Beyond the Darkness

by Katie Reus

  Bran smelled like fire and rage, his dragon clear in his eyes as he looked up at Bo. His jaw tightened as he shoved up and pulled Keelin with him. He drew her into her arms, tucking her tightly against his chest as he appeared to struggle to speak. Keelin couldn’t be sure, but she guessed he was battling his dragon and if he let the leash off too soon it wouldn’t be pretty. Despite what had happened between them inside, she didn’t make a move away from him.

  “What were those things?” she asked quietly, her gaze scanning the now empty parking lot. Well, except for the vehicles. A fine coat of black dust covered everything. She had some on her arms and legs but didn’t bother wiping it off, mainly because she didn’t think Bran would let her out of his grip for even a second.

  “Hunter demons. Low tier.” Bo answered her, but his gaze was on Bran, his expression wary, probably because he was worried the male was going to snap.

  “What does that mean?” Dragons had kept to themselves for millennia and while they knew a decent amount about shifters and vampires, demons or half-demons were a whole other story.

  Bo shrugged and started to wipe at the dust on his long sleeves. It came off easily. “Someone sent them. Someone powerful. I don’t know of any beings who could have done that.”

  “You seemed to get rid of them easily enough,” Bran said, finally speaking. His voice was tight but she felt the difference in him as he held her. He’d relaxed the tiniest bit, the action soothing her.

  Bo snorted and ran a hand over his closely trimmed brown hair. Tonight it wasn’t dyed any outlandish color and she wondered if this was the natural shade. “That wasn’t easy so much as dumb fucking luck. Considering my heritage,” he said bitterly, referring to his father she guessed, “I read up on anything related to the underworld I can get my hands on. I knew what those were and I took a chance.”

  “What else can destroy them?” Bran asked.

  “Probably you two.” His words were vague but she guessed he meant their dragon fire. Before she or Bran could ask another question, he continued. “What I want to know is why the fuck they wanted you.”

  Bran stiffened next to her and she realized he hadn’t understood what they’d said. She looked up at him and for a moment was struck by the fierce possessiveness in his expression. “The only thing they said was ‘give us the female’. Twice.” And she wasn’t going to lie to herself; it scared the hell out of her.

  Without warning Bran picked her up, scooping his arms under her legs and back. She let out a short yelp but it had barely escaped her mouth before he kicked open the door to the club, Bo close on their heels.

  The second they cleared the door she realized that the music was off and everyone was staring at them. Oh hell, did everyone know what had happened outside? The insulation in this place was good, but that scream would have ruptured her eardrums if she’d been human.

  “Music!” Bo shouted and just like that a steady beat started up again and vamps and other beings were once again grinding on the dance floor.

  In her periphery, she was aware of her friends hovering near the closest bar, but all her attention was on Bran who was staring down at her.

  She had the irrational urge to reach out and trace her finger over his soft lips, to see if he’d suck her finger into his mouth, maybe bite down. But she couldn’t tempt this Alpha, not if he was going to try to use her own body against her. Even if he didn’t mean to do it intentionally, it would happen just the same.

  A rumble emitted from him, his sapphire-green eyes glittering dangerously. “We’re getting you the hell out of here. Out of town, out of—”

  “Stop right there,” Keelin snapped, wiggling in Bran’s arms until he let her down. “We need to talk to Bo and Finn and figure out what the heck is going on. I’m not running simply because—”

  They both turned at the sound of Bo letting out that now-familiar sound of rage, though much quieter than he’d been outside. Her dragon clawed to the surface, fear that more of those things had shown up. Her worry dimmed when she realized the source of his anger.

  A tall, dark-haired male had his hand clamped around Nyx’s upper arm and had pulled her close. The female didn’t look happy about it. Clearly neither was Bo. He stalked off, heading in their direction, determination—and death—lining his face.

