Page 81 of Taming His Vampire Mate

My senses slowed to a crawl. The vampire charged at me in slow motion, unaware its life was about to end. Jeremy was bleeding on the ground, and I couldn’t go to him until this thing was destroyed.

This time, I didn’t bother with hurting it. I went straight for the kill.

I drove my hand through its chest. Fabric tore and bone snapped.

Its eyes widened. Its lips parted. The gasp it made sounded human, but I wasn’t fooled.

A savage, white-hot rage flared when my fingers closed around its unbeating heart.

It had tried to kill Jeremy.

It needed to die.

“Thierry, stop!”

The murderous calm shattered. I froze.

“That’s Quinn!” Jeremy shouted. “He was aperson, just like you and me. Remember what you told me—this wasdoneto him.”

I hesitated, my gaze glued to Jeremy.

He clutched one hand to his neck. But there was no blood now—either the bite wasn’t as bad as I’d thought, or his healing had already begun to kick in. My wolf was on his feet, his other hand out toward me, coaxing like one might calm a cornered animal.

A flash of annoyance cut through the concern. I didn’t need to be managed. Certainly not by him.

“Poppy’s spell worked,” he said. “I know it did. You’ll regret doing this.”

Some of the rage receded, enough for me to think properly. I turned back to Quinn. And I found that I could see him not as what he was, but what he might someday be. If Jeremy was right, there was still a chance for him. He might still have a life that wasn’t soaked in blood and death.

Quinn’s fangs were gone. His eyes were huge, the whites showing all the way around the iris. A very human expression ofterror—as though he was justifiably afraid I was about to tear his heart out and end his existence.

Interesting. I hadn’t thought Quinn capable of fear.

“It tried to kill you,” I ground out.

“Quinn is ahim, not anit.” Jeremy’s voice was steady. “We don’t need to kill him. We just need to keep him from hurting anyone until the spell does what it’s supposed to do.”

“Why are you stopping me? You hate vampires.”

He huffed. “You can get bent if you still think that’s true.”

I scowled, released Quinn’s heart, and yanked my hand out of his chest.

Quinn howled in agony, clutching at the hole I’d left.

“Sorry about that,” I said, without an ounce of remorse. “Lucky for you, I have nature’s best painkiller.”

Before he could speak, I snapped his neck. He dropped to the ground, unmoving.

Jeremy exhaled in relief.

“Let me see it,” I said, closing the distance in a blur.

He didn’t flinch, just pulled his hand from his neck. “I’m okay. It’s already healing.”

He was right. The wound had already knit over with shiny pink skin. Slower than a vampire’s healing, but in an hour or two it would likely vanish entirely, leaving no scar.

He nodded toward the patchy clouds, where the moon glimmered faintly. “As long as I have moonlight, I can recover from almost anything.”