by Michele Hauf
What she got from him next didn't come in words, it was more like she suddenly had what he wanted her to know. She quashed her satisfaction at communicating telepathically and paid attention to what he transmitted. It took less than an instant to understand the vampire had zapped him with some sort of weapon, one that was recharging as they spoke, and could take him out of the fight completely if she fired it again before he recovered.
Nicole didn't want to care. She could kill the enemy and they'd both be fine. Except she didn't believe she could win against Mary Beth, not after the past two nights, and simply imagining anything happening to Dak made her hurt.
"Nice try, but Nicole's not upset," Dak said. "No points for you, Mabilia."
The vampire bared her fangs at the sarcasm. It was a fearsome expression, but Nicole sensed Dak's amusement. Maybe his face gave away his humor—she couldn't see from behind his back—but Mary Beth snarled and retracted her canines.
It left Nicole confused. A vampire's teeth were formidable weapons. Why pull them back in? It wasn't only tonight either. Last night had been the same. No fangs.
Demon blood is poisonous to vampires, Dak sent.
This time he hadn't given her advance warning and Nicole had to suppress a flinch. Her relief at not reacting didn't last long. He'd read her mind and that didn't make her feel warm inside. Especially when she remembered the things she'd fantasized about doing with him.
"But then it hasn't been a good night for you on any front," Dak said to Mary Beth with a shrug. "That wizard really screwed you over. I hope you didn't pay him too much."
"The wizard didn't—"
"Didn't he?" Dak interrupted. "Then why are Nicole and I standing here when you wanted to be invisible to us?"
Last night had been weird and tonight was turning out to be every bit as bizarre. Wizards? Wizards were fictional—or at least she'd always believed that—but Dak and the vampire were throwing the word around as if it was a given that they were real. What else didn't she know?
Humans are coming. We'll use them as a diversion to get away, Dak told her.
After sending him an acknowledgment, she tuned out the exchange. Mary Beth and Dak were just snarking at each other anyway. Instead, Nicole scanned until she found normal people. Judging by the number and what she felt from their energy, she suspected a group of gang members was headed this way.
She focused back on the conversation fast when Mary Beth said, "The wizard might not have blocked half demons, but he prevented you from tracking me, didn't he? You're using her—" the vampire gestured again with her talons "—to find me. And the amulet worked on you. You're weak, demon, and as soon as the stone recharges, you're dead."
Whatever Dak would have said was lost when a burst of laughter intruded. The instant Mary Beth turned her head, Dak grabbed Nicole's hand and then he moved. Fast. The world around her blurred, but to her surprise, she could keep up with him. She'd never realized... But then she didn't know a lot, it seemed.
First things first, though. "Is she chasing us?"
"No," Dak said, not bothering to glance over his shoulder. "We're both cloaked."
Nicole wasn't ready to assume that meant they were invisible. "She's an old vampire and they're more powerful than average."
Dak's hand tightened around hers. "Not old enough, not when we're both strong demons."
"She knew I was there last night while I had my energy concealed."
His grimness washed over her, and a heartbeat later, he extended his own cloak, wrapping her inside with him. Physically, they were no closer than before, but it ratcheted up the intimacy enough to make Nicole shiver. Hoping he hadn't picked up on that, she asked, "Why are we running if she can't sense us now?"
"Because we need to be out of range of the amulet."
"We need to be out of range or you do?"
He didn't reply and Nicole decided that meant it was him. The world continued to rush by and she tried to assimilate that. Sure, she'd run before. She'd even run to save her life, but she'd never attained this kind of speed. Amazing. It reminded her that there were many potential talents she didn't know about, but that Dak could teach her. Looking at his profile, she decided to bring that up later—there were other things on the agenda.
The mate thing for one, but that made her uneasy and Nicole wasn't ready to face it yet. "There are really wizards around? In Los Angeles?"
"Yes."
She needed more than a one-word confirmation. Nicole scowled. "Why didn't I know about them?"
