My heart fluttered, and for the first time in a long time, it was my human half that was feeling something stronger than my demon half.
“Don’t be frightened of me, Savannah.” His voice was sexier too, all silky and low, the beat of his words vibrating inside my stomach.
I opened my mouth, willing my vocal cords to come to my rescue because it quickly became clear my advanced mental functions were no longer operating.
“Come to me,” his smooth, will-power obliterating voice called, and I obeyed.
As he rose his hand to touch my face, his diamond blue eyes flashed to pure silver, iris, pupil, and sclera black-out metallic.
With a jolt, I snapped out of my stupor as quickly as I was plunged into it. I wasn’t sure how, but I was grateful when his hand stilled in midair just in time, saving me from his touch.
“Knock it off.” I balled up a fist, knowing perfectly well I could do nothing against him. “Or I’ll stop playing nice.”
I backed up my words with a solid slap to his hand next to my face, rewarding me with a pleasant crack of sound. It probably didn’t even compute for his brain as a strike, but it made me feel better, even if the brief contact made me uncomfortable.
Grayson’s devastating lips twitched but his eyes remained completely metallic. “This has been you playing nice?”
I huffed quietly. “I’m not laughing at you, so there’s that.”
“What about me could you possibly have to laugh at?” he asked, looking down at himself. Maybe I didn’t know the truth about glamour, but I was starting to think of it as a lie. I was beginning to realize how much I resented that lie.
“You could be vainer if you stood in front of the mirror when you say that.”
Unrepentant in his conceit, the Tempter said, “There is nothing wrong with my form.”
Well, no kidding.
Grayson’s silver eyes narrowed defensively, and I wondered if he wasn’t taking my estimation of his looks seriously until now.
“Exactly the problem. This form you choose is so ridiculously perfect, looking at you for any length of time makes my retinas sizzle.”
The demon blinked the silver black-out eyes away into the diamond blue again, and I recognized his expression. It was one I got a lot. He couldn’t figure out how I could be so nonchalant. I’d just told him he was hotter than the sun with a shrug and a flat, somewhat annoyed expression. He didn’t understand that thinking he was attractive meant nothing to me.
Maybe he’d understand the other reason he was getting on my nerves.
“And I look like a mad scientist’s experiment gone wrong. You even hinting at charming me is beyond laughable.” I took a deep breath, wondering where this newfound willingness to chat was coming from.
Don’t insult my intelligence, I telepathed.
A blast of strangely potent shock struck his devastating face. In an instant, right before my eyes, the Tempter went from mildly annoyed, to oddly bashful, to the average-looking human form I’d first seen on him.
Unaffecting, granite eyes stared at me. There was nothing wrong with his average form. He was still better looking than probably ninety-nine percent of the human population. But somehow he wasn’t so completely, looking-into-the-sun perfect anymore. I felt significantly better being trapped in a room with him.
“Now that that’s done,” I said, stepping to the side, positioning myself out of his arm’s reach. “Why am I here?”
Grayson’s dulled, grey eyes squinted, and I could feel his appraisal, as if this were the first time he’d looked at me. But it wasn’t my looks he was assessing, at least, not by his expression. Instead of repulsion, he seemed…confused.
“Iliana has taken over the Underrealm as Royal,” Grayson announced. “Her only daughter, half-caste Savannah Cole is now sole Scion.”
“Huh,” I said, deliberately crossing my arms as a barrier between us. “So the humans weren’t lying. That’s a surprise.”
“The humans who took you just now?”
“Did you kill them?” I asked, unsure how I felt no matter his answer. I wasn’t sure I valued every human and demon life, but someone dying because of me felt…unexpectedly wrong.
“They live,” Grayson replied after a minute, as if allowing me time to figure out my opinion on the subject. “For now. How could they have known already?”
“Can’t say they shared their source. Why? When did Iliana,” my birth mother’s name felt heavy on my lips, “take over?”
“Three hundred and three of your human days past,” Grayson said absently. He stared into space, calculation in his expression.
“Then why is this happening now and not last year?”
My question didn’t bring Grayson out of his trance, but he answered anyway, in an even more absent tone. “Many who supported her coup believed she had borne no children. By demon law, any offspring before becoming Royal are automatically Scion without question or ability to appeal to the contrary, without training, without conditioning, without knowing their nature. Part of the package, as they say. Females…”
Everything drenched in silver.
When I shook it off, I couldn’t figure out what we’d been talking about. He’d told me something about females, but the memory was gone, and most of everything else he’d said was hazy.
Convinced he’d just done something to me, but positive he wouldn’t answer if I asked what it was, I focused on what I did remember. What was the last thing Grayson said that wasn’t hazy?
He’d said, “three hundred and three days past.”
Thinking about Iliana becoming Royal less than a year ago, something clicked, and I understood a fact that struck me as absolutely true even though it was absolutely crazy.
“I’m the reason demons came to St. Louis?”
He smiled, seemingly satisfied by something and also amused by my transparent gawk. “Iliana moved headquarters from the west coast the day her Royalship was accepted.”
I blinked, consciously pulling myself together. “Do demons vote?”
“We accept, or we deny.”
