~ ONE ~

Hanna kinsley took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she stared down at Adam Vlacic’s outstretched hand. The instant she agreed to let him drive her to the hotel, she realized something was wrong. Leaving with him was against her better judgment for several damn good reasons. She had a choice. What made her decide she didn’t? What made her determine she would be safe with him? It didn’t make sense, and she was a woman who’d learned to be wary of things she didn’t fully understand. Suddenly realizing what had happened, she looked up at him. It wasn’t what. It was him. He’d managed to influence her thoughts. 

“Are you ready to get going?” he asked.

The idea of placing her hand in his caused a powerful sense of dread to settle over her. She kept her gaze on his and pushed her hand through her hair as she took a step back. “No. I’m not leaving with you.”

“Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine.” She blinked, and he was closer to her. Too damn close. His larger body was crowding hers, invading her personal space.

“You look pale.”

“Thank you for offering to take me to the hotel, but I would rather go alone.” She stared at him, watching him, fighting against a shockingly powerful magnetic force drawing her to him. “I’m not…” she trailed off shaking her head.

“It’s the middle of the night. There’s no need for you to hunt for another ride.” His voice deepened to a scintillating drug of seduction. Strange and unwanted desire blossomed in her. She was in serious trouble. He was a demon. She knew better than to allow a demon to seduce her. She knew better than to fall for a demon’s tricks. “I’ll take you to the hotel.”

“No.” She glanced down at his hand again and then looked up at him as she took another step back. “I prefer to find another ride.” She wasn’t quite sure what to make of her body’s reaction to his voice, to his dark and domineering presence. Clearly, she’d lost control of her damn mind and body to him.

“Come on.” He kept his hand extended to her. A hint of annoyance hovered in his unblinking black eyes, betraying his otherwise calm demeanor. “You won’t be able to find a ride this late, and I am not leaving you out here alone. Let’s go. I promise you’ll be safe with me, Hanna.”

Like hell, she would be safe with him. She knew he wouldn’t take her hand. He was waiting for her to surrender to him, to choose to take his hand. While it seemed to be an innocent display of a gentleman offering his assistance, it was far from it. It was a trap. Physical touch permitted a demon to read a human’s most profound, most guarded thoughts easily; especially, human-initiated contact. At that moment, she realized what had happened. She allowed him to touch her to remove the tattoo and tracking spell. She’d already opened herself up to him. She’d given him access to her mind.

“I am not leaving you here, Hanna.” His voice, a low, enticing, velvety smooth tool of manipulation, irritated the hell out of her.

She glared up at him. He was attempting to charm her, to compel her to trust him. She wouldn’t fall for it. She wouldn’t allow him to wreak havoc in her brain. She felt his mind reach out to hers. He was searching for information. She quickly focused on building a solid wall in her mind to keep him out.

Wincing, “damn it,” he shook his head as if her attempt to shut him out had hurt him.

“Don’t you dare try to do that to me again.”

He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I’m not trying to do anything to you.” His lips parted and slowly curved upward in a sexy smile, a sexy smile that caused her heart to beat faster. “If you’re ready, we should get going.” She hated him. She hated him for being a demon. She hated him for invading her mind and causing her to feel desire for him. “There’s no need for you to be afraid of me.”

“I’m not scared of you,” she blurted, wishing she’d kept her mouth shut. It was an obvious lie since they both knew he could kill her with both hands tied behind his back. “I’m not going anywhere with you. And you might as well stop trying to use your voice to screw around with my head. It won’t work.”

Appearing amused by her response, his dark gaze moved over her face. He was more than sexy. He was downright hot. He was trouble. And, thanks to his ability to manipulate her thoughts, trouble looked pretty damn fantastic on him. “That’s why you got upset. You believe I’m attempting to use a compulsion on you.” He had the nerve to look shocked by the accusation.

“Don’t even try to deny it. I can hear it in your voice. I can feel it. I know you are.” She’d spent enough time dealing with demons to know the depths they would stoop to get what they wanted.

“I’m not trying to do anything to you.” He looked and sounded too innocent to be anything other than guilty. “If I wanted to use a compulsion to control you, I would just do it.”

“I know.”

He moved his gaze from her head to her toes and then back again. He closed the distance between them. He was close. Too close again. He certainly had no respect for a woman’s personal space. “You wouldn’t know I was doing it.” He narrowed his gaze slightly. “You’re afraid because you don’t trust me. Since you don’t know me, it’s perfectly understandable. But I swear I’m harmless. Give me a chance to prove it to you.”

