Hotter After Midnight

by Cynthia Eden

Colin sure didn’t have much finesse.

  “I wasn’t planning on talking to you.” His stare darted to the left, the right. Then landed on Emily. “I wanted to talk to Dr. Drake.”

  Beside her, Colin shrugged. “So talk. We’re both listening.”

  Jake licked his lips. Hunched even deeper into the booth. “Preston knew about us.”

  “Us?” Emily asked softly. She’d figured she’d better jump in, before Colin scared the guy to death with his hard-ass approach.

  Sometimes a delicate technique was required. She’d spent years honing that technique.

  “Yeah. You know, the Other.”

  Well, that wasn’t exactly news. But she nodded anyway, trying to look encouraging.

  “His girl, she was a demon.”

  She could feel the sudden, alert tension in Colin’s body. “What’s her name?”

  Jake sucked in a sharp breath. The weak beat of his power flickered in the air around them. “You didn’t get this from me, okay?”

  “Right.” Colin tapped his index finger on the table.

  “Gillian Nemont.” He swallowed. “But I don’t think you’re gonna be able to talk to her.”

  Jake pushed to his feet and cast another nervous glance toward the front of the bar. “Shouldn’t have come here,” he muttered. For a moment, his face tightened as he looked back at Emily. “I thought we’d meet alone.”

  Colin stood slowly. “Sorry, we’re a package deal.” He positioned his body in front of Jake’s, effectively blocking the demon’s path. “And just why won’t Gillian talk to me? Does she have a thing against cops?”

  Jake shook his head. “No, if you can find her, she might talk, but…”

  “But what?” Emily pressed.

  One shoulder lifted in a faint shrug. “But I think she’s hiding. I haven’t seen her in at least a week, maybe two.”

  Jake stepped forward, obviously intending to make his exit, but Colin didn’t move. Colin stood a few inches taller than the demon, and he stared down at him, his head cocked to the right. “That all you got for us, Donnelley?”

  Jake nodded. “Yeah, I wanted to make sure the doctor knew to look in the right direction for the killer, that’s all.”

  “The right direction?” Emily repeated, frowning slightly at his phrasing. “And just what is the right direction?”

  “A human didn’t do this,” Jake said. “It’s one of us. I knew it when I saw the body.”

  “Well, damn.” Colin whistled softly. “You’re the guy who got the shot of Preston, aren’t you? You’re the one who took the picture of his body and got it splashed across every newspaper in the city.”

  Jake lifted his chin. “I’m a reporter, okay? I was doing my job.”

  “Huh. Here I was thinking you were just the cameraman.”

  Jake’s golden eyes flashed black. A ripple of weak power swept through the air. The power would have been enough to cause a human to stumble back, maybe even to fall.

  Colin didn’t waver from his spot. One black brow rose. “Is that all you’ve got?”

  “You don’t want to see what I can do,” Jake snapped. Then he lifted his hand and shoved past Colin.

  Emily sighed. That did so not go well. No wonder Danny wanted her to accompany Colin. “Not much for tact, are you?”

  He glanced at her. “The guy tried to use his magic on me.”

  Shifters were immune to demon magic. Actually, a demon’s magic worked only on humans.

  “You know you just showed him that you’re Other.” And that worried her. Had Jake deliberately tested him?

  His lips tightened.

  “If you don’t watch it, Gyth, your little secret might get out.”

  “He’s not gonna tell anyone. If he did, he’d have to reveal his own history.”

  Yeah, he was right. Jake would have just as much to lose.

  The crowd in Paradise Found was even bigger now, even louder, and as they maneuvered back to the entrance, Emily was aware of the stares on them, aware of the whispers.

  She breathed a sigh of relief when they finally stepped back outside. The night air was slightly cool, and the sky was a starless black, illuminated only by the glistening moon.

  They walked in silence for a moment. Emily replayed both Niol’s and Jake’s conversations in her mind. She wasn’t sure she trusted either man.

