by J. L. Weil
Now that he was in front of me, I was at a loss for words, but not for long. “If it isn’t the spawn of Satan.”
“In the flesh,” he replied, holding out his arms like he was a gift. His cockiness knew no bounds.
I gritted my teeth as every muscle in my body begged me to let the arrow soar. Why hadn’t I? “You don’t seem surprised to see me.”
He narrowed his eyes, sizing me up, and then shrugged his broad shoulders. “Nothing surprises me anymore.”
Here it was—demon against hunter. An arrow aimed at this black heart, just me and him.
I was determined to end it all right here, right now.
I should have known it was going to blow up in smoke, but for once even I was rendered speechless.
“What the he—?” came a voice to my left.
I couldn’t afford to take my eyes off Chase, and by the look on his face, he was not a happy camper.
“Angel!” Chase roared from deep in his chest. “I told you to stay put. Will you never just do as I ask?” He was thoroughly annoyed.
Angel crinkled her nose, giving him the stink eye. “Well, it looks like you need me,” she said, her eyes indicating the weapon I still had stretched out in my arms.
Smart cookie.
At least one of them had a head on their shoulders.
Chase and I were in an intense staring contest. His eyes held mine in a war, but he spoke to Angel. “Do you honestly think I couldn’t have handled one little hunter? Your lack of faith in me is heartbreaking.” His words might have been offhanded, but he was poised to attack at any moment. I wasn’t fool enough to think that he wouldn’t do everything possible to get to Angel before I did.
Their banter was starting to distract me, which I didn’t doubt Chase was counting on. “As touching as this is, will you both shut up before I decide to shoot one of you?” I could just see Angel from the corner of my eye. “So you are the girl Chase Winters would do anything for…kill for even.” My lips thinned as I got my first good look at her. “You are not at all what I expected.”
Chase flinched. “What does it matter to you?” he spat, clearly ready to tear me to bloody bits.
“It’s my business to know everything about Divisa, including their weaknesses,” I leered.
“You touch a hair on her head,” he growled in desperate rage, “and I’ll make you wish you had never stepped foot in this town again.”
“I didn’t believe the rumors. Chase Winters’s Achilles heel…a girl? Never in a thousand years would I have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself. Does your girlfriend here know the truth about you? Does she know what you truly are, mutt?” I was baiting him, seeing what information he was willing to give.
Okay, maybe baiting him had been a very bad idea. His eyes hardened and turned that alien glowing yellow, but he neither denied nor confirmed what I already knew. “Brilliant,” I exclaimed sharply. “So she does know, which I’d already figured out. You aren’t doing a very good job protecting your secret. She makes you sloppy. With her, you drop your guard, forget what you really are.”
“What do you want?” demanded the little demon lover beside me. She had spunk; that was for sure.
I pursed my lips, sweat dripping down my back. “Hmm. The question of the hour. I thought that was obvious… To kill him, of course.”
She rolled her baby blues. “Good luck,” she muttered, showing sheer confidence in Chase.
“Angel? That’s your name, isn’t it?” I asked sneering. “Funny that your boyfriend is half-demon, isn’t it?”
She shrugged. “Not really. And he is not my boyfriend.”
I chuckled. Like hell he wasn’t. “The mark you have on your hip says otherwise.” There, I dropped the bomb.
Her eyes narrowed at me.
“You. Love. A. Demon,” I emphasized with a harboring hate. “It’s wrong. They’re wrong.”
She wiped her palm on the leg of her jeans. “Umm, love is such a strong word. I am not sure I would say love.”
“Angel!” Chase thundered.
She ignored him. “Like. I like Chase, though there are more days when I dislike him.”
I tried to hide the smirk that was on the verge of my lips.
“Angel,” he rumbled again, evidently about to go postal. “This isn’t helping.”
She just rambled on and on. “Have you met the man? He would drive even the sanest person crazy in a week. Or less.”