“A harmless demon?” She burst out laughing.

He lifted an eyebrow and remained silent, watching her for several seconds, looking for something. No. She realized he wasn’t looking for anything. He was trying to decide how to gain control of her. “You’ll be safe with me.” He kept his gaze on hers, annoyance once again hovering in his dark eyes. “I am not leaving you here.” His voice sounded deeper, lower, more of a guttural growl.

After several long moments of silence, she realized that she wasn’t going to convince him to leave her. Her best option was to go with him and wait for an opportunity to get away from him. “Fine.” She glanced down at his hand. “I don’t need you to hold my hand.” She started to walk down the sidewalk.

After a few minutes, he stopped and took a slow, seemingly thorough look around as if searching for something. “I guess my car is a little further away than I thought. It’s about three miles from here if we stay on the sidewalk.” He pointed at the entrance of an overgrown wooded park with several unmaintained recreational trails. “It’s only about a mile that way,” He explained. “We’ll cut through the park.”

“Only a demon would forget going for a three-mile walk around here.”

“Do you feel up to walking? If not,” he pulled his phone from his jacket pocket, “I can call for another ride to pick us up here and take us to the hotel.”

“I don’t mind walking.” In fact, to be entirely honest, she preferred being out in the open rather than confined in a vehicle with him. “I wouldn’t want to do it alone around here.”

“Why?”

“It has a reputation for being a rough neighborhood.”

“I haven’t been around long enough to get a feel for the area.”

“I recently discovered that the owner of the shelter has illegal activities going on with a local gang.” Frowning, she pressed her lips together and shook her head. Why the hell had she bothered to tell him about her findings?  

“Like what?” he asked.

“Mostly drugs and prostitution.”

“What else?”

“I’m not entirely sure.” She started to walk toward the park entrance. “I know they recruit women to work at a club called Wicked Sensations. Last week, after going to the club for an interview, a woman returned to the shelter claiming the place was packed with vampires. A few hours later, she loaded up her suitcase and left. The next day, I went to the club. She was right. I’ve never seen so many vampires in one place. She never returned. I hope she’s okay.”

Adam grabbed her arm to stop her and turned her to face him. “You went to the club alone?”

“Yes,” she said, yanking her arm from his grip.

“You don’t like to walk around this area alone because it’s rumored to be rough, but you didn’t have any fear of going to a club alleged to be occupied by vampires?”

“That’s not true. I was scared to death.” She took a deep breath and released it with a sigh. “The woman was very young. I suspect she was barely out of her teens. I hoped to find her.”

Clenching his jaw, he stared at her and shook his head. “Are you serious?”

“Sure.” She shrugged. “I’m not ashamed to admit being scared. I know you don’t have any reason to fear vampires.” He was close. Too damn close again. She actually felt the warmth of his body seeping into hers. His habit of entering her space was starting to drive her nuts. She wanted to shove him, but she settled for taking a step back to put a little distance between them. “But trust me, a vampire is not something a human wants to mess around with.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Frowning, he pushed his hand through his hair. “I can’t believe you did it. It was…”

“I know it was stupid,” she interrupted, “but I was really worried about her.”

“I wasn’t going to say it was stupid. It was brave. It was too damn brave. The idea of you walking into a place like that scares the hell out of me.” He shook his head. “The thought of what could’ve happened to you truly terrifies me. I don’t like it.”

She started to laugh but managed to stop to avoid pissing him off. His performance deserved a standing ovation. She’d spent enough time being tortured by demons to believe they had the ability to feel concern for a human’s wellbeing. For a second, she opened her mouth to tell him what she thought, but she managed to close her mouth before blurting it out. It was for the best to keep her opinions to herself. Provoking him would only lead to more trouble. She had more than enough problems to deal with at the moment. Besides, in all honesty, she didn’t have a right to keep comparing him to other demons and judging him by her experiences with them.

“Let me know the next time you decide to do something that dangerous. I will go with you.”

“What?”

“I don’t want you to go to the club alone again. Next time, let me go with you.”

“I’m never going back. And I don’t intend to stick around here for more than another day or two.”

“Where do you plan to go?” he asked.

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Why leave? If you don’t know where you’re going, you might as well stick around.”

She shook her head. “I can’t.”

“Why?”

“I just can’t.”

“What about your family?”

“What about them?”

“Where do they live? Do you plan to return to them?”

