He took the ring off his right hand and gave it to her. "I need you to take that and find a tree."
Amanda frowned at the ring in her hand. The gold was scuffed and nicked in a number of places as if it had been seriously mistreated. Or rather the hand that bore it had been through a lot of damage.
The top of the ring was made of flat rubies and held the design of a sword of diamonds surrounded by emerald laurel leaves and topped with a sapphire crown. She could tell it was a valuable antique.
Why would he entrust it to her?
Unsure of what to make of him, she placed it in her jeans pocket. "Any tree?" she asked. "Any tree. Then say the words 'Artemis, I summon you to human form.' "
"Artemis—"
He put his hand over her mouth. "For the love of Zeus, only say it once I'm gone. After you utter the words, wait until a very tall, red-haired woman appears and tell her you need protection from Desiderius."
Amanda arched a brow. "You want me to summon a goddess to protect me?"
"If you don't, he will get you and your sister."
"Why do you care?"
"It's my job to protect the humans from the Daimons. That's what a Dark-Hunter does." Though his face was harsh, there was a light in his eyes that told her there was much more to the story than that.
"What are Daimons?" she asked.
"They're vampires on steroids with a God complex. Now, promise me you'll do it."
Why not? It was a strange request, but then, considering the fact she was handcuffed to a vampire, who was she to say what was or wasn't strange? "Okay."
"Good. Now, let's run for it."
Before she could protest, he grabbed the handcuff over her wrist, and ran out the door to the right and down the hallway. As they ran along the rusty floor, Amanda realized they were inside an abandoned factory of some sort. At the end of the hallway were stairs that led down.
Hunter pulled her along after him until they reached the bottom of the stairs that opened into an enormous empty room with a cement floor. The old steel walls were cracked, with rays of the dawning sun streaming through.
The Dark-Hunter fell back into the shadows, away from the sunlight. His face looked a bit sunburned, but overall he didn't appear too much the worse from their mad dash. "Now what?" she asked as she tried to catch her breath.
The Dark-Hunter wasn't even breathing hard. But his gaze was just a little too hot as he stared at her breasts with interest. Amanda crossed her arms over her chest.
For the first time, she saw a real smile from him as she realized his hand was dangerously close to her breast. So close, his fingertips brushed the nipple, making fire rip through her veins.
She immediately dropped her hands to her sides while his smile taunted her. Though tight-lipped and devilish, it was still devastating. The amused gleam in his eyes was breathtaking, and his features softened into a boyish charm that could melt the heart of anything female.
He glanced around the empty factory. "Now I wish we either had a cell phone or subway system. I knew I should have taken that open position in New York."
Confused, Amanda looked up at him. "Open position? What? Is hunting really a job?"
"Yes. They even pay me to do it."
"Who pays you?"
Instead of answering, he held up a hand for silence in a gesture that was starting to piss her off—the main reason being because it seemed to herald trouble. And she was tired of finding trouble meant for Tabitha.
Two seconds later, Amanda heard someone walking around outside. Hunter pulled her deeper into the shadows with him while they listened. He had his free arm draped over her shoulders, pinning her to his body.
Amanda went stock-still as her back connected fully with his chest and a wave of misplaced desire tore through her. The heat of him warmed her and that raw, masculine aura of power overwhelmed her. Even more disturbing, his welcoming scent of leather and sandalwood invaded her head.
She wanted this man.
What are you, nuts? The man's a vampire! Yeah, but he's a really, really sexy one.
Kyrian couldn't breathe with her so close to him. His heightened senses felt her all the way through his entire body. He heard her heartbeat speed up, felt the dryness of her throat, but even worse, he could taste her desire.
It whetted his appetite for her even more. And it reminded him why he had made it his habit to avoid being around women as much as possible.
Damn you, Desiderius.
Because right then it was hard to remember he couldn't have her. And even harder to forget the way she smelled. The way she moved—like a confident dancer. Her lithe body was a symphony of grace and all too easily he could imagine her sitting on top of him as he showed her a sexual pleasure he was quite certain no other man had ever given her.