For the first time I caught a flash of movement next to Angel. With eyes pinned on Chase, I’d been unable to get a good look at who had accompanied her into the woods, but now that I saw who it was, I was struck speechless. My feet felt glued to the ground. My arms lost their strength. The trees, the crickets, and all the other sounds of the forest vanished as I stared into eyes the color of tropical waters. I felt myself being swept away.
Oh. Holy. Shit.
My name tumbled from his lips in a this-can’t-be-freaking-real way. “Emma.”
The sound of his voice had me spinning out of control, into another life. Memories of love hugged my hardened heart, threatening to crack the shield. For a split-second, I wanted to toss the crossbow to the ground and run into Travis’s arms, to feel that all-consuming love. It wasn’t just a spark… It was a full-out blazing fire.
I feasted on the sight of his face. Strong angles, lips you could sink your teeth into, and dimples you couldn’t help but kiss. He looked like a golden Greek god, and he had once been mine.
This definitely wasn’t my proudest moment. My emotions got the best of me, and my guard slipped away, but Travis had always had a powerful effect on me. I don’t know why I thought that would have changed. Shame on me.
“Angel!” bellowed a voice through the muffled shock-of-the-decade.
It was followed by a jarring hit to my side that caused me to bite my tongue, and then I was falling. I hit the stiff ground with Angel’s weight on top of me as my lungs struggled to breathe. She had knocked the ever-loving wind out of me. Honestly, I hadn’t seen that coming from her—so much for the nice-girl image. There was a pinecone stabbing me in the back, and before I could catch my breath, she went crazy. It was a tangle of arms and limbs connecting wherever they could.
I had to put an end to this, so I decked her in the mouth she was so famous for. It felt good to let loose this anger. Before I could get a second strike in, I was hogtied by arms of steel. They hoisted me off the ground, securing me. Tingles raced throughout my body in excitement.
Shit.
Travis.
I closed my eyes and bit the inside of my cheek. Dear God, I wanted to rest my head against his chest, if just for a minute. His breath tickled the back of my neck, and I tried not to shiver.
Epic fail.
The last thing I wanted was to show him that he still had the power to affect me. No demon was going to have influence over my body, but that was just what he had, whether I wanted it or not, damn it. His muscles bunched under my arms, and his body was solid against my back. Not that I noticed those little details.
“Welcome home, Emma,” he whispered in my ear. And if I didn’t know better, I swear he took a quick nibble on my ear.
I was in deep trouble as another round of shivers coursed through me.
Chapter 9
I struggled in his arms like a hellion, determined to get free and stop the feelings he was awakening. They would do me no good. The past was in the past and I couldn’t afford any distraction. Trying to establish distance was like trying to break iron columns with your bare hands. Impossible. Then there was all the friction between our bodies caused by my struggles. It was distracting and discerning all at once. My disciplined body betrayed me.
So I bit his arm, and the jerk didn’t even flinch.
Next thing I knew I was being swept through the forest and stuffed into the back seat of Chase’s car. This was going horribly wrong. Fidgeting in the seat, I tried to devise a plan to get me the hell out of this mess. The last thing I wan
ted was to be trapped inside the lion’s den. When we finally stopped outside the Winters’ house, I went for blood.
Travis’s blood.
As he carefully pulled me from the car, I swung out at this pretty-boy face. Of course his reflexes actually prevented me from connecting with his cheek, but I had a second line of defense ready. I kicked him in the shin.
His aqua eyes narrowed, followed by a scowl. “Behave,” he said, and I watched his eyes rim with gold.
My heart tripped.
“Bite me,” I snapped. Maybe not the right word choice, but hey, I was off my game.
The corner of his mouth tilted, eyes flashing yellow. “Just say where and when.”
I swallowed.
He chuckled, watching me intently. The whole car ride, he had watched me like a hawk, well a sexy hawk. It was as if he was afraid that if he wasn’t looking at me, I would pull another disappearing act on him. Under those long, long lashes, I felt his gaze everywhere. To make matters extremely uncomfortable for both of us, he kept me on his lap, and I was pretty positive I got more than I bargained for.