  Before she could dwell on that situation, Bran turned her back to face him, a similar determined expression on his annoyingly sexy face. Oh yeah, she was in for an argument. Big bad Alpha was about to learn that there was no way he was going to run roughshod over her and move her out of town. No way in hell.

  Chapter 5

  Bo tried to tamp down his demon half as he stalked toward Nyx, but it was impossible. He hadn’t fucked anyone—or wanted to—since she’d started working for him. For some reason she calmed his demon half and he had no clue why. All he knew was that when he was around her, he felt sane and wasn’t constantly battling inside himself. And he wanted more of that.

  Right now he felt anything but sane, however. Some asshole had his hand on Nyx and he was about to lose it in three, two…

  The male turned at Bo’s approach, his hand dropping to his side, but clearly not out of fear. The male was tall, handsome in an almost feminine way, with dark hair that looked as if he’d taken hours to style it. His expression was one of disdain as he looked at Bo. He wore a custom-made suit and looked out of place here.

  “It’s fine, Bo,” Nyx said quickly to him, avoiding his gaze as she looked anxiously at the unknown male. “He’s leaving.”

  “You have a week,” the male said to Nyx, his gaze flicking back to assess Bo before he strode off, his head held high in an obnoxiously aristocratic way.

  “Who was that?” he demanded, not caring that his demon likely showed in his eyes. Normally around her he restrained himself with no problem, but now…he felt restless. And so damn possessive of her it raked against his insides.

  She flicked a dismissive hand in the air. “No one important.”

  Oh yeah, she was lying. “My office. Now.” He placed his hand on the small of her back and despite an initial pushback, she sighed and let him lead her to the quiet hallway. He loved touching her to the point he’d basically avoided it since she started working for him. It was too dangerous.

  Unlike most of the scantily clad patrons and employees at his place, she wore dark jeans, heeled boots, a freaking turtleneck and cardigan—and got hit on more than anyone who worked here. It was that prim, buttoned-up thing she had going on.

  He definitely understood the appeal. He wanted to unwrap her, slowly, and savor every inch of the sweet female. She made him want to be gentle. It was a foreign sensation, but he couldn’t deny it.

  “Bo, seriously, I appreciate you looking out for me but he was just some jerk. I don’t—”

  He opened the door to his office and motioned inside. “Don’t lie to me,” he bit off. Whoever that male had been, he wasn’t random to her. And Bo wanted to know who he was. Once they were inside, he shut the door behind them and motioned for her to sit.

  Folding her arms over her chest, she collapsed in one of the chairs and crossed her legs.

  “Do you want a drink?” He leaned against the front of the desk, looking down at her. He knew the position was dominant and he had no problem using his size to subtly get what he wanted—answers.

  She shook her head and for the first time he realized how pale she was. Of average height, she had long black hair and seemed taller than she was because of her slender build. Her skin was normally peaches and cream but now there was a grayish tint to her face. Feeling like a shithead for the way he’d been trying to get answers, he immediately crouched in front of her and took her hands in his. They were ice cold.

  “Who was that male? I can help you.” He gently rubbed one of his fingers over the pulse point in her wrist. He wasn’t sure exactly how to comfort a female, but he’d seen mated males with their females before and figured this was good. Plus it let him touch her, even if he k
new he shouldn’t.

  “He’s just someone from my past. That’s all.” At least she wasn’t trying to lie to him again.

  Unlike shifters or vamps he couldn’t necessarily scent lies, but he sensed them most of the time. Like a vibe a person exuded. “He said you have a week. What did he mean?”

  She stared at him with ocean-blue eyes he could drown in for so long he wasn’t sure she’d answer.

  “My family wants me to return home,” she said simply.

  He gritted his teeth. “Who’s your family?”

  Her jaw tightened and she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not going.”

  Trying a different tactic, he took a deep breath. “If I don’t know what I’m up against, I can’t help you.” He rubbed her other pulse point with his thumb, savoring the feel of her soft skin. Everything about her was soft and impossibly sweet. It was just an essence she put off without even trying, part of who she was. From the moment she’d walked into his place he’d known she didn’t belong. He’d also known he wasn’t letting her go.

