by Mina Carter
He hoped the only reason he was coming so close to losing his battle against the urge to take her last mortal breath and give her his eternal breath was because of her willingness to hand her life over to Demetri to save Brianna and Julie. It was no small threat against her. Demetri could’ve instantly killed her at any time during her encounter with him.
“I can’t be with you right now. Words cannot describe how angry I am at you for being willing to die for Brianna and Julie. You never should’ve tried to stop Demetri. You knew he wasn’t here for you. Demetri was just playing with you. But he is insane. He could’ve instantly turned on you and killed you.” He didn’t like it, but he understood Mia’s need to risk her life to save her friends. She was a warrior by nature. He too was a warrior. How could he not understand? Over the past few months he’d managed to deal with her habit of her getting into dangerous situations, but her encounter with Demetri was just too dangerous. It had scared the hell out of him.
“I won’t apologize. I did what I believed I needed to do, and I believed in you to do the same.” She pushed him back and started to hop off the counter, but he caught her around the waist and lowered her slowly. “It’s okay for you to be mad at me, Joseph.” Smiling, she winked at him. “You piss me off all the time. And just in case you’re wondering, right now is a very good example.”
“It’s not funny. I’m not used to losing control, and I lost it when I realized Demetri was here with you. And then you tell me that you want to give up rather than allow me to help you. I will not allow you to give up. You make me crazy. You take my control and rip it away from me. I don’t even think you put an ounce of effort into doing it—you just do it. For so long, I’ve been able to keep the darkest urges of my nature in check. Being able to remain in control is very important for a demon. It saves lives.”
“In control or not, you would never harm me.” Lowering her brow, she stared up at him for several seconds. “Wait just a minute. Holy crap, Joseph.” She laughed out loud. “I get it. You’re afraid to have angry sex with me, aren’t you?”
“It’s a little more complicated. But, yeah.”
“Well,” she said, shrugging, “whatever the reason, it’s for the best.”
“Why?”
“It would’ve ruined everything.”
“What do you mean?”
“Lately, I’ve been spending some time fantasizing about getting naked with you and having hot, wild sex.” Biting her lower lip, she frowned. “But each time I imagine it, I never want it to end. I just want it to go on and on and on.” She glanced down at his crotch. “I want you over and over and over again.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but he was at a loss for words. Clearly realizing she’d left him speechless, she laughed at him, a really good, side-busting, belly-aching laugh.
“Nice.” He turned and knelt down to pick up the paint.
“Wait.” She grabbed the back of his shirt. “I’m not done explaining it to you.” He turned to look at her and take his beating like a demon. “I really want to finish painting in here in time for opening Monday morning, and I could really use your help.”
“You think I won’t help you paint if we make love?”
“I figure there are three possible outcomes. I’ve heard that once a man and woman start making love they never want to stop. I’m hoping that’s us.” She winked. “And I’ve heard that once a woman puts out, a man is not as motivated to help out with chores.” She handed him a paintbrush. “Of course, I’ve also heard that sometimes it’s so fantastic a guy will do just about anything to get it again.”
“You’re evil.” He reached for her and pulled her into his arms.
“I’m in love with a demon.”
“Good point.” He bent his head and pressed his lips against her earlobe. “What about the fourth possible outcome?”
The touch of his lips, the warmth of his breath, caused her to shiver. “And what would that be?”
He lifted his hand. “I could finish the painting with a simple wave of my hand, and we would be free to investigate the other three possible outcomes until Monday morning.”
She grabbed his arm and pulled it down. “If you do it I’ll kick your ass. I want to do the painting the right way.”
“Who’s to say your way is the right way?”
“Duh.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s my way.”
“That’s good enough for me,” he said.
“Of course it is.” Her smile slowly turned into a frown as she stared up at him. Feeling her mood shift, Joseph watched her walk over to the front window.
