Chapter Ten

R yder’s quarry had gotten away last night, and it still grated on his nerves. The woman he chased had escaped. Maybe she was a nobody, and maybe she wasn’t.

He didn’t often lose, and it pissed him off. When he spotted a target, he went after it with precision and he got it.

Not last night, though.

They’d split up to search the caves, staying in contact, and here he was, skulking around in the general location where he’d spotted the woman last night.

What the hell for? She probably wasn’t a demon. If he found her, he most likely wouldn’t even be able to kill her. He had to hope there were demons out here and he ran into them instead. They were his target, not some elusive woman he never even got a good look at. What difference did it make whether some stranger got away from him or not?

Because you hate to lose.

He scoffed at the voice inside his head. Wasn’t that the damn truth? That’s why he had been the military’s A-number-one killer. He not only hated to lose—he didn’t fail.

The Realm of Light just hadn’t yet figured out how good he was. He preferred staying back and keeping to himself, learning from those around him better trained in their area. Until he picked up all the skills he needed to, anyway.

This demon hunting thing was something new, so he’d been working with the other hunters during their off time the past couple months, and spending every available minute training. On the island the weapons had been tossed at him with no time to practice. They’d had to kill demons on the run, still shell-shocked to learn they had a common bond, that their mothers had all been taken by demons.

Old reminders that only made killing the demons easier. Not that he needed a reason to kill. It was an assignment and he did it.

He kept his movements slow and steady, staying so silent he couldn’t hear the sound of his own footsteps moving about in the all-too-quiet night.

And it was that complete lack of background noise that unnerved him—no night creatures were stirring. It usually meant something bad was about to happen.

The comm was quiet, which meant no one had run into any demons yet. He approached a cave entrance and stepped inside, relief from the oppressive heat immediate. He stopped, took a few long gulps of water, then moved further into the cave, keeping a snail’s pace.

If there was one thing he’d learned in special ops, it was patience. You never got the jump on the enemy by charging in like a herd of elephants. His hearing was tuned into the slightest sound, so when he heard the scraping he smiled.

Gotcha.

It could be either demon or human, but no matter which, they weren’t getting away. Then again, it could be an animal in the cave, so he wasn’t going to comm the team until he knew for sure.

He followed the sound, stepping inch by inch into the quickly sloping center of the cave. The scraping continued, the sound rhythmic, like someone using a tool against the wall.

That wasn’t an animal, and he’d never heard a demon make a sound like that. Plus he hadn’t received any kind of signal from Lou that demons had appeared. Which meant it had to be human.

He smiled in the darkness. A few more feet and he’d reach the sound.

But then he picked up the scent. Foul, like rotting garbage. In the confined area of the cave, the smell traveled fast.

Hybrid demons, the worst kind.

He moved into the room where he found a woman, using what looked like a small pickax to chop away at the far wall in an open room. A light was set up on the floor, illuminating the wall where she worked. As far as he could tell, she was working alone.

Shit.

He had no idea what she was doing and didn’t have time to ask, since he had a fraction of a second to make a decision. He moved in quiet and fast and grabbed her around the wrist with one hand, the other clamping over her mouth and smothering her surprised gasp. Her pickax fell to the ground. As soon as it did, he grabbed her around the waist. She struggled, kicking back against his shins with her boots, her screams muffled by his hand.

He clenched his jaw and held her tight, placing his mouth as close to her ear as he could.

“There’s something in this cave with us,” he whispered harshly, hoping he could get his point across. “Something bad. I’m not going to hurt you, but it will. Now shut up and follow my instructions.”

At least she stopped struggling, but her heart pounded like a jackhammer against his arm. He didn’t have time to worry about her fear.

“Derek,” he commed. “I found a woman in the farthest cave to the east. There are hybrids in here.”

“How many?” he shot back.

“No clue. Didn’t see them but picked up their scent.”

“You got the woman?”

“You could say that.”

“Get her out of there.” Derek swore. “And don’t…tell her anything. We’re on the way.”

Right. He just had to drag her out of the cave and hope they didn’t run into demons along the way. She probably thought she was being kidnapped, but he couldn’t tell her why.

