Wide eyes stared at me, then narrowed. Even with what she’d seen, she was still ready to argue with me. Stand up to me. I was half impressed and half angry. As it usually did, anger won. Who did she think she was? She’d just ruined everything and she didn’t even have the sense to save herself. But she didn’t strike me as the stupid type. Naïve. Yeah, that was it.
Still, her idiot bravery had completely fucked up the exorcism I’d spent months to set up. It hadn’t been a problem getting Thomas to the bar—I’d just told him I’d found a good place for him to use as a front for his drug deals and the owner had wanted to meet him. Eager beaver he was, he’d thought nothing of it when I’d ushered him into a dimly lit back room with the promise that the owner would meet him there. He’d figured it out pretty quickly, though, and had tried to fight me, but the runes I’d drawn in my blood had held him firm.
By screwing up the exorcism, Ava had compromised my goal of running my own cell, and had set a demon loose. A demon who would come after not only me, but her now, too.
I wanted to shout senseless obscenities at the top of my lungs, but settled for bellowing, “Get the fuck out of here!” I flung open the door to the bar, hauling Ava by one arm.
I stopped in the doorway, realizing Ava’s friend, the one we’d seen at the hospital, was standing next to Caleb, gaping like a just-landed fish. What the hell? Ava had brought a goddamned friend? The woman’s body was close to Caleb’s, leaning in provocatively. They seemed to be…flirting.
Fuck. I didn’t have time for this. Both of these women had to get out of here, and fast, if they wanted to live.
“Go.” I pushed Ava toward her friend. She turned back to look at me, and I saw something in her eyes that almost made me take a step toward her. Fear.
“Get the fuck out of here!”
She flinched, and I felt like the biggest ass in the world. But finally, when her friend started chattering questions at her, she tugged on her friend’s sleeve and headed for the door to the parking lot. The rest of the bar seemed to notice something was happening and I could feel the eyes of half a dozen other patrons on us, but I didn’t care about them. I cared about her.
Caleb turned to me, face bright red, as the girls rushed away, out of sight.
The temptation to hit him was overwhelming. Ava had gotten past him—a tiny-ass woman with no weapons. Caleb had obviously fucked up.
“Call Franklin,” I ground out, and released the door to slam against the frame.
Ava would leave. I only had to make sure Thomas didn’t follow. For some reason, the thought calmed me.
I threw on my shirt and grabbed my jacket and weapons from where I’d kept them on the floor near me during the exorcism, then exited into the dark and dingy alley behind the bar. I moved cautiously, wary of an ambush, my nose flaring against the rotten smells coming from the Dumpsters. No demon.
But a blood trail. I could smell that, even if it was barely visible in the dark alley.
I circled around to the parking lot in front of the building, the long machete Franklin had given me when I joined the Venators in one hand, another, smaller blade in the other. Thomas’s SUV was still where I’d parked it, along with a few other cars.
But the smell was fading. The demon was gone. I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or pissed that he’d gotten away.
The bar’s front door opened and noise poured out. Only a few patrons were there, but the jukebox was loud against the otherwise fairly quiet corner of the block. I stepped behind Thomas’s SUV and heard footsteps shuffle toward me. I flattened my back against the SUV and froze.
“Ava, what happened back there?” That was Miriam’s voice, rushed and nervous.
“I…I’m not sure,” Ava said, and her voice shook as if she had just stepped out of a meat locker. Shock.
I peered around the SUV, careful not to be seen, and took in Ava’s shaking form.
“Come on, tell me what happened.” The girls stopped in front of a small car. Guilt pressed into my head, and I stifled the urge to go pull her into my arms and offer her comfort.
“I just—” Ava’s voice broke, and a weight settled on my chest. “It’s not something I want to talk about in a dark parking lot, okay, Miriam?”
“Okay,” Miriam replied. “I’m sorry. Let’s go back to your apartment and talk. Unless you’d rather go back to my place?”