Realizing she was hiding her thoughts, he waited a few seconds before following her. “What are you thinking about?” Taking her by the shoulders, he turned her around. He really hated her ability to prevent him from entering her mind at will.
“Why is Demetri after Brianna?” Shrugging, she shook her head. “What would he gain by hurting her? She’s nothing to him.”
“You know that’s not true.” Joseph paused to choose the best words to explain. “The truth is that this is a game to Demetri, a dark, deadly game. He has nothing to prove by hurting Brianna, but because she’s Nikolas’ mate Demetri has plenty to gain by targeting her.”
“Revenge?” she asked.
“No. Revenge is normally an act of greed, intolerance, or hatred. Unfortunately, Demetri’s motives are much more sadistic. I believe he simply enjoys pushing and tormenting Nikolas. They both know that eventually, if Nikolas isn’t careful, Demetri will kill Brianna to destroy Nikolas. Demetri knew he wouldn’t be able to walk in here and take her today. He was just reminding Nikolas that he’s waiting for Nikolas to slip up.”
“Do you believe Nikolas can protect her?”
Joseph nodded. “I do.” It was only a half-truth. He fully believed in Nikolas’ ability to keep Brianna safe from any harm, but he also feared Nikolas could quite possibly slip up at some point because of his fear of taking possession of Brianna and giving his eternal breath to her. For as long as Brianna was mortal she would be easily killed. Having Demetri for an enemy was a certain death sentence for any human.
They spent the weekend painting and basically playing. He stayed with her night and day. They snuggled up together on her bed and talked for hours until they fell asleep in each other’s arms. They did a lot of kissing and touching, but they didn’t have sex. He’d considered pursuing it, but deep down he knew it wasn’t the right time. He never brought up the subject of her coming into his office and attacking him. Truthfully, he was relieved she didn’t bring it up. He didn’t want to tell her that she was in heat. How was he supposed to explain to her that she wasn’t human? He didn’t know how she would take it. He was perfectly content with having a nice, relaxing weekend alone with her.
~ Five ~
FROM THE MOMENT Mia had opened her freshly painted boutique on Monday morning, she’d been looking forward to ending the work day to spend more time with Joseph. Painting had never been so much fun. Actually, living had never been even slightly as fun. The more time she spent with Joseph, the more time she wanted to spend with him.
She took her helmet off and glanced over her shoulder to identify the man who’d followed her from the bank. “Shit,” she whispered between clenched teeth. She’d learned a long time ago to never question her instincts, and they were screaming at her, warning her that the man was trouble.
She was only a few yards from the back door of her boutique. She considered going inside and locking the door to get away from him but quickly decided it was too risky. Brianna and Julie were still working. For a brief moment she considered calling on Joseph for help, but then when she tried to focus on him and find him her mind just wouldn’t press forward to do it. It was as if something inside her didn’t want him to come to her aid. Strange? Yep. But she didn’t have time to examine it. Plus, not being able to reach out to him wasn’t as odd as wanting to call on him to protect her in the first place. It was one thing to ask him to deal with a
demon like Demetri, but a situation like this? Before she’d met Joseph, she wouldn’t have even considered calling on someone to help take care of one guy on a bike.
She got off the motorcycle and took a few steps toward the man. “What do you want?” She was careful to leave enough space between them so she could properly defend herself if he attacked.
After removing his black leather jacket and tossing it onto the bike, he turned to face her. It made her feel a bit better because she didn’t have to worry about whether or not he was concealing a weapon in it. But the moment her eyes met his, a bone-chilling sensation of absolute dread wrapped around her. It was incredibly intense. And yet … some small part of her felt deeply connected to him.
The connection was strong; it was as if she’d known him her entire life. Of course, since she’d never laid eyes on him before, feeling as if she had any form of a link with him at all was insane. It was a trick of some sort, most likely a mental compulsion. She’d learned enough about supernatural beings in the past few years to know she could possibly be dealing with one at the moment.