“I don’t have a family to return to.” They didn’t live anywhere. She’d killed her mother and father. She’d slaughtered them in their home in the middle of the night while they slept. She pushed the horrific memory from her mind, hoping like hell she hadn’t already revealed it to him. “You asked too many questions.”

“I wasn’t trying to be intrusive. I’m just concerned about you.”

“Drop it. I don’t have any desire to talk about my past or my family with you. You don’t know me. You don’t need to be concerned about me.”

His unblinking gaze remained locked on hers. She felt his mind touch hers. It was the gentlest of caresses rather than a deep merging. It seemed strange. His presence was all dominating, all male. She wouldn’t have guessed he had any gentleness in him. “I know it’s natural to you, but I need you to stop trying to read my thoughts. I don’t like it.” 

“I am sorry. I’ll do my best to refrain from doing it. Don’t leave, Hanna. Let me help you.”

“I know how to take care of myself.”

****

Adam knew she was struggling to accept him. He’d given her every reason to feel threatened by him. He knew a lesser supernatural being was stalking them. It was close, but he couldn’t pinpoint its location. He decided to go through the park to encourage it to approach them. He couldn’t identify the damn thing. And that bothered him. It had similar characteristics to a tainted vampire, but it wasn’t one. It wasn’t anything he’d ever encountered. To avoid scaring the damn thing off before he was able to figure out what it was and kill it, he masked his true nature. He stayed close to her, ready to use his body to shield hers if the creature decided to attack.

 “Wait.” She caught his hand and tugged it to get him to stop and face her. “Do you feel it?” she asked, her dark gray eyes shadowed with apprehension.

He stared at her, studying her face. She was perfect in every way. She was a treasure. His treasure.  A beautiful miracle he didn’t deserve. “What do you feel?” Rather than rush to offer information, he wanted to test her ability to identify and locate a threat.

“You feel it.” She released his hand and took a step back as if she might turn and run from him. “It’s true, you feel it, too, don’t you?” She frowned at him, taking another step back. “Why pretend you don’t?”

“I am not pretending. I feel it. How could I not?” He closed the distance between them, refusing to allow her to retreat from him. “It’s a lesser being. I want to know how its presence affects you. I want to understand your ability to detect something most humans wouldn’t.”

Indicating her acceptance of his response, she nodded. “I don’t know how to explain it. It feels threatening.” Wincing, she pressed her hand to her forehead.

“You’re in pain?” he asked.

“It happens sometimes. It’s a warning.”

“For what?”

“To figure out the direction the pain decreases and get moving.” She took a step.

“Hold on.” He took a step to the side to stop her. “Share it with me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Show me.”

She shook her head, shifting her gaze to the side to avoid his. “We don’t have time to play games.”

“I told you it’s a lesser being. It’s nothing for you to fear.”  He caught her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. “You don’t want to merge your mind with mine to share information.”

“I don’t want to provoke him. I just want to get away from here.”

“You don’t have any reason to fear Evolved anymore, Hanna.”

“I am not worried about myself. He’s close.”

“Who’s close?”

“A demon. He demands his followers and prisoners to refer to him as God. I don’t know his real name. He might be a god. All the other demons are terrified of him. He’s scary as hell.”

“How so?”

“He’s wholly evil. He possesses an insane amount of power. He loves to torture and kill others.”

“What’s following us is not a demon.”

“You’re wrong.”

“We are being watched by something other than a demon.” He didn’t doubt a demon who called himself God existed. He believed the demon had sent their stalker. But he knew the demon wasn’t nearby. He would sense it. 

“I am telling you he’s a demon.”

He hated her fear. She shouldn’t fear anything. It was his job to protect her. And he wanted her to know it. He wanted her to know that he would never allow anything, including a demon with a god complex, to walk through him to get to her. “You are safe.” He needed to hold her, to comfort her more than he needed to take his next breath. Unfortunately, if he tried, she would run from him. He realized she truly believed it was a demon and she didn’t want him to challenge it.

She opened her mouth as if to respond but, before uttering a word, she bit down on her bottom lip and shook her head.

“I will protect you.”

She smirked at him. “Wouldn’t it be more natural for you to figure out who’s going to protect you?”

Her sarcasm got under his skin. “I don’t need anyone to protect me.”

“He will kill you the second he realizes you plan to go after Evolved.”

He needed to get closer to her. He ached to touch her, to run his fingers over her soft skin, to feel every inch of her body against his. “I am not easily killed.” And now, with her to protect, he would be even harder to kill. For the first time in his existence, he had a reason to live. He had never had anything that truly mattered to him.

