Dark Fire by Christine Feehan. Dark Series – book 6

Tempest shook her head. “Just like that? I’m supposed to believe you and take off with you? If all this was true, the only thing I could do would be to warn Desari and the band, go to the police, and hope they catch these nuts.”

“Don’t be so damned stubborn,” Cullen hissed, leaning across the table, his face inches from hers. “I’m trying to save your life. These people are dangerous. They believe Desari is a vampire, and likely her new boyfriend, too. They are going to capture her or destroy her. Killing her would be doing her a favor, given what they have in mind as the alternative. But you’re first on their list, because they see you as a way to get information about her and her troupe. You have to go into hiding, get the hell away from the band. It’s your only choice, Tempest.”

“Do they think I’m a vampire? For God’s sake, they have a photo of me outdoors in broad daylight. I’m having lunch with you in a diner in the middle of the day,” she replied, exasperated but a little afraid. Darius was going to kill her when he realized she was having lunch alone with a man involved with human vampire-hunters and Matt Brodrick. Maybe she didn’t dare go back to the band. Maybe she would be leading the enemy straight to them.

“You’re no vampire,” Cullen said grimly. “I’ve seen a vampire, a real, honest-to-God vampire. Those idiots in the society have no idea what one of the undead is truly capable of doing. Desari is no vampire either. But they’re already suspicious of me, so I’m going to have to go into hiding, too. Likely they’ll send their ‘military’ after me because I know them all, their identities. I’ve seen their faces and been to their secret meetings. You have to come with me, Tempest.”

Tempest tilted her head to one side. She wasn’t a vampire, but there was something definitely different about her. She could hear Cullen Tucker’s heartbeat. A loud, strong, healthy pounding that echoed through her own bloodstream. She could hear the swish of water from the kitchen, the clink of individual dishes, the low murmur of conversation between the cook and a waitress. A couple across the room were have a whispered quarrel. She shelled food cooking, various perfumes and colognes, all mingling, overpowering each other until her stomach lurched from the onslaught.

Colors were vivid and bright, almost like when she was with Darius. She noticed the thin veins in the leaves of the daisy in the glass vase on the table, the extraordinary petals and each round pollen center. Her gaze hung there, entranced by the flower’s unusual beauty, the precise creation of nature.

“Tempest!” Cullen hissed across the table at her. “Are you even listening to me? For God’s sake, you have to believe what I’m telling you. I’m no crackpot. These people won’t stop. They’re hunting you. Let me at least get you to a safe place. I’ll try to protect you, although you’ll probably be safer without me. They might give up hunting you, but once they know I’ve betrayed them, they’ll never stop hunting me. You just have to hide out for a few months. And it’s imperative that you distance yourself from this group.”

“What about Desari? She’s done nothing wrong. If I go with you, these crazy, dangerous people will still be after her. Maybe this time they’ll kill her.” Tempest shook her head. “I can’t run away and leave her to them.”

Cullen wanted to reach across the table and shake her, grab her, and haul her little butt out of there. He had seen another woman die, one he loved, one with that same innocence in her eyes. “Damn it, you’re so stubborn, so unreasonable. They’ll get you, Tempest. If I was still with them, you’d already be on your way to their hideout.” Frustrated, he stared out the window, trying to think of anything that might convince her to leave with him. If she didn’t go, he would have to stay and try to protect her. And that meant he was going to die. He would have no chance at all.