"Now, ain't this a bitch," Hunter said in an even tone as he pulled the sunglasses off and tucked them into his coat pocket. He moved with such deliberate slowness that Amanda knew it was his way of letting Desiderius know just how small of a threat the Dark-Hunter perceived him to be.
"Here I am, trying to kiss my girl, and you have to interrupt us. What, were you raised in a barn?"
With a calmness that astounded her, Hunter turned around to face Desiderius. "By the way, touch the woman-or the Lamborghini-and you're a dead man."
Desiderius came out of the shadows to stand beneath a circle of white moonlight. The contrasting buttery lamplight fell behind him at an odd angle, giving him a sinister appearance despite his angelic beauty.
"Nice car you have there, Dark-Hunter," Desiderius said. "It makes trailing it to you so much easier. As for your threat, I'm already a dead man." His perfect lips twitched into a mocking smile. "And so are you."
Dressed in a fashionable blue pin-striped suit, Desiderius looked like a highly paid male model. His skin was golden and unblemished, his blond hair a shade lighter than the Dark-Hunter's. His beauty was so flawless, it was almost surreal.
He didn't appear any older than his mid-twenties. A man at the height of his sexual appeal and strength.
Amanda swallowed as a shiver of fear went up her spine.
There was something insidious about a man so evil looking so sublime. The only giveaway to his real nature was the long canine teeth he didn't bother to conceal when he spoke.
"I almost hate to kill you, Dark-Hunter. Unlike the others I've bested, you have such an amusing sense of humor."
"Well, I try." Hunter placed himself between them. "Now, why don't you make this a bit more interesting and let the woman go?"
"No."
Out of nowhere, they were attacked.
Amanda heard a sharp click.
Grabbing her hand that was bound to his so that he wouldn't hurt her during the fight, Hunter caught the first golden vampire with the toe of his boot. As the vampire vaporized into a cloud of dust, she realized the click had been the blade in his boot being released.
The blade instantly retracted.
With a move straight out of Hollywood, Hunter clipped another vampire with his elbow, then sent him flipping head over heels onto the ground. In one lightning-fast action, he knelt, twirled open a butterfly knife, embedded it into the Daimon's chest, then twirled it closed as the vampire evaporated.
Hunter rose to his feet.
A third one came from the shadows.
Acting on instinct, Amanda whirled and kicked him back with her leg. She caught him in the groin and sent him to the ground, whimpering.
Hunter arched a brow at her.
"Black belt in aikido," she said.
"Any other time, I'd kiss you for that." He smiled, then looked past her shoulder. "Duck."
She did and he tossed a knife straight into the chest of another vampire. The vampire vanished into black vapor.
Hunter pulled the gun out of its holster. "Get in the car," he ordered, pushing her toward the driver's seat.
Her entire body quaking from adrenaline, Amanda got in as fast as the handcuffs and his hold on her hand would allow.
She climbed over the gearshift, into the passenger seat, while Hunter fired at the vampires.
He got in behind her, closed the door, and started the car.
Good Lord, Hunter was amazing, and perfectly calm. She'd never seen anything like it in her life. He was totally unruffled.
Another beautiful, blond vampire jumped on the hood as Hunter put the car in reverse and hit the gas. His fangs bared, the vampire tried to punch through the windshield.
"Didn't I tell you not to touch the Lamborghini?" Hunter groused an instant before he cut the wheel and sent the vampire flying through the air.
"And they told me you guys couldn't fly," Hunter said, straightening out the car and heading for the street. "I guess Acheron needs to update the handbook."
Amanda realized there were two cars after them.
"Oh, my God," she breathed, placing her hand on his thick, masculine wrist to allow him as much mobility as she could while he shifted gears. This was getting ugly and the last thing she wanted was to interfere with whatever he had to do to get her safely out of this.
"Hold tight," Hunter said as he turned the radio on, and accelerated.
Lynyrd Skynyrd's "That Smell" blared as they whipped out of the parking lot, into traffic.
Her entire body rigid, Amanda started praying the Rosary even though she wasn't Catholic.
"Lights!" Amanda shouted as she realized he was driving in total darkness and his windows were tinted far past the legal limit. "Lights would be very good right now!"
"Since they hurt my eyes to the point I can barely see, no they wouldn't. Trust me."
"Trust you, my left foot," she snapped, using her free hand to hold on to the seat belt like a lifeline. "I'm not immortal over here."
