Ben drank a beer on Tom’s couch, watching the man tape the ribs Ben had just broken. Tom might have been an abusive asshole, but he had decent taste in beer. Ben pressed his swollen knuckles to the cold glass bottle.

Fighting hurt. Which was why most movie fight scenes were complete bullshit. He should have used the marble paperweight again. His hands were too valuable to break. This was why Ben avoided violence when he could. Adrenaline was the antithesis of thinking.

Tom winced as he twisted his torso to secure the tape. “Are you done?”

“With what?”

“With me?”

The man had two black eyes and a broken lip. Three ribs were fractured and his hands and throat were bruised. Ben had refrained from doing more damage to Tom’s skull. He didn’t want to have to take the man to the emergency room.

Tom stared at him through two black eyes.

Two black eyes.

Cut lips.

Broken ribs.

Bruised windpipe.

They were the same injuries Chloe had born months ago when she first came to Ben’s apartment in the middle of the night.

Was it enough?

“Be wise, Benjamin Vecchio. For though a sword must be drawn to protect the needy, and anger is necessary for survival, a lack of discipline leads only to death in the spirit.”

The doctor’s words came back to him.

Was it enough?

It had to be. He’d received no pleasure from beating Tom. As Arjan Singh had predicted, there was only a dulling of his spirit, a cold, ruthless shell that coated his skin like an animal’s carapace and grew thicker with every bruise he left on the man.

Ben had satisfied the relentless drive to make Tom pay, but it gave him little satisfaction. It wasn’t about that. It was about evening the scales. Tom was a bully and a criminal. Chloe would never forget being helpless under his fists. Tom needed to know what it was like to feel helpless too. Had the bully learned a lesson?

Maybe. Only time would tell.

“It’s enough,” Ben said. “As long as you never lay another hand on a woman.”

The man nodded.

“I want to hear it, Tom.”

“I will never lay another hand on a woman,” Tom said.

“You’ll stay in the city so I can keep an eye on you. I left my card. If you move, you will email me. If you don’t, I’ll find you. Do you believe me?”

The second time Ben had visited Tom, he’d been holed up at a hotel.

The third time he’d met Ben with a gun.

Neither option had deterred Ben. After the third visit, Tom didn’t try to fight.

“I will find you,” Ben said more softly. “Do you believe me?”

“Yes.”

“If you try to run, I’ll send my partner after you. She’s not as even-tempered as I am.” Ben finished his beer and stood. “You don’t want my partner coming after you, Tom.”

“I understand,” the man said through gritted teeth.

“Are you going to try to contact Chloe again?”

“I don’t know anyone named Chloe.”

“No, you don’t.” Ben walked to the door, opened it, and closed it behind him.

He was done.

* * *

Gavin was waiting for him on the sidewalk, looking up at the lights of Tom’s apartment.

“She’d never know,” he said.

“She’d figure it out.” Ben flexed his sore hands. “Come on, Gavin.”

Gavin didn’t move.

“She doesn’t want this. She’s not impressed by macho behavior or strutting. She’d be pissed at me if she knew I was still coming here. You don’t need to make her angry at you too. I’m done.”

“And I have not even begun,” Gavin said. “I want him dead.”

“It’s not about you.” Ben bumped his shoulder with Gavin’s. “She didn’t want him dead.”

Gavin looked away from the windows and met Ben’s eyes. The rage took Ben by surprise. Gavin’s fangs were elongated. The air around him stirred, as if he’d lost an edge of control over his amnis. Ben had known Gavin had feelings for Chloe, but this level of anger indicated a far greater attachment than he realized.

“It’s not about you,” Ben repeated. “It’s about Chloe. And she wants to put this behind her. I returned to him every bruise and every break he dealt her. So we need to let it go. I’ll keep tabs and make sure he’s not a threat to anyone else. Anything more than that is indulgence.”

Something passed over Gavin’s face. Recognition? Awareness? The air around him stilled and his fangs fell back. The anger retreated and the laconic humor returned. “Christ, you sound so much like Giovanni when you’re lecturing me. It’s enough to make me boak the blood I drank for dinner.”

“Thanks.” The cold carapace of violence thinned. “I can think of a lot worse comparisons than me to my uncle right now.”