This was going to go well.

 

Shay held the weapon out in front of her. “This is the UV laser. The blue stuff we inject as ammo is ultraviolet light. When blasted through the barrel part here, it melts the demons on the spot. Really icky, too.”

Icky. Now there was a word. Nic had been sitting with Shay for the better part of two hours while she went over weaponry. It was like watching one of those television shows on high-tech military hardware of the future. “This stuff’s for real, huh?”

Shay nodded, pride evident from the light in her eyes to the wide grin on her face. You’d think she’d created these weapons herself. “You bet it is. You should see these things in action. I didn’t believe it myself at first, but they do work. These babies stop demons in their tracks, melt flesh, explode them from the inside out, and in general wreak havoc on demon physiology. Kick-ass weapons.”

She placed the laser in his hands, unloaded of course. Heavy sucker.

“Who created these things?”

“The Realm of Light. I imagine they have scientists who put them together. On the island we were more concerned with heading out into the jungle and killing demons. We were given a crash course in the weapons available and shoved out there to use them. There wasn’t much time to ask a lot of questions.”

He studied her, wondering how someone who looked like she should be teaching a class of kindergarten kids could be handling the life of a demon hunter. That is, if this was really true. “You seem to have adapted well.”

She shrugged. “When you see them, you’ll understand. You do what you have to do. I don’t want those things roaming the world and killing humans. It’s my job now to kill as many of them as I can.”

He lifted the gun, peering through the sights and aiming at a target—a potted plant on a shelf near the front door in the living room. The trigger was an easy pull. When he put it down, she was staring at him. “Don’t you get scared?”

“All the time. Especially when I’m hunting and I know they’re out there somewhere, about to attack. But when they show up, adrenaline kicks in and I’m too busy fighting to be frightened.”

Damn, she had guts. “I’m impressed.”

Her cheeks colored that pretty shade of pink. “Don’t be. The other hunters are the ones who deserve your admiration. I’m just a newbie following along and doing what I’m told.”

He laid the gun on the table and leaned back in the kitchen chair, lacing his fingers behind his head. “I don’t know about that. You seemed pretty self-confident when you played cloak-and-dagger and lured me into your trap.”

She blushed a deeper crimson again. “Like I said. I do what I’m told.”

“Was kissing me part of the act?”

Shit. He had to bring it up, didn’t he?

“No, it wasn’t.”

Deciding to change subjects, he motioned to the daggers on her hips. “What about those. They part of the secret weaponry?”

Her hands moved to the knives. “No. They’re personal.”

“That’s right. Your hobby. You mentioned that.”

She nodded.

“You know how to use them?”

She arched a brow. “If you’re going to own them, you should know how to wield them.”

He shook his head. “I guess.”

“You want to see one?”

“You trust me with a weapon in my hand?”

She tilted her head to the side and patted the pistol tucked into the holster on her hip. “My gun is loaded, Nic. You come at me with my own dagger and I’m afraid I’ll have to shoot you.”

This time she wasn’t smiling. She never ceased to surprise him. “Duly noted. Sure. Let me see it.”

The dagger was sheathed on her other hip. The jewel-encrusted hilt looked to be worth a fortune. He wondered if the emeralds and rubies on there were real.

“Damn. That’s nice.”

She nodded. “It’s my favorite. A bit heavy, but the hilt feels right in my hand. There’s something magical about it. I can’t explain it, but there’s a power to it when I hold it. You probably think that’s silly.”

He placed the blade in his palm and handed the hilt back to her. She slid it back in its sheath and snapped its strap.

“I don’t think it’s silly at all. Weapons are a powerful thing. There’s a mind/body connection to what you hold in your hand that adds to your strength when wielding your piece.”

Shay arched a brow. “You know more about weaponry than I thought.”

Nic shrugged. “I’ve dabbled here and there.”

She sat in the chair next to him. “You seem to dabble in quite a few things.”

“I’ve been around.”

She drew one leg up on the chair, pulling her knee to her chest. “I would think you’d be too busy with the company business to dabble in much else.”

“I do my job and I do it well. But it’s not so critical that I can’t do other things,” he said, picking up the UV laser. He liked the feel of this weapon. Light and compact. But goddamn…what did they kill with this thing?

