Tessa’s POV“It was an ambush,” Mulligan continued. “We didn’t expect there to be more than one vampire. But they were expecting a trap, and the result was Noah getting critically hurt. Thankfully, Joseph was able to put a stop to these vampires with our help and they were locked up. But Noah suffered greatly.”I felt sad by this story. I felt sad for Joseph. I lowered my gaze and stared at my hands. I was so awful to him for not letting me do this. I didn’t understand, but now I get it.He was afraid the same thing would happen to me.“Joseph blamed himself for not being able to protect Noah. He blamed us as well. He went into retirement and fell off the grid for a long time,” Mulligan said, a sad look in his eyes.“You said that Noah was hurt critically, but that's not that he died right away. Did he die on the scene, or afterward?” I found myself asking.“He died within the hour. It was painful and agonizing for him. It was terrible to watch. Joseph wouldn’t let us put him out of h
Tessa’s POV“We have an apartment across the city. We will prepare it. Tessa will be unaccompanied in that apartment,” Mulligan explained again.“What about school?” I asked, staring around at all their determined faces. Joseph’s face was a mix of worry and anger. I knew he didn’t want to go through with this plan, but he knew we didn’t have much of a choice.“I’ll make some calls,” Mulligan assured me.The Nightwalker Police had special connections and could basically make anything and everything happen in their favor. I wasn’t worried about it, but I was worried about Ruby.How was I going to explain to her that I was not going to be at school for the next unforeseen future?“I’ll ask Emily to substitute for the next few days,” Joseph finally spoke after remaining silent for so long.My heart tightened painfully at the sound of her name.He kept himself from looking at me, but I could see the dismay and anger on his face. I wanted to reach out and provide him with some kind of comfo
Joseph’s POVIt took everything I had to keep myself under control while at the headquarters. I thought I was going to rip out Jordan’s heart for suggesting this stupid plan.The amount of rage I felt was lethal.Tessa was afraid of what I might do, and I didn’t blame her.After what happened with Noah, I didn’t want to chance anything like that happening to Tessa. I couldn’t live with myself.I could tell that Tessa was the kind of girl who would run into the eye of danger.This mission was going to be different than Noah’s mission. This time, I wasn’t going to take my eyes off her. The first sign of danger and I will be there. I was determined to make sure she was safe during this mission.In the car ride home, I couldn’t stop thinking about all the potential dangers we could be facing. Right now, we only think there are two vampires, but there could be more. We need to be prepared for any possible ambushes.Which meant I needed to set guards in certain areas. I wanted every corner
Tessa’s POVI woke up early the next morning, and quickly took a shower, getting dressed for the day. Joseph was waiting for me downstairs.Somehow, he looked even better this morning than he had all the other mornings. Not that he didn’t look good before, but my heart was beating harder than it ever had before and I felt my face warm as I neared him with my suitcases.“Did you get any sleep?” I asked him, staring around his well-put-together outfit and neatly combed hair.He nodded.“A little,” he answered.That was a relief to me because I needed him to be awake and alert for the next few days. Without another word, he picked up my bags and brought them to his car.The ride to headquarters was mainly quiet. I wondered if he thought about last night at all. I feel like something had happened between us. Or it was about to happen. I could hardly comprehend the moment and while it was happening, it felt like slow motion.There was a pull between us, pulling us together and I felt entra
Joseph’s POV“It’s been three days and there’s still no signs of these new vampires,” I growled. “Face it, Mulligan This plan was nothing but a failure. I’m pulling her out of there.”“Not yet,” Mulligan scowled. “We need to give it more time.”Three days.Three days without a single new vampire sighting. It was aggravating. I have stayed in my posts for those three days, waiting and watching. Tessa did a variety of activities while in this apartment, but I could tell she was losing her mind with boredom.She did a lot of yoga and meditation. I didn’t know if she did either, but she was incredibly flexible. She changed into tight yoga pants and a workout bra that showed a lot of her stomach and enhanced her breasts.I didn’t like the fact that everyone could look at her like this. A pit of fury boiled in my stomach, an unfamiliar feeling, but something I had trouble ignoring.When she bent down, touching her toes without bending her knees, I felt my cock grow hard.Get it together, Jo
Tessa’s POVI ran toward my bedroom. Once I saw the window in the living room was opening, slamming the door shut behind me.The hissing coming from the window in my room had me nearly paralyzed.The window was pushed in and shattered to the ground. I stumbled backward as an unfamiliar face crawled through the window.I screamed, wondering if Joseph could hear me.I thought he could teleport. Why wasn’t he here?Just as I ran toward the door, my bare foot snagged on a piece of glass on the ground and blood spattered around me.I yelled out in pain, nearly falling to the floor. My foot throbbed from the cut, and I heard the vampire gasping. When I turned back, I saw the hunger in his eyes. He opened his mouth, revealing fangs, and his breathing grew immensely. Dark swirls covered his face, and his eyes were black like the night sky.He lunged toward me in a quick motion. I managed to grab the door and pull myself out of the room, slamming the door shut just as he reached me. He ran int
Tessa’s POVMy heart was pounding violently in my chest as I stared up at Joseph. We shared a kiss in the heat of the moment that set my entire soul on fire. His touch sent warmth throughout my body, and I knew my face was probably the color of an apple.The kiss was short, but it was sweet. His lips fit perfectly against mine and he cradled me in his arms like he was afraid I was going to break at any moment.At that moment, nothing else mattered and it felt like we were the only two people in the room. I tuned out the sounds of Mulligan yelling for his men to search the rest of the premises. I ignored Mulligan trying to get Joseph to get me out of here.Nothing else seemed to matter.His eyes were on mine, and I could see the questions circulating in them. I wondered if he felt the connection as I did, or if it was all in my head.“Joseph?” Mulligan said, stepping beside him. “Did you hear me? You need to get her out of here.”Joseph blinked, finally pulling his gaze away from mine
Joseph’s POVTessa sat up on the couch with her head resting on the back pillow and her journal still open on her lap. She had fallen asleep, and I wondered if she was waiting for me.This feeling in my chest left me unsettled. How could something so small have such an effect on my heart in this way?I admit that when I first met Tessa, I was drawn to her, and I don’t think it was just her blood that caused me to become curious. It was her aura and the look in her eyes when we passed one another. Her blood was scented strong, and I was intrigued by her, but there was something more at play that I couldn’t put my finger on.However, Tessa is a brilliant young, 20-year-old, woman with an entire life laid out in front of her. She has goals and plans for her future. She’s a very talented writer and I knew she’d be going places. She deserved a luxurious life in the city, dining with publishers, and doing interviews.A life with a vampire isn’t probable for her and I wouldn’t wish that on h