Tasuki watched as Kyoko rose up and leaned across the table to reach for the medieval-looking book he had opened in front of him. His amethyst eyes nearly glowed as her already low-cut shirt loosened and sagged on her shoulders before she righted her body. He was sure he would forever have the tantalizing vision of Kyokoâs cleavage with the barest hint of black lace peeking out at him.

He blinked then pointed at the passage on the page heâd been telling her about. He smiled softly as their eyes met briefly but he had already forgotten what heâd been saying, so he just let her read. Tasuki squirmed a bit in his chair trying to make his discomfort disappear but just that one innocent peek had made his veins race with fire, and all that heat was making his jeans tight.

His amethyst eyes darkened attractively as he filed the picture away for later. âYou know Kyoko, one day we will be marriedâ¦ because both of us know I am the only guy who would be crazy enough to think this is a hot date.â It was supposed to be a joke but the huskiness of his voice gave away his true feelings.

Kyoko flashed her emerald eyes up at him. He was probably rightâ¦ though she didnât admit it, or deny it, and that seemed to suit him just fine. Most of the time they were out this late togetherâ¦ they were killing vampires or at least walking around in the dark making good targets for them.

It was only within the last few months that heâd started pressing the issueâ¦ everyone had labeled them boyfriend and girlfriend for as long as she could remember, even though he had never asked and she had never agreedâ¦ only now he wanted to add hormones to the mix.

She nearly jumped out of her chair when half the lights within the library flickered off. The first thought that went through her mind was that some scheming demon had caught her not paying attention. She heard distant voices and it dawned on her that the library was just closing down for the night. They were supposed to have left over an hour ago but the people who worked there always stayed late.

âCome on Kyoko, it's time to find the exit before it gets locked,â Tasuki whispered, as he took her hand and quickly led her out of the building without anyone noticing they were there after hours. Part of him wondered if getting locked in with Kyoko overnight would be such a bad thing.

Once out in the parking lot, Kyokoâs steps slowed as she looked up at the sky seeing the eeriness of the cloud formation around the moon. She wasnât superstitious but it reminded her of the night scenes straight out of the horror moviesâ¦ the kind of movies that gave her the wiggly-boos.

She didnât need Hollywood magic to feel the shift between good and evil. It would be a good idea for Tasuki to go straight home. He was a great fighter but she depended more on her instinct, and it was telling her to get him out of thereâ¦ the problem would be in getting him to agree to leave.

When they reached his car, Kyoko looked up into his strangely lit eyes knowing he was the only one besides her grandfather that actually knew her secret. She trusted him enough to let him come along on a lot of the demon hunts. He could hold his own and never once had he given her secret away or let her down. Like today, they had looked up demons of all kinds in the newest books in the huge library. No one bothered them as they hid out in a secluded cornerâ¦ and theyâd had fun for hours.

âGet in. Iâll drop you off at your house Kyoko.â Tasuki held the door open for her. They were standing so close it would have been simple to lean down and kiss her, and in his mind that was just what he was doing.

Knowing it would throw him off, Kyoko leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. âNo, thatâs alright. My grandfather will be here any minute to pick me up and I donât want him to see us out here alone together, so you goâ¦ but call me when you get home so that I know you made it safely.â She smiled sweetly at him hoping he wouldnât argue. Besides, he knew how overprotective her grandfather could be.

Tasuki looked around hoping he wouldnât see her grandfatherâs old truck parked somewhere in the shadows. He sighed gratefully when he counted only three cars. The old man had caught them together last weekend coming back from a midnight hunt at the cemetery and threatened his anatomy. The muscles in Tasukiâs jaw flexed knowing he would never get anywhere with her if he didnât stand up to her guard dog of a grandpa.

Glancing back down at her, he raised his fingers to his lips still feeling the heat of hers and nodded. âOkay Kyokoâ¦ but if itâs all the same, Iâll wait here with you.â He gave her a mischievous smirk, âYou never know what kind of creepy monsters are lurking in the darkness ready to attack.â He grinned just before he pounced toward his friend in mock humorâ¦ making her giggle and run just out of his reach.

