These weren’t the sounds of a normal fistfight, though. There were gruesome sounds of flesh on flesh, along with the strangest growling noises coming from the vampires fighting, almost as if there were three dogs trying to kill each other.

Gena finally stood up and observed the horrific scene. Three vampires were attacking Marcus. Two held him back while one landed punch after punch to his face and stomach. Gena knew how strong Marcus was and she could only imagine how much those punches had to hurt.

As much pain as he was in, Marcus didn’t go down without a fight. All of his attackers had serious injuries of their own, though the worse, by far, was the damage caused to the arm of one of the assailants holding Marcus.

The arm containing Marcus seemed fine, but the unoccupied one hung onto the rest of his body by only a thread, or, rather, a tendon in this case. The sight made Gena gag, but the bastard deserved it for what he was doing.

The logical part of her mind told her to turn and run, but she knew she could never abandon Marcus. Besides, she was immortal now. Right?

Trying not to be completely idiotic, she took a few precious seconds to think clearly. They were vampires. She knew how to kill a vampire. Destroy the head or heart, but that was easier said than done.

She had a dagger and a handgun loaded with silver bullets in her purse. The dagger would make it easier to destroy the heart, but she had no desire to get close enough to use it. Gun it was.

Her purse had rolled away from her after she was pushed, and she reached for it as discreetly as possible. Apparently humans didn’t pose much of a threat because no one seemed to notice she was up and moving.

When the purse was in her hands, she found the comforting cold feel of the handgun. She ran her fingers over the cold metal until she found the safety and clicked the small piece of steel over. Taking a calming breath that didn’t stop her shaking, she moved forward.

As she approached the cluster of vampires, her heart started to beat uncontrollably as the fear attempted to take over. Every time the fear climbed up her throat, the main assailant would land another blow on Marcus and her breaking heart would give her even more resolve.

When she was about ten feet away, she shouted, “Stop it!”

Well, that got everyone’s attention. Four shocked faces looked her way. All of them had fangs bared and cold, black eyes stared at her. Marcus might’ve been even more surprised than the other three that she stuck around.

“What the hell are you doing to him?” she asked, unable to keep the anger from her voice.

The assailant looked her way and she tightened her grasp on the gun that was still hidden in her purse. Instead of answering her, the main assailant made eye contact with her. As she stared into his eyes, some of her fears eased. “You don’t want to be around this traitor,” he said in a calming voice. “You want to go home and have no memory of anything after you and this traitorous fuck left the tower.”

The strange trance his eyes had put on her dropped like a stone. These were not even rebels attacking. These were just vigilantes trying to get revenge. Part of her wanted to scream at them that Marcus was innocent, but she knew she couldn’t blow his cover. So she had to fight back.

The next three seconds seemed to play in slow motion. As she brought the gun up, she flashed back to standing in her kitchen. Ryan stood over her, blocking her way out. She had the knife in her hand and raised it to attack. She should have gone for the neck. He would have been dead in seconds and she would never have been murdered.

Her hesitation had caused her death. She couldn’t hesitate now. With ice in her veins, powered by the hottest anger she’d ever felt, the gun was up and her arm was locked.

Without a pause, she fired. She took only fractions of a second between each round, and she alternated all three shots between the three vampires who surrounded Marcus.

She aimed for their hearts. She knew if she got one or two bullets through the heart they would die, but she didn’t have that much faith in her aim.

After the fifteenth and last round was fired, she braced herself for the attack. As she saw a blur of motion move toward her, she prepared to die again. Instead of pain, two hard arms closed around her and held her close. Her arms went around Marcus in a heartbeat as she finally allowed herself to see what she’d done.

All three vampires withered in pain on the pavement, now wet with a mixture of their and Marcus’s blood. They all appeared to still be alive, but none were in good condition. Marcus also looked to the three. “I’m sure the police heard the gunfire,” he said in a calm voice Gena couldn’t have imagined possible under the circumstances. “I would suggest you drag your sorry asses out of here before they arrive. Be sure to tell everyone how a human almost killed you.”

Gena smiled at that last verbal blow as she looked to Marcus, but her smile immediately faded at the sight of his badly beaten body.