“Are you still brooding about the girl?” Gavin rolled his eyes. “Everyone takes their turn as a mark, Ben. I’ve been fooled. I doubt Tenzin would admit it, but so has she. There’s always someone just as smart as we are, looking for a crack in the armor.”

“You admitting you have cracks?”

“Everyone has cracks.” Gavin’s face was deadly serious. “Anyone that tells you different is a lying shit.”

They walked in silence for four more blocks.

“Do you think Tenzin’s plan will work?”

“Yes, because we’re vampires and both she and I can use amnis. Humans on their own?” Gavin shook his head. “Not on your life. If you tried to pull this off on your own, you’d be in a jail cell.”

“Thanks.”

Gavin cracked a smile. “What do the kids say these days? I’m keeping it real.”

* * *

Gavin and Ben arrived back at the apartment to hear the sounds of thumping and grunting on the floor below. Ben ran down the steps to see Chloe lying on the ground, arms spread wide, staring up at the ceiling.

“What’s going on?”

Chloe panted. “That’s. Totally. Unfair.”

“What?” Ben ran to her and looked up.

Tenzin was hovering over Chloe, nearly in the rafters. “Fighting with vampires is not fair,” she said. “You need to find our weaknesses or you’ll have no chance of surviving.”

Gavin walked in behind Ben. He must have stopped in the kitchen, because he was holding a beer. “What’s going on?”

Chloe glanced over, her eyes darted down. “Speaking of unfair.”

Gavin looked amused. “All’s fair.”

Ben frowned and looked down. “What is she talking about?”

Gavin kicked up a knee, and Ben noticed he was wearing a kilt that night.

“And?”

“Kilts are catnip these days,” Gavin said. “Bloody cable television is doing half my work for me.”

Ben glanced down. “Well, you do have great legs, Gavin. Very shapely.”

“Thank you. I work out.”

“Really?” Ben asked.

“No, you idiot. I’m a vampire.” Gavin unlaced his combat boots at the edge of the mat and set his beer down. “Come now, dove, you can’t lie there all night and try to sneak a look up my kilt.” He walked over and held out a hand to Chloe. “Up you go.”

She let him help her up and stretched her shoulders. “You’re doing it on purpose.”

“What, love?”

“Wearing more kilts.” She turned and Gavin rubbed her shoulders. “You know I like them.”

“Of course it’s on purpose.” He ran his hands down her back, but it wasn’t a seductive move. It was… comforting. Almost routine. A man rubbing his woman’s back after she’d had a long day.

Ben looked up at Tenzin, who was watching them with a smile. He nodded toward Gavin and Chloe. Tenzin just shrugged.

“You’re not done,” Tenzin said. “I want you to practice that throw on someone taller.”

“What throw?” Ben asked.

“Judo,” Gavin said. “Tenzin’s been practicing judo with Chloe. My suggestion.”

“Judo?” Ben should have thought of judo. It was his aunt’s martial art of choice.

Gavin nodded. “It’s a good choice for beginners. And especially good for Chloe with her build.”

Chloe smiled. “What Gavin means is I have thunder thighs.”

“What I mean is you’re a fucking brilliant athlete with a mass of power in your legs, hips, and abdominals,” he growled. “Which means you need to be utilizing techniques that make the most of those strengths, not focusing on the fancy footwork and swordplay these two practice. Tenzin can fly.” He pointed at Ben. “That one has abnormally long arms for his height.”

Ben frowned. “They’re not abnormal.” Were they?

“It gives him a massive reach for hand-to-hand combat and swords. But you will do better with judo.” He unbuckled his belt and tossed it near his boots. “Try me.”

Chloe’s eyes went wide. “What? No.”

“Why not?” Gavin said with a wink. “Worried you’ll be overwhelmed if you see what’s going on underneath, dove?”

“You’re ridiculous. And no, because you’re way bigger than me.”

It was true. Gavin wasn’t a massive man. Probably five foot ten inches or so. He was well-built and leanly muscled. But Chloe was tiny. She was a full foot shorter than Ben, even if she was strong.

“Throwing a larger opponent is the point,” Tenzin said. “Most of your opponents will be bigger than you. You can’t fly to get away.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” Chloe grumbled, squaring off against Gavin.

Ben could see her nerves start to build.

“Focus on what we talked about,” Tenzin said. “See the geometry of his body and yours. Find your center of gravity.”

Chloe let out a breath and looked Gavin up and down.