"Maybe because they're more secretive than demons."
More secretive? That was hard to believe because demons—and vampires, too—did their best to make sure humans didn't believe in them. Neither group was above using mind control to ensure they remained under the radar, either. "Are wizards aligned with vampires?"
Dak glanced over briefly. "Wizards aren't aligned with anyone. They're out for themselves first, last, and always. Remember that."
A demon telling her not to trust a wizard definitely fell under the heading of irony. Demons lied easily, manipulated for fun, and cheated whenever they could. It was their nature. And yet she'd put her faith in Dak anyway. Nicole grimaced, but she tightened her hold on his hand. No doubt she was an idiot, but she believed in this demon.
She just hoped it wasn't lust overcoming her common sense.
Lust, yeah. Nicole's scowl deepened. As much as she didn't want to ask, she had better. Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath and said, "Explain this mate thing to me."
Dak flinched. It wasn't physical—the reaction was purely mental and she'd felt it. Nicole wasn't sure what she thought of that, but it did put them on more even ground. "Well?" she prompted.
"It isn't the best time for this discussion." He took another corner fast enough to leave her dizzy.
"It's as good as any," she disagreed when her head stopped swimming. "Mary Beth clearly expected to cause trouble between us when she said that. I want to know why."
"What sane demon can understand a vampire's motives?"
Nicole stared at him, counting on him to safely maneuver them both through the streets. Dak had evaded the question, but he hadn't lied. He could have made up some story, and if it were plausible, she'd have believed him. Yeah, desire had left her stupid, but maybe not as dumb as she'd feared.
He hadn't lied to her.
And his evasion hadn't been all that slick either. "Come on, Dak, give."
"You humans are always a pain," he muttered with disgust.
The tone made her grind her teeth in an effort to rein in her temper. "I'm not human, remember?" And it galled her to admit that.
"You might as well be. Only a human would want to have a conversation like this now."
Her jaw clenched as she struggled to contain the torrent of words she wanted to hurl at him. If she said anything, he'd take advantage of an argument to distract her and Nicole wouldn't make things that simple for him. When she had control, she said, "We've been running at mach speed forever and you have us cloaked. The vampire shouldn't be any danger to us."
She sensed his intention to stop an instant before he did it and Nicole thought he'd given her the information to save her from a hard yank. He'd interceded twice to protect her, so she was pretty sure it wasn't her hormones ascribing honorable motives to him.
Dak's eyes met hers, the red glow nearly bright enough to obscure the amber of his irises. "If I answer your question, you'll accuse me of lying. I'll cite proof. You won't believe it, and unable to stop myself, I'll try to convince you I'm telling the truth. This is a fairly busy street."
"Yeah, so? What does that have to do with anything?"
With a gentle tug, he pulled her against him and then turned her until her back pressed into the side of a building. His body was hard and Nicole couldn't stop herself from putting her hands on his shoulders and arching her hips more firmly into him. She wanted Dak. Now. Standing up. On the street.
Voice intense, Dak said, "Ye
s, just like that. I could have you here, but if you think I can keep us cloaked when I have my cock deep inside you, you're greatly overestimating my control."
Nicole wanted to be furious. Never mind the crudeness, the assumption that she'd be that easy galled her—especially since it was true. At least it was true with him. Only, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't manage to become angry. She couldn't even hang on to her pride.
"If we went far enough down the alley, no one would see us."
The red in his eyes eclipsed the amber now. Nicole had no doubt her own eyes were glowing, too, but she wanted him every bit as much as he appeared to want her. She angled her head and leaned in to kiss him.
"Stop."
Her lips nearly brushed his. "Why?"
"This lust, it's part of our being mates."
Dak's words came out thick and husky and the rasp was so damn sexy, Nicole shivered. "This is a problem because?"
"Because once we have sex, there'll be no one else for either of us. We'll be mated, tied to each other exclusively until death, and Nicole, demons live thousands of years."