“You need help,” she said.

Marcus looked as if he was about to argue, but he didn’t protest the supporting arm she wrapped around his waist. She saw him wince as his weight was transferred to her. Her heart broke all over again for him. She was certain he had broken ribs, and any movement had to be agonizing. They hobbled together until they reached the entrance to the parking garage where they'd parked.

Marcus wanted to keep walking, but Gena refused to let him go any farther. She pulled him into the doorway of the garage, giving them coverage from any cars and people passing by. “You need to feed,” she said matter-of-factly.

Marcus shook his head, where one cheekbone had swollen to the size of a golf ball. It was big enough that his left eye could no longer open. He told her vampires healed quickly, but she needed it to go faster. “I have blood at the penthouse,” he wheezed out.

“You have blood right here,” she pointed out.

He was still resistant. “This won’t kill me. I just need to make it to the car.”

“You’re in pain,” she said softly. She pushed a bloody strand of hair away from his eyes. “Let me help you. Please.”

He shook his head at her suggestion. Gena tried really hard to let herself respect his wishes. She knew powerful men did not always appreciate help when it was offered, and she also knew from their previous conversations that the injuries, though probably fatal for a human, would not kill him.

But she also knew broken ribs hurt like a bitch, and with the force and number of punches he’d taken, he probably had severe internal bleeding and many other broken bones. The fact that he was still standing was a testament to his strength and tenacity.

It was that very strength and tenacity that she’d grown to care for in the short time she’d spent with him. She refused to just sit back when she could help him.

She gently leaned him against the door they were next to as she set her purse on the ground. After a quick second of rifling around, she closed her fingers around the silver knife. She held the blade up to her wrist, but then thought better of it.

She knew Marcus was older and had been feeding on humans without killing for a long time, but she didn’t know how much control he’d have in his injured state. She’d still want to have the ability to back him off of her with the silver.

The neck seemed very intimate, but considering the things she’d already done with him, she decided that having both hands free was the best option.

Marcus knew her intentions with the knife, and his weak voice sputtered out one more protest. “Gena, no.”

She was already moving the knife up as he spoke. As quickly as she could, she ran the blade against her skin, causing a shallow cut in the delicate spot where neck met shoulder.

She gasped at the sudden sting and grabbed Marcus’s head and pulled him toward her. He didn’t protest anymore. In a fraction of a second, his mouth went right to her neck.

Strong hands gripped her upper arms tight and pulled her closer as she felt the two cutting points of his fangs sink into her. He fed from her with a frantic rhythm, as if she were the only water in the desert after walking for days.

She shuddered at the small pain but felt the rush of relief that he was letting her help him. While one of her hands still held the dagger in case he fed for too long, her other hand reached up to wrap around his brawny shoulders. As her arm moved up, he released his grip on her to allow her to move. His own arms wrapped around her waist as they held each other.

As their embrace relaxed, so did his frenzied feeding. He now took long and slow drags, as if savoring her taste. As his pace changed, so did her reaction. Instead of focusing on the pain, she felt other things.

She felt his quickly beating heart almost matching her own heart’s frantic rhythm. The heat of his body had soaked through her clothes, and it almost felt as though the two of them would spontaneously combust.

His rock-hard cock pushing against her thigh didn’t do much to dampen the arousal that shot through her body. After one long drag, she felt the playful tip of his tongue against her neck, and she jumped so hard at the electric feeling that the silver dagger fell to the ground with a loud clang.

The noise seemed to be an off switch for him. He gently eased his mouth away from her and used his hands at her waist to push her back to give him a few inches of space between them.

Gena’s breath came in shallow pants and she swore she saw stars in front of her eyes. She tried very hard to determine whether they were from the blood loss or her sudden need to be naked and under Marcus as soon as possible.

She couldn’t figure out how much blood he’d taken. She didn’t know the rate he drank, and, in all honesty, she had no comprehension of the time that had passed.

It made her feel better that he looked just as dazed as her, but that could be due to the savage beating he’d received. Suddenly remembering the entire reason for letting him bite her, she stuttered out, “How-how are you feeling?”