âTasuki come on, Iâll be fine.â She couldnât help the excitement that leapt into her eyes as she backed up and he followedâ¦ stalking her with heat shimmering in his amethyst gaze. Since he had started letting his hair grow, it had become wild, very dark, with blue highlights, and the dangling cross earring had transformed his looks from college prep to bad boy eye candy. It was getting harder for her to look away.

Tasuki shook his head as he closed the distance between them, âAnd give someone else the chance to pounce you?â His voice became a touch darker, âI donât think so.â

âLike you have dibs on who pounces,â Kyoko exclaimed, feeling things start to tighten in her lower abs and upper thighs.

âActually I do,â Tasuki said with a bit of pride in his voice. âI have dibs on dibs.â

Kyoko laughed and shook her head before pointing in the general direction of Tasukiâs house. She liked this cat and mouse game a little too much tonight, and knew she had to put a stop to it before the speed limit got changed. âTasukiâ¦ homeâ¦ now.â

âI love it when you go all dominatrix on me butâ¦â Tasuki said as his eyes darkened attractively. âYou should know thatâs not gonna work.â

âDang it!â Kyoko said stomping her foot because he was getting closer, and she wanted him to get closer. âRemember what happened the last time Grandpa found us out together this late? Do you really want to lose that!?â she demanded, pointing at his crotch. As soon as she looked at what she was pointing at, she gulpedâ¦ seeing it straining against the fabric.

Tasuki growled, âNot really butâ¦â He looked at her and grinned. âIâm starting to think itâs worth the risk.â

Kyoko yelped when Tasuki sprung forward againâ¦ and this time she found herself pressed up against the side of his car. Her emerald eyes were wide but unafraid and her fingers tightened very slightly on his jacket-covered arms. She could feel the flexing of his muscles underneath her fingers as he tightened around her.

Tasuki watched her deep green eyes become stormy with passion and lowered his head until his lips rested against the soft skin of her neck. He felt a thrill run through his body and settle in his groinâ¦ where it caused pain that felt really good. Unable to resist the temptation, Tasuki nibbled on her neck. His body pressed up against hers and he groaned when her long legs parted slightly, granting his thigh access. He quickly slid one of his thighs between hers as he leaned against her.

âWhat are you doing?â she whispered, unable to stop himâ¦ not wanting to stop him.

Tasuki pressed his thigh up against her core lifting the young woman up until her toes barely touched the ground. He groaned when he heard Kyoko whimper softly, and kissed a long slow trail from her neck to her lips.

âI want you,â Tasuki whispered in a ragged breath against the velvet suppleness of her mouth before capturing it in a demanding kiss.

Kyokoâs eyes fluttered closed, and she swallowed the moan that threatened to surface. This wasnât the first time Tasuki had managed to steal a kiss from herâ¦ but heâd never been this passionate before. She whimpered when his tongue brushed against her lipsâ¦ then slowly pushed past them.

Tasuki did moan, tasting the sweetness beyond Kyokoâs lips. His arms slid around her small waist, lifting her up just a bit, keeping her trapped between himself and the car. He pressed his leg harder into the apex of her thighs and rocked against her. Tasuki was elated when Kyoko returned the kiss with a passion that rivaled his own.

Kyoko felt one of Tasukiâs hands move up her side to her shoulder, and bury itself in her auburn hair. At the moment, she was glad her grandfather wasnât coming to pick her up because she never wanted the kiss to end. Not for the first time, Kyoko was tempted to let Tasuki take her homeâ¦ with him.

She almost suggested it herself when he ran his hand down her leg and wrapped it around her kneeâ¦ jerking it forward so he could press himself harder against her core.

How would it feel to wake up next to Tasuki first thing in the morning? Would he smile at her latest fashion of bed head? Would he make her breakfast in bed before ravishing her again? There were so many questions that Kyoko was very, very tempted to learn the answers toâ¦ just another reason she was considering going home with him.

Just as she struggled to get even closer, the eerie sensation that they were being watched shivered its way up her spineâ¦ making her pull away from Tasukiâs dominating lips. She had to push against him to be able to slide down his leg and stand on her own. The action wasnât without repercussions however, as it sent shocks of sensations up and down Kyokoâs body.

