The Witch's Vampire (New Adult Paranormal Romance) (Mystery Springs Series) by Jami Brumfield

with now.” He pulled out his phone preparing to make a call, stepping away from the stunning blonde's hold. “Is the blood bank and testing facility still intact?”
     
    Nicolai nodded.
     
    Marianna and Marco were two of the nicest vampires around. They ran the vampire blood bank in town and had been working on creating a synthetic blood source for the vampires for years. From the reports he’d received, Marco was close to a breakthrough. His loss was going to be great. “Christopher, the nephilim, should be upstairs with his sister.” He began to dial the phone. He needed to secure the blood bank just in case.
     
    “I’ll take you.” Sophie offered. She needed an excuse to leave.
     
    “Wait, Sophie, I need to…” Gio started but was interrupted by Jeremiah’s voice on the other end of the line. "One minute, Jeremiah."
     
    “No need,” she put a hand up to silence him as she looked from Marissa to Giovanni, they were a perfectly matched pair “I’ve seen all I need to. I don’t play games, either, Mr. Mancuso.” She turned on her heel and started up the stairs. Nicolai tossed a confused glance between Sophie’s fleeting back and his brother.
     
    Giovanni nodded his approval and offered a tight smile, not that Nicolai needed it, but the uncomfortable look he gave him forced him to feel he had to. He could imagine what horrible thoughts Sophie had of him at the moment. He really should’ve thought that kiss through. All he wanted was a taste, a simple light brush of the lips to show her his interest. He never expected it to explode into a moment of passion. And now he had an act of war on his hands. War against the Hunters didn’t bode well for them, but the hunters threw the first punch so he needed to retaliate or step back. He'd have to gather more information and discuss his options with the council. He only hoped he had time before the next possible strike. He needed to understand why Christopher would’ve attacked his people unprovoked. His concern needed to be on his duty not the spunky little witch.
     
    “Marissa, I need you to go home. There are dangerous games afoot and I don’t want my little sister to get hurt.” Giovanni spoke with genuine affection to the blonde beauty.
     
    “I’m tougher than I look. If there is danger I want to be there by your side like I always am, just as you’ve always been there for me.”
     
    “Marissa, this isn’t the time for heroics. I have enough to worry about…”
     
    “Sssh, silly goose.” She placed her index and middle finger on his lips. “You know I won’t leave you.” The determination in her blue eyes reconfirmed her words.
     
    Giovanni considered using compulsion on Marissa when a crash came from upstairs, and Nicolai flew backward into the hall. His sharp incisors lengthened and he charged back into the room with an angry snarl. Giovanni snapped his phone shut without saying goodbye to Jeremiah and took the stairs two at a time. His concern wasn’t for his brother, he knew his brother could handle himself in a fight, even against a nephilim. Nicolai was one of their best warriors.
     
    His concern at the moment was for Sophie. She was a new witch with budding powers. She couldn’t defend herself against a trapped nephilim who was as dangerous as a cornered animal. The rest of the house was behind him. He heard the pounding footsteps on the floor as he burst into the spare bedroom where Sophie was working on Tiffany.
     
    His fear for her slammed into him with the force of a car hitting a guard rail at eighty miles an hour as he took in the sight. Christopher held a fire sword against Sophie’s sweet neck. He heard her heart beat race, her pupils were dilated, and the smell of terror vibrated off her with so much intensity he felt his own teeth lengthen. His desire to protect her drove his own sanity level close to the edge. The instinct to kill kicked in and he jumped in front of Nicolai with a hiss and a deadly light in his