He already looked better. The swelling on his face was already greatly reduced, and both eyes were open, though the injured one still couldn’t open all the way. She couldn’t see how his insides were doing, but she hoped that they were improving as much as his face.

“I’m feeling pretty good right now,” he said in a heated voice. “How are you feeling?”

The first response that came to mind was more horny than she’d ever been in her life, but that seemed a bit too forward. On the other hand, did it get more forward than cutting your neck in front of a hungry vampire?

Then it struck her that he was asking whether she was feeling any ill effects from the bite or her self-inflicted cut. “I’m a little dizzy,” she said honestly, though she was still not sure whether the dizziness was caused by the blood loss.

Surprisingly, she felt no pain in her neck. She reached one tentative hand up to where she’d cut herself and was shocked when her touch caused no pain. She pressed her palm more firmly to her neck, but felt no open wound, from the knife or from teeth.

She looked up to Marcus. “How did I heal so quickly?” Even as she asked, she knew the answer. “This is crazy,” she muttered. She knew she was now immortal, but actually witnessing her newfound healing capabilities was mind-blowing for her.

“It’s a new world,” said Marcus softly.

As the awe of what she was capable of was still setting in, the blaring lights and sound of sirens passed them on the street. “We should head out,” said Marcus. “We can’t know for sure, but I would bet that those police are heading to where we just came from.”

Gena was in complete agreement as they started to walk again, moving up the ramp to where the car was parked. Marcus was no longer leaning on her, but he still showed a bit of a limp. She was very happy with the progress he’d made.

“Do you think the men I shot got away in time?” she asked.

“Probably. All they have to do is get back to the Towers, where the other guards can help replenish them.”

Gena frowned at that. “You think the guards sent them? I was wondering about that.”

Marcus shrugged. “I don’t fucking care anymore. They do have every reason to hate me and I can’t exactly proclaim my innocence. On the other hand, they deserved every bullet that you shot into them and then some.” Marcus looked over at her. “By the way, that was incredible what you did back there.”

Gena smiled at the compliment. “You’d be surprised how much easier firing a gun becomes when three pissed-off and bloodied vampires are staring you down with black eyes,” she said, trying to be modest yet agreeing that she’d been pretty badass.

This was a scary world that she was now a part of, but the more time she spent in it, the more she realized that she belonged there.

Something she said had apparently rubbed Marcus the wrong way. He frowned and stopped their conversation. Gena chalked it up to him allowing his body to heal.

The entire ride, Marcus said nothing to her, and she started to feel uncomfortable.

Maybe he was pissed at her for making him feed. Did she really overstep her bounds?

Well, let him be pissed at her, she thought. No matter what his arrogant brain filled with male pride told him, she’d made the trip to his apartment a lot less painful, and she’d be damned if he was pissed at her for that.

During the elevator ride, he was still silent, but her mind had already moved on to how great she’d feel as she hit Marcus’s amazingly comfortable bed. The adrenaline of the night had worn off, and the emotional and physical events of the night had started to take their toll.

As much as the bed tempted her, a warm shower sounded even better. She leaned her head back against the elevator wall and moaned out loud as she imagined how the hot water would feel on her tired body.

Marcus’s head snapped toward the sound. Gena met his gaze, noting that his face was almost completely healed now. His gaze drifted to her neck, but he quickly averted his eyes to the elevator door.

Was he thinking about their shared embrace? She could only imagine he was if it had affected him half as much as it had affected her.

She’d never had a connection with any man like she was feeling with Marcus. Did it have to do with some shared history she had no memory of? Did he like her, or was he just hoping she was someone else?

Well, one thing was certain. He’d wanted her since before he knew she had anything to do with Mary, and if she was honest with herself, she’d wanted him too. The electricity she felt as she let him feed on her just cemented how great they would be together.

Before her thoughts went too far, the elevator doors opened to their floor. As they walked into the penthouse, an excited Lady greeted them. Gena knelt to give her a quick greeting and made a beeline for the bathroom.

As she reached the stairs that led up to the loft, Marcus’s voice called out. “Hope will be back in town tomorrow. I think you should stay with her.”

Gena froze in place as her teeth clenched tightly in rage. She slowly turned to face him as she tried to contain her anger. “What?” was all she could get out.