“It would help if you stopped wiggling,” he had whispered in my ear.
My cheeks flamed, and I went still as a portrait.
Now that I was being transported into the house, my anxiety went through the roof. I didn’t believe for a second that Travis would hurt me, but the facility…well, that was a whole different ball game. If they knew that I had been captured by Divisa, I could kiss my sorry ass goodbye. The facility does not like messes or fuck-ups.
It also didn’t help my blood pressure that Travis actually had the gall to tie me up, not that I made it easy for him. I wanted to sink my teeth into him again, but I was afraid this time it might be for the wrong reasons. I didn’t trust my lips anywhere near him a second time.
Sitting there with my hands bound, I couldn’t believe how much I had screwed up, but in my defense, Travis had the kind of face that made you forget the rules. I listened to Chase and Angel bicker outside. Maybe I made a few snide and promising threats. I figured I needed to make the most of my time spent here.
Just as I was starting to feel in control again and more like me, Lexi zipped down the stairs with Travis and gave me a new onset of confusing emotions. Lexi and I hadn’t been best friends, but I had liked her. She had been nothing but sweet and kind to me before…
She had her blonde hair in a sleek updo, and eyes just like her brothers stared at me in wonder. “Travis! You tied her up?” I guess no one had filled her in on the whole “turned hunter” thing. She put her hands on her hips, and her mouth turned down in pouty annoyance. “This better not be some kind of kinky foreplay.”
My mouth twitched at the corners, and then I made the mistake of looking at Travis. I don’t know what I thought it was going to be like when we finally saw each other again, but this tension that saturated the air was…captivating, nerve wracking, and hot.
I was letting the past interfere with the present. It had to stop now, before it got us all killed. Tearing my gaze from his, I heard the sergeant’s voice in my head, telling me how pathetic I was, that hybrid demons didn’t deserve any compassion, and it was our God-given duty to protect the innocent. Something inside me snapped, and things only escalated from there.
I insulted Lexi.
Threatened everyone in the room.
And gave away more about myself than intended, without persuasion.
I was losing my shit.
Chase’s girlfriend stared me down with blue flaming daggers of hate. I was guessing there was no chance of us being buddy-buddy like Lexi. She probably knew that I would stab her in the back if given the chance.
What can I say? The truth hurts.
We had come to the question of the hour. What were they going to do with me? All eyes looked to Chase. It was clear who made the decisions in this clan. I wanted to stick my finger down my throat and gag, but my hands were tied. Then I heard him say, “Travis, take her home.”
Everyone’s eyes bulged, including mine.
None of us, including Travis, actually had thought Chase would just set me loose, but that did not mean he sounded pleased. If anything, he was surly as hell, but the decision remained. They were just letting me go. No torture, though Chase had tried to use his compulsion on me, unsuccessfully. Only a half-ass interrogation. And the strangest reunion known to man.
I was flabbergasted.
Never had I thought that I was in any real danger, but my idea of danger was subjective. I figured nothing they could do to me would be worse than what I had already suffered. To say I was surprised and confused was an understatement. I concluded that it had to do with Travis and the girl I used to be.
Speaking of the devil, Travis grabbed me under the arm, and I tried to shake him off, which was difficult with my binds. “Get in the car,” he grumbled.
“I don’t need a ride,” I seethed. “I can get home on my own.”
He raised a brow. “Indulge me. I’m just not ready to let you out of my sight yet.”
I sunk in the seat, trying to ignore my racing pulse. My heart pounded five times in my ear, and I shoved my tied hands in my lap. He had to know that I was going to fight him tooth and nail. Didn’t he?
Peeking under my lashes at him, I wasn’t so sure. I knew the gleam that sparkled in his eyes—hope. “You aren’t harboring some twisted hope that things will be the same between us, are you?” I said, breaking the silence.