  He couldn’t.

  Whenever he couldn’t watch out for her, he’d always assigned one of his security guys specifically to keep an eye on her. He didn’t want any of his customers hassling her.

  Her pretty lips pulled into a frown at his words. “I don’t need help—though I do appreciate it. You’ve been so kind already, I…” She let out a long sigh and withdrew her hands from his to rub them over her face. “I just want to live a normal life,” she muttered.

  “Tell me who that male was.” Because Bo had the irrational urge to hunt him down and gut him.

  She bit her bottom lip and shook her head. What he wouldn’t give to be able to taste her.

  “A former lover?” he asked.

  She looked so disgusted at the question as she let out a delicate snort of laughter he knew she was telling the truth. “No. Just drop it please. I don’t want to cause you any trouble here, so I’ll just leave.”

  The way she said it made it sound as if she meant for good. His baser half roared, clawing at his insides. He kept himself in check. Barely. “Okay, so you don’t want to talk about your past. I can live with that. Your family wants you to return home but you don’t want to go, correct?”

  She nodded.

  “Will they continue to pressure you or hunt you down until you return?” he asked, completely guessing.

  Nyx bit her bottom lip then nodded again.

  “Do you need protection?” Because she would have it. From him personally.

  “No.” There was only the briefest pause before her answer, telling him what he needed to know. Not to mention he felt the shift in her, the lie.

  “You’re lying again.” He moved closer, sliding his hands along the side of her seat until he gripped the back of the chair. Her breathing kicked up as he leaned toward her, his face inches from hers. Against his will, his gaze dropped to her lips and it took all his restraint not to lean in and nibble on them. He’d probably just freak her out though. Or worse, repulse her. She knew what he was and didn’t seem to have a problem with him being a half-demon, but he was her boss. Nothing more. And sweet, quality females like her didn’t go for males like him.

  “Bo.” The sound of his name on her lips was a jolt to his system. She placed a tentative hand on his shoulder. Even through his shirt he felt her touch all the way to his core, burning him alive. “My family is fifty kinds of screwed up. On both sides. I’m not going to bring my troubles here. I’ll just leave and—”

  He let out a growl that surprised them both, stunning her into silence. “You’re not going anywhere.” Immediately he realized what an obnoxious ass he sounded like when Nyx’s eyes narrowed.

  She placed her free hand on his other shoulder, the sensation electric. For the first time since he’d met her, her gaze was challenging. It almost felt as if she was ready to shove him away and there was a subtle amount of power beneath those fingertips. Not for the first time had he wondered just what the hell kind of supernatural being she was. “Oh really?”

  He should back down, but he couldn’t force himself to do it. This show of fire from her stirred his inner demon. “Really. I watch out for my people.” Okay, the truth was, he was watching out for her.

  But her expression immediately softened at his words. “Bo.”

  “Let me do this.”

  “I can take care of myself.” There was a thread of steel in her words he took note of, his demon side approving.

  “Humor me then.”

  She removed her hands from his chest, crossed her arms over her breasts and shifted against the seat, but since he wasn’t moving, there was nowhere for her to go. “It’ll be better for everyone if I just leave. If my family knows where I work then they know where I live.”

  “Then you’ll stay here.”

  “At the club?” Her cheeks tinged pink and he could imagine what she was thinking. She might not have ever been behind the red door, but she had to know what went on back there. And she’d have heard that he used to partake of that particular pleasure frequently in the past. For the first time in his long life he hated that part of himself.

  Now that he’d said it out loud, he didn’t want her anywhere near those rooms. “My house.” The words were out before he could stop himself. When her luscious lips parted, definitely ready to protest, he continued. “My place is huge, you’ll never see me, and more importantly, it’s protected. No one will be able to locate you even if they use tracking spells.”

