Addictive Blood . Amy Blankenship

crystal was protecting him was it?

      “What did you do to make Kyoko leave?” Tasuki demanded and he scrambled to his feet when his opponent’s eyes faded from pure gold to very scary silver. Tasuki didn’t back down as he met his gaze head on.

      Toya snarled when he saw Tasuki’s eyes turn amethyst.

      “Toya!”

      The silver left Toya's eyes and he glared over his shoulder at his brother Shinbe, “What do you want Shinbe? Can’t you see I’m busy collecting the crystal?”

      Shinbe calmly tilted his head to the side, “You do realize you’ll have to kill him in order to remove the talisman… correct?”

      “I’m fine with that. Besides, we both know he can die,” Toya growled and snarled again when a gunshot rang out and he felt the bullet pierce his right shoulder. “You son of a bitch!”

      Shinbe chuckled lightly, “In this instance Toya, I think you deserved that one. Now, leave Tasuki be… we must leave quickly.”

      “You would take up for him,” Toya said sarcastically as one of his twin daggers came to life in his hand and he used the tip of it to dig the bullet out of his shoulder. “Why leave? The fun has just started,” he growled as the bullet flicked across the grass to land at Tasuki’s feet.

      “He’s coming,” Shinbe answered cryptically.

      Toya's dagger disappeared and his lips hinted at a smile as he glanced back over at Tasuki. “At least I won't be blamed for it.”

      “Who’s coming?” Tasuki asked not quite sure who to aim at… though the one called Toya was still his first choice. That knowing smile of his was giving him the creeps.

      Shinbe gave him a long stare, “Trust me Tasuki… you must leave now. If you do not, then at least hide until he is gone.” He recognized that stubborn look when Tasuki squared his shoulders and tightened his hold on the weapon. Shaking his head, Shinbe decided to give his wayward reincarnate a helpful little gift.

      With a couple quick hand movements and a tilt of his staff, Shinbe erected a permanent barrier around the boy that would keep demons or anyone else from detecting the crystal shard that lay deep inside him. He mentally sighed knowing it was too late to hide that little fact from Toya.

      Tasuki stared wide eyed when the large amethyst stone on Shinbe’s staff glowed softly and he disappeared along with the one called Toya. His gaze was drawn down to his own hands and then to the rest of his body as a soft amethyst light outlined him for a moment then faded away.

      ‘Perhaps this will help you stay alive this time,’ Shinbe’s voice echoed inside his head before it too was gone.

      “This time?” Tasuki asked in confusion then flinched when the door of the shed slammed closed. A sudden sense of foreboding washed over him and he would swear to the fact that the sky darkened by several shades.

      Tasuki couldn’t control the urgent need to hide in the shadows of the trees behind him. He crouched down, halfway hidden behind two tree trunks so he could peek through the middle and see what was going on.

      A bone deep chill swept through him when he saw a man with long black hair appear out of nowhere right in the center of the back yard. The very air halted in his chest as overwhelming fear and complete calm froze him to the spot. It was him… the man from his nightmares was standing just ten feet away from his hiding place.

      Hyakuhei walked toward the shed with a contemplative expression on his face. He was certain he’d just felt the presence of a talisman when it vanished. How ironic was it that a talisman would be here on the grounds of the very shrine where the Maiden resided? Stopping in front of the shed, the door once again opened as if obeying his silent command.

      His dark eyes lightened to a soft brown as he gazed upon the likeness of his heart’s desire. Reaching out a hand, he touched his fingertips to hers and felt nothing but the coldness of the stone. So, even after all this time she still rejected him… refusing to allow him back into the Heart of Time. He raised his eyes to hers and was rewarded when they softly glowed for a moment. A devilish smile appeared on his perfect lips… so be it.

      His eyes narrowed when he felt the fading energies of Toya and Shinbe. It was obvious they’d gotten here first to claim the crystal’s talisman. With a final glance at the statue, Hyakuhei spun on his heel and left the shrine property.

      Tasuki didn’t dare move until the monster from his nightmares had left the shrine. He slid the rest of the way to the ground releasing the breath he hadn’t known he was holding and rolled over onto his back to look up at the stars. What the hell was going on? He was used to seeing the paranormal that thrived in LA but this was different… this hit too close to home.

      Already knowing the answer he reached over and pinched his arm, hard. Okay… that was proof he wasn’t dreaming. Jade was right… they had been more than just dreams. Never in his life had he ever experienced anything as frightening as that. He took a number of deep breaths and waited for it to pass before he slowly pushed back to his feet and stumbled toward the edge of the property between their houses.

      When he reached the edge of his front yard Tasuki sprinted to his front door and almost forced his way through the obstruction when his hand fumbled on the knob. Closing the door behind him, he slid every lock into place and quickly backed away from it. Making his way over to the sofa he sat down and wrapped the blanket around him making sure to keep his finger on the trigger of his Berretta… not that it would do him any good.

      He cringed remembering the one named Toya picking the bullet out with the tip of that dangerous looking dagger. He raised his eyes to the portrait hanging above his fireplace and his lips parted in a sense of déjà vu. In the painting, Kyoko was touching the statue’s hands the same way tall, dark, and spooky had just done.

      Chapter 2

      Jade could feel the serenity of sleep slipping away from her but she was so comfortable that she simply didn’t want to face reality yet. She could feel the heated body pressed against her and almost groaned. On second thought… maybe waking up wasn’t such a bad idea.

      She slowly opened her eyes and saw a tanned bare chest rippling with muscles span across her vision. Judging by the steady heartbeat under her ear, Titus was still asleep and it would be cruel to jerk away or indignantly push him out of the bed just because they were touching. He wouldn’t have completely healed yet so she decided to cut him a little slack… this time.

      Snuggling up to him during the night had probably been her doing anyway since she usually had several pillows she tackled at night. Honestly, having a leg and arm thrown across him was no big surprise. He was definitely a good substitute for her normal body pillows.

      She shifted her leg just a fraction, feeling the inside of her thigh laying right over the bulge between his legs and inwardly sighed. Though she hated to admit it, even when the man was soft, he was still very impressive. Jade felt his hard thigh move against her crotch and mentally forced herself not to flex against him. She was dying to do it. Actually, at the moment she was dying to do him.

      Jade slowly inhaled his heady scent and closed her eyes, savoring the raw male that could so easily take the throbbing ache of her heat away. She was stubborn and so far it had been pretty easy not to give in to the overwhelming need for sex the hormone induced heat had brought on.

      She felt a hot tickling sensation spiral downward and her stomach muscles tightened. Before she could stop herself, her body betrayed her and she flexed her hips. The feeling was so incredible that instead of pulling back, she held herself there needing the pressure.

      Jade mentally rolled her eyes at the irony. Here Titus thought the smell of her heat was going to drive him crazy. Well, she had news for the mighty Alpha… she wasn’t the only one that needed to be using the scent spritzer right now. She frowned knowing she’d never been attracted to the way a human male smelled, but then she wouldn’t… would she?

      This just confirmed her theory that it was far safer