Remaining absolutely silent and still, they stared at one another for a long time. At least it seemed a long time to her. She wasn’t used to feeling unsure of what to do, but at that moment she didn’t have a clue. She had no idea what he felt when he looked into her eyes, but she felt as if every moment of her life had led to them meeting.
Her pulse actually quickened with excitement and anticipation. Worse, she was aroused by the savage power in his mesmerizing eyes moving over her body, marking her as prey. Frowning, she bit her bottom lip hard, frustrated with her obviously, ‘completely screwed-up beyond any hope of repair’ brain. He was a predator. His aura was entirely dark and volatile. How the hell could she, no matter how good he looked, feel any form of lust for him?
She took a careful, thorough look around to make sure no one else was nearby. Then, when she was certain he was the only threat, she narrowed her gaze on him as he slowly closed the distance between them. Before he could get too close, she took a small step back and to the side as she reached for her gun behind her back.
With any luck she figured the gun would convince him to walk away. She wasn’t afraid to die. In fact, she expected to die in the near future. For weeks now she’d been enduring more severe pain than ever before.
“That’s close enough.” She lifted the gun in her steady hands. “Why the hell have you been following me?”
Laughing softly, openly mocking the gun aimed at his head, he continued to move closer. “Feeling a bit moody, are we?”
She smirked. Obviously, the idiot didn’t know he was dealing with a woman who was a damn good shot and willing to kill any man stupid enough to corner her and make her feel threatened.
He extended his hand to her. “My name is Eli Thomas.”
The moment she heard and felt the hypnotic power in Eli’s voice, she knew he wasn’t human. She’d been right—he’d been using a compulsion to influence her from the moment she looked into his eyes. She inhaled deeply through her nostrils to test the air. He wasn’t a vampire, but he wasn’t human. And she wasn’t insane. The only reason she’d felt linked to him was because he’d been able to get into her head. She didn’t have time to worry about how he was able to get past the barriers that normally protected her mind.
Later, after she managed to get rid of him, to prevent it from ever happening again, she would examine the situation more deeply to figure out how he was able to do it so easily. For now, she needed to assess him and figure out the best way to deal with him.
She gripped her gun a little tighter, thankful she had it. It was definitely going to take something other than brute force to take him down. He was well over six feet tall and built like a man who spent many hours at the gym lifting weights. His shoulders were incredibly broad, and the contours of his heavily muscled chest and abdomen were quite visible beneath the worn fabric of his black t-shirt. His arms were bigger around than both of her thighs put together.
Since he wasn’t human, she couldn’t be certain a bullet to his head would kill him. “I don’t care who the hell you are.” On the other hand, she was confident it would slow him down. “I want to know why you were following me.”
Before he answered, she heard the deep, throaty rumble of a Harley a moment before another pulled into the alley next to his. It was closely followed by two more. To shoot them all before they got to her, she would have to move fast. Unfortunately, speed was the one thing she wasn’t sure she had. “You felt the need to bring protection?”
Chuckling, Eli continued to keep his hand extended toward her, but she wasn’t a fool. He could easily overpower her. Nothing could ever convince her to place her hand in his. Her gun steadily aimed at his head, she kept her gaze on his.
She saw the subtle movements of his muscles tensing and knew he was contemplating the best way to overpower and disarm her. “I don’t blame you for being suspicious of my motives.” He looked down at his hand. “I figured you might want your license back.” The deep sound of his voice made her stomach flutter. She wasn’t prepared for the sensations it stirred in her. “You dropped it at the bank.”
For the first time, Mia glanced down at his hand. She felt like an idiot as she lowered her gun and reached for the license. She had been convinced he had bad intentions. “Thanks.”
“Oh, no … you’re not getting it back just yet.” Eli flashed a grin as he lifted the license up out of her reach. “First, I want you to give me a reward for finding and returning it to you.”