“And you think he is?”

“It doesn’t matter. I will protect you with my life.”

“You want me to believe that you would give your life for mine.” She rolled her eyes. “I am not an idiot, Adam. You’re a demon. I’ve spent years held captive and tortured by demons.”

“I don’t plan to die.” He was beyond shocked. He was incredibly irritated. No one rolled their eyes at him. It never happened. And, unless he missed a time or two, she’d already rolled her eyes twice at him. “I would give my life for yours.”

“Getting yourself killed for me goes against your nature.” She tossed her head back and laughed. “Besides, you know nothing about them. About him. Nothing. I do. Going up against Evolved, going up against the demon who believes he’s a god is suicide.” She paused. “I don’t want anyone, including you, to die for me.”

“He is not a god.” He realized that having his mate laugh at him was far more irritating than having her roll her eyes at him. He wanted her to believe in him. Motioning for her to follow, he decided it would be best to end the conversation to suppress the anger growing in him.

The wind increased and, heralding the approach of a storm, the atmosphere charged with electricity. He reached up and rubbed his throbbing temples. He needed to understand and contain his growing frustration to keep the storm from gaining strength. The steady escalation of his anger confused him. Why should he give a damn about Hanna laughing at him?

A hiss of irritation escaping from between clenched teeth, he glanced up at the darkening sky. Gathering pillars of dark clouds, illuminated by the setting sun, mirrored the swirling cauldron of fiery fury in his soul. He was a demon, a powerful ancient immortal. To the cruelest, the most dangerous supernatural beings walking the earth he was a ruthless, invincible adversary. He’d dedicated thousands of years to going after and destroying the worst of the worst. Why would he allow her doubt in his ability to protect her and wipe out Evolved bother him? He could ruin her, crush every bone in her body with nothing more than a thought.

Far off in the distant horizon, a flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by a low rumble of thunder that lasted for several seconds. Struggling to harness his rage, he turned his head slightly and studied her as she walked beside him. She was perfection. He’d never met a more beautiful, more desirable woman. Luckily, enabling him to resist her, he knew it was more than her feminine sensuality and sweet, intoxicating scent driving him mad with lust. It was a trick of nature designed to trap him. She’d been created for him. She was his mate.

She was a small woman. She couldn’t have been much more than five feet tall. How could a male feel empowered and receive pleasure from hurting a smaller, weaker female? She’d suffered terrible cruelty for many years. Evolved had tortured her. They’d abused her in many horrific ways. And, since she was several pounds underweight, they’d starved her. 

He had long ago lost his desire to find his mate. Even now, with her walking next to him, he didn’t plan to claim her. She was an unforeseen detour on a violent kill or be killed journey with no beginning and no end. The damn group had fucked with the wrong woman. His woman. His mate. The fact that he would never claim her as his mate didn’t mean he would allow them to get away with targeting and hurting her.

After securing her freedom and ensuring her safety, he planned to send her away. He had no doubt she would find an alternative companion to share her life with in the near future. All the sudden, rage exploding in him at the thought, he knew he would kill any male dumb enough to touch her. Lightning streaked across the sky, jagged veins of vivid white-hot electrical currents, chased by loud crackling claps and deep rumbles of thunder. For the first time in several hundred years, he couldn’t prevent his emotions from merging with nature and wreaking havoc. It was unthinkable. He had long ago mastered the ability to remain in control of his feelings.

“Why are you angry?” Hanna asked.

He stopped and faced her. The idea of her being with another lover bothered him more than he expected. “I’m not,” he replied.

Awareness in her eyes, she lifted her lip in a wonderfully, beautifully wicked as hell smile. “I’ve been in a storm created by a demon’s anger. It was a terrible storm. I’ve also had the misfortune of learning that a demon can manipulate the elements of nature. It’s like PMS on steroids.” 

He played her words over a few times in his mind. Sure enough, he concluded, she’d accused him of having PMS. After a few seconds, he managed to tear his gaze from hers. “We should get moving before the rain reaches us.” Not that it mattered. He could easily shield them from the rain. He needed to get her to safety and get away from her for a little bit.

“Are you causing the storm?”

“No.” His one-word reply, an ominous growl, revealed his foul mood. It was maddening. She was infuriating. Her ability to rouse and expose his temper didn’t make sense.