“I love it when you do that,” he muttered.

“I’m not trying to flirt.”

“So you say.”

In a burst of speed, Chloe stepped forward and planted her right foot by Gavin’s. She locked his arm in hers and pulled him off-balance at the same time she twisted and planted her hip against his pelvis, then she bent down and tossed him over her right shoulder. In seconds, she was straddling his chest with both thighs, holding him against the mat.

Gavin groaned.

Her eyes went wide. “Did I hurt you?”

“No. That was perfectly executed. Well done.”

“So why are you groaning?”

Chloe tried to move, but Gavin grabbed her wrists.

“Fucking hell,” he said. “That was incredibly sexy.”

Chloe was breathing in short bursts. “What?”

“So damn sexy.”

The color rose on Chloe’s cheeks. “I wasn’t doing it to turn you on.”

“I know.”

I do not need to see this. Ben inched toward the stairwell.

Nope.

Ben could accept Gavin having the hots for Chloe in theory, but he didn’t need to witness it.

“You were so damn good.” Gavin twisted his wrists out of her grip and sat up with preternatural grace, scooting Chloe down so she straddled his hips. “You took your time analyzing my stance, but once you’d decided, you moved so fast.”

“It’s a little like dance. Slow training, then a burst of speed at execution.”

“Exactly.” Gavin’s eyes were locked on Chloe. “Tenzin, get the fuck out of here.”

Ben glanced back. Tenzin was still hovering near the rafters.

“She’s not my ex-girlfriend,” Tenzin said. “I find this fascinating.”

“Get the fuck out of here!”

Ben was already up the stairs.

* * *

“This isn’t a good idea,” Chloe said. She couldn’t take her eyes off Gavin’s mouth. His lips, flushed and glistening. His fangs peeked out to rest on the full swell of his bottom lip. He was so aroused, so tempting, and he smelled so good. “Gavin?”

“I do many things that are very bad ideas.” He leaned forward and inhaled the scent of her neck. “I’ve learned to live with the consequences.”

Her head fell back. What was she thinking? His touch was intoxicating. If she hadn’t already experienced the buzzing warmth of amnis on her skin, she’d think he had her under some kind of spell. But there was no spell. No magic. The heightened awareness was from his scent and his touch, not from any mental manipulation.

“Gavin?”

“Yes.” His lips never landed. They skimmed up her neck and over the line of her jaw. She leaned into him, and he twisted her arms behind her, locking her wrists in one hand while he slid fingertips up her arm. Goose bumps rose on her body. Shivers overtook her. Her pulse was pounding, and she could feel the rock-solid muscles of his thighs as she leaned into them. Their torsos were pressed together. Her breasts against his chest. Pelvises locked. It was the most intimate pose a man had ever held her in.

She was exposed, but she didn’t feel any fear. No panic.

It was Gavin.

How many nights had she slept in his house, vulnerable in slumber and safe in the morning? How many nights had he read a book silently as she practiced yoga or ballet, wordlessly watching over her until she felt strong and confident again?

“What am I to you?” she whispered.

Gavin slowly lifted his head. “What?”

“I don’t know what I am to you.” Chloe swallowed the lump in her throat. “I want you. You want me. That’s obvious. But what am I to you, Gavin Wallace? A wounded bird to protect? An amusement to pass the time?”

He shook his head and released her wrists. “You’re neither of those things.”

“What then?”

Gavin took a breath and let it out slowly. He leaned back, propping himself on his arms but keeping Chloe locked to him with her thighs straddling his hips and his knees caging her. “What do you think you are?”

Chloe opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

A wry smile from Gavin. “That’s a problem then.”

“I don’t—”

“You’re a woman worth knowing, Chloe Reardon.”

“What does that mean?”

“Just that.” He lifted his hand and cupped her chin in his palm. “If you take nothing else from me, take this. You’re worth knowing. You’re worth discovering. You’re worth…” He smiled, and it was so gentle it brought tears to her eyes. “Damn it, she was right.”

“What?”

“I’ll tell you someday.” Gavin smiled and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her lips. Once. Twice. The third time he licked his tongue out and tasted her. “But not yet.”

Wait for me. Her heart said it even if her mouth didn’t. Wait for me to find myself in this odd night world. Wait for me to discover who I’m supposed to be.

“Should I stay here tonight?” Chloe said.

