Bitter Sweet Love

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  charged Dez. He didn’t hesitate. Leaning back, he planted his foot in the Terrier’s midsection, kicking the large birdlike creature into another. Both creatures hit the ground, a mess of rolling talons and beaks. Another raced toward Dez, and he bent at the knees, muscles tensing along his back. Launching into the air, he caught the Terrier around the neck. Dez twisted in midair, throwing the Terrier the way one might swing a bat.

  The demon flew through the air, smacking into a tree. The impact cracked like thunder. Tree bark splintered and the tall fir snapped in half, falling into another fir. The Terrier hit the ground, unmoving. A second later, the body shuddered and then collapsed into itself, disappearing in a spewing of black smoke.

  The three remaining Terriers were up, circling Dez. He spun under the closest, narrowly avoiding the razor-sharp edge of its beak.

  His lips curled up on the sides as he rose into the air. Confidence oozed from Dez, but a Terrier struck, its claw catching and ripping through Dez’s jeans. Blood immediately welled and darkened the pant leg. Their claws could cut through our skin? Oh, God...

  My heart leaped into my throat as fear exploded into panic.

  Dez laughed as he dropped to the ground in a crouch. “Is that really the best you can do? A scratch?”

  The Terrier responded with a shriek, lashing out. The other two rose into the air, swooping down on Dez. He didn’t seem afraid. If anything, the half smile said he was quite enjoying himself, but I knew how quickly a battle could turn. One minor slip and it would be all over.

  And here I was, cowering in the car.

  My mother hadn’t shown any fear. She’d battled the demon, as ferocious as any male. She’d lost her life protecting my sister and me, and I wasn’t going to sit and watch the same thing happen to Dez or anyone.

  Fingers chilled and trembling, I opened the driver’s door and stepped out. Inhaling the scent of pine and soil, I forced my body to phase. The second my wings spread out from underneath my tank top, two of the Terriers whipped around, sniffing the air.

  They shrieked shrilly, a cross between a bird being strangled and a bobcat, and headed straight for me.

  “Jasmine!” Dez roared, kicking off the ground. He’d made it halfway into the air when the remaining Terrier intercepted. Grabbing on to him, it slammed them both into the soil, their impact eating up several feet of ground along the shoulder of the road.

  Too late to reconsider the act of stepping out of the vehicle, I crouched and shot into the air, tucking my wings back. I was fast, but these things cut through the air, their outstretched hands inches from me. My stomach and chest seized as I powered through the air, reaching the tallest point of the nearest tree.

  I grabbed the thickest branch, snapped it free and whipped around. The touch of the closest Terrier whispered over my skin as I swung the branch with every ounce of strength I possessed.

  The branch cut through the Terrier’s elongated head. Black liquid spurted and the red, beady eyes rolled back as it fell down to earth, skull shattered. A plume of black smoke rose as I swung at the other Terrier. Having seen its buddy take a homerun swing, it darted out of my reach and then arced in the sky. Moving incredibly fast, it gripped the end of the branch and tore it free from my grasp, flinging it aside.

  “Shit,” I muttered, flying back and then dipping down. Hair streamed out from my face and then fell forward as I landed on the ground in a crouch. Popping up, I lurched back a step and the Terrier’s claws caught the front of my tank top, tearing the fabric across my stomach and barely missing my skin.

  Another burst of black smoke erupted, signaling the end of the Terrier that Dez was dealing with. He spun around, his eyes electric-blue pools. Loose soil and rock flew into the air as he pushed off the ground, catching the last Terrier from behind. A quick twist of his hands, and he’d snapped the creature’s neck. He flung black goo off his hands as he pinned me with a dark look.

  Uh-oh.

  Before the last puff of rotten-smelling black smoke evaporated, Dez was in front of me, his large hands slipping under the hem of my torn shirt.

  “Are you okay?” he demanded. His warm palms flattened across my tummy, shocking me. “Jasmine.”

  Heart pounding, I gripped his arms. “I’m fine. It didn’t cut me, but you—”

  “I told you to stay in the car!” He withdrew his hands, but then clasped my shoulders. The pupils of his eyes stretched thin. “What were you thinking?”

  “You were outnumbered.” I slipped out of his grasp and shifted into my human skin. The residue of adrenaline was a bitter taste in the back of my mouth. “I couldn’t watch and do nothing, but your leg—”

  My words ended in a squeak as he pulled me into his arms, holding me tight against his hot, bare chest. His hand balled in the mass of my tangled hair as his wings curled forward, closing me in. I stiffened at the feel of him, so very warm and alive. When he held me last night, the embrace had scattered my senses, but it was nothing compared to this.

  Dez shuddered. “When I saw you get out of that car, my freaking heart stopped.”

