by Kresley Cole
14
I guess I wasn't that hungry anyway." Holly pushed her plate away after finishing only half of her breakfast.
"It's the change," Cadeon said. "Valkyrie don't eat."
"How is that even possible?"
"Dunno. How's it possible for shifters to change form, or witches to move things with their minds?"
After she threw the breakfast trash away, fatigue set in. It didn't help when he turned on a low lamp and pulled the heavier layer of drapes closed.
She sank down on the edge of the bed. Her body was exhausted, but her senses felt alive, humming. Hypersensitivity? She believed it. And now she was in a darkened hotel room, alone with a demon she'd had not-so-subtle dreams about.
Though she'd have thought his horns would be off-putting—not to mention his boorish behavior—she was actually feeling an inexplicable attraction to the demon. And she'd already had trouble controlling her urges.
Holly had experienced a variety of fears and idiosyncrasies and had been medicated for them. Now without her medicine…what would she do?
Somehow, she had to get her refills, not only to stifle these compulsions—but also to slow this progression.
Progression? Could she possibly get worse?
She recalled her parents taking her to Pompous Shrink, the "best in the state." He'd droned on and on about her fragile mental health to her poor parents….
"This is a classic case of obsessive-compulsive disorder. An OCD patient experiences a constant fear of transformation," he'd said. "She'll dread losing her sense of self, often experiencing impulses to act out of character. As these impulses can cause a great deal of anxiety, the patient will begin performing compulsive acts in order to suppress them. The stronger the urge, the more compulsive the behavior."
Oh, and there were chemical imbalances, too. "Most likely inherited from her mystery parents," he'd said with a resigned sigh, as if he'd seen this all before. "And exacerbated by Holly's insecurities over being adopted."
She'd never had insecurities about that. Her parents had been incredible—patient, encouraging, and loving. But they'd begun blaming themselves for her unusual behavior, looking for some fault in her upbringing, something they'd needed to provide for her but hadn't.
Her mom had apologized to Holly before she'd died….
At that memory, she dropped her head into her hands.
"Whoa, halfling!" Cade quickly sat beside her. "What's the matter?" When she didn't answer, he said, "I'm not the type of male who's good at this sort of thing, this…comforting. But maybe…do you, uh, want to talk to me about what's going on in that head of yours?"
At length, she said, "It's all so bewildering. I mean, just last night, I was drugged and kidnapped, and then…" She trailed off.
"And then what? Tell me what happened to you."
Her voice had turned to a whisper. "It was horrifying. I woke up, and I was…naked, stripped for some kind of ritual. There were all these men watching me. I tried to reason with them, to beg them to let me go, but they just laughed and ignored me. Then, when it was about to begin, I shrieked."
"Valkyrie shriek."
She nodded. "Louder than anything I've ever heard. And the glass dome above broke. Then lightning struck me directly in the chest, and it went on and on. I don't remember much after that. I just recall feeling this rage, this uncontrollable need to do violence."
When had his hand rested on her back? It was big and warm, and he used it to gently rub up and down. "You've been through a lot. It's normal to react like this."
"Normal for a Valkyrie or for a human?" she asked, sniffling. "I don't quite have a grasp on either, since I've never been fully one or the other."
The truth of that sunk in at that moment. This meant Holly had to reevaluate everything. What was her personality truly like? She didn't recognize herself.
Just as Nïx had said.
And Holly knew that in the absence of a constant against which to measure, the introduction of new variables was a recipe for chaos. "I don't like my routine interrupted. I don't like surprises. On the best of days, I-I don't handle them well."
"Maybe you don't handle them well because you haven't had any practice with them."
"No, I have a condition—"
"So you like to arrange stuff. Where's the harm?"
She frowned. Holly had heard her dad say the same thing when he'd spoken to her mom about the drugs Pompous Shrink had wanted to put her on.
Holly shook her head. "You make it sound so negligible. But there were times when I couldn't leave my house for fear I would run out into a storm or get mesmerized by a shiny jewel. And now I have no idea how I'll react. Cadeon, what's normal for a Valkyrie cannot be normal for me." She knew she was being superficial, but she couldn't help adding, "And I don't want fangs and pointed ears!"
"Not that this will change how you feel, but I happen to love pointed ears."
She gave him a dubious expression.
"No, honestly. To a male from the Lore, they signal either fey or Valkyrie, and either species is renowned for its stunning females."
"Even if they didn't look freakish to me, they could prevent me from going about among humans."
"None doing. You'll just cover them with all this pretty hair of yours. I've seen Valkyrie plait braids over their ears or wear head bands over them. I've even seen them go with them uncovered and proclaim themselves extras on a movie set still 'in makeup.'"
Nïx hadn't seemed concerned about hers at all. "And the fangs?"
"They're so small, Holly." He grinned and laugh lines fanned out from the edges of his eyes. "Humans wouldn't notice anything was off."
"But I would be self-conscious, behaving differently."
"No, you'd learn to brazen it out. Evading detection is all about attitude." Had his voice grown rougher?
"If I get to this sorcerer quickly enough, then…" She trailed off, frowning. "Cadeon, are you smelling my hair?"