  “We need to find this Gillian,” Colin said, stepping off the sidewalk and turning into the alley. His Jeep was parked just around the corner. Just a few hundred feet away. “Brooks ran Preston’s background check. We both talked to the neighbors, family. No one mentioned this woman.”

  “Maybe he was keeping her secret. It’s not exactly easy to announce to the family that your new love is a demon.”

  “Yeah, he coulda kept quiet about her.” He paused beneath a flickering light hanging from the back door of a club. “That black eye thing—it’s a demon trait, isn’t it?”

  She nodded, and realized that she seriously needed to brush the guy up on Other 101. Despite being an SB, he sure didn’t seem too aware of their world.

  Probably because he’d been hiding from that world, trying to fit in with the humans.

  “Why doesn’t Niol change his eye color?”

  “Because Niol doesn’t give a damn. He doesn’t care if people realize he’s different.” Hell, as far as she could tell, Niol actually got off on jolting humans out of their safe worlds.

  And, of course, he got off with humans too.

  The fluorescent light hanging over Colin made a faint humming sound, then faded into darkness.

  A chill skated down her body. Emily glanced around the alley. She didn’t see anyone else.

  She lowered the shields in her mind, aware of a sudden shift in the atmosphere.

  No, she didn’t see anyone, but she could feel a presence.

  Emily opened her mind, sent her powers questing out. A blast of hot, burning rage hit her, driving straight into her mind, driving her down to her knees as she cried out in sudden pain.

  Level-ten demon. Shit.

  “Emily?” Colin reached for her, catching her by the arms and pulling her onto her feet. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

  Her teeth were chattering. “S-someone’s h-here…” She shook her head, clenching her jaw.

  What the hell? He kept his left hand wrapped around her. He could hear her heartbeat; the frantic drumming filled his ears.

  He didn’t hear anything else, though. Didn’t hear the telltale crunch of gravel beneath shoes. Didn’t hear the whisper of clothing that would alert him to someone else’s presence in the alley.

  His senses were fully open. If an assailant was in the alley, he should know it.

  Colin reached for his weapon. He didn’t sense anyone, but the doc sure did, and he wasn’t about to take any chances. He slipped off the safety, wanting to be ready.

  Four men jumped from the shadows. They wore full black ski masks, jackets, pants, and boots. The masked men lunged for him and the doc. Colin shoved her back against the alley wall and turned to face them, lifting his gun. “Get back,” he ordered, “I’m a cop—”

  They attacked.

  Sonofabitch. They fell on him at once, hitting and punching, driving him back to the ground. He fired a shot, but he must have missed, because they didn’t stop, not for an instant. He felt an icy pain slice into his right hand. Felt blood pool into his palm as his gun dropped from his suddenly nerveless fingers.

  He didn’t know who these guys were, but they’d just picked the wrong guy to fuck with.

  Colin was pinned on the ground, his bloody fingers scraping against the rough gravel. One of the assholes was driving his boot into Colin’s ribs.

  Another one was going for the doc.

  Screw this.

  The beast within roared its rage. Colin’s nails lengthened into razor-sharp claws. He slashed out with his hands, catching two of his attackers; he cut open the leg of the asshole who’d been kicking him and then drove his claws into
the second bastard’s stomach.

  “Get the hell off me!”

  Colin turned at Emily’s shout. She was pinned against the wall. A man, tall, hulking, had his hands wrapped around her arms. He was leaning into her, and she was kicking against him, ramming her high heels against his shins and trying to head-butt him.

  If he hadn’t been so furious, he might have been impressed with her.

  Then the man’s hands shot to her throat.

  Colin forgot about everything in that instant but the urge to kill.

  He was behind the man in less than a second. Grabbed him, lifted the bastard up, tossed him headfirst into the alley wall.

  Emily gasped for breath, her hands rising to her throat.

  Colin spared her a glance. Her hands were shaking, her body quivering lightly.

  He crouched over her attacker. He wanted the guy’s blood. Could almost taste the kill.

  He touched Emily. Wrapped his hands around her throat. Tried to hurt her.

  The beast was screaming its rage, and Colin could actually hear the howl in his ears.

  Destroy. Attack.

