A Midsummer Night's Demon - By Brenda Sparks Page 0,4

back control. She needed him, his help, and he could do no other than see to her needs. He forced his fangs to recede, then gave her sweet neck a tender kiss before he forced himself away.

Surprised to find her looking at him through leaden, half-opened eyes, he pushed into her mind to glean her thoughts. Despite her pain, she found comfort in his arms. She thought of him as an angel come to save her and take away her pain.

If she only knew.

He was more killer than savior. More devil than angel. He lived a dark life, but finding his heartmate made him want to become better.

Ky adjusted her on his lap, and looked deeply into her mahogany eyes, holding her gaze to his. “Tell me your name, honey.”

Her beautiful eyes drifted shut as she whispered, “Lyn.”

He lifted the unconscious woman into his arms, holding her tightly against his chest. Her head lulled against his shoulder, her lips resting over the pulse in his neck. The heady sensation compelled him to get his mate to safety before the vampire could return.

He carried her to his car, secured her in the passenger seat, and drove them as fast as he dared to the dock where his boat waited. The ride across the river to his private island was rough due to an impending storm, but they arrived safe if not a bit shaken. Ky gathered Lyn in his arms and made his way toward his home with quick strides. He reached the porch just as the heavy clouds let go. The downpour beat a pounding rhythm on the palm fronds as he carried her into his house.

Chapter Two

Ky pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and took a deep breath of warm April air. He surveyed the island he’d bought years ago. At a half mile wide and just under a mile long, the land sat in the middle of a river. Ky had built his home in the center, leaving the natural pines, scrub palmetto, and palms as a barrier to the outside world. Tonight he found himself more thankful than ever for that cover, for inside lay his heartmate.

Lyn.

He had detected a slight accent, present in the lilt of her voice when she had told him her name. Her name. That was all he knew about her. That one syllable. Well that, and he knew she belonged to him, he recognized it deep within his very soul. He’d felt an instant connection when he’d tasted her blood. He had no doubt the fates created her for him.

Unfortunately, she happened to be a demon. Not only did her kind think vampires mythological creatures, but her natural inclination would be to shun him once she discovered what he was. He would have to play this carefully—be sure not to scare her away. It would not be easy.

Everything within called for him to take his mate. Love her. Make her his in the most primal way. His need already rode him hard, and he had spent less than twenty-four hours in her presence. Ky moved forward through the palmettos, putting more distance between him and his temptation.

The stroll helped to ease the physical symptoms of his desire, but his mind refused to give him respite. It continued to torment him with visions of her, playing them over and over like a record skipping on a turntable. The first time he saw her beautiful face. The image of her slumped in the parking garage. The way she looked up at him with trust in her eyes before she whispered her name.

He inhaled a deep breath and forced his attention out to the river to distract himself. People rarely cruised the river at night, which made things usually still and peaceful.

Tonight was no different. All seemed quiet, but with a mate to protect, he didn’t want to take any chances. He sent his senses flowing through the palms and pines, out over the water, in search of any sign of trouble. Finding only the energy of his mate, the occasional splash of an alligator and call of a bird, he turned back to his home.

To her.

His shoeless feet sank into the sandy soil, the grains crept between his toes with each step back to his home. The house, small by most standards, contained a living room, kitchen, a couple of baths, and two bedrooms. More like a bungalow. It suited him. A quick swipe of his feet on the door mat,