Uncaring now that he was caught, he took a handful and shoved his face in it, inhaling deeply.
"What is wrong with you?" she demanded, shooting to her feet.
"What? I just nee—wanted to smell your hair."
"You offer to talk to me, but you don't give a damn about what I'm feeling."
"That's not true, pet."
She huffed to her cell phone, unplugging it from the charger.
"Who are you calling?"
"The one I should be confiding in, instead of the mercenary demon who cares more about how my hair smells than my feelings!"
15
Visiting family?" Tim said, incredulous. "In Memphis?
But you don't like to travel."
She moved the cell phone to her other ear. "A bit of an emergency cropped up. Everything's fine, but I thought I should be there." In a bid to change the subject, she said, "So tell me, how's the conference going? Is California nice?"
Cadeon prowled the room. Okay, there's no way around it now. The demon had been making advances toward her and now seemed jealous. But why?
Holly was exponentially younger than he was, and she wasn't a traffic-stopping beauty like Nïx. Holly was the cute geek. Not the immortal femme fatale.
She and Cadeon just didn't fit. She wasn't from his world and made no secret that she had no interest in joining it….
"Our papers were well received," Tim said. "Very much so. I just wish you could be here."
Holly experienced a flare of annoyance that he'd enjoyed all the accolades. She was the stronger mathematician, and they both knew it.
She stilled. Where had that come from? She'd never felt so tetchy with him before. Here was yet another example of her transitioning into something she'd rather not be.
"I miss you," he said, making her feel even guiltier for getting irritated.
"I miss you, too," she said. At her words, Cadeon sat, then immediately stood, pacing again.
"Are you still working on your code?" Tim asked. "I didn't see anything uploaded.
" They shared an online account to backup their work and religiously uploaded every night.
"I'm starting back first thing tomorrow."
"The sooner you get it done—"
"I know, I know. The sooner I'm a doc." He was always so incredibly supportive, pushing her to reach her dreams.
In a lower voice, he said, "I can't wait to see you again, sweetheart."
Sweetheart. Why had she never noticed before that Tim often called her that endearment? "I know. I can't wait either."
Cade slammed into the bathroom, exiting short moments later looking like he'd splashed his face with water. "Hang up," he bit out before she could mute the phone.
"Who was that?" Tim said.
"A…cousin of mine."
"I didn't know you had any cousins."
"Me neither, not until recently. Finding branches of my family that I'd had no idea about." When Cadeon began striding toward her, she hurriedly said, "But I have to go now. Call you later?"
"Yes, of course. Be safe—"
Cadeon snatched the phone from her, braving her outraged slaps. "Holly's kissing cousin here," he said. "Sorry, Todd, the chit's going to have to ring you back in a week or two."
When he hung up on Tim, she snapped, "How dare you! All you're supposed to do is keep me safe—that's what you're getting paid for. Explain to me what kind of danger there was in talking to him!"
"No danger," he said, looming over her until they were toe to toe.
They were both breathing heavily. He was so imposing, seeming to take up the very air she needed, making it hard to concentrate.
"Then why?"
"Maybe I've watched the two of you together enough to know you'd be throwing away all your passion on him."
"That's not your place to say! Nïx told me you've been hired to transport me to the sorcerer—nothing more, and nothing less."
He looped his arm around her waist, holding her even when she beat her fists against his rock-hard chest. "That might be true, but it doesn't mean I can't let you know when you're making a mistake."
"Fine. Your opinion is noted," she said, keeping up her fruitless efforts to get away. "Now let me go!"
"I don't think you're getting the picture. Maybe I need to demonstrate what it's supposed to be like with a male."
Before she could react, he'd cupped her face and bent down, slanting his mouth over hers. The heat of his lips sent shivers radiating through her, stunning her. She was too shocked to move, to breathe….
His tongue teased between her lips, coaxing her to open her mouth and accept his kiss. The sensations were unfamiliar, pleasing.
After a moment, she…did.
He used his tongue to stroke against hers so sensuously, quelling her need to get free. She found her fists loosening, her palms resting docilely on his chest.
Holly never would have suspected the rough mercenary's kiss would be so erotic, so languid and hot. She couldn't stop herself from giving a tentative kiss back. He groaned against her mouth, so she did it again, getting caught up.
When she squeezed the muscles of his chest in fascination, he pressed her back against the wall with his body. Deepening the kiss, he effortlessly stoked her arousal to a fever pitch.
He broke away, but only to trail his lips along her neck. "That's it, pet," he rasped with a lick against her skin. "Let me kiss you. I'll do it till your toes curl."
They already were. And her nipples throbbed. She felt herself growing wet between her legs, aching to be touched there—
Without warning, he spread the top of her robe wide to her waist, revealing the black cami she wore. When he brazenly pinched her nipples through the silk, she nearly came out of her skin, jerking with a cry that turned to another moan.
"Silk's the only thing that should ever cover breasts this beautiful." His palms settled around her sides, his thumbs lazily brushing over her hardening nipples again and again until she was arching to his touch. She bit her bottom lip hard, struggling to keep from moaning.