For a moment they remained close with their foreheads pressed togetherâ¦ trying to catch their breath. She closed her eyes wondering if his thighs were throbbing as hard as hers.

Her voice was shaky, and she had to try twice before she could say the damning words. âGo home Tasuki, Iâll be okay.â She saw the expression on his face and almost changed her mind. However, she needed to stick to her gunsâ¦ âI promise!â

Tasuki gritted his teeth to keep from begging, as he reigned in his emotions. He knew they had taken another step tonight in the direction he wanted, so instead of taking it as a loss, he knew it was a victory. âFine, but next time I will be the one who takes you home.â Of course his idea of taking her home landed her in his bedâ¦ not hers.

Kyoko backed up under the light of the street lamp in plain sight as Tasuki hesitated, then started to walk toward her. He paused, as if fighting a silent war within himself but when Kyoko smiled and shook her head, he fisted his hands at his sides and started back toward the car.

Wondering at the tightness in his chest, Tasuki glanced worriedly over his shoulder at her.

His amethyst gaze glowed in the dim light causing something to stir in Kyokoâs heart. She knew he was confused but she couldnât do anything about it tonightâ¦ not without putting them both in danger. She smiled brightly and waved at him, telling him she would be fine.

Making up his mind, Tasuki returned the smile. He got in his car and drove past her, honking his horn in farewell as he went. He felt the cold fingers of dread gripping his heart, and knew if he didnât circle back aroundâ¦ didnât watch over herâ¦ that somehow she would slip away.

Her smile slowly faded as she watched his car turn the corner. Standing very still, Kyoko flexed her hand slowly making a fist and releasing it. A small spirit dart appeared and disappeared within her grip. This weapon was the only thing that could keep them safe.

She had refused Tasukiâs offer to take her home for a reasonâ¦ ever since they had come out of the library, something had been watching her from the shadows. She could feel its eyes on her now, leaving her cold. She growled at herself for letting Tasuki distract her like that. She blamed herselfâ¦ not him.

Tasuki had been helping her fight the demons almost as long as sheâd been fighting them. They had even bought him a weapon awhile back and it seemed to suit him well. She had taught him many moves that helped during a fight, but stillâ¦ if he got hurt, it would be her fault.

She had lied to Tasuki saying her grandfather would be there any minute to pick her up. The truth was her grandfather wasnât coming at all. But if she hadnât sent Tasuki home, then the demon would have found them in a compromising position and killed them bothâ¦ and the more her feelings grew for Tasuki, the less she wanted to risk him getting hurt.

She knew he would stay with her and fight. But lately sheâd had recurring nightmares about Tasuki being bitten by one of the monsters, and it robbed her continuously of sleep. Kyoko didnât think sheâd be able to live with herself if Tasuki became one of them â¦ because then sheâd have to kill himâ¦ right?

Inhaling softly, she started walking in the direction of her houseâ¦ knowing it would take at least an hour to get there. Whatever was stalking her, she hoped it wouldnât wait that long to show itself.

After walking a couple of blocks without being attacked, Kyoko started to get annoyed. She even flipped her hair over one shoulder to expose her neck like a dinner plateâ¦ hoping the demon would hurry and make its move because she was tired, and wanted to go home.

Tasuki had probably already called to check on herâ¦ or at least she hoped he had. She had a flashback of being between his car and his bodyâ¦ making her groan in frustration. She was going to kick this demonâs butt for interrupting her, if it ever got around to attacking.

Her walk took her down another neighborhood street, and she heard a dog growling deep and low from somewhere close by. Her lips thinned, knowing dogs hated vampires. They probably hated them because if a vampire couldnât find a human to feed from, then the dog would suddenly make the menu. Her teeth clenched when a high-pitched sound followed the growlâ¦ the same sound you hear when a dog gets injured really badly.

The sound made her stopâ¦ and Kyoko felt cold knowing the poor thing was dead.

She frowned as she kneeled down and placed her books on the ground pretending to tie her shoe. âCome on already,â She added like the statement was directed at the shoestring she was jerking on.