The finality of his words told me a lot. If Iliana’s Royalship were denied by demonkind, they would have killed her. Not killing her meant they approved of her leadership. Brutal.
“You say those Division humans spoke of Iliana as Royal?”
They had been Division? I didn’t know much about the Division of Human-Demon Relations, the human-run branch of the military that tracked, measured, tried, and judged demons. Some said they were demons themselves in disguise, here to make humans think demon dealings were being regulated, that their actions were subjected to a human system of justice. Some said the opposite, that they were a human government sanctioned demon hate group. Now that I met Holly and Jake, I was prone to agree with the second opinion.
“They acted like it just happened.”
“And they knew you were her offspring. I wonder…” he trailed off, and began humming an indiscernible tune deep in his throat. It gave me the urge to punch him and lap my tongue lazily along his jugular at the same time. And he wasn’t even trying. Wasn’t even conscious of it. I shuddered to think what he was capable of.
“If demons didn’t even know about me, then how did Division?”
“Spies, I suppose.”
“Shouldn’t you have a more…dramatic reaction to accusing one of your fellow advisors of being a spy?”
The Tempter grinned, all male pride and vanity. “So you do know who I am.”
I’d done a better job hiding my thoughts than I’d realized. Ever since Grayson sauntered into the room, a voice that sounded strangely like Benn freaking out in the back of my mind wouldn’t let me forget for a second who the Tempter was.
“Why do you suspect an advisor?” Grayson’s grey eyes narrowed.
I human-like shrugged, and it amused Grayson further. “I thought only advisors got to be in the know with the Royal while having the autonomy to live away from the Underrealm.”
“Autonomy. Yes,” he grinned again, only this time, it didn’t look natural. “You know more about us than I expected. Yes, advisors are the only demons to live above while privy to Royal decisions.”
“If Nikolai and Noah…“ I realized I hadn’t considered what happened to the old Royals when the new one took over. “Are they dead?”
“Nikolai is. Noah lives. For now.”
That was the second time he’d made that threat, as if he had the right and the ability to destroy anyone if he wanted. Looking at those inhuman, grey eyes, I didn’t put it past him.
“What happened to their advisors when Iliana took over? You survived.”
Grayson smiled, and the dullness in his eyes started to swirl, as if the Tempter didn’t have complete power over the glamour that made him look more human. Maybe he didn’t.
“Iliana kept all but one of Nikolai’s advisors. Nikolai’s Sorcerer—”
“Kristoff,” I offered pointlessly, allowing my arms to fall to my sides.
Grayson nodded, looking more amused than ever. So glad I entertained him.
“Kristoff was replaced with a younger, far less powerful Devil named Octavia. The young immortal is only about a century old, but loyal to your mother. Myself, Stratton, Greta, and Apollo remain. Also Matteo, your mother’s Razer, who has been her lover for—”
“I appreciate you telling me all this,” I cut him off, my words clipped. “But you can imagine how much I don’t need to know about Iliana’s sex life.”
Grayson cleared his throat, and for a moment, I heard male laughter from the other side of the door.
“If they can hear us, why the locked door? An attempt to frighten me?”
“Are you frightened, Savannah?” Grayson asked, his words saying things to me far beyond their simple meaning. Was he baiting me? Teasing me? It was like he knew I felt nothing, no fear, no attraction for him.
“I’d like to know what’s going on,” I said, satisfied by the evenness in my words.
“You need to be protected.”
With a level stare, I said, “Not like this I don’t.”
Crossing my arms between us once again, I lifted my chin to say I wasn’t going to budge, not for a second thinking what I wanted would matter to these demons.
Without another word, Grayson turned to leave the room. When he didn’t secure the door behind him, I hastily followed.
Only to run face-first into a Hammer demon’s exceptionally warm, unreasonably hard, impossibly broad chest.
When I looked up, Rowan was looking right at me for the first time. I wasn’t quite emotionless enough not to gasp. After all, I wasn’t dead.
He was…I didn’t know what. Wow was all I could think. Not a word I used often. Or ever.
At first, I’d thought the pale yellow color of his hair matched the color of his eyes. But his eyes were the color of champagne, and inexplicably glistened like tiny bubbles in a light golden liquid would.
“Faction has declared open season on you, girl,” that deeply smoky voice ringing in my ears, making me think wow for a second time.
Suddenly very much aware my hands were still pressed obviously to his hard chest, it took me several seconds to step back and sort through what he had said. Especially since I could feel the vibrations of his gruff words dancing along every nerve ending.
These feelings were not like me. Maybe while getting tossed around the van, I hit my head and hadn’t had the presence of mind to feel it yet. That must have been it.
“I have a name, Rowan.” The whisper came out without my permission. I didn’t even know where that husky, dreamy voice came from.
I definitely had a concussion.
I shook off the weird tone I had. “What’s Faction?”
He opened his mouth, then closed it. Cleared his throat, then leered. I got the distinct impression he was about to tell me things he knew he wasn’t supposed to. He maneuvered his huge body so his back was to the other demons.