“Why?” Gavin continued to watch her, letting his eyes roam over her face. It felt as intimate as the brush of his fingers. “You can stay here if you like, but your room will always be ready in my home. I was thinking you’d like a soak in the tub with all the wrestling you did today.”

Unexpected emotion clutched her throat. “A soak sounds good.”

“Then it’s settled.” He lifted her by the hips as if she weighed nothing. Gavin moved around the practice area, gathering his things. “You’ll stay at my place tonight. None of the plans for tomorrow have to start before dusk, do they?”

Chloe usually thought of Gavin as being so human. He was unfailingly careful at the pub and wore humanity like a comfortable suit. It was rare for him to exhibit the “vampire stuff” to Chloe. The effortless strength was unnerving. The speed made her dizzy.

“What?” She blinked to clear her vision.

“The plans for tomorrow night,” he said. “Breaking into the museum? All that starts after dusk, yes?”

“For you. Tenzin is heading over to the museum tonight to do her thing. Ben and I will head over in the late afternoon. The museum is open until nine.”

“Excellent.” He paused in front of her. “Was there anything else you needed to do here before we left?”

“I… uh, I need to pay some bills for Tenzin and rework some stuff in the house calendar.”

“A couple of hours?”

She nodded.

Gavin said, “Then I’ll head to the pub to check in with Audra. Call my office there if you finish early.”

“Okay.”

He slid his hand along the curve of her waist to the small of her back and pulled Chloe in for a kiss against her temple. “Well done, dove. You’re a natural with the standing throws. I’ll see you later.”

Before she could say another word, he flew away.

Flew. Away.

“He flies.” Chloe knew that. She knew it in her head. But she didn’t know if she’d ever seen it before. “He flies. Because he’s a wind vampire. So he flies.”

* * *

Tenzin was listening at the stairwell with a smile on her face. She heard, rather than saw, Gavin flying up the stairwell, through the apartment, and out the french doors leading to the roof.

Clever, clever vampire.

Tenzin made a mental note to never underestimate Gavin Wallace. The vampire was savvy enough to play the long game.

Ben was in the kitchen heating up some frozen curry she’d made two nights before. He was stirring a pot on the stove, and his hand was sunk in a bag of frozen peas.

Tenzin said, “You know, I do cook with those.”

“Not with these you don’t.”

“Gavin and Chloe—”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Tenzin frowned. “Are you jealous?”

“No. I just don’t want to talk about it.”

“Because Gavin is your friend and he’s likely going to have sex with a woman you have also had sex with?”

Ben closed his eyes and looked up to the ceiling. If Tenzin didn’t know better, she’d say he was praying.

“Tenzin.” He sounded as if he was in pain. “Enough.”

“I don’t understand why you don’t want to talk about it if you’re not jealous.”

“Because it’s none of my business.”

She burst into laughter. “Of course it’s your business! She is your friend and so is he. If they formed a connection, it would change your relationship to both. It is most definitely your business.” Tenzin walked away, shaking her head. “Americans are so strange. How could the romantic connections of friends not be your business?”

“Because…” Ben frowned. “Actually, you’re right. If they got together, it would definitely change our friendship.”

“See?”

“Dammit, Tenzin.” Ben picked up the frozen peas and pressed them to his forehead. “You have boundary issues, and now you’re spreading them to me.”

“What?” She widened her eyes.

“Don’t give me the innocent look.” He put down the peas and stirred the curry. “Will you make some rice please?”

“Yes.” She pulled on two oven mitts to protect the rice cooker from her amnis. “Did you hear him align their schedules before he left her here?”

“Not listening to you.”

“He has taken my advice far more quickly than I imagined he would.” Tenzin set the rice cooker on the counter and plugged it in. It was awkward with the oven mitts, but not impossible. “Chloe was an unpredictable factor. Still, I am surprised at the swiftness with which he’s adapting.”

“Can we talk about breaking into the museum tomorrow? How much René hates me? Root canals? Anything besides this?”

“What are root canals?” She grabbed the bag of rice from the pantry. “Did you see that he flew in front of her? He’s conditioning her to his true nature. That was very clever.”

Ben let out a short sigh and gave Tenzin a reluctant smile. “Your focus is both admirable and irritating as hell.”

“Thank you.” She grabbed the frozen peas. “Now stop using my vegetables for first aid.”