Kiss of the Night(109)

Her face flushing, Phoebe went back inside.

Wulf burst out laughing. "Let me guess. Urian in there with her?"

Cassandra's face flamed even more than her sister's.

He laughed harder.

"It's not funny, Wulf," she snapped at him. "How would you feel if someone barged in on us?"

"I'd have to kill them."

"Well, there you go. I'm sure Urian feels the same way. Now let's go back so I don't have to think about the fact that the image of them naked together will give me nightmares for months."

As they headed down the corridor, a little girl came running up to Wulf. She craned her neck to look up at him accusingly. "Are you really going to kill my baby sister tonight because she didn't wash behind her ears?"

Both of them were aghast at her question.

"Excuse me?" Wulf asked.

"My mommy says Dark-Hunters kill little boys and girls when they don't behave. I don't want you to kill Alycia. She's not bad, she just doesn't like to get her ears wet."

Wulf knelt down in front of the little girl and brushed her hair back from her face. "Little one, I'm not going to hurt your sister or anyone else here. I promise."

"Dacia!" a man snapped as he rushed forward. "I told you never to talk to anyone with dark hair." He scooped his daughter up and ran off with her as if terrified that Wulf really would kill her.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you people that we don't hurt Apollites!" Wulf shouted after them.

"Sheez," he said under his breath. "And all this time, I thought Christopher was the only person I terrorized."

A passing man answered his words by spitting on Wulf's shoes.

"Hey!" Cassandra snapped, going after the man. "There's no need to be rude."

The man raked a repugnant glare over her. "How could you let something like him touch you? I say we should have left you to die by the Daimons. It's what a whore like you deserves."

His eyes darkening, Wulf slugged the Apollite. Hard. The Apollite staggered back, then charged him.

He caught Wulf about the stomach and slammed him back into the wall. Cassandra cried out at the sight, wanting to stop them, but she was too afraid of hurting the baby to try.

Suddenly, Apollites came out from all directions to break them apart. Even Urian came out of nowhere.

Urian was the one who pushed Wulf back. His skin tone was ashen and it was obvious Urian was extremely weak. Even so, he put himself between Wulf and the Apollite and kept a hand on each one.

"Enough!" Urian roared at the two of them.

"Are you all right?" Wulf asked him.

Urian released both men. The Apollite was taken off by the others, but he cast a parting malevolent glare at them.

"You need to stay out of sight, Dark-Hunter," Urian said, his tone much kinder than it had been earlier. He wiped a hand over his sweat-covered brow.

"You really don't look good," Wulf said, ignoring his warning. "Do you need something?"

Urian shook his head as if to clear it. "I just need to rest for a while." He curled his lip at Wulf. "Can you stay out of trouble long enough for that?"

"Uri?" Phoebe asked as she joined them. "Did I take too much?"

Urian's face softened instantly. He pulled her against his side and kissed the side of her head. "No, love. I'm just tired. I'll be fine."