by Cynthia Eden
Her lips parted. Soft lips. So soft.
“You’re damn well kidding me,” she snapped.
“No, baby, I’m not.” He straightened his shoulders. The hunt hadn’t gone down at all like he planned, but he was sticking to the rules. He’d been an ass, and he’d regret last night for years to come-drugs or no drugs, I shouldn’t have scared her. But he had a job to do. “There’s a bounty on you. You’ve got to pay for what you did.”
Her lips formed an outraged “O.”
“I’m taking you in.”
“Someone save me from good guys.” She punched her index finger into his chest. Hard. “I could have killed you while you slept.”
Why hadn’t she?
“Let me go,” she told him, dropping her voice, but keeping her eyes up. “Walk away from me. Trust me, it will be the best move you’ve ever made in your life.”
“You’re my bounty.” And there were dead bodies she had to answer for.
She shook her head. “You’re a fool. You’re gonna get caught in the crossfire. You’ll die. Or you’ll just wish for death.”
Like he hadn’t done that before. He’d died when he was sixteen, and the demon inside had taken over. He’d been fighting the devil ever since. “Promises, promises, baby.”
For just an instant, one instant, her eyes seemed to flare red.
Zane stiffened, but then the blue flooded back into her gaze.
She licked her lips, and her eyes darted around the cabin. Darted, then paused somewhere just over his shoulder. “This sucks.”
Yeah.
“Come on.” Then she started marching away from him, heading toward a shut door.
“What are you—”
“It’s been over nine hours, demon. I’ve got to use the bathroom.” She grabbed the door and slipped inside. “Now be a good Southern gentleman, and don’t even think about looking at me.”
Southern gentleman? Since when?
The cuffs were a damn inconvenience, but they’d be free soon, both of them. He’d take her to Night Watch, turn her in, and be rid of his Ignitor.
Case closed.
No more temptation. No more fire. No more Jana. “Damn demon,” she muttered.
“Jana, I’m—”
“Save it!”
Sorry. He bit the word back, but the guilt burned in him. He was sorry. For what he’d done to her last night … and for what he would be doing, soon.
The demon was really going to turn her in. Jana followed Zane outside the cabin. He stopped, and glanced around the area, obviously searching for the motorcycle.
Would he remember where they’d stashed it?
Nope. That glinting stare turned back on her, and he lifted one dark brow. What? Did the guy really expect her help? He was turning her in!
She smiled back at him and just waited.
“Jana…”
Her body hurt. Ached. That car crash hadn’t been an easy hit, and she was sure she sported a ton of bruises beneath her clothes. She needed a hot bath-for the aches and to wash away the blood. She needed some food. And she needed a bed that didn’t smell like crap.
Instead, she’d get-what? Jail? A fast trip to some human slammer? How long would she stay there?
“I hate being locked up,” she muttered. She’d already spent too many years being caged. Her gaze drifted around the swamp. Open. Free. This was what she wanted. Why couldn’t everyone just leave her alone and let her have it?
“Then maybe you shouldn’t kill people.”
His words had her stiffening. “You don’t know a damn thing about me.”
Faint lines bracketed his mouth. “Don’t I?”
“What? You typed my name in some computer at Night
Watch and all of a sudden you think you know about me? You think you know—”
“I know you started your first fire when you were thirteen. A fire that killed your father.”
“Stepfather.” There was a difference. An important one.
He crept closer. Not that those cuffs let him stray too far. “Why? Why the hell do you do it? You don’t have to hurt people. You don’t have to use the fire at all. You could’ve been normal—”
Was he crazy? “Demon, I’m as far from normal as you are.” Did he think she’d chosen to be like this? Did he know how many nights she’d cried and begged God to just let her be normal? Jana sucked in a long breath. “And I don’t know what you’ve heard about Ignitors….” Because it wasn’t like her kind were thick on the ground. “But when the flames start that first time, there’s no controlling the fire.” Not when the flames burn so fast, and you scream and beg for it to stop.
