Flowers and Fangs (Stake and Dust series, Book II) by Karen Michelle Nutt

from
commenting, and really she didn't care any longer. In this man's
arms, she was lost to the passion. Nothing mattered. Not stopping
Tim, not her impending fate… This moment was real and lovely and
she intended to enjoy every second without letting the hard facts
of reality ruin it. Tonight was hers and Derek's, a night long
overdue.

Chapter Twelve
    The sun kissed the edges of the curtain and
the shadows of the night receded slowly to the corners of the room.
Derek lay on his side, his elbow on his pillow as he propped up his
head so he could gaze at Sloane peacefully sleeping. Her onyx
colored hair framed her face, feathering like dark waves onto the
pillow.
    He didn't pretend to understand the
attraction he felt for her. It went against all he'd been brought
up to believe. She would be a vampire, a creature he was supposed
to slay and yet he didn't see her as a monster. He had felt the
pull to Sloane when they were teens. He had hid his relationship
with her from his family—and she'd been human then. They were only
to interact with their own kind. The Hayes family wasn't the only
family of hunters, and each family had their own methods of
eliminating the threats to the human race, but as much as they may
differ in carrying out their duties, they were all the same when it
came to their core beliefs regarding vampires: All blood suckers
were evil and they needed to be eliminated, wiped away from the
earth before they took over.

    Cassandra had been the first to waver and
then finally broke free from those binding beliefs. She fell for an
original, a vampire that had been born not made. Cassandra
confided in him, knowing he would not go straight to their parents
without hearing her out first. On one of their hunts, he had
divulged his doubts to her, and revealed he didn't believe all
preternatural beings were evil. She used him, played on his
emotions so she would have an ally on her side when she confronted
their family.
    Only he wasn't sure their proof that vampires
could cohabitate with humans would be enough. Their parents were
not opened to change. They would never welcome a vampire into their
home with open arms. His brother Axel was probably no better with
compromise and Wade... Wade lived on the wild side so perhaps he
could eventually be persuaded to their way of thinking. Wade
flirted with the preternatural world, picking and choosing who he
thought were the worst threats. Only then did he carry out his duty
as a hunter. Otherwise, Wade ignored the preternatural world. His
motto: You don't bother me, and I won't dust you.
    Sloane stirred and stretched. The sheet fell
away revealing cream-colored skin he had lavished with kisses only
hours before. The sun still did not bother her, but it would. Once
she fully changed, her flesh would blister as if the sun's rays
were laser beams.
    "You're awake." Sloane's throaty statement
made him chuckle.
    "So are you." He moved above her, wanting to
make love to her before they faced the day. How could something so
wrong feel like it was meant to be? Her eyes met his never shying
away. He leaned down and kissed her long and hard, pouring his soul
into the caress and receiving the same in return.
    "Derek, my man, are you decent?" The male
voice booming from his living room broke the mood. Derek cursed and
rolled away from Sloane. He grabbed for his jeans on the floor and
shoved his legs in one at a time.
    "Who is it?" Sloane whispered. She hugged the
sheet to her chin as she stared at him wide-eyed with worry.
    "It's my brother—Wade." He didn't bother with
shoes or a shirt. He wouldn't put it past Wade to just barge into
his room and apologize later.
    At the door, he turned and glanced at Sloane,
who looked like a woman who had just been thoroughly made love to.
It was an image he could get used to. "Stay here," he told her and
slipped out of the room to greet his brother.
    Wade's eyes did a slow slide, obviously
taking in his hurried attempt to dress. "Your fly's