“No. I want to go home.”
Miriam turned the key in the door; it unlocked with a quiet click. The girls got in, Ava still shaking. My fists clenched at my sides.
I’d told her to lay low. To not go back to her apartment until I’d called to tell her she was in the clear. She’d listened before, so why not now? It didn’t make sense if it was because she was scared of me. I knew where she lived.
Unless she wanted me to come. Hell, was it possible she might give me the chance to explain?
My instincts screamed at me to protect her, but I itched to hunt Thomas—because taking him out was the only way she would be safe now. Sure, he’d be after me first, but he’d be after her next. Demons didn’t leave witnesses to their existence in their wake. And if he figured out that she was psychic…hell, she’d become his main target.
The odds weren’t good that I’d find Thomas before he got somewhere he could hole up tonight—his penthouse or, more likely, his country estate. But if I was lucky, Thomas also wouldn’t be strong enough to summon a shadowman to send after me—or Ava—until he recovered. Shadowmen weren’t easy to bring forth. I had a day or two, at least.
Fuck it. I needed to see her.
I got in the SUV and headed for Ava’s.
…
I climbed up the rickety fire escape to Ava’s as quietly as I could, and tried to clear my mind. When I reached her apartment window, I slipped a knife under the casing and nudged it open easily. Jesus. She didn’t even lock her windows. The girl was just asking for something bad to happen to her.
After I had it open a couple of inches, voices trailed out of the room to the fire escape, and I knelt closer to listen. I couldn’t see much of the room from where I knelt. Good. If I couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see me.
“It was horrible. The man—or demon, whatever—was tied down. And the things carved into his chest…well I don’t know what they were, but who does that? What kind of monster carves into a person’s flesh?” Ava’s voice came through strong.
My jaw clicked when I clenched it, and I fought the urge to grind my teeth. What did she know? She had no idea what a man would do when pushed to his limit. The woman had probably never had to deal with a serious situation before in her life, let alone something that went well beyond the normal definition of serious.
I shook my head and pushed the images, the faces, from my mind, and tried to focus on the here and now. I cursed silently when I realized I’d missed part of their conversation.
“He must have been lying to you before,” Miriam said.
“Maybe.” Ava’s voice was hesitant. “Or—I don’t know. There could be an explanation. I should have given him a chance to give me one.”
“You did the right thing, Ava. The only thing you could do.”
Ava took in a long breath. “I don’t care what you’ve seen in movies. No way could that guy have broken through those ropes and gotten up from that table on his own. Karson—well, he had to have been telling me the truth. At least partially.”
Through the small break in the curtain I could see Miriam walk around the table to pat Ava awkwardly on the back, and a spike of jealousy ran through me.
Stupid. What was I thinking? That I should be in there comforting her? Yeah, right. Ava probably thought I was a lunatic.
I worked on the edge of society. The further I got into the demons’ world, into their lives, the more my humanity slipped away. The tattoos didn’t help. For all their power, they allowed my rage and baser emotions to surface easily. But I didn’t have much choice. I needed the power.
“You should get home. It�
��s late,” Ava said.
“I can stay. You’ve been through some freaky stuff tonight. I honestly don’t mind. And didn’t Karson tell you not to stay here anymore?”
“Look—staying at your place won’t keep me safe. If I’m in danger, I’ll be in danger no matter where I’m at. I just want to collapse in my bed for a billion years and when I wake up, things will be better.”
My lip curled. I used to think that, too. Sleep would fix everything. Distance would fix everything. Time would fix everything.
But that was the hell of it all. Some things couldn’t be fixed.
They moved farther into the apartment and I couldn’t make out their murmured words, but the door clicking shut was unmistakable. Her friend Miriam had left. Then Ava walked around the apartment alone, and I could hear the sound of dishes clinking together, followed by the sink filling with water.
Hunting—that’s what I should be doing. But I couldn’t bring myself to leave here, not until I was certain she was safe.