Only for the fire to flare hotter.
It had taken her years to learn control, and those lessons had been painful.
“You’ve killed people with your fire.” A muscle flexed in his jaw.
“Oh, and you’re Mr. Innocent?” Doubtful. She’d never met an innocent demon. “I bet you’ve just gone your whole life, and you haven’t ever hurt anyone, right? You’ve never—”
“The last person I killed was an Ignitor.”
Didn’t expect that. Jana swallowed and studied him, letting her eyes sweep over his face. The curl of his lip seemed cruel. His eyes too sharp and hard.
He stared at her and said, “I broke her neck. She never even knew I was coming for her, not until it was too late.”
Well, damn. Goose bumps rose on her arms. Not from the cold. Not this time. “Why?”
“Because she was working with a band of vampires. She was torturing my friends, and I wasn’t going to stand by and watch them die.”
So she’d died instead.
His hand lifted. Dammit, Jana flinched. But he was just brushing back her hair. His knuckles grazed her cheek. “Now it’s your turn.”
Her breath caught.
“Why do you do it? Make me understand. Give me something here. Why’d you start the fires?”
Screams that wouldn’t stop. “Because I could.” That’s all she’d say. Was that a fair exchange of information? No. But then, she hadn’t forced him to answer her question.
And she wouldn’t answer his.
Jana spun away and marched for the thick line of brush, dragging him with her. “The motorcycle’s over here.”
Because even the idea of being turned over to the folks at Night Watch didn’t seem so bad right then. But ripping her soul open and baring her past to the demon? Yeah, rain check, please.
She didn’t bare her soul for anyone. Her secrets were hers, and she planned to take them to the grave.
They stopped for gas at some rundown station. The bike vibrated beneath her legs and exhaust drifted around them until Zane killed the engine.
He was driving this time. The big, bad demon in control.
Jana heard a gasp when she got off the motorcycle, and she turned her head to see an older lady with stone-gray hair and narrowed eyes staring at her. No, not at her exactly, but rather at the cuffs.
Fabulous. Between the cuffs and her gaping shirt, Jana knew she was the image of wholesomeness. Oh, well. She flashed the lady a smile. “He’s a little kinky.” So am I.
Zane swore.
The lady’s jaw dropped. Then she slammed her door and drove away with a squeal of tires.
Her smile spread a bit. A growl reached her ears. She glanced at Zane and found him frowning at her. “What?”
He jerked the gas nozzle out of the tank and shoved it back into place on the pump.
“Come on.” She sidled closer and ignored the stench of gasoline. She always had to be careful at places like this. One wrong thought… boom! “Are you trying to say that you don’t have a kinky side? Because I’m not buying that.” She put her hand on his chest. Let her fingers rest just over his heart. A nice, fast beat. “I saw you last night, remember? I know just how wild and rough you are inside. You wanted sex, fast and hot.”
His nostrils flared and his heartbeat kicked up even more. Interesting.
She t
ipped her head back. “Have you had a few fantasies? While we were on the road, and I was wrapped around you, while we’re chained together, have you thought about—”
“What kind of game are you playing?” he demanded and she heard the arousal in his voice. She could see it in the taut lines of his face. If she looked down-she’d peeked when they’d hopped off the bike-she knew he’d still be hard for her.
What kind of game was she playing? The only kind she liked. The dangerous kind. But she was running out of options.
“Get on the bike, Jana.”
She didn’t move. “You know”-she let her lashes lower, veiling her eyes, and she dropped her hand—“I could burn this whole place in about two seconds.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her up. No strain there. Such a strong demon. Zane had already healed from the injuries he’d gotten in the wreck and from the tranq shots.
He eased her onto the motorcycle and kept his left hand around her a bit too long. “You could, but you won’t.”
She blinked. “And how do you know that?”