The demon would probably come from behind her because most of the vampires she had fought were cowards by natureâ¦ and didnât want to give their victim a fighting chance. Thatâs why she made a good target with her petite figure and her 110 poundsâ¦ if she had been a normal human girl, she wouldnât stand a chance.

She rolled her eyes when nothing happened. Standing up, Kyoko turned full circle trying to find her targetâ¦ and flinched when she spotted him. She stared across the street into a shadow, where a small boy stood staring at her. The lifeless dog lay at his feet. The childâs skin and hair were white as snow, but even from this distance she could tell his eyes were solid black.

How unusualâ¦ most vampires looked exactly like humans. That was what made them the most dangerous out of all the demons that secretly roamed the earth. This boy didnât look human at all. As she watched him, she was caught between the sadness of one being turned so youngâ¦ and the knowledge that it no longer mattered.

Yuuhi locked eyes with herâ¦ almost wishing he were the one who was going to drink her. He liked the pretty ones. He called to his half-breed children, wondering how long she would last against them. He inhaled but couldnât find the scent of fear that normally heated his cold blood. He did however find her scent to be a mixture of purity and dangerâ¦ and wondered at it. Yuuhi watched as the vampires under his thrall came from the shadows behind her.

Feeling a tingle of warning sweep across the back of her head, down her neck and spine, Kyoko swung around knowing it had been a setup to get her attention and sure enoughâ¦ she was surrounded. Sheâd been waiting for a vampire, not threeâ¦ four if she counted the boy.

âWell, I guess I got what I asked for,â Kyoko mocked herself as she tried to focus on all of them at once.

One preppy-looking vampire sneered, which really ruined his good looks. âGot what you wanted, huh? I got what you want baby.â He flashed his teeth at her as he tried to capture her gaze and put her under his thrall.

Kyoko knew what he was doingâ¦ and felt instant satisfaction that no vampire had ever been able to take her will away during a fight. She looked him up and down. âI doubt it,â she taunted as she wondered if the loudmouth would make the first move. âThe sexually frustrated ones really are not my type,â She smirked when he growled.

At least these vampires looked normal. Wellâ¦ about as normal as three young men that looked like they belonged on the college debate squad, wearing fangs could look. It wasnât every day you saw a vampire sporting Armani. Hell, these three would probably cry their undead eyes out if they got dirty. And, of course, she couldnât forget the deadly child that was watching them like some sick voyeur.

That thought made her shiver inwardly. Sheâd heard stories about that kind of stuff among vampires. Some of them would descend on the victim of their choice, and commence to drink or rape them while others watched. One thing the movies did have right is that vampires were very sexual creatures and many of them had no preferenceâ¦ man or woman it didnât matterâ¦ they did both.

âI wouldnât quit your day job if I were you,â She laughed at her own punâ¦ then kneed him right in the groin. Another thing about vampires, they might be faster and stronger, but the males still had the same weaknesses as their human counterparts.

She ducked just as one came at her and was surprised at the speed it hadâ¦ so much for normal. Sheâd never dealt with anything this fast before. She clenched her fist feeling the power of the spirit dart form in the palm of her hand.

Sidestepping another demon, she twisted her upper body as one of the vampires lunged past, striking at him with the dart. A cold and clammy hand wrapped around her wrist and yanked, causing her body to twist furtherâ¦ almost painfully. Kyoko used the momentum and let the rest of her body follow the move, grabbing the vampire by the sleeve of its jacket and slamming it to the ground.

They rolled once on the ground and came to rest with Kyoko sitting on loudmouthâs stomach. She had to move quickly or she knew she might not get another chance at this.

âHere is something for you,â she informed him. Raising her arm up, she stabbed down with the spirit dart. The third vampire slammed into her from the sideâ¦ making her roll and skid across the ground. This time, she found herself on the bottom looking up.

Okay, this was starting to piss her off. Glaring up, she noticed this guy looked like a straight âAâ student who had decided to bring a gun to school. The sadistic hint of murder in his eyes was a dead giveaway.

âI donât think so buddy.â Bending her wrist at an odd angle, she touched the dart in her hand to his arm slicing it with only a small wound. She was rewarded when the vampireâs skin started to smokeâ¦ making him scream in agony. Bringing her knees up against her chest, she used her feet and legs to throw the demon off. It sailed a few yards away still screaming as its arm slowly melted from the rest of its body.