Not until I’d had a chance to tell her off for ruining months of work.
I cursed aloud, a stupid slip. Quickly, I moved to the side of the window. I hadn’t spoken loudly, but it was possible she’d heard. Tensing my muscles, I prepped myself to jump into action. What I’d do if Ava discovered me on her fire escape, I wasn’t sure, but I’d have to do something.
The curtains opened a few inches, and I clenched my fists around the bars behind me that formed the sides of the balcony.
But she didn’t seem to be looking for anything in particular, and she wasn’t alarmed. Instead, from where I crouched I could see her staring up at the sky. Her cheeks were wet, and her expression grim.
My gut tightened at the sight of her tears, and the bit of anger that had spiked through me at her screwing up my plans washed away. It took every bit of my iron will not to go to her. But what could I do? Hug her? I’d scare her to death if I jumped up, I knew that, but the urge to pull her into my arms made them shake.
What was it about her? Her innocence? That wasn’t a quality I saw a lot of anymore, and it reminded me of happier times, when I’d been innocent of the dangers lurking in the shadows.
My chest tightened. Remembering was dangerous. The last thing I needed.
Finally, she pulled the curtains shut and walked away from the window. A door clicked, and I could hear water running. Thoughts of Ava in the shower flitted through my mind. Thoughts of what her slim body looked like under those jeans and long-sleeved shirts. Thoughts of running my hands up those smooth legs.
“Quit it,” I muttered. It had been too long since I’d been with a woman, that was all. My…craving had nothing to do with her. But her shower did give me a good opportunity.
I pulled the window open the rest of the way and shoved the curtain aside. I didn’t have much time, but looking through her apartment might give me a better idea of her character. Give me an in—a way to convince her to get the hell out of town.
Her hideously floral patterned couch sat in the middle of her small living room, along with a coffee table and television stand that held an old TV. The same things struck me that I’d noticed the day before; nothing new stood out. The apartment was clean, its near-perfect order not blemished by the knickknacks that women tended to accumulate. The furniture was worn, but usable. I pulled out the couch cushions first. Nothing. Not even an old penny.
She was a bit of a neat freak, but that didn’t really give me much to go on. Hell, if I even knew what I was looking for other than just a vague idea that I needed an angle to convince her to go away for a while so I could clean up this mess.
I left the cushions on the floor and searched the kitchen. No dishwasher, and most of the cupboards were bare. She had some food, a few mismatched dishes, and a case of Cherry Coke in the refrigerator.
She lived like a Venator.
I headed to her bedroom, but halted at the door. More flowers. These ones all over the comforter. That settled it; the couch wasn’t an accident, or the only thing she could afford. She’d bought the flowered pattern on purpose, for some godforsaken reason I couldn’t get my mind around.
Surprisingly, she had a full-sized bed with a nice headboard. I could see her on that bed. Stretched out and relaxed. A small smile, just for me.
Fuck. I had to keep my head in the game.
The nightstand’s top drawer opened noiselessly. A small cardboard container caught my eye first, and I grabbed it, wondering if it held condoms. A flash of jealousy cut through me at the thought of a man in her horrifically decorated bed, and I forced it down and looked at the box. Cold medicine. Relief flooded me, and a low chuckle escaped my lips before I realized it was coming. I dropped the box onto the top of the nightstand and resumed my search.
I’d emptied the rest of the top drawer when sudden silence descended on the apartment. I stifled a curse and pushed up from the floor. I didn’t have time to cover up the search, but I needed to come up with some sort of explanation for why I was here. Saying I had a fucked-up need to make sure she was safe would be wrong for so many reasons. And judging by the sounds of the rustling in the bathroom, our confrontation was coming in about five seconds. The woman seemed to relish standing up to me.
A grin twitched at my lips.
I turned to head to the living room when the bathroom door opened. Ava stepped out, and I stopped in my tracks. My mouth went dry at the sight of her.
