She licked her lips. His eyes were drawn right to them.
His dragon stirred.
Now is not the time. Keep it together.
“I’m going to reach into my pocket, okay?” she asked.
He nodded. He wasn’t going to admit he had been watching her lips and not her hands.
She tucked her hand into her jacket pocket and pulled something out. Then she flipped it toward him. It was a badge, for the FBI.
The name read Helena Mars.
“You’re an agent? Is there a non-human division now?”
“No.” Her answer was clipped. “There most certainly is not. They don’t know I’m not human. I pretend.”
“So are you here for the bureau? Or because of something else?”
“I’m here for them. And I was also sent here on an official assignment. I can’t say what, but the work I was doing just now…that was unofficial.”
“So they’re not the ones that made you a demon hunter?” he asked.
“No. This was me moving outside the lines, if that’s the right expression.”
“I think it’s coloring outside the lines, but I’m no expert on language.” He finally let go of his side. He couldn’t go back out there and let his crew see that he’d been injured. He took a deep breath. It still hurt, but it was tolerable. He was lucky he healed fast. “I’ve got to get back out there. My crew will come in here, and they’ll notice you’re not human, just like I did.”
“They aren’t human either, are they?”
“No. Not one of them’s human. But there are others out there, reporters, medics, cameramen, and some random stragglers who just like to see what’s going on. They don’t need to see anything weird going on in here. So I’m going back out there, and I’m going to pretend like I was poking around in the back of the parking lot.”
He didn’t want to let her go, but now he knew who she was. She let herself be totally immersed in the human world by joining the Federal Bureau of Intelligence. That was a whole other level up from being a firefighter with a local unit.
“Wait,” she said. “What are you?”
“I’ll tell you later,” he said.
“How do I know I’ll see you again?”
“You’ll see me. I’m not going to get stabbed by some crazy demon hunter, and then let you go on your merry way.” He nodded at her. “I’ll be around. I’m Jackson Hudson.” He held out his hand. “You’re not going to zap me, are you?”
She held out her own slender hand. “No. No zapping. At least not now.”
He’d half expected her to get the drop on him again, maybe try to stab him or subdue him in some fashion. But she merely shook his hand, letting him hold on longer than was customary.
He swore he felt sparks between their hands.
He had to make himself walk away from her, which was really fucking weird.
6
Helena
She could not let him walk away. She had no idea what he was.
She’d never encountered anyone like him before.
And she needed to ensure that he would not reveal her presence or her name to his clan, whatever kind of clan it was. Getting into trouble with the FBI was nothing compared to the trouble she’d get in from Olympus if she gave away their secret. They were only allowed to reveal themselves in very specific circumstances, and this was not one of them.
Heat burned her cheeks as she thought about how careless she’d been. She had assumed he was a demon on sight.
And she’d been wrong. Very wrong.
He wasn’t human, but he was something close. If she had stopped and centered herself, she’d have sensed his humanity and avoided striking him.
She was lucky he was so laid back. He could have easily retaliated. He probably could have killed her with his bare hands. When he’d caught her, she’d pushed back against him with every ounce of strength that she had, and it had not been enough.
In a hand to hand battle, she could not best him. That did not happen to her often. She had her grandfather’s zeal for winning.
Jackson’s ability made him intriguing.
“Don’t go,” she said. “We need to talk more.”
“I told you, you don’t want my crew up here. They won’t take kindly to you stabbing me. And if they know you have a blade that can make a dent in our skin, it’s going to be a real shit show.” His mouth quirked. “Excuse my language.”
“I’ve heard worse. And I don’t mind.”
He smiled. He really was quite charming, considering the circumstances.
“I don’t say excuse me because you’re a lady. I say it because I don’t know you yet.”
She found herself smiling back at him. He was remarkably good-humored. If someone had attacked one of the men in her family unprovoked, they would be at war right now. Then they’d fight until the offending party was dead.
He’d accepted her explanation quite readily. Maybe he could sense that she was telling the truth. Either that, or he was exceptionally trusting, although she doubted that was the case.
“Hudson!” a male voice yelled.
They both turned their heads toward the sound.
“That’s one of my crew. I gotta go.”
“Hudson, you son of a bitch! Where’d you run off to?” another male yelled.
“I found some melted hard drives. I’m bringing them down now to see if we can salvage them,” Jackson called out to his fellow firefighter.
She stepped back into the shadows as she whispered, “I’ll be at the Black Sands hotel. Room 14. Please come speak to me as soon as possible.”
“I know where that is. I’ll come by when I can,” he whispered back to her. Then he was gone, clattering down the stairs. Whatever he was, he was immune to fire. Maybe she’d ask Hephaestus if he was aware of such beings. Her great-uncle was one of the more tolerable Gods in her family.
She bent down and got her knife off the floor. It had pained her to leave it lying there unattended for so long, but she had not wanted to alarm Jackson. He wasn’t used to being near a weapon that could harm him, so he would have been uneasy if she had gotten near it.
But being without it meant she was vulnerable and exposed if a demon did show up.