"Sensitive halfling. I could make you come so quick. Do you want me to?" he asked, settling back into the kiss. As he licked her tongue so wickedly, she realized she did. So much.
Too fast…losing control. She couldn't stop kissing him. Oh, God, I'm losing it. Why couldn't she stop kissing him?
Already, she battled overwhelming impulses to sink her claws into his body, to force him closer so he couldn't get away from her.
She was about to tell him that he could do anything he wanted when he pressed his erection against her, slowly thrusting.
Even as the rational side of her brain was reasoning that his size simply couldn't be right, the other side of her mind was filled with disturbing images.
She saw herself tearing off his jeans to get to the swollen shaft he rocked against her. Then, when he was lying back on the bed, she'd guide his erection inside her body, impaling herself on it as she squeezed the rippling muscles of his chest….
When her hands dropped, claws poised to rip off his jeans, fear coursed through her. These urges weren't her own. Her eyes went wide and she broke away, shoving at his shoulders. "Stop…no!"
He pulled back, his chest heaving, his horns straightening. He looked dangerous and wicked and tempting.
"I figured you'd stop me." His lips curled in a smile that robbed her of breath. "But I got further than I thought I would."
Flinging herself away from him, she demanded, "What is this?" Her thoughts were scrambled, her body screaming for relief. "Why would you want to get far with me at all? What is the purpose?"
"I made a run at you."
She yanked her robe closed up to her neck. "A run? Why? Because you wanted to teach me a lesson, or because you're attracted to me?"
"Maybe a little of both."
"Why would you be attracted to me? It isn't logical."
"You're not just a nerd's wet dream, you know."
"What does that mean?"
"Means I find you sexy. I'm not going to lie to you about this."
"Sexy?" she said in a strangled tone. "But…but you like tarts. With more meat on their bones. That's what you said! And I've done nothing to try to attract this attention from you! I don't wear makeup or low-cut tops—"
"Do you think just because you don't try that you'll be unattractive?"
Well…yes.
"Face it, Holly, you're a natural."
This would not do. She pointed her forefinger at him. "No more kissing me, Cadeon. That's not part of this deal. I have a boyfriend."
"No, you don't. You've got a friend. The two of you don't sleep together, or do anything couples should do. And that's because you don't know better. You have no idea what you're missing."
She didn't have the heart to deny his words.
"In the short time that we're going to be together, I intend to keep trying to seduce you," he said. "Why not use me to ease your curiosity while we're stuck together? You can take a vacation from your boring life, get all this craziness out of your system, then go back to normal."
She hesitated, tilting her head…then railed at herself. Was she was actually considering getting lured into his sensual world? The dark side. Just like her dream.
When she parted her lips to speak, he said, "You don't have to answer right now. Just keep the offer in mind. And one thing I can promise you: What happens with the demon, stays with the demon."
"How considerate an offer."
"That's me. Always thinking of others."
She squinted at him suspiciously, having the sense that he was excited, even…happy with her.
"I'm going to sleep." With her robe still firmly in place, she crawled under the covers.
"Ah, come on, halfling, you don't have to keep your robe on like a shark suit."
"I do when there are still sharks in the water."
"You can trust me not to do anything to you. I give you my word as a mercenary."
She glared at that. "Where are you going to sleep?"
He crosse
d to the couch and sank down, stretching his long arms along the back. "Here, unless you're wanting to share your bed with me."
"Ha!" She turned off the lamp. "In your dreams, demon."
"Admittedly, halfling," he rumbled from the dark.
16
When she woke near sundown, Cadeon was exiting the bathroom wearing only a towel, displaying far too much of that muscular body. Her lips parted with appreciation.
His tanned skin was taut and smooth over his rigid muscles, showing no signs of being shot just yesterday. His broad chest and back were damp from his shower.
Acting as if she still slept, she watched him moving about the room. She'd just been dreaming about him, the same vivid dream she'd had before. She swallowed, eyes riveted to that intriguing bulge behind his towel that swayed when he bent for his bag—
He abruptly turned, catching her staring at that part of his anatomy before she yanked her gaze up. He gave her a grin, and the blond stubble on his strong jaw glinted in the low light.
Even with the horns, he was too gorgeous for his own good. Worse, he knew it.
She resolved then that he'd never know that she found him handsome.
"Good, you're awake. I'm in need of your services."
"Pardon?"
"I need you to extract a bullet from me. I haven't been able to shed it."
She sat up, rubbing her eyes. "How would I do that?"
"Dig it out with your claws."
For all her phobias, she wasn't afraid of blood. But helping him would entail touching him. No way. It was too soon after their kiss this morning.
As she'd tossed and turned, trying to get to sleep, she'd decided that she would stay as far away from him as possible, biding her time until they stopped sharing rooms. "This is just one of your ploys to seduce me, isn't it?"
"Look, I wouldn't ask, but it's high on the back of my thigh and I can't easily reach it. Hurts like hell." He held her gaze as he said, "And, pet, I did catch it saving your life."
Guilt flared. He was in pain and needed her help. "You're right." She reached for her glasses, then tightened her robe. "Of course, I'll see if I can help." She hastily added, "But you have to keep your towel on."