He laughed at that. "Yeah, well, in a bad enough car wreck, neither am I."
Amanda gaped. "I really hate your sense of humor."
His smile widened.
They went speeding through the crowded New Orleans streets, weaving in and out of lanes until she thought she'd be sick with fear. Not to mention a couple of times when she was sure her hand would be wrenched off by his movements.
Swallowing, she did her best to keep her nausea at bay while she braced herself against the dash.
A huge black Chevy pulled up beside them and tried to run them into a tractor-trailer. Grinding her teeth, Amanda bit back a scream.
"Don't panic," Hunter said over the music as he cut the wheel to move underneath the semi. He gunned the engine. "I've done this a lot."
Amanda couldn't breathe as they entered another lane where a red Firebird waited to try and ram them. The Dark-Hunter narrowly missed a parked car.
Amanda's panic was so severe all she could do was gape. And pray. She did lots and lots of praying.
By the time they reached the interstate, Amanda had seen her entire boring life flash before her eyes. And she didn't like what she saw.
It was way too brief. There were a lot of things she wanted to do before she died-including getting her hands on Tabitha and beating the snot out of her.
Suddenly, the black Chevy was back, trying to run them off the road. Hunter hit the brakes and jerked his car over. They skidded sideways.
Her stomach lurched.
"You know," Hunter said calmly. "I really hate Romans, but I have to say their descendants make one fine automobile."
He shifted and accelerated again, flying past the Chevy. They jumped the median, drove across oncoming traffic, and went down an exit so fast that all she could see was a flashing blur of lights.
The sounds of horns and screaming brakes filled her ears. It was followed by grinding metal and a loud pop and crunch as the Firebird full of Daimons hit the black Chevy. The Firebird drove the other car of Daimons into the retaining wall where it flipped over the traffic.
Amanda still couldn't breathe as the Daimons' Chevy came to rest beside the highway without striking another car.
Hunter actually whooped as he cut the wheel to turn the Lamborghini around in the street to face the opposite direction. He slammed on the brakes and took a look at the chaos they had left in their wake.
Her entire body shaking, Amanda gaped.
Hunter turned the radio off and smiled triumphantly. "And not a single mark on the Lamborghini. Ha! Eat steel, you soul-sucking bastards."
Downshifting, he stomped the gas, turned a tight, squealing circle in the street, and headed back toward the Quarter.
Amanda sat in stunned disbelief as she did her best to take long, deep, soothing breaths. "You actually enjoyed that, didn't you?"
"Oh, hell yes. Did you see the look on their faces?" He laughed. "Man, I love this car."
She looked up at the sky, and implored divine aid. "Dear God, please separate me from this maniac before I die of fright."
"Oh, c'mon," he said, his voice teasing. "Don't tell me that didn't get your blood pumping."
"Yes, yes, it did. In fact, my blood is pumping so fast that I'm not really sure why my heart hasn't exploded." She stared at him. "You are one crazy human being."
The laughter died instantly. "I used to be, anyway."
She swallowed at the hollowness of his voice. Without meaning to, she must have struck a nerve.
Their mood subdued, Amanda gave him directions to Grace's bungalow off St. Charles.
A few minutes later, they pulled into the driveway behind Julian Alexander's black Range Rover. The back fender was slightly crushed in from his latest collision with a lamppost.
Poor Julian, he really was a menace on the road. She slid a sideways glance to the Dark-Hunter. Then again, comparatively speaking, Julian wasn't so bad after all. At least he'd never given her a heart attack.
Hunter helped her out of his side of the car, then led the way to the door. The old-fashioned bungalow was completely lit up, and through the sheer curtains over the windows, Amanda could see Grace sitting in an armchair in the living room.
The petite brunette had her long hair in a ponytail, and her stomach was twice as round as it had been the last time Amanda had seen her. Even though the baby wasn't due for another nine weeks, poor Grace looked as if she could give birth at any moment.
Grace was laughing at something, but there was no sign of Julian or their guests.
Amanda paused to brush her hair with her hand, straighten her dirty clothes, and button her coat over the bloodstains. "Grace said they have company, so I think we should try and be a little inconspicuous, okay?"
He nodded as she rang the bell.
After a brief wait, the door opened to show Julian Alexander in the foyer. At six three, Julian was every bit as striking as Hunter. He had hair the same shade of blond and the bluest eyes Amanda had ever seen. His face was perfectly sculpted, but considering that he was the son of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, it was to be expected.