His hand tightened on the wheel. “Emma.” My name on his lips shot me with a bolt of tingles. “I haven’t seen you in over a year and hardly believe that you are real. I am shocked beyond belief. Let me just savor the moment, knowing that you are alive. I am sure we both have changed.”
Changed? I was pretty sure I was a whole new person, one he wasn’t going to be very fond of. I snorted. “Travis, open your eyes. I am a hunter. I. Hunt. You.” I held my hands in the air so he could see the ties at my wrists, which were now ringed with cherry circles from the binds.
His eyes zeroed in on the marks. “You’re hurt.”
“Duh. You tied me up.”
Regret filled his expression before he turned his attention back to the road. The last thing I needed was to be splattered all over the pavement if we crashed over his sudden guilt. He parked a block from my house, knowing he couldn’t very well drop me off at the front door, not with the chance that my dad might be home. I let Travis assume my dad was here.
He killed the engine, turning toward me in his seat. “Promise me you aren’t going to do anything stupid if I cut the binds.”
He looked at me with serious eyes. I had to glance away or drown, and he must have taken that as a yes. I waited for him to pull out a knife. All my weapons had been confiscated, which made me feel naked and more than a little annoyed. Travis, of course didn’t need a weapon. He snapped the twine with just his hands like it was nothing.
“We need to talk,” he said, his voice smooth and velvety.
I rubbed my sore wrists, trying to ease the ache on my hands and the pain that had started in my chest. “I’m all talked out for the day.” I sighed. My heart wasn’t going to be able to listen to his voice for long without melting.
I reached for the door handle, but he hit the lock button. Swinging around in my seat, I tucked my leg underneath me, getting comfortable. Apparently this wasn’t going to be a short talk. “So talk,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
His fingers reached out to touch my hair, and I jerked out of his reach. I tried to pretend that I hadn’t glimpsed the pain that punctured his eyes. He was quick to bank it under a steeling look of indifference, but I knew it was all an act.
I knew Travis.
“No touching,” I said, shaking my finger.
His mouth thinned, and he draped his arm on the back of my seat. “Fine. For now.” It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him never, but he cut me off before I had the chance. “What happened that night? It has been killing me not kno
wing what happened to you. I thought I had lost you forever.”
He was bringing back memories I would rather forget. And all these crazy feelings that were pinging inside me were making this very difficult. “You don’t want to know.”
“That’s just it. I do. I can’t let it go.”
I closed my eyes, cutting off the glowing gold that sprang into his eyes. “Travis, it isn’t going to change anything. Not between us.”
“Maybe not. But I should have been there to protect you. Save you. Then we could have been togeth—”
“Stop. Don’t even say it.” My heart clenched. “There was nothing you could have done. Not then and not now. It just is, Travis.” Every time I said his name it broke a piece of me inside.
He shook his head, a strand of blond hair falling down his forehead. “I can’t accept that.” There was heat behind his words to back up how passionate he felt about my absence.
“It doesn’t matter if you accept it or not.”
His face was suddenly a whole lot closer than it had been a moment ago. Our noses almost touched, and my stomach dropped as I got a taste of his smell. It was sensory overload. God give me strength. A thousand feelings bombarded me. I never saw his fingers move. They were just there under my chin, holding my face, forcing me to look into his eyes, which were a blend of aqua and gold.
I’d never seen a more enchanting sight.
“Emma,” he whispered. “I missed you. Every. Day. Don’t push me away. Not now that I just got you back.”
How easy it would be to just slip back into his arms, press my lips to his, taste him. The fact that I wanted it so much was exactly why I couldn’t.
“I’m not yours anymore.” I reached for the handle this time, hit the unlock button, and opened the door. I made sure that I didn’t look back.
What was he trying to do to me? Why had that been so hard to say? Why did the words feel like sandpaper in my throat, leaving me raw?
The answer was simple.