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“If you’re trying to kill me, you’ll have to do better,” he said, voice husky.

I fervently shook my head.

“Someone broke into the house.” My whisper broke mid-sentence.

He turned to granite and after a beat rolled to the side. As soon as he was upright, he wilted to the left, staggering slightly. Each blink of his eyelashes seemed to weigh him down.

He braced himself on the wall. He shook his head and slid to his ass.

“The weight of the sun.” He paused and his shoulders moved. Vampires didn’t breathe unless they seriously exerted themselves. “It’s at the highest point.”

Time of day could make it harder for vampires to move around? That was news to me. If this was him at his most vulnerable, then we were all screwed with me as the defense.

Ren’s head fell forward.

“Shit. Shit.” I combed my fingers through my hair. I didn’t have time to freak out when that was all I wanted to do. I yanked the quilt off the bed.

“Just stay here, I’ll stop him,” I said, wetting my lips.I’d try.I tossed the blanket over his head. It would hopefully give him a chance of survival if the man killed me. He looked like a mass against the wall. I didn’t know if the person was here to steal or what, but the fact that he brought a machete made it pretty clear that this was a full-on murder attempt for someone.

Two large samurai swords hung above the bed. It was closer to the ground, the style distinct to Tatami beds.

With my heart pounding, I hopped on top and reached for the handle of one of the dangerous looking slim swords. The cool metal settled in my palm and I pulled it off the hooks it rested on. The blade immediately thudded on the bed. I grabbed it with both hands and struggled to lift it.

God, this was not the time to rue my unathletic body. I swayed to the door, moving ungracefully because of the weight. Resting the tip on the floor, it immediately gouged into the wood. I winced at the destroyed flooring.

Opening the door, I slid out, dragging the weapon behind me while holding it with two hands. How did people fight with these every day? Imagine the arm muscles . . . and that explained Ren’s muscle mass.

I inched past the stairs and crossed to the right-side hallway. Jax’s bedroom door was open.

The broad shouldered man stood at the end of the bed, staring down at Jax. Oh God. He was a big guy. Bigger than I’d thought. Broad and tall and wide. A Mack truck of a human. But he stared down at Jax without movement. The floorboard creaked. In a sudden jerky motion, he turned on his heels. There went my element of surprise.

His features tautened and his blank expression became suddenly animated as he narrowed his eyes on me.

He lifted the machete and bum rushed me. My lungs seized and I scrambled to lift the sword as I backed away.

I managed to get it pointed at him as he came at me.

Maybe I had this! . . . the hopeful thought evaporated as he smacked the machete against the samurai sword. The vibration stung my hand and I dropped it with a pained grunt.

The back of his hand flew at me, and I rolled from the force of his backhand. My hip hit the ground, and I used my heels to drag myself backwards. The sunlight spilling in from downstairs fell across his face as he stormed up to me, giving me a better look at him.

Those eyes only held rage.

I used my palms to scoot back.

He bunched the front of my shirt and lifted me only to slam me against the wall. He was human and I still couldn’t hold my own against him. My head ricocheted off the wall with a frightening thud and my sight swam.

He crouched and grabbed my neck and pinned me to the wall. He slowly lifted me until my feet kicked in the air and my eyeballs felt like they would pop.

I dug my nails into his forearms, but the long sleeves didn’t allow me to draw blood.

He stared at me, watching me struggle. Taking pleasure in my frantic movements.

My face throbbed. Something dripped into my eye. Blood from my aching eyebrow.

I couldn’t breathe out of my nose because it hurt and the scent of copper tinged every inhale.

With his free hand, he lifted his phone and snapped a picture of me. Efficient and quick, like photographing a landscape.