At the sound of his deep voice, Terese didn’t know if she should be relieved or absolutely terrified.
“Shall I make his death slow…or fast?” Eric whispered.
And she knew how she should feel—absolutely terrified. “Please,” she whispered, and it wasn’t the first time she’d begged him. “Don’t hurt him.”
“It matters to you?”
Yes.
He must have seen the answer on her face because he smiled and said, “Then I’ll make sure I take my time with him.”
Chapter Four
Just as Apollo lifted his hand, preparing to pound on Terese’s door one final time before space jumping into her apartment, the door was wrenched open. A man stood in the doorway, smiling at him.
“Who the f**k are you?” Apollo snarled. He didn’t like the look of this guy. Didn’t like his too perfect dark hair. Didn’t like those eerie green eyes or the guy’s pale, sickly skin.
“I’m Terese’s mate, Eric Montraine.” The smile stretched to reveal razor sharp fangs. “And I’m the man who’s going to kill you.”
Terese’s mate. Hot fury knifed through him. “Funny, Terese didn’t mention you, but then, we were kind of busy f**king.”
The jerk’s eyes narrowed.
“And as far as killing me…” Apollo put his hand on the ass**le’s chest and shoved him back into the apartment. “That’s really not going to happen.”
“Apollo!” Terese stared at him with relief and fear coating her expression.
His gaze darted over her, and he instantly saw the blood that trickled down her arm. “What happened to you?”
Her right hand lifted and covered the wound. “I-it’s nothing.”
He glanced back at the ass**le. “You did that to her.” Not a question.
The guy held up his hand and flashed deadly claws. Not human. “Terese has been bad, so she needed to be punished,” he said as that freaky-ass smile slipped over his face again. “And so do you…”
“No!” Terese ran forward and put her body between them. “Don’t do anything to Apollo. He-he was just prey. I was hungry, so hungry, and I had—”
The smile disappeared. “You’re protecting him.”
Yeah, she was, Apollo realized. And it was rather humiliating for a god to be protected by anyone else. Hadn’t he told her that he was all-powerful? Immortal? Unstoppable? He was sure he’d mentioned those facts once or twice. He didn’t need—
“Don’t hurt him, Eric,” she whispered. “Please.”
“Ah…begging already, my dear?”
Oh, that was it. Apollo caught Terese’s arms and pushed her behind him. The vamp would pay. “I think I’m gonna have to kick your ass, Drac.”
Eric’s eyes shined brighter. “Kneel before me,” he ordered.
Apollo quirked a brow. “You’re kidding me, right?”
Behind him, Terese inhaled sharply. “Don’t look into his eyes, Apollo, don’t—”
“Kneel!” Eric screamed, veins bulging in his forehead. “Kneel and bare your throat so that I can rip it out.”
The guy was a f**king nut job. “Um, no thanks. But how about we do this?” And Apollo drove his fist into the guy’s mouth, aiming straight for those white fangs.
Eric fell back. A cry of pain and surprise broke from behind his now bloody lips.
Apollo drew back his fist once more. “Here’s a warning, ass**le. For future reference, don’t ever f**king touch her again.” He drove his fist forward, ready to feel the satisfying crunch of bone—
Eric caught his fist and held it immobile five inches from his face. Blood slipped down Eric’s chin and splattered onto his white shirt. “What are you?”
Apollo smiled back at him. “I already told you, I’m the guy who’s gonna kick your ass.”
Eric growled and slashed out with claws. The swipe drew a well of blood from Apollo’s side. “Think again, mortal,” Eric snarled.
Mortal. He’d never been called that one before. Ignoring the pain in his side, Apollo rammed his booted foot into Eric’s stomach.
The guy barely flinched. But Eric did charge at him with fangs bared and claws extended.
“Stop!” Terese threw a lamp at Eric. Her aim was dead-on as the lamp slammed into the side of the vampire’s head. “I told you to leave him alone!”
Both men froze.
Apollo glanced back at her. Her pale face was set in determined lines…and she had another lamp in her hand.
“You would choose him?” Eric gritted as he swiped at the blood on his chin. “After what I did for you?”
“You killed me, Eric! You. Killed. Me. How many times do I have to tell you? I didn’t want to become like this! I. Didn’t. Want. This!” She was shaking, violent shudders that wracked her entire body.
“You’re mine, Terese.” Eric’s shining gaze locked on her and seemed to brighten. “I’m not going to let you go.”
“You never had me.” Her knuckles were white as her fingers clenched around the base of the lamp. “Now get the hell out and don’t ever come near me again.”
Eric glared at her.
“Do what she says,” Apollo ordered, his fists ready at his sides. He was tempted, so very tempted, to call on the power of the sun…and burn the vampire to ashes.
But if he did that, Terese would be hurt. She was too close to him, too close to Eric, she’d never be able to withstand the blast of the sun’s power.
The anger slowly drained from Eric’s face. “This isn’t over, Terese,” he said, his voice almost…sad?
Her jaw locked. “Yes, it is.”
Eric stalked toward her.
Apollo stiffened. “Don’t even think about touching her.”
“Oh, I’ll touch her,” now that freaky smile was back, “and I will see you dead.”
“Promises, promises…” Apollo taunted.
The vampire growled, then vanished.
* * *
“Oh, shit!” Real terror rocked through Terese when she saw Eric teleport right before her eyes. “He’s an elder!” No wonder Eric had been able to control her so easily, to convert her and—
“What,” Apollo began carefully as he closed in on her, “is an elder?”
“An ancient vampire.” She dropped the lamp and realized that her knees were shaking. Being a vampire hadn’t made her immune to human weakness like fear. She was so scared then that she was shaking. “One who has lived for centuries and has the power to prove it.” A vampire who could teleport, just as Eric had done when he’d disappeared from her apartment.