Always.
He slammed through the stairwell door and took the stairs two at a time. The two men were several floors below him, their footsteps as rapid as their hearts. The second man had the feel of a shifter rather than a vampire. Had they been intending to visit Lenny? If so, why run when they sensed his presence?
The fact that they did might mean they knew who he was. Might know something about Lenny's attack on Nikki.
He heard a door open and close, and he swore. He couldn't afford to lose them now. Leaping over the banister, he dropped to the floor, jarring his spine for the second time in an hour. He pushed through the door and saw the men running down the street.
He ran after them. The sun caressed his skin, warming without burning. It was well after two now, and the sky was clear. Once upon a time, it would have proven his death to be out in the sun like this. But sharing his life force with Nikki had somehow improved his immunity. These days, it was only the hours between eleven and two that he had to be truly wary.
The men took a left at the first street and disappeared. He followed them with his vampire senses, all the while closing in. They were fast, even the human, but not fast enough. He turned the corner. Saw the two of them just ahead. One long and lanky, similar in appearance to Lenny, and the other bald and thick set like a boxer.
A slight hiss cut the air, approaching fast from his right. He dodged, but something hit his shoulder, the force of the blow spinning him around. Warmth flooded his back and side, and fire began to burn through his veins. It was no ordinary bullet he'd been shot with, but one made of silver. Dizziness hit him. He staggered for several steps then pressed a hand against the nearby wall. Sweat broke out across his brow, and the pavement seemed to be doing a drunken dance. He blinked and looked ahead. The two men were dark shapes that danced as erratically as the pavement. But they were looming closer rather than running away.
He swore and spun round. Only his feet wouldn't obey his orders and he found himself falling nose first to the pavement.
Pain smashed through the confusion, swamping his mind, swamping his senses. As darkness closed in, two thoughts crossed his mind.
The bullet had been tipped with some sort of drug.
And he wasn't going to make his date with Nikki.
Chapter Three
Michael's pain clubbed into Nikki, the force of it dragging a gasp from her throat and driving her to her knees.
She couldn't move, couldn't think, for too many vital seconds. Fire burned through every fiber of her being, and her shoulder was an explosion of agony.
Michael? She thrust open the link and called with every ounce of strength she had. There was no answer beyond pain. Endless, endless, pain. Oh God . A sob tore up her throat, and tears blurred her vision. He couldn't die on her. Not now. Not when they were only just beginning their life together.