  Kill.

  The beast was hungry, so hungry.

  His claws lifted over the man.

  “Dammit, watch out!” Emily shot past him, arms raised, and drove straight into the last assailant.

  Colin spun around. He’d forgotten the other man. For one blind, reckless moment, he’d completely forgotten the guy.

  They were on the ground now. Emily was sprawled on top of him, and Colin could see the faint glimmer of a knife next to the fallen man’s hand.

  Well, damn.

  The doc had just saved his life.

  “Bitch!”

  Colin’s eyes narrowed. He took a step forward just as Emily drove her knee into the asshole’s crotch. He jerked, yelling in pain and twisting away from her.

  Colin grabbed Emily, pulled her to her feet. The perp on the ground was curled into a fetal position, squealing.

  He whistled softly and glanced at Emily. “And here I thought you were the delicate type.” She’d lost her glasses, and her hair fell loosely around her face. His hand lifted toward her cheek. He wanted to push back her hair, to touch her, to—

  “What in the hell?” Emily grabbed his wrist. Her eyes widened. “Gyth, you’ve got claws!”

  His body tensed. He’d forgotten about his partial shift. He could only be grateful for the darkness, otherwise Emily would see the blood on his hands, embedded in his claws.

  “What kind of shifter are you?” There was a note of hesitation in her voice, a note of almost…fear.

  Damn. That was the last thing he needed. He didn’t want the doc to fear him. Not now.

  “Colin?”

  He couldn’t tell her. Couldn’t risk it.

  Colin spun away from her, glanced back down at the guys on the ground. “Who are you bastards and why the fuck did you attack us?” Okay, not the standard police interviewing technique, but he wasn’t exactly feeling all nice and professional.

  His ribs were hurting like hell thanks to Mr. Kick Happy. Colin swiped his hand against his lip, feeling the wet warmth of blood. His lip had probably gotten busted when they tackled him to the ground.

  The guys were rousing, sending narrow-eyed, glittering stares his way. What in the hell? He’d taken them down, hard. They shouldn’t be getting up this soon, no damn way, not unless—

  “They’re demons,” Emily told him, confirming the suspicion that had been filling his mind.

  Well, shit.

  Things were suddenly much, much more dangerous. He wasn’t an Other expert like the doc, but he knew demons healed fast.

  “They’re low level.” She stood beside him. Their backs were near the wall of the alley. “Maybe a one or a two.”

  He didn’t really know what that meant, and he made a mental note to quiz the doc on Other lore sometime later. Once they’d gotten out of the alley and far away from the jerks who were trying to kill them.

  “Stay behind me,” he ordered, now eyeing the perps with deep suspicion. They could attack again at any moment.

  The guy who’d made the mistake of going after Emily climbed to his feet. A deep gash swept across his forehead, and blood trickled down his face. “Catching on now, cop?”

  The others pushed to their feet. Crept up behind the one ballsy enough to talk. Colin figured him for the leader.

  “He cut me, Scott.” The snarled words came from the guy bleeding out a river in the back.

  Colin held up his hands, let them see the claws springing from his fingertips. “And I’ll do it again.” He’d cut the demons apart if they came at him or if they tried to attack Emily. He’d been pissed enough before when they’d first jumped him, but now that he knew they weren’t human, all bets were off. He’d use every bit of his shifter strength to make them wish they’d never stepped into the alley.

  “Let’s kill ’em!” Same demon talking. The bastard who was currently bleeding out in the alley. He was a tall guy, lean but muscled.

  “You can try,” Colin said. “But I don’t think you’ll succeed. Especially considering the fact that I just kicked your asses.” And he’d be more than happy to do it again.

  Emily’s nails dug into his back. “Someone else is here. Someone a hell of a lot more powerful than these guys.”

  The night just kept getting better. “I don’t see anyone,” he muttered, and it was true. The night was dark, but with his enhanced vision, he could see perfectly in the alley. He could even see the snake tattoo swirling around the left wrist of the bastard he’d clawed. That’ll help identify you later, asshole.