“So your dad kept you out of the more intimate business matters?”

“You could say that.”

“Why?”

He laid the weapon down and looked at her. “Probably because he sensed my utter disinterest. Corporate life isn’t my thing. I like physical activities better, and Dad didn’t push me to get that involved in the diamond business. Then I was too busy with my competitive surfing and he wanted me to pursue that. He was always pushing me to go out and have fun, so I did.”

“Bought into the bad-boy image, hook, line, and sinker, did you?”

He grinned. She read him pretty well. “Bad boy, huh?”

“You have the look.”

“What look?”

“Gorgeous, sex appeal, charm, a bit of a dangerous edge. Irresistible to some women.”

He tried not to laugh. He had no business feeling this sense of ease, this playfulness with Shay. But he couldn’t help it. He tried to keep his distance from her, to hold on to the anger, but something compelled him, drove him to get closer.

“I see. Some women. But not you, of course.”

“Of course not. I’m immune to that kind of thing.”

Challenge. She’d thrown down the gauntlet and he snatched it up, ready to do battle.

“You’re immune,” he said.

“Yup.”

“Wanna bet?”

 

Heat. Pure unadulterated heat, starting at Shay’s toes and steaming its way upward through her limbs, pooling between her legs and staying there.

The way Nic looked at her when he issued his dare, the intensity in his eyes and the way he leaned in, crowding her personal space and capturing every breath she took. It wasn’t fair. She was prepared to defend herself if he tried to escape. She wasn’t prepared for seduction. And every part of his body language right now screamed his intent.

He hated her. Didn’t he? Was he playing some kind of game with her? Or did he have ulterior motives? Dammit, her senses were in hyperdrive and she couldn’t think straight.

“What are you doing?”

He stood and so did she, backing away from the kitchen table. He followed.

“I thought you were immune.”

“I am. I’m thinking you’re after my weapons.”

That half smile of his was more lethal than any weapon. “I’m not interested in your gun, babe.”

Her lower back hit the kitchen counter. She looked left, then right, thinking it was cowardly to run. Besides, she was assigned to keep an eye on him. “I’m supposed to be teaching you how to use the weapons.”

“Lessons learned. I got it. Now I need to know just how immune you really are.” He placed one hand on either side of her hips, caging her.

“Back off, Nic.” Her protest sounded weak, even to her.

“You don’t want me to back off. You’re curious. You want to find out just how much of a bad boy I really am. If the image holds true. You want to pick up where we left off the other day in the pool. Do you know how sorry I am that I backed away from you? That I didn’t do what I really wanted to do to you?”

Oh, God, that was so unfair. Could he hear her heartbeat? She could. Her palms were sweating, her throat was dry. So were her lips. She licked them and tried to swallow. His gaze dropped to her mouth and followed the movement like a predator. She felt like prey, too—like a morsel he intended to swoop down and take.

Did she want him to take? Yes, she did. They’d been circling around this insane attraction from the moment he’d stepped out of the ocean. She’d been hit by a ton of bricks that morning and hadn’t recovered, despite her duty to her job, his kidnapping and subsequent anger. Her psychic vibes had been ringing like the Salvation Army bells at Christmas—nonstop and insistent.

She could tell herself a hundred times that there was nothing special about Nic Diavolo, but she already knew that was a lie. There was a connection between them she couldn’t deny any longer, and the closer he got, the more she realized that he was danger with a capital D. Not just because he put her job in jeopardy, but because she couldn’t get a handle on her visions whenever she touched him. She needed to keep her distance, but God help her, she didn’t want to fight this any longer.

Shay gripped the edge of the counter and he moved in. His lips touched hers and she inhaled a ragged breath, held it, then exhaled on a moan as his mouth took possession.

She hadn’t expected an explosion of sensation when he pressed his mouth firmly over hers, slid his tongue inside, and turned her world upside down. Her stomach did flip-flops and flames shot between her legs, roaring like gasoline thrown on an already raging bonfire. Her legs began to shake and she forced them to still.