“Because you scoped the place when we pulled up. You saw the two kids pumping up the tires on their bikes, and the old man behind the register inside.” He paused. “You saw them, and I saw your face.”
Dammit. He’d seen too much.
“You’re not blowing anything up here.” He eased in front of her and started the cycle quickly. He knew how to hotwire, too. Figured.
The cycle roared. “Hold tight,” he ordered, like she had much of a choice. “Just another twenty minutes and we’ll be back in the city.”
Yeah, they’d had to drive for a while because she’d hauled butt and gotten them as far away as she could last night. Only to be dragged back now.
She closed her eyes, waiting for him to shoot the cycle forward.
Nothing happened.
Jana opened one eye and found Zane gazing at her over his shoulder. “What?”
His brows were low. “If you were really a cold-hearted killer, it wouldn’t matter about the kids.”
Just figuring that out? Give the man a cookie. “I’m saving all my fire for you, lover.”
He laughed. Flashed her those too-white teeth and laughed.
Then the motorcycle surged forward.
Jana held on tight. The guy’s muscles were like stone beneath her hands and her hair whipped behind her. No helmet. She might as well be begging for death.
Once he dumped her at Night Watch and those powers that be decided what to do with her, well, she just might actually beg.
No.
Begging didn’t do any good. She’d begged before. When she’d first been locked up. Begged to see her mom. Begged for help.
She’d gotten nothing.
Then when those bastards out there on her trail had learned about her power, she’d begged to be left alone.
What had Zane said? Normal. Yeah, she’d wanted to be normal. She’d begged for that, too.
Begging got a girl nowhere, fast. Fighting, shoving, letting the fire rage-that was the only way to make a difference.
When she got to Night Watch, she’d do whatever was necessary to stay alive. And if she had to let out the flames, then the place would burn.
And if innocent people were inside?
She pressed her face against Zane’s back and wondered just how far into the darkness she was willing to go.
The motorcycle took another curve, nice and slow. Zane hadn’t driven fast. He’d been careful the whole time. After one accident, maybe he was worried about a repeat. She sure was.
They eased from the curve, heading down the long road, and sirens screamed at them.
What? Jana’s head whipped around just in time to see a patrol car fly out of its nice, sneaky hiding place on the side of the road. Blue lights flashed, and the siren wailed louder.
Go. Faster. Faster.
She always had the same response to cop cars. Mostly because those cars were usually chasing her. Just like this one.
The motorcycle began to slow down. “No!” she shouted.
But Zane was stopping. He pulled the motorcycle over to the side of the road and shoved down the kickstand.
Her nails bit into his side. “What are you doing?”
He turned his head and met her gaze. “We aren’t wearing helmets. The guy’s got to stop us.”
She gulped. Right. Helmets. A normal stop. And such a Boy Scout thing for the demon to say.
Zane climbed off the bike. The handcuffs glinted in the light.
“And what are you going to tell him about these?” she asked. She wanted those things to be ash at her feet. Unfortunately, her fire didn’t work on them. She’d tried burning them last night. No luck.
“I’ve got my bounty I.D.” He shook his head. “The cops can check me out.”
“Can he get us keys—”
“Step away from the woman!” The barked order carried easily to them.
Here we go. Jana looked at the cop. A young guy, with light blond hair, a handsome, if soft face, and a perfectly pressed uniform.
The cop also had his gun up and aimed at Zane.
She straightened on the motorcycle.
“Easy.” Zane lifted both his hands, which, unfortunately, made her hand lift, too.
“The guy’s crazy!” No harm in trying a little maneuvering, right? Jana jumped off the bike and focused her desperate gaze on the cop. “Help me.” Her voice trembled. “He’s—”
“What the hell are you doing?” Zane snarled at her. Then, louder he said, “Officer, my name’s Zane Wynter. I’m a bounty hunter with the Night Watch Agency. This woman’s a wanted—”
“Undo the cuffs.” The cop had stalked closer. His clipped words cut right through the air. “Undo the cuffs and let her go.”
