by Michele Hauf
She was in huge trouble here and she should be grateful that he managed restraint. If he didn't, they'd probably be having sex on the warehouse loading dock right now. When that idea turned her on, Nicole forcibly brought her mind back from fantasyland. "Well?" She cleared her throat, trying to get rid of the huskiness. "Are you after the vampire for some personal grudge or do you kill them for sport?"
"I'm not indiscriminately killing vampires." He sounded peeved. "But no, it's not personal. It's my job."
"What do you—"
"That's all I'm saying."
"Fine. Since killing Mary Beth is a job to you, you can back the hell off. She's mine and it is personal for me. Got it, demon?"
"Mary Beth is what you're calling the vampire?"
There was a note of laughter in his voice, enough for Nicole to yank her hands out of her pockets and take a step toward him. Not to touch him this time, but so she could let him know she didn't appreciate his humor. But, of course, he maintained the distance separating them. "Mary Beth," she bit out the words, "is what she's calling herself."
He shrugged. "Mary Beth is better than Mabilia, I suppose."
"Mab—" Nicole stopped short. The bastard had diverted her. On purpose. "Nice try. It almost worked. I want your promise to stay away from the vampire. I'm killing her."
His face went hard. "No."
That one word and the tone he used told Nicole there was no compromising with him. She'd just have to find Mary Beth first, but she had to make sure that she wouldn't be at a disadvantage. "Why did you ask me why I didn't use my powers? Not every half demon has them. Do they?"
He seemed suspicious, but lowered his arms to his sides and went along with the change in topic. "Yes, they do. Your powers might be weakened by your human blood, but you belong to one of the strongest branches and that makes you more than a match for any vampire."
Nicole was aware of the tiers of demons. "So my father was from one of the more powerful castes, huh?"
He nodded, but didn't add anything and disappointment stabbed through her. She'd never met her father; he hadn't been part of her life. All she knew was what her mother had told her—that she'd been fathered by a demon and that she'd share more with Nicole when she was older. That day hadn't come.
Curiosity surged and she tamped it down. Asking about her father would reveal a vulnerability, and she knew better than to open herself up like that. Demons couldn't be trusted. They lied and manipulated and used any leverage they were given.
She'd already handed him too many weapons to use against her. Nicole grimaced briefly. There was nothing she could do about it and she was going to open herself up with her next question anyway. "Can—"
The human moved and Nicole shut up to watch him warily. What did he recall? Depending on what kind of mind control the vampire had wielded, he might be aware of everything that had gone on or he might know nothing. Or anywhere in between. He appeared groggy as he looked around, but his gaze sharpened when he spotted the two of them. "Dude, where's Mary Beth?"
The demon held up his right hand, palm facing the human. "Mary Beth received a phone call and had to leave, remember?"
For an instant, the guy appeared confused, but that cleared quickly. "Oh, right. Her brother got arrested and she had to bail him out."
Nicole shot a quick glance at the demon and caught his smirk. A smart ass—she might end up liking him despite what he was.
"I'm not sure where we're at," the human said. "Which way's the Tiki?"
The demon gave him directions and the guy took off. Nicole did a quick scan, but there was only a stray person or two and no human gangs. He should make it back to the club safely.
She turned to the demon. He had his arms crossed over his chest again and was watching her. Nicole couldn't read his expression or guess what he was thinking and that should have made her uneasy, but it didn't.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Nicole Ruiz." She cursed herself immediately. It wasn't that names had power—that was an old wives' tale—but giving information to some unknown demon was stupid. Even if he was so sexy she'd probably go up in flames if he let her get within touching distance. "What's yours?"
"Daktan, but I prefer Dak," he said.
She could hear reluctance and displeasure in his voice. That made them even and it improved Nicole's mood.
"Do you go by Nikki?"
The growl was low, and because she made no attempt at disguise, it came out sounding very demon-like. He was treading on sacred ground, and while it was inadvertent, it still made her mad. Her mom had called her by that nickname; she wouldn't allow anyone else to use it. "No. Nicole. Always and forever Nicole. Got it?"
