landing, she jerked to a stop. She’d almost collided with a huge male body dressed in black leather. Vampire! her intuition shouted. She turned to flee down the stairs, but a second vampire stood on the landing below her. He wiggled his eyebrows and leered, amused at her horror.
Time stood still.
She was prey .
She forced her eyes back and up to the first male, noticing—and ignoring—a third just behind him. They stared at each other for what seemed like an infinite space between two heartbeats—and then he moved and her heart thundered loud in her ears. He grabbed her shoulder.
“Let the girl go.” A cool voice said.
“ Shit ,” one of the vamps cursed. The steel grip fell away from Arianna’s shoulders. The two vampires on the landing took a single step back, and three more large figures moved into her field of vision, taking up some of the space the vampires had vacated.
“This is not your business, Antar,” the first male objected.
“Yeah, actually, it really is.”
The ease with which he spoke those words allowed Arianna to relax just enough to look at her rescuers. Three huge males faced the vampires, feet firmly planted. All wore black jeans, with black sleeveless t-shirts stretched taut over high pecs and revealing biceps and forearms covered with tattoos, including the upright arrow on their right hands.
The Legacy. All three were impressive, but dear Goddess, the male in the center was breathtaking, all tall-dark-and-handsome, with unruly hair and luscious chocolate eyes. He was clearly their Alpha; confidence like that was only acquired after centuries of leadership.
He approached her, ignoring the vampires, and took her hand. “Don’t worry, kitten, you are safe.”
His touch was a warm, electric current. Overwhelmed and a little giddy, Arianna lowered her eyes, hiding her mismatched irises from him so that he would not notice her defect.
“You are under the protection of the Legacy. I am Antar.”
Thank the Goddess. She had found them, and they were literally beyond her wildest dreams.
“I was looking for you,” she exhaled. “I ask for Sanctuary.”
“You’re granted Sanctuary,” Antar replied, his voice soft. He pulled Arianna to his side. The power and warmth radiating from his body was a safe, shelter, and she wished for that feeling to last forever.
He turned back to her attackers, who were still standing around, apparently reluctant to let their prey go but even more reluctant to test their skills against the Legacy.
“Gentlemen,” Antar said, his voice once again cold, authoritative. “This woman has been granted Sanctuary by the Legacy. We request that you leave immediately. If you do not comply”—he grinned, switching modes again—“I’ll make a necklace out of your fangs for this beautiful young lady.”
“I think you overestimate your powers, Antar,” the first vampire challenged.
But the third stepped in front of him. “These are winged demons, Ron. You can’t fight them. Let’s get out of here.”
“I don’t give a damn.”
“I suggest you rethink your answer,” another Legacy warrior growled at them.
“Stand down, Ron. We’re not playing these odds.” The voice came from the landing below, from the second vampire.
“Dammit.” The one called Ron stepped back, sulking.
With the danger passing, Arianna should have felt relieved, but instead a roar of feeling slammed into her body, squeezing her lungs, her throat, freezing her, like—like cold , or horror , or grief . It was just out of her grasp, she’d been feeling so many new things as she got her powers—
The winged demons stiffened. Their eyes darted to each other’s, wide with alarm. She felt their attention abandon the vampires, who suddenly no longer mattered at all. Antar shot off, so fast it was like he’d just disintegrated. She actually felt the wind against her face then a sudden tunnel of stillness.
It hit her: the
Time stood still.
She was prey .
She forced her eyes back and up to the first male, noticing—and ignoring—a third just behind him. They stared at each other for what seemed like an infinite space between two heartbeats—and then he moved and her heart thundered loud in her ears. He grabbed her shoulder.
“Let the girl go.” A cool voice said.
“ Shit ,” one of the vamps cursed. The steel grip fell away from Arianna’s shoulders. The two vampires on the landing took a single step back, and three more large figures moved into her field of vision, taking up some of the space the vampires had vacated.
“This is not your business, Antar,” the first male objected.
“Yeah, actually, it really is.”
The ease with which he spoke those words allowed Arianna to relax just enough to look at her rescuers. Three huge males faced the vampires, feet firmly planted. All wore black jeans, with black sleeveless t-shirts stretched taut over high pecs and revealing biceps and forearms covered with tattoos, including the upright arrow on their right hands.
The Legacy. All three were impressive, but dear Goddess, the male in the center was breathtaking, all tall-dark-and-handsome, with unruly hair and luscious chocolate eyes. He was clearly their Alpha; confidence like that was only acquired after centuries of leadership.
He approached her, ignoring the vampires, and took her hand. “Don’t worry, kitten, you are safe.”
His touch was a warm, electric current. Overwhelmed and a little giddy, Arianna lowered her eyes, hiding her mismatched irises from him so that he would not notice her defect.
“You are under the protection of the Legacy. I am Antar.”
Thank the Goddess. She had found them, and they were literally beyond her wildest dreams.
“I was looking for you,” she exhaled. “I ask for Sanctuary.”
“You’re granted Sanctuary,” Antar replied, his voice soft. He pulled Arianna to his side. The power and warmth radiating from his body was a safe, shelter, and she wished for that feeling to last forever.
He turned back to her attackers, who were still standing around, apparently reluctant to let their prey go but even more reluctant to test their skills against the Legacy.
“Gentlemen,” Antar said, his voice once again cold, authoritative. “This woman has been granted Sanctuary by the Legacy. We request that you leave immediately. If you do not comply”—he grinned, switching modes again—“I’ll make a necklace out of your fangs for this beautiful young lady.”
“I think you overestimate your powers, Antar,” the first vampire challenged.
But the third stepped in front of him. “These are winged demons, Ron. You can’t fight them. Let’s get out of here.”
“I don’t give a damn.”
“I suggest you rethink your answer,” another Legacy warrior growled at them.
“Stand down, Ron. We’re not playing these odds.” The voice came from the landing below, from the second vampire.
“Dammit.” The one called Ron stepped back, sulking.
With the danger passing, Arianna should have felt relieved, but instead a roar of feeling slammed into her body, squeezing her lungs, her throat, freezing her, like—like cold , or horror , or grief . It was just out of her grasp, she’d been feeling so many new things as she got her powers—
The winged demons stiffened. Their eyes darted to each other’s, wide with alarm. She felt their attention abandon the vampires, who suddenly no longer mattered at all. Antar shot off, so fast it was like he’d just disintegrated. She actually felt the wind against her face then a sudden tunnel of stillness.
It hit her: the
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