Page 8 (1/2)

Alec stared at the spot where, seconds before, Corazon had stood He narrowed his eyes He put out a hand to touch nothing but eone

Someone must have su to ader It was annoyance, not pain, he told himself She was simply someone put there to torave her the power to hurt him

She had left hilance, or one last jab at his appearance She hadn&039;t even called hi bloodsucker before she left, da to be fond of the way she caressed the words in herhis teeth and looking around for a new spot in which he could alone I&039;m here That&039;s all there is to it"

But it wasn&039;t all there was to it Cora was out in the mortal world with no one to protect her, no one to keep her safe froht want to use her

"I don&039;t care," he told the nearest rock, sto spot "She&039;s nother again, never s those hips that kno toher suckher hum with ecstasy I don&039;t need her or her blood I&039;it to dispute his words, knowing he was a fool, but in too much pain to care

She had left him

He spotted a rock that he felt would suit as a spot where he could perch and be eventhat her defection had, in fact, hurt hi it, the world shifted, gathered itself up, and punched hiily aware of a voice that see in his veins, a scent that wrapped itself around hientle hands that turned him over and touched his face

"Sorry," another fes of a dark nature I don&039;t think I could have done it if you hadn&039;t been here to provide a connection to hiht? Alec?"

He opened his eyes to find Cora&039;s exotic, mysterious eyes filled with concern as they peered at him "You didn&039;t leavethose delicious lips

He couldn&039;t stop hiers into her hair and pulled her down to hiain, of plunging into her sweetness, of feeling her respond to him with a little shiver of excitement

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A Dark One How very interesting"

A man&039;s voice interrupted his pleasant conteet Cora into bed so he could make her hum like she&039;d never hummed before

"You did not tell me you were a Beloved, wo about his voice that had Alec leaping to his feet, a startled - and breathless, he was sly pleased to note - Cora shoved behind hi the lich who had ties to his friends Kristoff and Pia, but the other"Who are you?"

"I am de Marco You are known to me," the man answered, his eyes narrowed as he raked Alec over with a look that had him instantly annoyed "I make it my business to know Dark Ones who crossreaper, are you not?"

Do you know him? Cora asked

No But he see, Alec

I suspect you&039;re right

"Yes, this is going to work out well," de Marco said with a fat suest rooive ainst his back

Yes, we run Right now

She didn&039;t want to debate the subject; she just turned on her heels and ran for the door Alec anticipated the shouted order that the y, slammed his fist into Ulfur&039;s face as the latter atterabbed the hand of the other wo her after hioing on

"Who are you?" he asked as he shoved her through the door, sla it shut on de Marco&039;s face

"Noelle I&039;m a Guardian Is Cora really your Beloved ? I&039;h the Dark One who I was supposed to save found someone else, and - "

Cora stood down the end of a hallway in an open door, sunlight spilling in around her as she yelled at him to come that way He didn&039;t hesitate, just shoved the chatty Guardian toward her, spinning around when de Marco burst into the hallway behind theun in his hand

"Run!" he shouted to the wo a sun, Alec!" Cora yelled back, and he knew even without looking that she was co back to save hi! You will run when I tell you to run!

You can stuff that macho crap where the sun don&039;t shine Besides, he&039;s got a gun! He&039;ll shoot you!

He can&039;t hurtherself on hi the over on top of her to protect her, pulling her head down so it was tucked against the wall of his chest

You fool! he growled into her et yourself killed that way

Use me!

What?

Use me! Tool me! Like you did with the demon

"There&039;s always a price to pay when you use Bael&039;s power," he warned, but did as she suggested, holding her tight He felt her shudder; then power began to flow from her to him, which he channeled and threw in a mass toward the man just as the first couple of bullets hit his back

Cora jerked, and he knew one of the bullets had gone through hi it into de Marco, sending thebackward into the wall, where he collapsed in a heap on the floor

"How badly are you hurt?" he asked as he rolled off Cora, his gaze pouncing on the bloo

"I don&039;t think badly Holy moly, we did that?" She stared at the cru around her mind "Is he"

"Dead? I doubt it He is not " He tore at the bullet hole in her jeans, ripping it wide open to examine the wound

"Thank you, that was my favorite pair of jeans!" She slapped at his hands as he found an exit hole on the underside of her thigh, the bullet buried in the floor beneath her

"I&039;ll buy you another Da heavily" With no other choice, he bent over her leg, hearing her gasp as he swirled his tongue around the upper wound, fighting the need to suck the blood froht now? Is this what they call bloodlust?

No, this is what they call stanching the flow of blood Reluctantly, he gave one last lick to the wound before pulling her leg up and repeating it on the exit wound

You can do that?

I&039;m a Dark One, love If eren&039;t able to clot blood , our donors could bleed to death

Oh Well, thank youI&039; to eat

I do want to eat, but now is not the ti your pardon!

"I don&039;t want you walking on that leg until you&039;ve seen a doctor Put your arms around ot to his feet again, Cora in his ar toward the open door at the end of the hall

"Your back! You got shot, too! Put me down, Alec I can walk"

My back is fine The wounds are already healing over Remember the attack by the demon? I heal very fast

"Yeah, but bullets!"

"I&039; silently as Noelle squatted next to de Marco

"He&039;s out, but not hurt badly," she said, hurrying after the back at Ulfur "Can you co toward the fallen man

"Has he bound you not to speak?"

Ulfur nodded, his expression one hich Alec hadfamiliarity - utter despair

"I&039;ll tell Kris and Pia where you are They&039;ll help"

Ulfur smiled, but it was a sad s with black eyes as they left the building

"Have you a car?" he asked, hissing in pain as the sunlight caught hilanced around quickly, but the sun was full on the house, giving no shade

"Ohtoward the sky "The thing about the sun is true?"

"So down a long flagstone ay toward steps leading down to a parking area Scrubby desert plants and a few small cacti lined the path, the air around them hot, and filled with the dusty scent of warecko dashed out from the shade of a rock in front of him as he started down the path toward the driveway

"Put o around the side of the house," Cora ordered He gritted his teeth against the pain in his hands and face, ignoring her de blisters!"

"I&039;ll survive I don&039;t need you opening up those wounds again"

"Oh, for the love of the saints" She squir off her shirt and wrapping it around his head

Now I can&039;t see