Good God Almighty, it was an inferno. Nic surged forward, his body pressed up against hers in every intimate way possible, the hard ridge of his erection shocking her as it hit the sweet spot of her sex. Her body wept in response, needing that joining in a way that stunned her.

She wasn’t prepared to have sex with him. She’d allowed a kiss. One simple kiss.

How stupid could she be? Didn’t she remember what it had been like before? Nothing about Nic was simple. The way he moved his mouth over hers, plunging his tongue inside and weaving it around hers, ravaging her lips with careless abandon, and rocking his body in a very obvious invitation—oh, no. All these things were clearly meant to disrupt every synapse in her brain, to complicate her life in ways she couldn’t begin to fathom. Because all she could think was sex. Sex, sex, sex. She wanted to be naked and on the kitchen table, laid bare to be touched and kissed and licked. She needed him inside her in a way she’d never needed before.

No, this was not simple. This was complicated with a capital C.

And scary as hell. More terrifying than a horde of demons in the dark in the jungle. Because he wasn’t just taking. She was offering. And she wanted to offer up everything. Mind, body, and soul.

And along with the searing passion came the tunnel rushing toward her, threatening to suck her inside and carry her along.

No! No visions. Not now. She pushed them away, knowing she’d pay for it later, but she didn’t care.

When he finally broke the kiss, she sucked in huge gulps of air, only to die once again when he planted his hot mouth on her neck and licked along her throat.

She wanted to beg for mercy. Or beg that he never, ever stopped his assault.

“Nic.”

Whose voice was that? Throaty and hoarse and sexy. Surely not hers.

“Mmm” was his response. His hands were all over her now, smoothing down her bare arms. Despite the warmth, she broke out in goose bumps, the feel of his calloused hands turning her on in a big way. She wanted his fingers gliding over the more sensitive flesh of her body. Rough, insistent, demanding. She’d had a small taste of his hands before. Now she wanted it all.

Could a woman pass out from too much pleasure?

“Nic, please.”

He lifted his head, his pupils dilated. The teasing smile was gone. He was dead serious now. “You’re trembling.” He moved his hands up and down her arms, encircling her waist and letting his fingers rest on her hips.

That so wasn’t helping, especially when he pulled her hips closer to his body. Heat scored her there. Incendiary heat.

“What do you need, babe?”

That was a loaded question. She needed him to stop. She didn’t want him to stop. She wanted him to take the decision out of her hands so she didn’t have to make it.

She was such a coward. Why didn’t she just say the words? The way he breathed heavily, knowing he was as affected as she was—oh, wow, that excited her. How could she possibly put an end to this? The last thing she wanted right now was coherent thought or logic. There were a million valid reasons not to move forward, and no good ones to continue.

A slant of his head to the side, a quick study of her expression, and he nodded.

“Never mind. I know what you need.”

He kissed her again and her mind went to mush. Probably a good thing, since the first thing that went after that was the belt with all her weapons. Then again, if he’d wanted to disarm her, he could have done that a while ago. The belt clanged to the counter. She was dimly aware of its location should she need to get it, but was more interested in Nic’s ability to now move in closer to her body.

He didn’t. Instead, he drew his hips away from hers, though his mouth still performed magic over hers, his tongue like some kind of brain-fogging drug, raking velvety strokes against hers. She hardly noticed that he’d unsnapped her pants and drawn the zipper down until a cool rush of air greeted her hips as he pushed her camos down her legs.

“Boots,” he murmured against her lips.

“Damn.” They were laced. This was inconvenient.

“Ah, fuck it. Don’t want to wait.” He squatted in front of her and pulled her camos to her ankles, then wrapped his hands around her calves, smoothing his hands upward.

Shay looked down at him, this golden god between her shaky legs. His fingers crept ever upward, his gaze matching the movements of his hands. When he reached her buttocks and caressed them, pulling her hips forward, she released the whimper she’d been holding.

He raised up and buried his face in the V of her panties. Then he exhaled, and the heat from his mouth covering her sex nearly skyrocketed her to the ceiling.

“Nic!”

He didn’t look up at her now. Instead, he focused between her legs, drawing the edge of her panties aside, revealing the most intimate part of her to his gaze.