With a blank expression, he repeated, “I think you should stay with Hope. If tonight proved anything, it’s that you’re not safe.”

“No. No, no, no, no,” she said. “If tonight proved anything, it’s that you are not safe. I’m the one who saved you, or did you forget already?”

Anger clouded his features. “I haven’t forgotten anything,” he spat out. “I bit your neck and fed from you tonight. Doesn’t that bother you at all?”

She thought about that. Did it bother her? The idea of getting bitten by a vampire sounded terrible, but the reality of it was so much more erotic and sensual than she could have ever imagined. “No,” she said honestly. “It doesn’t bother me. And if it meant I could help you, I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

He cursed under his breath and brought his hands to his head in frustration. “I will not be the one putting you in the middle of a vampire war. You’re already changing.”

“I’m an immortal half angel now! Of course I changed. What did you expect?” she shot back.

“A couple of days ago, you were murdered because you were too afraid to possibly kill someone who had cornered you in your home and suddenly you have no problem unloading a round of bullets into three men? You didn’t hit arms or legs, by the way. Every shot went into the chest.”

The words hit her like a blow. “You’re sending me away because I didn’t hesitate to shoot them? Screw you for even comparing this to my murder! The last time I hesitated, I was brutally stabbed so many times I lost count! I’ll be damned if my hesitation would get anyone else hurt, let alone you!” she screamed at the top of her lungs at him. Her chest rose and fell quickly in time with her deep breaths that did little to calm her.

She continued, “I care about you and I will not stand back or hide with Hope while I could be helping you. You can’t get rid of me.”

“That makes you a bigger fool than I thought.”

“Fuck you,” Gena sneered at him.

She could no longer deal with his shit. She turned and made her way to the shower, no longer looking forward to the relaxing hot water. Now she just wanted to be away from him. As she reached the top of the stairs, she felt his grasp on her arm. She quickly turned to tell him exactly where he could put that hand when his mouth closed over hers.

The kiss was fast and brutal and angry and exactly what Gena needed. She responded immediately and opened her mouth for his tongue. In return, he grabbed hold of her hips and pushed her back until she was trapped between him and the wall.

Her hands fisted in his hair and pulled his mouth even closer toward her. Her tongue played with his and she nipped his bottom lip. His resulting growl told her that he liked it, and she let out a throaty laugh at her effect on him.

Her hands reached down to the hem of his shirt and pulled the material over his head. They had to break their ferocious kiss, but the result was so worth it. His broad shoulders looked like a perfect Greek sculpture. She lightly ran her hands over the ripples of his abs. Her fingers brushed the small amount of hair on his lower stomach and then reached the fly of his jeans.

She supposed that this was the point of no return, but in reality there was never a choice. She’d been slowly lowering her resistance to him since the moment they met, and as he’d fed on her, and she’d seen how explosive things would be between them, she’d known they would end up in bed together.

After looking at his beautiful shirtless body, it really would be a crime not to take him to bed.

Filled with resolve, she met his now jet-black eyes as her fingers undid the button at the top. The sound of the zipper going down filled the room, followed by the sound of Marcus’s sharp intake of breath. Gena reached a hand down until she felt his hard, hot length against her palm. Her fingers closed around him and she stroked him up and down.

A few strokes were all he allowed before he pushed her hand away and went to work undressing her. Her shirt was on the floor in a flash and her pants quickly followed. He took a moment to just stare at her in her undressed state. As she stood in front of him in only her sensible bra and panties, a wave of self-consciousness washed over her. She wasn’t hideous, but anyone would pale in comparison next to Marcus’s sculpted beauty.

As her arms moved to cover herself, he stopped her and pinned her wrists to the wall above her head. “Don’t hide yourself from me,” he whispered. “You look fucking delicious and I could stare at you all day.”

Her heart melted at the flattery. “You still hungry?” she teased.

Marcus leaned his head down to the curve of her neck where he’d fed on just hours earlier. His soft tongue ran along the sensitive flesh, and her entire body shuddered at the delicate touch. “I will always be hungry for you,” he said against her neck.