She went back to the spot where she’d left her pen and paper. She would not lie to her grandfather about what happened. But she had very little information that would help with her case for work. She’d come back tomorrow in the light of day and search the ruins.
She snuck out the back. There was a small grouping of scrubby trees, and she melted into them. When the coast was clear, she made her way back to her car, walking briskly with her head held high, projecting the illusion that she was a journalist.
She couldn’t create elaborate illusions, but she could make people see what they wanted, even if it was for a short time. She couldn’t make anyone see something that wasn’t there. No one had ever said it, but she assumed she got that ability straight from Zeus himself.
She slipped back into her little hotel room. It was plain, but she had not expected the Waldorf-Astoria here in this little town. The room was clean, even if it was a bit shabby.
She opened her laptop and began to type up her notes for work. Her boss would expect reports every three days about her progress. She completed the report thirty minutes later. She poked her head outside. Jackson was not there.
She took a moment to listen to the waves. A breeze ruffled her hair as she closed her eyes and let the sound wash over her.
Enough relaxing. Get back to work.
She picked up her phone and called her grandfather. “I got called out for a fire tonight. I didn’t find anything for work, but I found something else.”
“A demon?” he asked.
“No. I don’t know what he was. But I’m going to find out.” She explained all of the traits Jackson had displayed, including the immunity to the spelled blade, wondering if Ares had ever encountered the same. If he had, he didn’t mention it.
“Be careful. He could be a demon who’s got a witch protecting him with an illusion,” he said.
“I will be careful, but I don’t think that’s it.”
“Where is he? I’ll pay him a visit.”
“Please don’t do that. I’m going to handle this. I may need him as a contact for my job.” She could ask, but if Ares was determined enough, he would find Jackson without much trouble.
Ares sighed. “I will allow it. For now.”
Dammit. Maybe she shouldn’t have told him.
“I will speak with you later,” he said abruptly. Then he hung up.
She wondered often what it would be like to have a real grandfather. In elementary school, she remembered the other kids having grandparents who showed up for their concerts, their plays, and the school spelling bee. They’d all oohed and ahhed over the grandkids and admired every move they made.
They’d had gray hair and glasses, and they talked at a really loud volume. Some had canes, and they all were chatty. Helena had never had that experience, not even as a young child. The year she was twelve, Ares did come to her karate tournament. He disguised himself, taking away some of his dazzling good looks, but even then, he didn’t know how to handle a human.
After the match—that she’d won—he told her in explicit detail how to snap her opponent’s neck. He did not tolerate losing. And he always wanted revenge.
He did not belong in a middle school gym.
Ares always expected her to perform. When she did not, she felt as if she were shaming the family.
She rubbed her face, considering a nap when a lone figure stepped out of the tall yellow grasses that lined the fence.
Relief swept through her veins. She had worried that he’d come back with an army. But he was not like her family, she had to remember that.
Jackson was no longer dressed in the heavy pants that firefighters wore. He’d showered and changed, and his hair was still damp. He had on jeans and a t-shirt that fit him just right. It showed off his defined pecs and his broad shoulders.
“Hi,” he said. His grin was bright.
The return of the demons was dire. And she’d been feeling pretty melancholy about that fact, but when she looked at Jackson’s handsome face, it was hard to remember why she’d let her outlook become so bleak.
Or perhaps Jackson was cheerful simply because he was unaware of the destruction all of them faced if the demons made a successful return.
“Hello,” she said. “Would you like to come inside? However, I will tell you that the outside is better than the inside.”
She found herself staring at him, which was unusual for her. She usually found men dull and uninteresting. But whatever he was, he wasn’t a man. His sandy blonde hair was curling right at his collar and his eyes were a vivid green. Whatever he was, his looks rivaled all of the males in Olympus, whether they would ever admit it or not.
Was it possible he was the child of a demi-God too, just like her?
No. She didn’t want to be related to him, not even very distantly. And she wouldn’t wish her crazy life on anyone.
Her chest ached, and her nipples tightened. She could blame it on the cool ocean air, but she knew it was not because of the elements. It was Jackson.
He laughed and peeked into her room. “I spend half my time in a fire station in Tillamook with a bunch of guys and a few girls. Nothing can faze me.” He inclined his head toward the ocean. “Let’s sit on the beach. Then no one can eavesdrop.”
“That is a good plan,” she said. That was another rookie mistake she’d made. Anyone could have followed Jackson. Anyone could be spying on them. When she’d moved into the hotel room, she’d checked for listening devices and hidden cameras. She’d found neither. But that didn’t mean they weren’t there.
She should probably call her grandfather from the beach too. Although if any humans had overheard their earlier conversation, they’d think she was hallucinating and dismiss everything she said.
She and Jackson walked down the stone path to the strip of beach. He plopped down right in the sand and patted the spot next to him. She joined him, crossing her legs. The oddest feeling came over her. She didn’t trust Jackson, but she was drawn to him. She wanted to sit closer to him, but moving closer would be odd, so she stayed put.
