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A low, dark chuckle rumbled through my chest. “Did you forget a vampire claimed you?”

“I’ll just take off whatever you dress me in.”

Before she could say another word, I had her pressed against the wall; my nails extended and held her by her neck. Her heartbeat thumped against my chest, and her pulse pounded against the side of my hand.

This wasn’t about errant or misguided wardrobe choices; I knew that. The very thought that she could do whatever she wanted, or the idea that would attempt to take her exit, terrified me. The possibility of someone else removing her from my clutches was unacceptable, though it was the reality of the world we lived in, that someone may try.

And that time was now and I couldn’t bear it.

The woman had no idea how fortunate she was she found me, rather than any of my peers, but I now understood why they behaved in the manner that they did. I understood it better than I ever expected I would.

Consent meant nothing when faced with the possibility that those you loved could be removed permanently from your grasp. No one understood mortality better than an immortal, and it was the one thing we didn’t have comprehensive control over.

I loved this woman and I would kill anyone that laid a hand on her before they had the chance to blink.

“You’ll do whatever I say you’ll do, and you’ll do it when I tell you. God help anyone who touches you. I don’t think you understand what has happened to you.”

“You’re scaring me.” Her soft fingers clutched mine, trying to pull my hands away. Her gaze kept slipping to my eight-inch-long ebony lacquered talons.

“You should be.” She looked straight at me, her eyes watering. “I’m deadly serious,” I told her.

“I don’t think you’ll hurt me, not again.” She had to bring up the pit.

My grip on her neck loosened and I retracted my fingernails. “No, but I protect those I love.”

She froze, her breath catching. Her throat bobbed against my palm before she relaxed, and then she tore her gaze away. Slowly, her hand rose and she placed it over my heart. “This is mine?” she asked.

I hadn’t meant to tell her I loved her; it wasn’t the best timing, not with everything going on. And I hadn’t fully realized the depths of my feelings for her until now. I should have, but I'd been focused on our survival with laser precision.

My heart pulsed against her palm. “It is. It's a permanent condition.” I gave her a small smile that she returned.

If something happened to Brittney, there would no replacement. She was impossible to substitute and there was no point in trying.

I released her and she adjusted the bottom edge of her hoodie. “Samsies,” she mumbled and brushed past me, returning her attention to the computers.

Apparently, she wasn’t the only one uncomfortable with massive displays and extreme words of affection.

“They are moving faster,” Brittney said. “How far away are they? You’d think they’d take down your cameras.”

The demons were approaching from several different directions and a group of them had just entered the desert. If they wanted to, they could be here in five minutes. As was typical of the Kakians, not only were they armed with swords and daggers, but they had guns holstered beneath their suit jackets.

“They will attempt to breach the barriers very soon. They do take down some of my cameras, sometimes, but I use specialized technology that works with the atmosphere for most of my surveillance.”

Brittney placed her hands on the side of the desk and leaned closer, watching the group that had crossed into the desert. “What do you mean? What do we do if they get inside?”

There was no point in explaining the process in depth, as even I didn’t fully understand it. “There is software that a company called Fulgere developed that harvests energy through the air. It feeds the demons. I took a portion of that coding and developed it further with some of my own resources.”

She glanced at me quickly. “Wow. Well, that’s cool. I don’t know jack about computer stuff.”

An embarrassing amount of pride warmed me, hearing that she thought what I’d done was impressive. “It's even cooler that I sell their own technology back to them, modified.” Pride filled my voice.

Brittney’s snort-laugh was cute. “Do they know you are basically stealing? I think I’ve heard of that company in Manhattan. Or Boston? I don’t remember.”

“They’re too polite, or too desperate to mention it.” Essentially, they were stealing from all of humanity, so it was unlikely they would ever complain about anything I did. “The tech comes in handy as you can see.”

The Kakians were now close enough that I could physically feel the change in the atmosphere. The energy was tight, ominous, and full of intent. They were here for slaughter.

Brittney rubbed her arms, still staring at the bank of computers. She could feel it, too, even if she couldn't identify the cause.