then playfully bit it. “And just think, when I was a little girl I was afraid of the boogieman.”

      The sound of a little girl crying out in fear above his grave came back to haunt him… making Kane tightened his hold on her. That little girl had been lost in the woods for days… scared and alone. The thought of what Tabatha must have gone through still had the power to make his chest hurt and knees go weak… it also stirred the darkness within him.

      Tabatha felt the change in him and leaned back to stare up into amethyst eyes that were growing darker by the second. She didn’t know what she’d said to trigger it so she tried to get his attention focused back on the roof.

      “I thought this place was warded against demons and humans alike… unless they are invited.” She nodded toward the monitor.

      “It is,” Kane remarked then had to smile when Tabatha cocked an eyebrow at him.

      “Then what’s that?” Tabatha leaned across Kane to get closer to the screen, ignoring the way Kane was taking the opportunity to caress her rear. The girl appeared to be sleeping but at the same time her body was moving slightly… as if straining away from something.

      She looked lost and alone like that and Tabatha felt her heart go out to the poor girl. “What’s wrong with her?”

      Kane let his hand drop and turned to see what had caught Tabatha’s interest. He recognized the symptoms of a nightmare when he saw one. “She’s dreaming love.”

      Tabatha’s eyes narrowed just as the girl rolled over, “Kane look… you’re right. She’s shivering and having a nightmare. We can’t just leave her up there like that.”

      “What…” Kane started and growled when Tabatha rushed out of the room. His eyes widened when he heard the front door of the club softly close. He blinked realizing she was about to scale the walls in her nightie and grinned. In a flash, he was standing below her looking up at the breathtaking sight.

      “So that’s what heaven looks like,” Kane whispered with a sexy smile.

      Tabatha glared down at him but realized she’d inadvertently set herself up for it. Of course, Kane wouldn’t be Kane if he didn’t have his moments of perverseness.

      Chapter 4

      In her dream, Aurora ran like her life depended on it. Shadows surrounded her on all sides and they were terrifying. It felt like she was running through a maze with no exit and dead ends at every corner. The terror that filled her was becoming overwhelming and she stumbled every few steps… tired of running… always running away from the powerful ones. No matter how far or how fast she ran the darkness was getting closer.

      She gasped loudly and her eyes flew open in fright. The stars twinkled above her and she suddenly realized there really was something powerful getting closer to her. Fresh from the fright of the dream and her heart still racing, Aurora quickly found her feet and stared toward the edge of the roof in fear.

      Exhaustion was beginning to take its toll, she was so tired… was she so wicked that even this sanctuary would not let her rest? Feeling the doorknob poke into her back, she fumbled for it and quickly opened the door. Hoping to avoid the powerful energy coming at her, she shot inside only to slam into an unyielding body and felt another strange power flare around her.

      Instincts kicked into high gear and Aurora did the first thing her survival instinct told her to do… fight. With one swift kick, she sent the powerful being sailing down the long flight of stairs to the floor far below. She turned to confront whatever was directly behind her but paused in confusion, her face losing all expression when she saw a half-naked female blocking her exit.

      Tabatha saw the girl’s face go blank but the look in her eyes told her everything… the girl was scared to death and ready to fight her way out of here if she needed to. Tabatha swallowed and held her hands out, palms up toward the girl in a placating gesture.

      “It’s all right,” Tabatha explained. “We only want to help you.”

      Aurora narrowed her eyes on the woman. Why would someone or something that powerful want to help her?

      Tabatha took a step closer to the girl and held out one of her hands. “You’re safe here,” she said softly and hoped the girl believed her. However, any progress she might have just made was gone with the breeze when Kane chose that moment to come flying back up the stairs and grab the girl in a choke hold.

      Her shoulders slumped and she let out a heavy sigh, “Kane please, we scared her. Let her go.”

      Kane gave Tabatha a hurt look, “Love, she just kicked my ass all the way back down to the main floor. Are you seriously telling me that you’re on her side?”

      “Your fangs are showing,” Tabatha glowered at him then rolled her eyes when he had the nerve to look down and make sure his pants was zipped. She gritted her teeth to keep from smiling since she couldn’t blame him for looking… after all, the black leather pants was the only thing he was wearing and the button was still unfastened.

      Aurora jerked her head around and stared up at the man holding her checking for fangs. Was he a vampire like the man she’d made love to in the subway?

      Kane noticed her looking up at him and couldn’t help himself. He smiled at the girl… fangs and all.

      “Kane,” Tabatha exclaimed and took a step toward them only to stop when Kane pinned her with a warning glare… accompanied by a dangerous growl. “You’re so mean,” Tabatha informed him in a huff and crossed her arms over her chest.

      Seeing his fangs, Aurora’s eyes lifted to his and for a second she went shock still. She remembered seeing eyes like those before… deep amethyst eyes that seemed to look into her very soul.

      Now that he had the girl’s attention, Kane slowly let the smile die knowing this wasn’t a game. If it had been Tabatha coming up those stairs instead of him, the outcome would have been the same… except this girl would now be breathing through her neck.

      He let his pupils enlarge, “Now then, I’ve introduced myself. It’s only fair that you do the same.”

      “Vampire,” Aurora hissed and started struggling again.

      Kane sighed feeling like he was trying to hold on to a snake. “No love… that would be me. The question was what you are. You’re not human… that much is obvious. If you were a demon, you’d have been writhing in pain long before breaching the barriers surrounding our home. Now I’m going to ask you one more time… who and what are you?”

      Aurora’s lips thinned as she pressed them together. She’d learned as a child to never tell what she was… though the dangerous ones usually knew what she was at first sight. This man had lied to her by playing the part of vampire. She knew he wasn’t… his soul was plain as day to her, though she had to admit there was something wrong with it.

      As well as she could see his soul, Aurora could also see the darkness around the edges of it and knew there was a chance of it overtaking him if he was pushed too far.

      Her heart fell when she realized she’d been right about this place… it was a sanctuary. He’d said demons couldn’t cross his barriers and this thought alone made her want desperately to stay. She stopped struggling and looked toward the girl that had tried to defend her. Could she