She didn’t know if she was more embarrassed or aroused. She barely knew him. He might be a demon. She wanted his mouth on her in the worst way. How could she be thinking of this while he was kneeling between her legs? Why, oh, why couldn’t she get her mind to focus on one thing at a time? What was wrong with her?

“You’re so pretty down here. Warm, wet, and you smell so good.”

He was killing her. Tingles of anticipation swelled the bud nestled there, silently begging for a sweet swipe of his tongue.

“I’ll bet you taste like honey.”

The tone of his voice—dark, delicious—made her insides quiver.

Then he licked her, and the quiver rocked her like an earthquake. Her body shuddered all over as warm wetness swept over her throbbing cleft. She couldn’t believe she was letting this happen. Yet it was, and she wouldn’t stop it now if demons came crashing through the back door.

She brushed her hand through his hair. She wanted to touch him everywhere, to feel his skin under her hands, to explore every muscle and learn his body. But then he stroked upward with his tongue again, covering her with his mouth to gently suck, and she lost all focus.

The harsh lights in the kitchen denied her the intimacy that should have come with this act, yet it didn’t matter. She was compelled to watch every movement of his tongue along her flesh, fascinated by the movement of his mouth, by her body’s reaction. And oh, did it ever react. She’d never gotten this close so fast, never climbed that precipice in such record time. Yet here she was, ready to go off like a screaming rocket on the Fourth of July, and wanting to hold back, but she couldn’t. She was there, her fingers tightening on the edge of the countertop, every muscle tensing as he quickened his pace, seemingly sensing she was nearing the end.

“Yes,” she whispered, pulling his head closer as she drew to the very edge. Then the floodgates burst and she came, rocking her pelvis toward him. She had no control over her body, just gave it up to Nic. He grabbed her buttocks and pulled her against him, devouring her like she was a feast until she had no breath left, no strength. She sagged against the counter and gasped for breath.

Nic stood and leaned his hip against hers, watching her, smiling down at her as he cupped her moist sex. The intimacy was shocking, yet comforting. He didn’t leave her there to come down off this alone, but held her, continued to touch her as she pulsed against him.

“You’re quivering. I like that.”

He cupped her sensitized flesh, caressing it with gentle motions until she felt the renewal of desire. How could he do this to her, how could he take her from exhausted completion to frantic need in such a short time? He slid two fingers inside her, her body gripping him from the inside, latching on to his fingers as he moved them in, then out, mimicking the movements of sex.

His smile devastated her.

“You’re hot inside, babe. Like a melted furnace.”

She didn’t know what to say. He was right. She was hot and shaky and more uncertain of herself than ever. This was foreign territory. She didn’t know Nic, and yet he was more familiar to her than most men she’d been with. She’d changed relationships like she changed majors in college—like she changed careers—never sticking with one long enough to decide whether she wanted to keep it or not.

Yet Nic didn’t feel like a stranger to her. He felt comfortable. He was so much like her it was uncanny. She felt close to him. She needed him, and Shay never needed anyone, hadn’t needed anyone for a very long time.

“You’re tensing. Relax and let me make you come again. I like it when you come apart for me.”

His words thrilled her, and yet they put him in power, in control over her. Maybe that’s why she had such lousy sex in the past. She never let go. Though she didn’t seem to have that problem with Nic. She’d placed her body and soul in his hands and he’d worked magic on her, just like he was doing now.

Quit thinking and let it happen.

She really had to start listening to her inner voice more often, because Nic had the best hands, ever. And either he must have had a lot of sex in his lifetime, or he really knew his way around a woman’s body, because she never came more than once. But here she was, ready to go off again.

The man really was a magician. She grabbed his wrist, met his gaze, and let him take her there, panting like a wild thing while he found that perfect spot, and with a few strokes of his fingers she was climaxing again, crying out this time, certain if he wasn’t holding on to her she would fall on the floor because her legs would no longer support her.

Turned out it wouldn’t have mattered. As soon as the tremors subsided he swept her into his arms and carried her upstairs.

“Where are we going?” she asked when she could manage to find her voice.

“Bedroom. I want you naked.”

Holy hell. Maybe he was trying to kill her.

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