Before she could respond, he lifted her against the wall until her feet no longer touched the ground. She held onto his broad shoulders as she wrapped her  legs around his hips. In this position, his erection was firmly pushed against her wet core and the friction almost made her scream.

Instead, she pulled in for another kiss, and he was more than happy to meet her halfway. As their mouths met, Marcus ground his hips into hers, imitating the act they were both so desperate to perform.

HIs big hand found her bra-covered breast. He pushed the material aside and slowly circled her nipple with a warm finger. She moaned into his mouth at the triple assault. When one peak was fully erect, he moved onto the other one.

The sensations were too much for Gena. She frantically moved her hips faster and faster against his, cursing the undergarments separating the two of them.

As the friction between them grew hotter, she threw her head back against the wall and focused on the sensations building throughout her body until the feelings exploded through her in a climax like she’d never experienced.

Marcus kept himself busy kissing and sucking at her exposed neck as she held him tightly and slowly floated down to earth.

If that was an orgasm without even getting her panties off, what would it be like when he was finally inside her?

She couldn’t wait to find out. “I need you now,” she said breathlessly.

Without hesitation, he gathered her in his arms and walked them to the bed. He tossed her gently on the soft mattress, but before she could even bounce, his hot body covered hers.

She started to wrap her legs around him again, but he stopped her. His fingers hooked under her panties, and she took the hint to lift her hips as he slowly slid the soft material down her legs until she was completely bared to him.

He took the free moment to rid himself of his boxers and he looked over. She should have felt some sort of modesty, lying out before him naked on the bed. With him looking at her the way he was, as if he were starving and she were an all-you-can-eat buffet, it was impossible to feel anything but desirable.

When he came back to her, she was more than ready. Her arms and legs wrapped around him and she reached up for a devastating kiss, trying to make him feel exactly how much she wanted him.

He braced himself with one palm flat on the sheets while his other hand snaked between their bodies. After running along the edge of a breast and the curve of her waist, he reached the junction of her thighs. As he sank one finger inside her, her hands fisted in his hair. After he sunk in a second and a third, she raked her nails down his back.

“Please,” she begged. She was already ultra-sensitive from her first orgasm and didn’t think she could wait any longer.

“All you had to do was ask,” he whispered. As he removed his fingers, he pushed his hard cock against her clit. Her body jumped at the jolt of electricity that shot through her, and she couldn’t stop the moan that escaped.

He positioned himself at her entrance and slowly pushed until the tip was just inside her. Then, in one long stroke, he slid home. Gena didn’t just moan this time. She screamed.

Marcus seemed to be past the point of taking it slow. His hips moved fast as his cock slid in and out. All Gena could do was hold on tight and try to avoid waking up the whole building as the pleasure became too much to bear.

Marcus silenced her with a scorching kiss as one hand reached between them and rubbed her clit once more. That was it for Gena as she climaxed for a second time. Her nails bit into his back as her every muscle tensed in ecstasy.

That seemed to set him off. His already fast pumping became even faster as she felt his muscles tense. All at once, the thrusting stopped; Marcus froze on top of her and let out his own guttural scream with his orgasm.

As Marcus caught his breath, he relaxed his arms and gently rested on top of her.

For a few moments, the only sound in the apartment was their rapid breaths. What did it mean for a vampire to be out of breath? It had to be a good sign, she figured. Almost like a compliment. Gena had never experienced anything that powerful before in her life. What did she say after that? Thanks for the mind-blowing sex! I’m so glad I met you three nights ago!

She couldn’t discreetly leave the bed because he was right on top of her, but she did start to move out from underneath him.

“Where are you going?” he murmured against her neck.

“Shower,” she responded. It wasn’t a lie. As she recalled, she’d been on her way to the shower when he had, um, interrupted her.

“Probably a good idea for both of us.” He pushed himself off her. As he stood, he pulled her with him. She gasped at the unexpected motion, and he met her open mouth with his.

This was a much softer kiss. Tender and gentle. It ended almost as soon as it had started. Gena found herself wanting more, but Marcus had already made his way to the bathroom.

She took the moment to appreciate his ass as he walked. They just didn’t make men like him anymore.

She heard the faucet turn on and couldn’t keep herself from following the siren song of the warm water.