Wet hair hung down over her shoulders, clinging to her damp skin. A towel wrapped around her was all that draped her body, and it covered very little. As I raked my gaze over her, some part of my mind screamed at me to get out. That I’d be caught. That I’d look like a fucking pervert.
But the rest of me couldn’t move. The rest of me itched to touch her.
I imagined how soft and wet her skin would feel under my hands as I slipped them up those long legs and under her towel to cup her breasts. Her nipples erect at my touch. Her breathy tones, begging me for more.
My pants were suddenly too tight.
The fantasy shattered when she turned to face the bedroom, and I rushed to her. While most of my tattoos were focused on making demon powers ineffective against me, two very powerful symbols enhanced my strength and speed. The effects were minor, nothing compared to a fully powered demon, but they made me faster and stronger than a normal human.
I clamped one hand over her mouth and wrapped the other around her body. She cried out against my hand and struggled against me.
“I’m not here to hurt you,” I whispered into her ear. Apparently my words hadn’t reassured her, because if anything, she struggled harder. Her body squirmed against mine, pleasantly soft. Keep your mind out of the gutter.
“I’ll let you go, but if you scream, you’ll regret it.”
I loosened my grip slightly, and then pain shot up my arm. I yanked my hand away from her teeth and stepped back, grimacing as she stumbled away.
“You bit me!”
“You broke into my apartment!”
I glanced at my hand. She hadn’t broken the skin, but it still hurt like hell. I turned to face her. Anger laced her expression and her mouth was hard set, but at least she wasn’t screaming.
“Well, you didn’t lock the window,” I pointed out. God, she was beautiful when she was mad. All alight with anger and emotion.
“You need to get the heck out of here before I call the cops, buddy.” She wobbled on her feet, reached out, and grabbed the bathroom doorknob.
I stifled the urge to cross the room to help her balance herself. She wouldn’t appreciate the help, and the panic-slash-worry-slash-anger on her face probably meant she’d scream if I moved one inch closer.
“You trusted me yesterday. I need you to trust me enough to let me explain what you saw tonight.”
“I hadn’t seen you tying men up and torturing them yesterday.” She clutched the towel tighter against her breasts, pushing them up in a very distracting way. “How can you explain tying someone to a table and cut
ting them up? I’d love to hear this,” she snapped out.
“Just—damn, Ava.” I ran my hand through my hair. “Did you really think that banishing a demon would be pretty work? It’s messy as hell, but it’s all necessary. I don’t relish it.”
“Karson—”
“Please. You know that I won’t hurt you. I could have if I wanted to, you know. I could have just now when I grabbed you, or when I was here before.” Hurting her had been the last thing on my mind when I held her; her body had been so soft against mine. I forced my focus back to convincing her. “I could have gone for your throat while you were washing your hair.”
Her hand flew to her neck and her eyes widened.
I wished I could take that example back, but at least she was listening to me now.
She searched my face. “You’ll tell me what was going on in that room?”
“Yes.” I’d tell her what I had to. I didn’t like the idea of giving her more details—the less she knew, the better for her. Then again, she didn’t seem to listen without all the messy details, so maybe it was better just to lay it all out there. The urge to protect her innocence and protect her body warred inside of me.
“Fine. But I need to get dressed.”
I gave her a quick nod, then plucked her cell phone off her dresser.
“Hey!”
“You’ve got sixty seconds to get dressed. Otherwise, I’m coming in after you,” I said, leaning against the doorframe. “Don’t tempt me.”
She gaped at me, and redness crept up her neck to her face.
“Sixty seconds,” I reminded her, and then I left the room, closing the door behind me. I stood at the door and listened to her behind it, reminding myself it was to make sure she didn’t go for the window, not because I was sex-starved. But I kind of hoped she’d dally. That she wanted me to come in and get her.
Instead, fifty-five seconds after I closed the door, she pulled it back open. She gestured at me to lead the way, giving me a dirty look, and then followed me to the living room.
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