He felt her reach out, expand her mind to search for the demon responsible for disrupting the atmosphere. Then, causing everything in him to go entirely still, he felt her mind gently brush up against his. He actually found himself holding his breath, savoring her touch until he felt her retreat. 

“It’s you.”

“It’s just a storm,” he lied, unwilling to admit being unnerved by her.

“It doesn’t feel natural.”

“What does it feel like?”

“It’s dark, edgy, and powerful.” She kept her eyes on his. “It feels violent and unstable.” She paused, her gray eyes slowly darkening like thunderclouds. “Aggressive. Bad tempered,” she laughed. “It feels like you.”

That was better than being accused of having PMS. “You’re wrong.” He had the strangest sensation of falling. Her eyes were hypnotic. Magical. Beautiful. Her eyes were the entrance of her soul, a haven, a forbidden paradise. “It’s not me. It’s just a storm.”

Shrugging, she smiled. “You’re a lousy liar for a demon.”

He caught her shoulders and gave her a little shake. “Who do you think you are, calling me a liar?” She knew better. She knew damn well what he was. No mortal or immortal talked to him with such blatant disrespect. “I could’ve left you to die. I should’ve just…” he trailed off, realizing he’d just seriously fucked up.

“I agree.”

“No.” He was sickened by his outburst and horrified by her response. “I’m sorry, Hanna.” He wrapped his arms around her. “I didn’t mean it.”

“Don’t waste your breath saying you’re sorry.” She pushed away from him. “I think it’s safe to assume it would be best for us to admit we don’t like each other and go our separate ways.”

“No. You’re right. I am angry. It’s been a long time since I’ve been unable to contain my emotions.”

Frowning, she stared at him. “I shouldn’t have laughed at you.”

“I am not mad at you. It’s the situation.”

“Why get angry at all? It’s not your situation. It’s mine.” Rather than wait for him to respond, she turned and started to walk away.

He grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. She was going to run from him. It was only a matter of time. She was waiting for an opportunity to slip away from him. He needed to find a way to convince her to stick around without using force. “You aren’t the groups only victim.”

“I know that.”

“They need to be stopped to prevent them from acquiring more victims. I know you don’t believe I have the means to ruin them, but I do.” He knew how to convince her to stay close until he secured her freedom, so he went on to say, “And, since you know more about them than I do, you can help me.” He paused to give her a few seconds to take in what he was proposing. “If you’re willing to tolerate my company for a bit.”

“I understand that you believe you can destroy Evolved, but you can’t. The leader is far too powerful for anyone to stop. I have seen him torture and kill other all-powerful immortals.”

He smiled. “You think I am all-powerful?”

“The truth?”

“Absolutely.”

“I’ve spent enough time with demons to know you believe it. And you’ve definitely let me know that you can’t handle a person telling you that you’re not invincible.”

“Some pills are harder to swallow than others.”

“Maybe you should consider taking the next one in the form of a suppository.” She smiled, but her gray eyes darkened to convey the fury within her.  “You won’t choke on it, and it just might help relieve some of your pent-up anger before it builds up too much pressure to contain it.”

Grinning, he winked. “Thanks for the advice.”

“You’re very welcome.” Her mouth twitched as she struggled to remain straight-faced. “I thought you might want to avoid the embarrassment of suffering uncontrollable eruptions in the future.”

“You know you’re mean, right?”

“I figured it would be best to make sure you don’t read too much into the fact that I don’t want any harm to come to you.”

“You want to make sure I don’t assume you like me.”

“That’s right.” A gust of wind came from behind her, causing her hair to cover her face. Gently pushing it behind her shoulder, he studied her face. “Despite being a demon, I don’t think you’re entirely bad, but I don’t want to give you the impression that I want to get to know you.” She shivered and rubbed her palms up and down her arms.

He wanted to wrap his arms around her, to hold her close, to warm her. “You’re cold.”

She tipped her head back to look up at him. “A little.”

He took his jacket off and held it out to her. “Here.”

“I am fine.”

He got behind her and draped it over her shoulders. Her sweet, intoxicating scent filled his lungs. He would hurt her, destroy her. Not physically. He would die before he raised a hand to her or before he allowed another to harm her. His soul was dark. He didn’t merely love war. He was war. “I can’t change who I am. And, if I could, I wouldn’t.”  She turned in his arms, looking up at him. She looked absolutely…oh, damn. “Perfect,” he whispered. He didn’t deserve her. Not at all. “You are perfect. But I am what I am. I can’t change it. I won’t. Not even for you.”