  Her eyes brightened at the last part and he knew he was close to convincing her. “I know you think I’m some kind of charity case, but—”

  “I don’t think that and this isn’t the first time I’ve done this for an employee.” A complete fucking lie. He’d helped employees before, sure, but he’d never let anyone into his home. Not even his lovers.

  She relaxed a little more though. “Oh…Your place is really protected?”

  He nodded.

  “It would just be for a little bit. And I’ll pay you. Money isn’t an issue.”

  He’d guessed she needed her job about as much as Keelin did considering some of the expensive brands he’d seen Nyx wear, but hadn’t questioned it. Bo still wasn’t taking her money. Grunting a non-response, he stood and took her hand in his. “You’re staying with me starting tonight?”

  Her eyes narrowed the slightest fraction. “You phrased that as a question, but it sounds more like an order.”

  He didn’t respond, figuring it was smarter not to.

  Finally she lifted her shoulders. “Fine. Starting tonight. And thank you. I promise you won’t even know I’m there and it’ll be a week max. I just need to figure some stuff out.”

  Nodding, he reluctantly let her hand go. If he had anything to say about it, she’d be with him for more than a week.

  He might not have a clue how to win over a female like Nyx, but he was definitely going to try. Because he couldn’t let her go.

  * * *

  “You think I’m just going to tuck tail and run out of town because of some unknown threat? Why would I do that?” Keelin demanded as she tried to rein her temper in. Years of being treated like some weak female—because she’d let her family do it, damn it—pushed in on her.

  “Because those demons specifically wanted you.” Bran’s voice was low, deadly, barely carrying over the thump of music streaming through the speakers and the sounds of people dancing and talking.

  “So wouldn’t it make more sense to stick around and figure out what’s going on? If I run, they’ll just follow. And Bo said that someone sent them so we need to figure out who that is and stop him or her or whoever.”

  “No, it would make more sense to leave and regroup. Plan an attack and figure out what we’re up against.”

  Okay, so she liked that he said we, but still, she wasn’t running. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  His sapphire eyes flared bright, his dragon peeking through for a moment before he ru
bbed a hand over the back of his neck. “You drive me fucking crazy.”

  “Good,” she snapped. Because he made her insane. Just looking at him had her all twisted up inside. It was just physical, something she understood, but it didn’t seem to matter.

  “Good?” he growled.

  “Yes. I know what you were trying to do back in that booth, Devlin.” She couldn’t bring herself to call him by his first name. It felt too intimate and she didn’t want that at the moment.

  “My name is Bran.”

  She continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “If you think you can get your way simply because we have decent chemistry, you deserve to be driven crazy.” She poked him in the chest once for good measure.

  Taking her by surprise, he grabbed her wrist and brought her hand up to his mouth. He bit the tip of her middle finger oh-so-gently. “Decent chemistry?” His voice was all low again.

  Her cheeks flamed at his words. “Figures that’s what you’d focus on.”

  He grabbed her hip with his free hand and pulled her flush against him, letting her feel how much she affected him. For a moment she could pretend that it was just the two of them as their surroundings bled away into nothingness.

  Until Solon, Ophelia and Jason strode up to them, their scents nearby reminding Keelin that she had more important things to worry about than her crazed hormones. She turned to face her friends to find Ophelia watching her and Bran with interest. Bran didn’t let her go, still kept his grip tight and possessive. The most primal part of her liked that other females saw Bran this way with her. She wanted everyone to know he was taken. Even if that made no sense.

  “Finn just texted. He can’t get away but said to come back to the mansion. We’re going to drive but if you two fly you’ll be able to lose any potential tails,” Solon said. “It should be safe.”

  “What about Nyx and Bo?” Keelin had seen her head back into Bo’s office with him and they hadn’t come out yet. She wanted to make sure her friend got out of the club and home safely, especially after everything that had happened tonight.