Chapter Five
Dak stepped past Nicole when she gestured him into her apartment and looked around, curious about the insights her home would give him. The walls were a neutral off-white shade, but nothing else in the room was bland. One couch was pink, the other an oddly shaped orange thing, and a third had straight lines and wild, mixed up colors. A pink lamp reached toward the ceiling and a glass coffee table stood in the center of it all.
He heard Nicole close the door and moved deeper into the room. That's when he detected her wards. Dak scowled. They needed to be strengthened.
Heading to the corner of the living room, he picked up the crystal there, closed his eyes, and quietly intoned the spell to bolster its power. The next ward was in the kitchen. This space was plain and had no signs of any personality. Even the dish towels were white.
She trailed after him, not saying anything, but he was aware of her with every step he took. They needed to talk, but he shouldn't be here. Dak knew that being alone together could lead to things between him and Nicole exploding out of control before he could stop it. Hell, he'd been on the edge on the street. Coming to her home was definitely a bad idea.
The third crystal was in the bathroom. More color—a shower curtain with some unusual dark pink, gold, and black swirls and dark pink towels.
In contrast, her bedroom was nearly colorless. The silver bedspread was only slightly darker than the off-white walls, and while there was a colorful acrylic hanging above the bed, it was small and not enough to liven up the space. Dak considered Nicole. Who was this woman? Two rooms a riot of color and shapes; two rooms boring to an extreme.
Shaking his head, Dak went to the last crystal. As soon as he finished the spell, he returned the ward to the corner, straightened and turned. Nicole was right there and he sucked in a harsh breath as desire rushed through him.
The wall was at his back, there was nowhere for him to go to put space between them, and Nicole wasn't moving.
Two steps and he could have her on the bed, his body over hers. Two short steps.
He drank her in. Her dark hair was pulled back, away from her face and the brown of her eyes was nearly overpowered by the red glow, proof he wasn't the only one aroused. High cheekbones tempted him to run his thumbs across them, a gently elfin chin had a slight indent that he wanted to kiss, and those incredibly full lips... He remembered how close her mouth had been to his not that long ago, remembered how much he wanted to explore her.
She'd taken off her leather jacket, leaving her in a black tank top and jeans. The clothing was practical, but on this woman, it was so fucking sexy, Dak felt his self-command slip.
Would she be passive in bed like the bland bedroom or would Nicole be wild like her colorful living room? Dak's money was on wild, and the desire to confirm it burned through him. "Step back," he warned her, voice low. She didn't. "Step back, because if you don't, we'll be mated in less than ten minutes and I'll be pissed about that."
Her gaze jerked up to his and that's when Dak realized she'd been staring at his erection. A feeling of inevitability washed over him and tightened around his throat like a noose.
He wasn't sure he cared. Not at the moment.
Docile or wanton, Nicole would make him come hard. Eying the distance to the bed, he decided he could get his jeans unzipped before they reached it. It would be easier if she were wearing a skirt, but Dak guessed less than a minute to get her pants open and pushed down to her thighs. He could strip her naked for round two.
Nicole's eyes widened and she took a giant stride away from him. Wise woman.
"We should go sit down in the living room," she suggested and didn't waste any time getting away from him.
Dak watched her go. He needed a minute—maybe more—to regain some calm. That had been close. Too close. As much as he wanted to blame Nicole for his near-loss of control, he couldn't. She was as helpless against the onslaught as he was, maybe more so since she didn't understand exactly what was happening.
If he'd been smart, he never would have come here. Hell, if he had even one brain cell that wasn't overloaded with desire, he'd walk out the door right now.
Since he remained stationary, Dak figured his mind was toast. What a mess. He drove both hands into his hair and tugged, but it didn't make his head start working any better. Shit, hell, and damn. And the reason he'd agreed to come here to begin with needed to be discussed. Nicole wanted explanations about demon mates and he owed it to her. It wasn't as if he could drop a bomb like that without having to deal with the fallout.