“What are you talking about?” Frowning, she kept her gaze on his. He felt every muscle in her body tense. “I would never expect you to be anything other than what you are.”

“I was just thinking aloud.”

Seemingly amused, she laughed. “Don’t do it again.” Her lips parted in a sexy smile that captured him. Fully. Completely. The smile touched her eyes in a way that warmed his heart. He’d found her. His woman. His love. He saw the future in her eyes. And at that moment, he knew he would never let her get away from him. “It’s creepy.”

He breathed in deep, drawing her scent into his lungs, savoring it again. For a moment, he could only stare at her mouth, an exquisite temptation more enticing than any other. Raw, insatiable hunger clawed at him.

He had no idea how lost and alone he’d been. His life no longer belonged to him. He belonged to her, a woman he’d come far too close to abandoning, to allowing to die. He wanted…no. It was so much more than wanting. He needed more. He needed to taste her kiss, to feel her lips against his.

“Have we met before?” she asked.

“No.”

“You feel familiar to me.” She frowned. “Don’t lie to me, Adam. They’ve taken some of my memories. I need the truth. I know you, don’t I?”

“We’ve never met, but we have a connection, a bond.” He wanted to tell her the truth, but he feared it would cause her to run. She was everything to him. Everything. Nothing could ever come close to comparing to her. He couldn’t go on without her. He wouldn’t. He would never give her up. Not even to save her.

“I know we’ve met before, Adam. You feel too familiar to be a complete stranger. Why won’t you tell me the truth?”

He took both her hands in his. “You sense our bond.”

Shaking her head slightly, she allowed her eyes to drift over his face. “I don’t understand. I shouldn’t want to trust you. I shouldn’t feel drawn to you. I shouldn’t feel so…”

He wrapped his arms around her and held her. She didn’t try to pull away or resist at all. She actually leaned closer to rest her head against his chest. He felt the tension leave her body. His world was perfect. He’d found his woman, his home. His everything.

When she tipped her head back to look up at him, he lowered his head and feathered his lips over hers. He expected her to pull away, but she leaned into him and returned his kiss. Needing more, he parted her lips with his tongue to deepen the kiss. The sensation of her body against his, intensified the firestorm of passion raging through his body.

The instant she shoved away from him, he released her. “You shouldn’t have done that.” She stared up at him.

“You kissed me back.”

“You started it.”

Framing her face between his hands, he brushed his thumb across her lips. “You liked it.” His heart thundered in his chest. A fire of need, of insatiable hunger devoured his restraint and caused his pulse to pound in his head.

“I did,” she confessed.

He leaned down and took possession of her mouth. For a few seconds, he thought she might resist. Then, pressing her body closer, she reached up and locked her fingers behind his neck. She met his kiss passionately, moving her body against his. Her kiss was hotter, more sensual than any other kiss. For a few moments, he allowed her to set the pace, to control the intensity of the kiss.

Then, he parted her lips with his tongue. The taste of her kiss wasn’t enough, he delved deeper, his tongue exploring the erotic heat of her mouth thoroughly. He couldn’t stop kissing her. He needed more. Over and over again, he kissed her.

****

At first, his kiss was gentle, but it turned into a hard and demanding kiss, a brutal claiming.

She moved her palms over his firm, well-defined muscles, enjoying the way they tensed beneath her hands. She returned his kiss. His heart was beating, steady and strong beneath her hands. Hot currents of pleasure moved over every inch of her skin. Her body was on fire with lust, burning up for him. Needing him.

While he was a stranger, she felt as if she’d always known him. She was a part of him. He was a part of her. Something deep inside her soul surrendered to him, to her hunger for him. He was a demon. He could easily overpower her mind and do as he wished with her.

But no demon had ever been able to force her to believe in them. She was in serious trouble. She felt an attraction to him. Never, in all the years she’d been held captive by demons, had one been able to force her into a state of arousal.

When she pulled away from him again, he released her. “That was…” she didn’t know how to describe it.

“Incredible,” he said.

“Intense.” She paused. “And weird.”

“Weird?”

“I don’t normally…I’ve never allowed a demon to kiss me.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I have never wanted to kiss a demon.”

“I am very thankful you wanted to kiss me.”

She frowned.  “Did you use your power to cause me to feel more for you?”

“What do you think?”

“While I am tempted to blame you for my behavior, I don’t believe you would use your power to influence a woman to give in to you.”

“I wouldn’t.”