In a few moments, he would be nothing more than a bubbling puddle of dusty goop on the sidewalk that would vanish before the sun announced a new day. Kyoko had never thought much on where it went; she was just happy not to have to clean up the mess.

âJerk,â Kyoko threw the insult as she quickly regained her footing. She had been spoiled with fighting one-on-one over the yearsâ¦ so this was a new one for her.

She arched an eyebrow as the vampireâs scream quickly vanished. âObviously not a direct descendant,â she thought to herself. Her grandfather called them the gutter trash of demons, not pure blood vampires or demonsâ¦ just half-breeds. Butâ¦ they still carried the same name. The better grade of vampire, the slower they meltedâ¦ gross but true.

She knew the ancients were said to be much more powerful than this, but even Grandpa Hogo wasnât sure if the pure blood vampires could withstand her spirit darts. Heâd once told her the spirit dart was nothing more than sunlight harnessed into a weapon that could only be conjured up by a priestess or a guardian.

Kyoko saw a fist coming for her face and turned her head to the side knowing she didnât have time to do anything to stop it. If she took the time out to play dodge ball, then there would be consequences and she would be on the losing side of them. Feeling the impact of knuckles split the skin on her cheek, she suddenly crossed the line from annoyed to pissed.

The last thing she needed was to go home looking like sheâd been in a gang fight. She growled when loudmouth got close enough to slash her shirt almost wide open, leaving four deep scratches across her left breast.

âPervert,â She hissed at him, knowing heâd done it on purpose. The leering grin he gave her confirmed it.

Her mother would worry if she came home wounded, but Grandpa Hogo would only help her get patched up and let her go to bed. He knew she healed ten times faster than a normal human. Heâd spent the last few years training her to be what she had become.

Grandfather had known about her long before she had ever been bornâ¦ or so he said. The old scrolls passed down through the family told about the guardian heart crystalâ¦ and the priestess that possessed it.

At first she hadnât believed him, but her mind was abruptly changed when she was only ten years old. She saw him fight a vampire while he was walking her home one night from Tasukiâs birthday party. Sheâd been having so much fun that she had stayed even after the other kids had gone home.

When they were attacked, it had been very strange to see a man his age move with the same lethal grace of a skilled warrior. What was even stranger was that the demon had been very real. Sheâd run up to help her grandpa and hit the monster on the back with her fistâ¦ that was when she had first seen the spirit dart. It had still been in her hand as the vampire melted.

Once the fight was done and over with, Kyoko remembered asking her grandfather what exactly had attacked him. Grandpa Hogo then explained that while he was strong enough to fight the demons, he did not have the same power as Kyoko nor the ability to heal as quickly from injury.

He insisted that she had been born with a gift. Heâd seemed proud to witness it come to pass during his lifetime. This led to a long-winded explanation that the vampire was actually after her, that the demons had been stalking her since her birthâ¦ because of the holy power she housed within her soul.

He didnât know what the creatures could possibly use it for, but their lust for it had only become stronger over the years. Grandpa had come to the conclusion that maybe it had been placed inside her only to draw the demons toward her, so she could destroy them.

Kyoko still shivered in revulsion at that bit of news. Sometimes it made her wonder what else her grandfather had been hiding from her. One thing was certainâ¦ she hadnât looked at him the same sinceâ¦ neither had Tasuki, because Tasuki had followed them home that night and was a witness to the fight. That had only bonded her and Tasuki even closer together.

She shook the memory from her mind as she focused back on the fight. She quickly decided loudmouth needed to be the next to die before he somehow figured out a way to slowly strip her.

She lowered her armsâ¦ feigning pain so he would come at her once again. Despite their usually sexual nature, she wondered if all vampires were perverts or if it was just the ones she met. Just as he slammed into her and took her down, she watched as fear registered in his overly bright eyes. The spirit dart had impaled him in the last place heâd ever thought it would.

Yuuhi silently watched her fight wondering how a simple human female could take that much punishment and still be fighting. A normal girl would not fight at all. They would simply fall under the vampires thrall and do as asked. He was not pleased with this development. Heâd sired those three vampires within the last yearâ¦ wanting to know what it would be like to have brothers.