With a soundless growl, Dak returned to the living room. Nicole stood next to the coffee table, and when she sensed his presence, her chin came up. Her glare didn't intimidate him, but it did cause the desire he'd barely contained to surge again.
"What has you pissed off?" he asked. "The fact I assumed you wouldn't tell me no if I took you down to the bed? Given the way your thoughts have run since we met and the mate connection, it's not arrogance."
The red in her eyes flared brighter. "Why do you act as if being mated to me is a fate worse than death? It's insulting."
For an instant, Dak could only stare. That's what had her furious? "You're taking offense and you don't even know what mating entails. It's not only sexual exclusivity, it's a merging on all levels. It means we'll be in each other's minds—sharing thoughts and reading emotions will be effortless. Do you want me to have that kind of tie with you? It's damn intimate and I'm not thrilled with the idea of giving you that much of me."
She strode toward him, temper hot. He almost didn't move, but at the last minute, self-preservation kicked in and Dak backed up. Nicole stopped in her tracks. "That's why you wouldn't let me close to you yesterday, this mate thing. But I don't get it; what's the big deal about distance?"
At least her anger was gone. "Proximity affects the bond. The more time we spend together, the stronger it gets. The closer we are to each other physically, the more powerful the lure becomes. If we have sex, the bond locks into place and lasts until death. Thousands of years with no one else."
That reignited her temper. "And you want others."
Shit, he was fucked on this question and it was one for which he wasn't prepared. He'd expected her ask how it could happen or deny such a thing existed. Dak should have realized, though, that Nicole would feel the same possessiveness toward him that he felt for her. Maybe she'd been raised human, but she was a female demon with the instincts to match.
Sticking his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket to keep from reaching for her, to keep from soothing her ire with touches and kisses, he said, "I'm twenty-nine. Not two hundred and twenty-nine, not two thousand and twenty-nine—only twenty-nine. I'm not ready to be tied to anyone. A thousand years from now, I'm sure I'd be thrilled to find you, but we're both too young to be bonded to each other for life."
"You assume thousands of years, but
I'm half human. My life span is around eighty years. You'd be free in no time."
He ignored her sarcasm and answered seriously. "I don't care what you think you know about half demons, it's wrong. Those who died at some normal human age? They're the ones who never accessed their full powers. Believe me, if we mate, you'll be connected to your magic."
Nicole smirked. "Right. I have sex with you and I become damn near immortal."
His own temper began to burn. "I'm the one trying to prevent us from becoming lovers. With next to no help from you." That made her angrier yet which pissed Dak off even more. "You keep wanting to touch me, to kiss me, to bite me. I know it, Nicole. You can't lie to me. You pictured us doing it on the loading dock last night and tonight it was against the side of a building."
She went white.
"You don't like me reading your mind? Well, good luck keeping me out once we're mated."
"How much can you see?" She sounded appalled.
"Right now I'm mostly picking up thoughts and emotions from you that are sexual in nature. It'll expand the more time we spend together whether we're mated or not. Do you understand now why I'm fighting to stay away?"
She shrugged, but her pallor suggested she was beginning to get an inkling of the closeness of the connection.
"Stand aside," he asked quietly, "and let me have the vampire. I'll bring you her dead body if you need proof I've killed her, but stay out of my way."
Nicole shook her head vehemently before he finished speaking. "No, I made a vow—" She scowled. "I'm killing the vampire. You stand aside."
"A vow to what? To who?" Dak asked, but she only glared at him and he dropped it. "If I could walk away and avoid seeing you, don't you think I'd already be gone? This assignment came from my king and no one tells the demon king, sorry, I can't do it."
"Then we have a problem, don't we?"
Oh, yeah, wild. With an attitude like hers, Dak would bet everything he had that she'd be fierce when they were in bed together. The image of her riding him, head thrown back filled his mind and he forcibly pushed it aside. "I'm better suited to killing her. You haven't held your own against Mary Beth yet."