Shaking her head slightly, Mia blinked up at him. She immediately raised her gun again. What was her problem? She knew he wasn’t human. He was dangerous. She knew better than to second-guess her initial gut feeling. It was always spot on.
From the corner of her eyes she saw the other men get off their Harleys and start to move toward them. “Tell your friends to back off.”
“You’re worried about them?” His head slightly cocked to the side, he appeared confused.
“I don’t like them.”
“That makes two of us.” Smiling, he winked. “And they are not my friends. They won’t touch you.”
“Tell them to leave.” She kept her gaze locked onto his.
“Anything to make you happy.” Eli turned his back to her. “Get out of here!”
It was definitely one of the biggest, most major WTF moments she’d ever experienced. She couldn’t believe he had the nerve to turn his back to her while she had the gun aimed at his head. The man was either incredibly stupid or suicidal.
She glanced down at her gun, and then she glared at his head. No. He was arrogant. It was nearly impossible to fight the urge to use the gun to smack the back of his head. Wait—why the hell wasn’t she using it to knock him out?
The other men started to argue with him, but Eli interrupted. “I told you to get the hell out of here.” This time, rather than shout the order, he growled it. Then the oddest thing happened: howling erupted. Wolves. Several of them. The sound was far off—in consequence it was barely audible—but it was unmistakably the sound of wolves howling.
The three men obviously heard it too. All at once they stopped and turned in the direction the sound seemed to be coming from. “This is our territory. You have no right to be here.”
“Well then, I suggest you do something to make us leave,” Eli replied. Grumbling, the men turned and walked back toward their bikes, but they didn’t leave.
Turning around, Eli smiled at Mia and bowed at the waist. “No need to thank me.”
“For what?” She rolled her eyes. “They’re still here.”
“Yes, but they won’t bother you now.”
Despite her best effort to remain mad, she almost laughed. She had to bite her bottom lip to stop from smiling. How the hell was he freely, easily getting into her head and disarming her? Well, it wasn’t happening again.
“How much do you want for returning my license?” It really pissed her off that
he was able to hold the license above her head and just out of her reach. She truly hated being short sometimes.
Gold flecks burned in his dark brown eyes as they openly explored her body, slowly moving his gaze from her feet up to her face. “I want it all.” His voice was a deep, sexy, throaty growl. “And I plan to have it all.” The sound of it was a perfected form of art designed to seduce women.
“Huh?” The son of a bitch was going down. Yes, he was a shockingly good-looking man with a great voice and beautiful, mesmerizing eyes. He had thick black, shoulder-length hair. His strong, masculine features were shadowed with dark facial hair. She figured his looks had gotten him what he wanted from women all the time, but his looks weren’t going to get him anything except an ass kicking this time, because he was going down, hard.
She couldn’t help but wonder what he was. His mental patterns were very different from anyone she’d ever known. He wasn’t a vampire. He wasn’t a demon. As strange as it was, his mental patters were similar to a wild animal. More accurately, a wild predator.
She thought of the howling. Could he be a werewolf? She’d heard of them but never gave them too much thought. Was it possible? Of course it was. She knew from firsthand experiences that demons and vampires existed. Oh, and nasty ghouls. The only question was whether or not Eli was truly evil. Ever since she’d discovered Joseph Payne, Demetri Demidov, Haden Drake, and Nikolas Drake were demons, she’d learned many of the things she’d had pounded in her head about demons were false. Some were evil. Some were not. Just like humans.
From out of nowhere, pain gripped her hard. It was deep in her bones. Her cancer. She felt her knees threaten to buckle. The gun was suddenly nearly too heavy to hold up. Biting back the pain, refusing to allow it to dictate her fate, she took a deep breath and let it out in a slow hiss.
She could see confusion in his eyes. She knew he sensed her struggle to remain in command of her body. She felt him try to probe her mind. She fought to keep her mind guarded so he couldn’t detect the pain.
