Damian's Assassin

"You can't just kill people!"

"They're not people. Talon's men turn them into killers who take the lives of the innocent. Your brother had to take at least one life to become one of them."

"Jonny would never do that!" she snapped.

"It's the only way for him to become a vamp."

"But he's not one of them!"

Dusty considered her words. Whatever Natural talent she had, she'd somehow turned her brother from a vamp back into a human. He'd never heard of anything like it in all his years.

She rolled onto her back, unaware of how exposed she was. The bathrobe fell away to the knot, revealing her almost to her bra. He looked her over, enjoying the view, and rested his hand on her warm stomach.

"He's not!" she insisted.

"Not anymore," he agreed. "You brought him back."

"Then you shouldn't kill any of them, if they can be saved!"

"There's no such thing as asylum for vamps," he said, amused. "And your brother may not thank you when he realizes he must live with the reality that he killed an innocent for the rest of his life."

"He wouldn't …" She stopped, pensive. He met her gaze and saw her look.

"You walked in on him," he assessed. "Tell me about your healing ability."

She shook her head.

"I don't ask twice."

"It doesn't matter. You're just going to kill me," she said in a tiny voice.

"You think I wouldn't have killed you by now if I wanted to?" he challenged.

"I think you'll do whatever you want."

"I'm not going to hurt you, Bianca. I belong to an organization called the Guardians. We're commanded by the White God, who is charged with protecting humanity against the Black God, commonly referred to as the devil. Your ability to heal makes you what we'd call a Natural, a human with extraordinary capabilities. We find Naturals and bring them into our organization before the Black God makes you one of his. We offer safety in exchange for the use of your abilities to support our mission."

"But you kill. How are you good?" she asked.

"I only kill bad guys." He held her gaze, gauging her reaction. She didn't have a clue what to think. Her eyes traveled his face, and he saw her pupils dilate as the nearness and heat between them fed into the sexual tension. His gaze lingered on her lips, but he didn't move. She was too traumatized and he too busy to deal with another source of drama. He preferred his life much simpler than it already was.

She wiped her face and returned to her side. His hand remained on her hip until she shivered again. He pulled the robe over her exposed body, feeling the urge to run to the gym or call Jenn for a quickie to relieve the sexual spring within him. He didn't have time for either.