“Did you guess what I am?” he asked.
“No. I did not.” She was no closer to figuring it out either, and her grandfather had been no help. Whatever Jackson was, she found she liked being around him, and she didn’t want him to leave, and that was quite a new feeling for her.
7
Jackson
“Do you want to guess?” he asked.
“I’d rather you tell me,” she said.
He twisted sideways, turning his body toward her. His side still twinged where she’d stabbed him. Hiding it from the crew as they put the fire hoses back on the truck had been super shitty. The skin had started to heal by then but ripped open again and oozed blood, which was really fucking gross.
“Is your side hurting?” she asked. “I am sorry.”
She must have seen him wince. He didn’t want to act like a big baby in front of her. “It’s fine now.”
She clasped her hands together. “I’m glad.”
“Okay,” he said. It was obvious she was desperate to know what he was. “You don’t like guessing games, so I’ll just tell you. I’m a shifter. Have you heard of shifters?”
“Shifters? No, I am not familiar. I’m assuming the name is literal. You shift into something else.” She dug her hand into the sand, letting the grains slip through her fingers.
“Exactly. I’ll give you another hint. We shift into animals.”
“Like werewolves? I’d always assumed they were mythical beings.”
“Something like that. But we’re fireproof.”
Her eyes sparkled as the sun began to rise. “I don’t know of any animals that are fireproof.”
He hoped the clan would forgive him for giving away their secret. He was pretty sure the rules didn’t apply when the person he was telling wasn’t human either. And he would be telling them about the demons too, later on that day. He wasn’t going to delay and risk their lives.
He was still stunned to find out demons existed at all. Just knowing the witches had been so evil and destructive in the past was enough to make him really worried because compared to them, the demons sounded like a real fucking shit storm.
But he still had a few hours before he headed over to tell the clan what was going on.
“Don’t let your ideas of what’s possible influence your guess,” he said.
“Fireproof. Strong. Skin that isn’t usually breakable. Maybe you are a mythical creature too. Dragons? Are you a dragon?” she asked.
He felt his entire face light up. “You got it.” He put his hand on her back and patted in a congratulatory way. He could feel her toned muscles under the palm of his hand. “That’s awesome that you figured it out.”
“With a lot of help,” she said. She did not pull away from his touch, and his cock stirred. Dammit. He glanced at her pretty face. Now he was rock hard. Quickly, he dropped his hand. They had to talk about this threat. He wasn’t going to let lust get in the way.
Now that he wasn’t guarding his life and trying to keep her from killing him, he took a moment to look at her. Her straight black hair had been in a ponytail when he met her. Now it was hanging down her back and fell right above her shoulders. Her dark eyes were large and expressive, and under her sculpted cheekbones, her pink lips were turned up at the edges into a tiny smile.
“I want to hear all about it,” she said.
For some reason, her voice was huskier than it had been. The sound of it made his cock even harder until he was ready to explode.
Her lips were right there, next to him. Mesmerized, he leaned closer. She did not pull away. She didn’t move at all. He let his eyes go half-closed. He continued leaning in until his lips brushed over hers.
He pressed his mouth over hers, savoring the taste of her lips. She tasted like honey. He lifted his hand and smoothed it over her hair as the wind blew against them. She opened her mouth, seeking more contact, and he gave up being so soft and gentle. He wrapped one arm around her, tugging her closer to him. He licked over her bottom lip, then pushed his tongue inside her mouth.
His cock throbbed with need, but it would have to wait. He brushed his fingers over her cheek and angled his head more, deepening the kiss. He was ravenous for the taste of her. She made a little sound, a tiny little moan, and he moved his body until he was on his knees. He lifted her, helping her onto her knees as well, all without breaking their kiss.
Now they were kneeling, facing each other. Not far away, the tide moved closer, and the waves lapped at the sand. Jackson pulled Helena closer to him. Her breasts were pressed against his chest now. He knew if he broke the kiss and looked down, he’d see her nipples through her shirt. He kept his hips away from hers. He wasn’t going to rub his erection against her hip until he was sure she wanted more from him.
She took a deep breath, keeping her eyes closed, and he took the opportunity to kiss down her neck and collarbone before sucking on her earlobe. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured into her ear.
He knew nothing about her. But he sure as hell wasn’t going to give her up, no matter what her true identity was.
8
Helena
She had never been kissed like that before in her life. Jackson had taken possession of her instantly.
And she’d wanted him to. She’d never wanted a male’s presence to influence her decisions at all, but Jackon had her rattled. She wanted to get to know him, but she wanted him to know her as well.
And now he’d told her she was beautiful. Her stomach twirled, alight with joy at his declaration. She was shocked by how much she felt for him so early.
There was nothing about falling hard and fast that was good for her. She needed to keep a clear head, for both the FBI and for her assignment from Ares. Her hands came up to grip his firm biceps, and her stomach skipped the butterflies and went straight to the roller coaster. She wanted him. All of him.
Firefighter Dragon's Demi-God Daughter Page 3