Dragon's Second Chance Romance - Riley Storm Page 0,26

source of blood like a hunter-killer missile. Nothing else mattered as it sought his wrist with single minded fury.

“No,” he said, and for the first time in the fight, used his dragon powers.

A burst of light blossomed in the palm of his unharmed arm, and with a vicious motion he shoved it into the vamp’s mouth, where he abruptly fed more energy into it.

The hissing obsession with his blood turned into a shriek of pain, and the vampire moved quicker than he thought possible as it flung itself away from him, hacking and coughing from its seared lungs.

Pietro got to his feet and stalked over to it.

Metal crunched under impact and he saw the second vampire had returned, and it was also going after Claire. He snarled and altered course, charging after it.

That was when the ‘hurt’ vampire hit him in the side, taking him down, raining blows on him.

Pietro’s eyes were wide with shock. The pair were working together, coordinating their moves and attacks in time with one another. All without speaking. Something else he hadn’t even known was possible.

“Still not enough,” he growled, reaching out to embrace the closest vampire and squeezing.

He felt ribs crack, and the vicious blows turned into frantic attempts to slip free.

“Tell your friend to get off the truck, or I’ll crush you in half,” he snarled.

The vampire twitched, and then its friend ceased trying to rip Claire from the truck.

“Idiot,” Pietro muttered, rolling onto his side, sticking a hand out. A lance of flame shot out and took the truck-vampire center mass, flinging it off down the street.

His head rocked back as the freed vampire hit him hard and slipped away. Pietro almost started after it but then changed course and went for the truck. He leapt up onto the side—what was now the roof—and peered down into the cab to check on Claire.

“Ow!” he yelped as the rear-view mirror came hurtling out and struck him in the eye.

“Pietro! Oh shoot. I’m sorry. I thought you were one of those things,” Claire cried apologetically.

Growling, Pietro stood up, watching the two vamps as they retreated into the darkness, just as the first bystanders started to close in on the wreck.

“Are you okay?” he asked, crouching down close to her once he was sure the vampires were gone and that the pair were safe for now.

“Scared shitless,” she asked. “What the hell happened?”

Pietro grunted. “Vampire ran into my door. Flipped us on our side. Tried to kill us. I fought them off. Are you hurt physically in any way?”

Claire shook her head. “No. Just…Pietro, can you please get me out of here.”

He nodded and reached down, grabbing under her arms with one hand, while ripping the seatbelt in half with the other, so that he could hoist her out of the truck.

As soon as her feet touched the metal of the truck’s side, she flung her arms around him in a big hug. “Thank you, thank you so much,” she said, shaking slightly.

Looking down at her, Pietro gave her the best reassuring smile that he could.

“I told you I would protect you,” he growled. “I’m just glad you aren’t hurt.”

“Just shaken up,” she said, leaning back slightly to look up at him.

Their eyes met. Pietro’s mouth went dry as he saw the gratitude and admiration within their mesmerizing centers. She really was stunning. The hair, the eyes, just everything about her spoke to him, and Pietro was tired of denying it. Tired of pretending that he didn’t notice her curves every time she walked or the brilliance of her smile every time she laughed.

He was tired of not showing her how he really felt. In that moment, at that precise instant, it did not matter to him what had just happened. Nothing existed in his world except Claire. And she deserved to know that.

So, he kissed her.

The instant their lips met, he felt the fireworks go off in the rest of his body. Vibrant explosions rippled out over his skin, standing every hair on end, every nerve opening wide, providing raw, unfiltered feedback of how Claire felt pressed against him.

His ears heard the soft sigh as the kiss deepened. The fingers on her back sensed every muscle flex and bend as she arched up into him.

For a brief second, there was nothing but him and Claire.

Then, someone started shouting, asking if they were okay.

Chapter Fifteen

Claire

She paused at the door to her parents’ house, the spice of Pietro’s kiss still teasing her lips with its lingering