Dak nodded. "You hate being called Nikki. I got it."
"Great. Now you're going to use it just to rile me, aren't you? I should have kept my mouth shut."
"I won't." He sounded as solemn as if he were making a vow. "It's not my intention to irritate you."
Something about the way he said that made heat flare deep inside her again. This time she didn't realize she'd moved forward until he stepped away. Nicole fisted her hands at her sides. Why did she have this need to touch him? And that's what she wanted—to feel the heat of his skin against hers.
Get back to business. She'd been at a disadvantage against the vampire and that was unacceptable. Maybe she hated her demon heritage, but Nicole wanted revenge more than anything else in the world and she'd do whatever it took to kill Mary Beth. Maybe she didn't know Dak, but there was no one else she could ask and he had saved her tonight.
"Can you teach me how to use my demon powers?" Her question came out quietly.
"Can I? Yes. Will I? No. The vampire's mine, Nicole. Stay clear." Dak turned and walked away.
Chapter Three
Dak fucking hated wizards. Humans with power were bad enough in general, but when one of them used his magic to interfere with Dak's job, it really pissed him off.
With a scowl, he sidestepped the person talking on his cell phone. The streets were crowded on a Saturday night, but the throng didn't interfere with his ability to track Nicole. Nothing could. It wasn't a matter of energy imprints. He and Nicole had something more than that, a connection that would allow them to find each other anywhere at any time. Their own personal homing beacon.
Dak's frown deepened. He'd planned to avoid Nicole, to stay as far away from her as possible, but Mabilia—Mary Beth—had destroyed that intention.
At some point between when the vampire had disappeared last night and when Dak had begun his search tonight, Mary Beth had hired a wizard. Those bastards didn't work cheap, and it had probably cost her an arm and a leg. But then a spell that concealed her from demons took a ton of power to pull off and was worth a lot.
But it wasn't absolute. Maybe he couldn't locate the vampire, but the wizard's spell hadn't blocked half demons. That left Dak with two choices, either stick close to Nicole or concede defeat. The second option wasn't one he'd entertained long.
A gap opened in the crowd just long enough for him to see the sway of Nicole's hips as she walked ahead of him. Heat surged through him so fast and so strongly, there was no way to stop it.
He could go to her, put an arm around her waist, and pull her against him. She might be surprised, but Nicole wouldn't fight him, not the way she'd looked at him last night, not the way she'd reacted to him. Feeling her body pressed to his, finding someplace where he could strip her, explore her, taste her, and yeah, bite her— Dak shuddered with need.
Nicole stopped abruptly and looked over her shoulder, her eyes scanning faces.
Damn, she'd probably picked up his arousal. She might not know exactly what she'd sensed yet, but she'd figure it out quickly. Dak worked to get his desire under control before she zeroed in on him. He wasn't sure how successful he'd been until she resumed walking.
Shaking his head, Dak followed. One conversation. One conversation while he'd kept her more than five feet away and he was already deali
ng with the repercussions.
If this assignment hadn't come from his king...
But it had and Dak was stuck until he killed the vampire. He'd just have to finish the job tonight.
No problem.
He pushed his fingers through his hair, driving it off his face, before lowering his arms to his sides and blowing out a long breath. The mission should have been over and done with last night. He'd had his hands on the vampire, it would have been an easy thing to kill her in that moment.
Except he'd been running on instinct, not intellect.
Nicole came to a sudden halt again. He knew the instant her awareness sharpened and followed her gaze. There were too many people in his way to see anything and he was forced to extend out beyond his body. He only needed a moment to spot the vampire.
Dak came back to earth with a lurch. The situation got better and better. Mary Beth had fed recently. If the vampire—
Nicole went from standing to threading her way quickly through the crowd. He followed. Mary Beth must be on the move again and he hadn't known. Fucking wizards.