  “He’s here,” she repeated softly. “And—”

  “Stay the fuck out of our business, cop!” This snarl came from the leader, the guy who’d been called Scott. “Tonight was a warning. You and the doctor won’t get another.”

  Our business?

  “Stick to your own kind!” Now snake tattoo was shouting his own warning. “Leave the demons alone.”

  Oh yeah, like that was going to happen. If anything, these idiots had just made him all the more determined to plunge straight into their world.

  “Who sent you?” Emily asked, and she sure as hell didn’t sound like she was frightened. She sounded royally pissed. “Who told you to jump us in the alley?”

  Scott stiffened.

  “Was it Niol?” She pushed. “Is he the reason you’re threatening us? Did he tell you—”

  A siren sounded nearby.

  The men cursed, then turned, fleeing down the alley just as the swirl of blue and white lights lit up the scene.

  Two uniformed cops jumped out of the vehicle, guns drawn. “Hands up, now!”

  “Shit.” Colin lifted his hands and watched in disgust as the demons disappeared into the shadows. He’d find those bastards again, he’d make certain of it. “Listen, I’m a cop. Detective Colin Gyth, badge number 2517.” He made no move to reach for his ID. The cops looked more than a little nervous to be confronting him in the alley, and he wasn’t about to give these green guys a reason to become trigger happy.

  Emily had her hands lifted up too. One of the patrolmen approached her, pulling her away from Gyth.

  “Come with me, ma’am.”

  Hot rage still coursed through Colin’s body. He took a deep breath, inhaled the stench of the alley, the sweat from the cops. He needed to regain his control, needed to cage the beast.

  His claws began to recede. Slowly, slowly.

  “Show me your ID, Detective.” The patrolman still held his gun on Colin.

  Carefully, Colin reached inside his jacket and pulled out his ID. The cop took it, stepped back. “Don’t move.” He crept toward the car, and Colin heard him radio in his information.

  “We were attacked! The guys who jumped us are getting away!” Emily still sounded pissed as she raged at the cop.

  He glanced toward the end of the alley. Correction: they’d already gotten away.

  “Okay, D
etective, you check out.”

  Colin lowered his hands. “I need you to start a search in the area. Four men just attacked us.” And warned us to stay the hell out of demon business.

  Not gonna happen.

  “They were wearing black ski masks, shirts, pants.” Which would make identifying them damn hard. “But one guy had a snake tattoo on his left wrist. And the leader was a man named Scott.” Not much to go on, but it was all they had.

  “Four men attacked you?” This from the cop who’d taken Emily away.

  “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” she snapped.

  The patrolman dutifully radioed in the information Colin had given him. “Are either of you hurt?” he asked.

  Emily shook her head.

  Colin remembered the icy flash of pain he’d felt in his hand when one of the bastards had cut him. The wound had already stopped bleeding, and his ribs only ached in a brief echo of pain. “No.” He’d be completely healed long before any EMT could arrive to help him.

  “Why’d they jump you?” The cop who’d radioed in their information cast a level stare Colin’s way.

  Because I’m getting too close. Colin shrugged. He had to be careful now. He couldn’t very well reveal that the demons didn’t like him sniffing around their territory.

  Ah, but his presence had sure made someone nervous.

  And that was good. Very good.

  Emily crossed to his side. She’d picked up her glasses, and she was rubbing the lenses against her shirt.

  “Is he still here?” he asked her, pitching his voice low so that the patrolmen wouldn’t hear him. She’d said the watcher was a strong Other, and Colin wondered if the guy had stayed around to catch the rest of the show.

  She shook her head. “No. He left right after the patrol got here.”

  Colin grunted. Figures. “Well, Doc, looks like we’ve managed to catch someone’s attention.” He flexed his fingers, feeling the newly healed flesh stretch lightly.

  “Yes, I guess we did.” She gazed at the dark end of the alley. “Are we going to heed their warning?”

  She’d put a nice, subtle emphasis on the we. “What do you think?”

  She pushed her glasses onto her nose. “I think I don’t like it when jerks in black ski masks jump me in an alley.”