  Muscle by muscle, I relaxed into his hold, allowing my cheek to rest against his chest. I could feel his heart pounding. “I couldn’t just sit and watch again.”

  “Again?” And then his powerful arms tightened around me. “Your mom? This was different,” he said quietly, his chin dipping down. “I could’ve taken on five more Terriers, Jas.”

  Closing my eyes, I didn’t respond to that.

  His lips brushed the top of my head. “There was nothing you could’ve done to help your mother. You know that, right?”

  “Yes,” I said, my voice muffled. Females weren’t expected to defend themselves, let alone fight, an ideology Danika and I strongly disagreed with. If our mother had been trained, she might’ve escaped the attack with her life.

  He held me for a second more and then let go, stepping back. When I opened my eyes, he was in his human skin. I’d seen a lot of the males running around shirtless, but for some reason, seeing Dez in that state made me feel as if I’d never seen a male stomach before.

  His chest was cut and his stomach finely chiseled. He was broad, yes, but his muscles weren’t bulky. His jeans hung dangerously low, revealing those curious indents on either side of his hips. There were little nicks in the skin of his stomach and chest; old injuries I imagined had to have been serious for them to leave a scar. Somehow those blemishes didn’t deter from his masculine beauty but only enhanced it.

  I was staring.

  Forcing my gaze up, I saw that he was grinning slightly. My cheeks flushed. “You can’t be too upset with me for getting out of the car.”

  He arched a brow. “I can be as upset as I want to be over it.”

  I shook my head while I struggled to keep my eyes on his face. Now, I knew how most guys felt. It was a lot of work. “You promised to hunt a demon with me. I can’t stay in a car while we do that.”

  Sinew stretched and muscles bulged as he folded his arms. Good God... “Well, technically this would count as hunting a demon, so—”

  “No, it doesn’t. We didn’t hunt anything. They just popped out of nowhere.” I glanced over my shoulder, back to where they had appeared. “Why so many?”

  His stare turned icy when I faced him. “They’re hunting for the mansion. They know a Warden clan is nearby and they’re trying to find it.”

  I gasped, horrified by the idea of these things descending on a homeful of children. “Is... is that common?”

  He nodded. “More common than you realize. They just don’t usually come out during the day. They’re getting bolder.” His lip curled in disgust. “We must get back. I need to report this to Garrick immediately.”

  How had I never known about this? Demons were getting that close to our home on a regular basis? How much did I not know? In a daze, I walked back to the car. Dez drove this time. I was cool with that.

  Chapter Six

  Dez had gone straight to my father when we arrived h
ome, and I had gone in the opposite direction. As much as I wanted to hear what my father had to say about the Terriers coming out in the daylight, I didn’t want to be present if Dez decided to tell him I’d gotten out of the car.

  And if Dez did tell him that, there was a good chance that my father would put a stop to my conditions.

  I paced the length of my room, unable to sit for longer than a minute, it seemed. It had been this way since dinner. I hadn’t seen my father or Dez there.

  Sprawled across my bed, Danika was... what exactly was she doing? Back against the mattress, arms flattened at her sides, she pressed her thighs together and lifted her legs straight into the air, holding still about six inches off the comforter. After a few seconds, she moved her legs up about a foot. Then she repeated the whole process.

  “God, we need hobbies,” I muttered.

  She laughed. “I’m working my stomach muscles.”

  “Like I said, we need hobbies.”

  Dropping her legs down, she sat up. Two thick braids bounced off her shoulders. “At least I’m being productive. You’re just walking back and forth.”

  I stuck my tongue out at her and started pacing again.

  A bright smile plastered itself across her face. “So what condition are you tackling next?”

  I’d filled Danika in on everything—what happened today and my conditions, with the exception of the skinny-dipping, because I wasn’t sure I’d even been serious about that. “If Dez tells Dad about me being with him, there won’t be any conditions.”

  “He’s smart enough to keep quiet.” She twirled the edge of a braid. “And Father is going to let you go with him. He’s always wanted you and Dez to mate. I’m so jealous. You’ll be traveling while I’m stuck here, wanting to claw out my eyeballs.”

  “I don’t know,” I whispered. Mulling it over, I couldn’t imagine my father being okay with me traveling all the way to DC without a small army.

  Danika flopped onto her back, sighing. “You’re going to get to see Zayne. I hate you.”

  “You have such a crush on him.”

  “I do,” she admitted, unashamed. “I hope he visits again with his father. That would make my year.”

  I grinned. “It wouldn’t take much to make your year.”

  She snorted. “True.”

  Zayne was seventeen, Danika’s age, and extraordinarily handsome, even for a Warden. Danika had made no attempt at hiding her attraction when it came to the blond Warden, following him around like I’d done with Dez for many years, and Zayne had always been kind to Danika. If she had annoyed him, he’d never let it show. His father was the head of the DC clan, and it was rumored that in their household, there was a child that was both Warden and demon. I didn’t believe it. No clan would keep such an... an atrocity among them.