Something played at the periphery of his senses, something that made him edgy. His skin tingled and not in a good way. Dak looked around, but nothing seemed off. What was he getting? There was a feeling of energy and his brain raced, searching for answers.
Blast amulet. Mary Beth had bought a blast amulet from the wizard and that gave her the power to direct an invisible current—
The burst hit him hard. Dak stumbled into the side of a building and clutched at the brick, trying to stay upright. His nerve endings screamed, his body spasmed as it fought the magic. His vision went black, but he wasn't unconscious. He just wished he was because it wouldn't hurt this badly if his brain shut off.
He wasn't sure how much time passed before he regained awareness of his surroundings. Dak didn't think he'd been out too long, not with tremors continuing to shudder through him. His shield was down, making him visible, and humans were giving him a wide berth as they walked past.
The wizard Mary Beth had hired was good. And damn powerful. He had to be or the energy wouldn't have hit with as much force as it had.
Dak made an attempt to push himself away from the building, but his arms gave out and he collapsed back against the structure, the brick abrading his cheek. A couple more minutes and he'd try again.
How the hell had the vampire known he was there? His concealment hadn't slipped until the energy had slammed into him, yet somehow she'd known. It gave her another advantage. All he had on his side was Nicole's ability to track and the time it would take for the amulet to recharge before Mary Beth could wield it again.
Dak's eyes opened fast as a thought struck. The energy block might be on full demons only, but that didn't mean the amulet hadn't been tuned to affect anyone with demon blood.
Had Nicole been hurt?
His sluggish senses refused to work, but Dak willed them into compliance. It took a minute for his mind to find her—unharmed. And she was far enough away to tell him that he'd been out of it for more than a couple of minutes.
Pushing off from the wall, he locked his knees to stay upright. As soon as he could walk, Dak moved.
Within a couple of blocks, he'd healed enough to stop swaying and for his brain to start working again. The wizard-for-hire was strong and that meant the amulet was going to recharge faster than he'd originally thought. If Mary Beth sent out another blast before he had time to fully recover from the first, she'd put him on the ground.
Dak increased his speed and ignored his body's protest. Everything ached, even his hair, but there wasn't time to wait.
Nicole was in pursuit, and as long as she didn't know how to use her abilities, she was an easy target for the vampire. He might be slow, but he'd figured it out. Mary Beth hadn't realized he was there—there was absolutely no way for her to sense him—and there were no other demons in the vicinity.
Except Nicole.
He'd bet big the blast had been meant for her, and he was simply collateral damage.
Wizards were bastards, but Dak had to appreciate that in this case. Sure, it was possible there'd merely been a misunderstanding, but he doubted it. The human had cheated Mary Beth. She thought she had an amulet geared for anyone of demon blood and she was wrong.
Deciding he was in no shape to consider what kind of games the wizards were playing, Dak cloaked himself and concentrated on Nicole. Her accelerated heart rate and adrenaline buzz made his own speed up. He broke into a jog.
The neighborhood, which hadn't been great to begin with, went downhill rapidly, and she was stationary now. Dak dug for more speed.
Nicole's turmoil buffeted him. The side effects of their link were unexpected and unwelcome. He worked to limit the connection, keeping a line on her, but nothing more.
As the bond began to narrow, Dak felt Nicole reach for him, trying to hold it fully open. Dissonance rose. She didn't know what she was doing, but it made it hard for him to shut her out. He did it anyway and ran faster.
The entrance to the park registered seconds after he passed it. Dak screeched to a halt. Yes, here. He felt Nicole. Cautiously, he walked through the opening, fighting the instinct that urged him to rush to her side and damn the consequences. He had the element of surprise, and he wasn't giving that up.
Silently, Dak wended through the playground equipment. He found Nicole at the back of the park. Mary Beth was stalking her, forcing Nicole to retreat, and with a chain-link fence maybe twenty feet behind her, it wouldn't take long before she was cornered.
He ran his gaze over Nicole. Blood trickled down her neck.