“Faction is part of demonkind, but they don’t live among us, aren’t governed by our laws. Any bad press demons get, bet it came from Faction. They aren’t malicious, they just don’t follow the monarchy. Generally, they keep out of Royal business. But when they heard about you, about the half-caste who chose to live as human and was suddenly in a position of great power, they…” He trailed off, studying me while not exactly looking at me.
Peeking around his massive chest, I saw Grayson and the brunette Hammer talking in the corner with their backs to us.
“Your life is in danger and you dismiss it like it means nothing,” Rowan growled, bringing my attention back to him.
No, my reactions to finding this out were not normal. Story of my life. Though I knew how a normal human, even probably a normal half-caste would react, I couldn’t muster the outrage, or confusion, or sense of anxiety I knew I should feel.
Then I realized the only thing that could scare me. If my life was in danger…
“Will they go after my family?”
Rowan narrowed his unusual eyes. For the briefest of moments, his harsh, skeptical, scrunched expression softened. The next instant—maybe I only imagined it soften—that annoyed sneer was back.
“Likely.”
“You’re keeping me prisoner here and just leaving them to…to,” surprised by my frantic words, I saw Grayson and the other Hammer demon’s heads spin around. For a second, I was certain they glared at Rowan, as if they were expecting him to hurt me. Or maybe just piss me off.
“Our job is to protect our Scion,” he snarled so quietly I doubted the other two males could hear him even though their attention was on us.
I looked up at him, right into his eyes. Protecting me and not them will destroy me.
Rowan blinked, and I didn’t understand the look of complete shock he had. “It’s unsafe for you to—”
Follow me, then. I interrupted. If they get taken, or die, I won’t survive it.
CHAPTER 5
No one stopped me when I exited the warehouse. Rumbling, angry male voices argued, but none of them demanded I stop or grabbed me around the waist. No one threw me over a muscular shoulder to drag me back inside again.
This was my hometown, and I had a good sense of direction. The smells, the way the city illuminated the sky. I had no problem finding my way back to a main road and heading in the direction of Clayton, the area of St. Louis County my bookstore was in. They hadn’t driven me far, so I knew if I could find the highway, I’d have no problem getting back.
I tried to muster up the fury I should have been feeling. Those idiot males. Kidnapping me. Manhandling me. Locking me in a warehouse.
Nope. None of it got me angry like I knew it should.
A Tempter even hinting at seducing me? That got under my skin. Smoke-and-fire swirled at the thought.
And the way Rowan had made me…
I shook my head so hard my neck crackled with resistance.
Through my worry about Dad and Benn and my need to get home, I realized why Rowan had given me that shocked look. I’d telepathed to him.
I didn’t know what it meant, but knew enough to know it meant something.
He was a Hammer demon. Putting aside the fact that I was a half-caste who could clearly telepath, proving that old belief false, I knew Razers and Hammers weren’t supposed to be able to. There had been clinical studies, great debates about why other castes couldn’t communicate with Hammers unless they were connected by blood, or by an exchange of blood.
And I wasn’t Blooded to anyone.
The limo pulled up beside me, and the passenger’s side window rolled down.
“I’ll drive you,” his deep, smoky voice snappish.
Rowan looked like he’d just bit into an unexpectedly salty slice of pie. Utterly surprised, and a second away from gagging.
Analyzing the situation, I considered what he had said. He wasn’t demanding I get in the car. Did he think I’d get in, and he’d drive me right back to the warehouse?
“To my home?”
He nodded curtly, then rolled the window back up. I human-like shrugged for no one but myself, and reasoned that a car would get me home in ten minutes while walking would take a half hour or more along the highway. A gust of frigid wind stung my exposed skin, and my decision was made. I climbed into the passenger’s seat without looking at the full-caste male inches away.
What were the emotions a normal person would feel? My mother was the leader of the Underrealm. Three demons and two humans had said it. It would be naïve of me to stubbornly assume they were all lying. Division, Faction, and who knew who else were out to get me, to do who knew what to me. Kill me, or worse. They’d likely go after my family.
“Do they all want me for a reason?”
When he said nothing, I finally looked over. Rowan clutched the steering wheel so tightly, his tanned knuckles had turned completely white. I hoped this was a demon reinforced limousine, because this Hammer could easily tear the wheel off a normal car.
Did you expect me to sit in the back?
He nodded sharply once, and I wanted to roll my eyes.
“I’m not…comfortable being chauffeured.”
Feeling no social confines, I watched Rowan, who grew more uncomfortable as he noticed me staring. I didn’t care, and after a minute of him sitting like a statue but for the precise movements he made driving the limo, he finally spoke through gritted teeth.
“Ask your question again.”
I cocked an eyebrow at him. “Are the people you think I’m in danger from out to get me for a reason? Are they planning to kill me? Use me as bait? Force me to…I don’t know…do things for them?” Pausing to consider every possibility, I added, “Hold me for ransom?”
Seconds ticked by without an answer. I pictured Benn drumming his fingers, because that was another human gesture that took effort for me to fake. Besides, I was afraid any movement or misspoken word would make the switch flip inside Rowan. As it was, he already looked like he’d rather jump out of the car while it was moving and leave me for dead.
Defying Instinct (Demon Instinct Series) Page 4