The only other family he had was his sireâ¦ Tadamichi. As of late, the masterâs attention had turned from himâ¦ to the twin brother that had returned to the city.

Wanting to get his new family away from the hyper nightlife of the city and the danger of the approaching conflict between the twins, Yuuhi had decided to take a trip outside the city, where their attention would be solely focused on him.

The city was a crude place to learn the basics of their kind, and he thought the suburbs would be best to test their abilities. The city breed of new vampires was sloppy, and reminded him of nothing more than hungry animals. During their outing within this small town, they had actually been able to bring on new recruits. But, the newbie vampires kept vanishing without a trace.

Yuuhi at first believed the new half-breeds had just moved onâ¦ abandoning him. But now he knew differently. They were being killed one at a time by nothing more than a human female. The demon child hid his emotions well as he watched his self-made brothers being killed. Deep inside, he was somewhat angryâ¦ but more curious.

Maybe this would get Tadamichiâs attention away from his twin brother. Would he care that someone was killing off his family?

Kyoko watched with satisfaction as the last vampire began to melt and she knew it would only take about an hour before the puddles were gone without a trace. She rubbed the back of her hand across her cheek, leaving a trail of smeared blood in its wake as she jerked her gaze back around to look for the creepy little boy.

Yuuhi moved into the shadows where she could no longer see him. Some sixth sense told him he did not want to tangle with the girl right now, though he did not take his eyes off her or the way she was holding that strange glowing weapon hard within her hand.

Kyoko blinked into the darkness thinking that it was disturbing on many levels that the child had vanished.

âDid I scare him off?â She asked herself refusing to move. She stared at the spot where the child had been standing. Minutes passedâ¦ hoursâ¦ or maybe it was just a couple heartbeats. Finally releasing her clenched fist and letting the spirit dart disappearâ¦ she shrugged her shoulders.

Yuuhiâs lips hinted at an evil smile as Kyoko picked up her discarded books and started walking again. He noticed as she came close to the objects around her, their appearance shifted and changed until she had passed itâ¦ like a halo of magic. He glanced at the trees ahead of her. The tops of the trees were like black claws reaching for the skyâ¦ but when she came closer to them, they became a thing of beautyâ¦ until she was once again out of its reach.

His black gaze leveled on her as if she were a target. Moving through the still air, he followed her. She would make a powerful new addition to his family of darknessâ¦ a gift for his sire. She had a high survival instinct unlike the careless fools sheâd just killed. Even now there was a small trail of blood on the sidewalk; as if it was stalking her but she paid no notice of this. She held magic within her and he wanted to be a part of itâ¦ to see things he had not seen since his turning.

*****

Grandpa paced back and forth in front of the window wondering where Kyoko was. It wasnât like her to not tell him if she was going to be out late. He ran his hand through his white thinning hair in worry. They had an arrangement and she was supposed to always tell him before she went hunting for the creatures of the underworld.

He swung around when the phone rang and grabbed it up before it could wake the rest of the household.

Tasuki hadnât been able to shake the weird feeling he had since leaving Kyoko alone in the parking lot. He drove around for only a few minutes before swinging back by and finding it empty. He cursed silently as he hit his steering wheel in frustration. Doing a doughnut right there in the parking lot, he left the libraryâ¦ but instead of going home, he staked out Kyokoâs place.

The longer he sat thereâ¦ the more unnerving it got until he couldnât help himselfâ¦ he had to call. When she answered her phone so fast he smiled. âThank god you made it home Kyoko.â

âYouâre sickâ¦ you know that?â Grandpa glanced back out the window as he held the phone to his ear. He raised an eyebrow seeing Tasukiâs car parked only a couple houses down. âCalling a young lady this time of the night!? What are you, a pervert?â

Tasuki almost dropped the phone as all the color rushed out of his face then quickly raced right back up his body making his ears burn. Only the old man could make him feel like a total idiot this often. Closing his cell phone, he continued to watch Kyokoâs house waiting for her to get home. The phone call verified that her grandpa was definitely not picking her up.