A growl began low in his throat, but he stopped it before it became audible. He couldn't contain the red haze that filled his brain.
A burst of preternatural speed put him between Nicole and the vampire. He chanced a quick glance at Nicole's injury. She'd taken a slash over an artery, but it wasn't deep and it was already mostly healed.
Dak raised his gaze to meet Nicole's and became lost in her brown eyes. He started to reach out, wanting to trail his fingers over the wound and finish its healing. Hell, he wanted to feel the warmth of her skin against his fingers and reassure himself that she was well.
The blow to his back sent him stumbling, but his leather jacket prevented injury. He scowled, pissed at himself for letting his mind shut down. For fucking forgetting the enemy was there and dangerous.
Whirling, he faced the vampire. She snarled at him—no fangs, but he didn't expect to see them—and the rest of her arsenal was on full display. Hoping it would hide the fact he was too depleted to risk a battle, Dak did his own posturing. He'd been born to the strongest branch of demon and there were some visual cues—like the intensity of the red burning in his eyes as well as the length and strength of his own talons.
If Mary Beth was intimidated, he saw no sign of it, but she didn't launch another assault. "This is the second time you've interfered."
"I won't let you hurt her," he said. Unbidden, and despite his effort to sound unconcerned, there was a growl underlying his words. Dak hated not being in perfect command of himself especially when he needed to be. A vampire would know demons had trouble thinking clearly with emotion running hot and he'd revealed his weakness to this one. She didn't miss it either, not judging by the way her lips curved.
"I've been minding my own business," Mary Beth said conversationally. "She continues to hunt me."
Dak shifted when Nicole moved, keeping her securely behind his back. He wanted the two of them out of here ASAP. If he didn't get Nicole safe before the vampire's amulet recharged, they were both in deep shit. Mary Beth would be able to kill him while he was down and Nicole didn't have the skills to fight off the other woman.
Stay put, he sent to Nicole. It wasn't until he felt her shock that he realized what he'd done. Mistake number two in less than five minutes.
"Did you just talk in my head?" Nicole poked his shoulder, but Dak didn't turn.
Mary Beth smiled
. "Well, isn't this interesting?"
Fucking great. Bluffing would get him nowhere—vampires knew too much about demons—but he tried anyway. If he didn't, it would be the same as an admission. "What's interesting about telepathy?" Dak asked, trying to sound bored. "Your kind use it as easily as mine."
He battled within himself. The instinct to protect Nicole urged him to attack the vampire. His brain whispered warnings that he was in no shape to engage Mary Beth until he healed from the blast he'd taken earlier.
"That is true, but she's not exactly a demon, is she?" Mary Beth's talons flexed as she gestured to where Nicole stood. "Not when she's without awareness of how to use her powers. Since she's not much more than a human, only one thing would allow you to communicate with her mentally."
"What's she talking about?" Nicole whispered. It didn't matter. Mary Beth heard.
"Didn't you tell her?" the vampire asked with mock surprise.
Dak took a step forward before he could stop himself. Sweat chilled his skin, adding to the sickening dread. There was nothing he could do to prevent the words that were coming. It didn't take a genius to guess that Nicole wasn't going to be any happier about the situation than he was.
"Shame on you," Mary Beth said and tsked softly. "Don't you think this psi tracker should know you're her mate?"
Chapter Four
Nicole sagged as tension left her muscles. She'd expected some kind of bombshell from the vampire and had warned herself to show no reaction, but this? Totally anticlimactic.
Except Dak remained rigid.
If what Mary Beth had said meant nothing, wouldn't he have relaxed, too? Wouldn't he be laughing at the feeble attempt to stir up trouble? But he wasn't and Nicole stiffened again. What did this mate thing mean? Was it something she'd be concerned about if she understood it?
She almost jerked when she felt Dak brush against her mind and then she heard him talking in her head.
We need to leave as soon as we can.
Nicole nearly answered aloud, but stopped herself and tried sending her reply. Why?