  “So, did you kiss him?” Danika asked, interrupting my thoughts.

  “What?” My cheeks heated. “No.”

  Danika giggled. “Then your condition is not over.”

  I opened my mouth and then snapped it shut. Dez hadn’t fulfilled his end of the condition with the driving, but fighting the Terriers hadn’t counted. We hadn’t been hunting for demons when they’d found us.

  “You looked like you really enjoyed it when he kissed you last night,” she pointed out. “Brilliant idea, by the way, using your seven days as an opportunity to get out of the house, but you’re not going to tell him no in the end.”

  My eyes narrowed on her. “I’m not telling him yes.”

  “Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re mad. I totally get that, and you have every reason to be, but you haven’t looked at one guy since he left and you’ve definitely been looking at Dez.”

  “Who wouldn’t look at Dez?”

  She giggled and then her eyes darted to my door at the sound of a throat clearing. Oh, no. I scrunched up my nose, and Danika winced.

  Dez, I mouthed.

  She slid off the bed, and that was answer enough. As she hurried across the room, I turned. Dez stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

  Danika gave him a quick wave as she all but bounced out of my room. He nodded and then stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He was in my bedroom. Again. He’d been in here many times in the past, but that was before, and everything was different now.

  “So...” He drew the word out, chin tipped down as he stopped by the desk that was covered in books, magazines and maps. “Who wouldn’t look at me?”

  My lips pursed. “Is there a reason why you’re here?”

  “Yes.”

  I waited.

  And then I waited some more. “Anytime now.”

  Dez’s gaze moved from the top of my head to the tips of my neon-purple toenails. “I like what you’re wearing.”

  Frowning, I glanced down at myself. I had on a camisole covered by a cardigan and a pair of god-awful sleep shorts Danika had bought me for my birthday. They were covered with teddy bears. Not the best fashion choice.

  “Gets me in the mood for cuddling,” he murmured lazily.

  “And that gets me right out of the mood,” I replied tartly.

  “You lie.” He flashed a quick grin as he reached out, tugging on the edges of my cardigan. “It’s cute.”

  Feeling like I’d lost my ability to communicate, I took a step back. He held on for a second and then let go. I folded my arms around myself, figuring he wasn’t going to leave any time soon, and I wasn’t sure I wanted him to. I sat in my desk chair. “Are you hunting with the clan tonight?”

  He nodded. “I’ll be leaving in about an hour.”

  I lowered my gaze. “Are you going into the city?”

  “Yes. Are you worried about me?”

  “That’s a stupid question. Of course I’m worried.” The cities were especially dangerous. The more populated they were, the more demons targeted them. “Shouldn’t you be resting then? You’ve spent all day with me.”

  “I want to spend this time with you before I leave. Is that okay?”

  I looked up sharply. “Yes,” I said quickly, maybe too quickly, but I didn’t want to take it back. I took a deep breath. “Stay.”

  “Thank you.” He walked to where I sat and then wrapped his fingers around the edges of my seat. A mischievous glint filled his eyes. “Hold on to me.”

  Having no idea what he was up to, I gripped his arms. Meeting my eyes, he winked and then started to pull the chair and me across the floor. It was silly, but a grin stretched my lips.

  Dez sat on the edge of my bed and then pulled me into the vee of his legs. My knees pressed against the insides of his thighs. “Ah, much better.”

  “You know, I could’ve just sat beside you.”

  “That wouldn’t have been as fun.” He dropped his hands to his knees.

  My gaze fell to where his fingers rested close to my bare legs. “How’s... how’s your leg?”

  “Already healed. Told you it was nothing to worry about.” He paused. “I talked to your father.”

  I cringed. “Did you tell him I was with you?”

  “No. I should have, but I didn’t.” Dez leaned forward slightly. “I did tell him about your conditions.”

  My eyes widened. “Even the skinny-dipping?”

  Dez laughed loudly. “I kept that little detail to myself, but I told him that this was something we needed to do, that I owed it to you.”

  Owed it to me. What could I say to that? I pulled my ponytail over my shoulder, twisting the ends. “What did he say?”

  “He wasn’t too thrilled about it and he listed, in detail, all the reasons why traveling to DC wasn’t safe, but in the end he agreed.”

  “He did?”

  One side of his lips curved up. “Only after promising to rip me limb from limb if anything happens to you.”

  I smiled widely.

  He frowned. “I hope you’re smiling about him agreeing and not the ripping-me apart.”

  “Definitely him agreein
g.” I laughed, dropping my hair and punching him in the arm. “And maybe a little bit of him ripping you apart.”

  He caught my hand. “That’s not very nice.”