When Darkness Comes (Guardians of Eternity #1)(54)
Author: Alexandra Ivy

Abby should have been terrified. Or at the very least slightly fearful.

Instead she was really and truly pissed off.

Dammit. She wasn’t out looking for trouble. All she wanted was to find the witches and be done with the whole ridiculous business.

Why the hell couldn’t they just leave her alone?

As her temper mounted, so did the tingle of heat that was filling her blood. The Phoenix within her was preparing to take measures to protect itself.

And there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to stop it.

Pressing herself into the prickly branches, she held out her hand. "Stay back."

"Or what? You’ll scream?"

"I don’t want to hurt you."

There was a beat before he gave an ugly laugh. ‘You hurt me?"

‘Yes."

‘You haven’t got the skill or the nerve. That’s the trouble with you Goody Two-shoes." He glanced deliberately downward. "No balls."

The fire burned even hotter. Freaking hell. Why wouldn’t the idiot shut up and walk away? She had warned him, hadn’t she?

Of course he possessed testosterone. A woman offering him a warning was as good as waving a red flag in front of his face.

"I’m telling you that you’re the one who won’t have any balls if you don’t leave me alone."

‘You think your vampire is going to come rushing to your rescue? I can promise you he’s already back in his grave where he belongs."

Abby shook her head. She didn’t know much, but she did know that Dante wasn’t in any grave. Not until she got her hands upon him.

"No, he’s very much alive."

The man shrugged. "It doesn’t matter. He’ll soon be dead or turned to our side. The master has a special talent for recruiting." The round face hardened. "Even those who never wanted to worship the dark lord."

"It’s not too late," she urged. ‘You can walk away."

"Walk away? No one walks away. Not unless they have a death wish," he snarled. ‘You’ve wasted enough of my time. Let’s go."

"No."

"Shit." He lifted a threatening fist. "Do you think I won’t hurt you? The master said you were to be alive, but he didn’t say anything about roughing you up."

Abby didn’t doubt his willingness to hurt her for a moment. She sensed that he took a great deal of pleasure in slapping around those weaker than him.

Just like her father.

But he was no demon or zombie or even powerful wizard.

She knew deep in her heart she could Mil him with horrible ease.

‘Tine, I’ll come, but you have to step back first," she retorted, hoping to gain some distance.

"Do you really think I’m that stupid?" The beady eyes narrowed as he reached out to grab a handful of her hair. "I’ve had enough, come on."

Abby’s eyes watered as he gave a savage yank on her hair. She found herself tumbling forward, and out of sheer instinct, she reached up to grasp the man’s arm. She had only intended to keep from planting her face in the ground, but the moment her hands touched his wrist, a burst of heat flared from her palms.

The man gave a keening cry as he snatched his hand free and cradled it to his chest.

"You… bitch. You stupid bitch," he gritted, a malevolent hatred glittering in his eyes. ‘You’ll pay for that."

A sickness tightened Abby’s stomach. She recognized that expression. She should. She had seen it often enough.

With a flashback of horror, she watched as the man curled his fist and raised it to strike.

No.

She rose to her feet.

Not again. Not ever again.

Preparing to launch a vicious right hook, the man was too blinded by fury to consider he might actually be outgunned by a woman four inches shorter and a hundred pounds lighter.

Not until she dived forward and planted her hands in the center of his chest.

Smoke began to rise as he howled in pain, but Abby didn’t waver. The wizard wannabe would kill her given the chance. She didn’t intend to give him the chance.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Abby became aware of Dante swiftly approaching. Oddly he halted beside the tree rather than tossing himself into the fray.

Whether out of fear she might toast him in confusion or because he was alarmed he might distract her, she couldn’t say. And at the moment she was a little too occupied to care.

Clutching at her arms, the man struggled to pull her closer.

‘You’ll pay for this," he panted.

Abby gritted her teeth as she pressed harder. A horrible stench began to fill the air. The smell of burning fabric. And what she suspected was searing flesh.

Then, just as she thought she could bear no more, her assailant gave a strangled cry and with a desperate wrench he was stumbling away from her.

Just for a moment she considered following after him. She didn’t doubt he was an evil man who was capable of harming any number of innocent people. But, while she was prepared to protect herself, she knew she could not deliberately chase down a fleeing man and put an end to him.

That zoomed way beyond her comfort zone.

Instead she sank to her knees and sucked in a deep breath.

"You can come out now, Dante. I know you’re here."

Chapter 19

Dante stepped from behind the tree with a faint smile. He recognized that peevish tone. It meant that Abby was well aware of his extracurricular activity with the dark wizard and was not a bit pleased with him.

"You did well, lover. That fool will think twice about coming after you again."

She stepped toward him, planting her hands on her hips. "Why didn’t you help me?"

"Did you want my help?"

That made her briefly falter. Her independent nature made it nearly impossible for her to admit she might need assistance. From anyone.

At last she shrugged. "It’s not like you to stand back and watch me duke it out."

Dante cocked a brow at the unfamiliar phrase. "Duke it out?"

"Fight off the bad guys."

He reached out to grasp her arms and tug her close. He breathed deeply of her warm scent. A scent that now held his own blood. That knowledge made a purely male pleasure race through him.

Her eyes narrowed. "I’ve had your blood; I know there was some sort of fight."

His lips twitched. "More a minor disagreement."

"Dante…"

He cupped her chin in his hand. "Abby, I found the wizard, we exchanged a handful of threats, I had him in my grasp, and like a fool I allowed him to disappear. Nothing more."

"You’re lucky he did disappear. I have warned you what will happen if you get yourself hurt."

Dante smiled as his gaze dropped to her mouth. Surely he had allowed her enough chiding? It was definitely time to move on to more interesting activities.