Jana blinked. Ah, yeah, that had been easy. She could look desperate and pitiful when she wanted but- Too easy.
Tension knotted her gut. That gun was aimed straight at Zane’s chest.
Zane started to lower his arms. “I’ve got my I.D. in my back pocket, just let me—”
“Take off the damn cuffs!” Spit flew from the cop’s mouth.
“Ease up,” Zane said, and his hands froze. “I don’t have the key on me.”
The gun barrel jerked a bit. No, it didn’t jerk. The guy was re-aiming. Setting up his shot so that when he fired—
Oh, hell. “Zane!”
The cop fired.
Chapter 5
The bullet hit the middle of the handcuffs. It couldn’t break the Other proof metal, so the bullet ricocheted and blazed a path of fire down the side of Zane’s right thigh. Fuck.
Zane fell to the ground, dragging Jana down with him. He rolled, fast, putting his body on top of hers. Shield her. Keep her safe.
“Sonofabitch!” Not his scream, though it sure could have been.
He glanced up to see the cop charging him. “I just want her!” the guy yelled.
Why the hell was everyone after his bounty?
“He told me not to hurt you,” the cop threw out, the words directed at Jana as he strode forward and raised that gun. “But with him, deadly force is fine.”
The hell it was.
Jana trembled beneath him and her skin warmed. She was charging up, getting ready to unleash her fire on this jerk coming at her.
“We’re not armed!” he shouted at the cop. “Stand down!” What the hell was the guy thinking? And who was this “he” the cop was talking about? “I told you, I’m a hunter with Night Watch, you need to—”
The cop smiled and aimed that gun right at Zane’s head. His finger was already squeezing that trigger. Oh, screw this. Zane focused and sent a wave of power slamming into the cop. The trigger-happy jackass screamed and flew through the air. The gun fell from his hand just as he slammed into the front windshield of the patrol car. The cop didn’t get up.
Zane did. His fingers curled around Jana’s, and he pulled her up with him.
“Is he … dea
d?” she asked.
“No.” The guy would be starting to twitch a bit soon. Zane had knocked him out, not killed him. “Come on.” They weren’t going to stand around and wait for another bullet to come flying at them.
And if I killed a cop …
The paperwork would be a bitch.
They climbed onto the motorcycle. She wrapped her arm around him tightly. Blood dripped from his thigh. As they surged forward, he demanded, “Baby, why does everyone want a piece of you?”
Hell, he needed to get in touch with police Captain Antonio Young. Tony would have his back. He always did. Tony knew the score, and how to keep the peace.
Most days.
“I don’t know.” Her whisper came softly to his ears and only his enhanced hearing let him catch the words. But it didn’t take enhanced senses to know she was lying.
Fifteen more minutes until they were at Night Watch. Fifteen more minutes and he’d be there….
But a cop had just tried to kill him. A cop who hadn’t cared about his position as a bounty hunter with Night Watch.
He glanced in the side mirror. No sign of the patrol car following them. The road branched up ahead. One side would take him back to the city. The other would lead him down a longer, curving path that wound back to the swamp.
His hesitation lasted for only a few seconds. Then he headed toward the swamp.
“Zane?” Her hold on him tightened. The lady must have studied the area pretty well before coming to set up shop in the city. Figured. “Where are we going?”
He heard the faint hope in her words. Did she think he was going to let her go? Just walk away?
Let her.
His fingers clenched around the handlebars. “Got to make a phone call,” he growled back. His cell had burned in the flames, so he’d have to find another phone.
He’d planned to just drive back in to Night Watch, but now, no, now he was gonna check in first. Just to make sure there weren’t any more surprises waiting for him.
Surprises like a cop who’d been ready to blow his head off and steal his bounty.
Her hands were shaking. Jana balled her fingers into fists and stared at the faded walls of the gas station. Zane had stopped at the first phone booth he’d seen, one at a closed station that seemed to be falling into the swamp.