by Michele Hauf
Instead of putting on her tank top, Nicole pulled the black demon slayer T-shirt over her head and tucked it into her jeans. The smell of cooking food made her stomach growl, but she didn't move. What now?
Oh, sure, there were things to do. Dak needed to show her how to use her powers, and she had a vampire to kill, but after that? Then what? For all the intimacies they'd shared, she didn't know much about him. Why did he live in LA and not the demon world? And what about them?
He hadn't kissed her this morning and the oversight seemed significant. Would they live together since they were mated? Or would they just hook up when one of them wanted sex?
"One thing at a time," Dak said.
She looked over to find him leaning in the doorway, a shoulder propped against the jamb. "You eavesdropped."
"You were thinking loudly enough that I couldn't help but hear." His lips quirked up in that half smile she found incredibly sexy. "The food is ready. You can quiz me while we eat, but some of your questions—" he shook his head "—we'll have to come up with the answers together."
Nicole walked to the door, but he didn't move aside. She looked at him and waited. Simply gazing at him was enough to for her heart to pick up speed and she had to clench her hands to stop herself from reaching for him.
After an eternity, he brushed a finger from her ear, down her jaw to her chin, and tipped her face up to his. His mouth moved slowly over hers and lingered.
By the time he lifted his head, she clutched his forearms, trying to steady herself. It didn't help. She wanted him. Bad. Again.
"That's why I didn't kiss you earlier." Dak's voice had gone raspy. "Not because our morning in bed meant nothing. We can't afford to lose the rest of the day to pleasure and we would. You know it as well as I do."
Her nod was reluctant, but he was right. "Is it always like this between demon mates? Does it stay this...urgent?"
He shrugged. "That's what they say." Dak stepped away, put a hand at the small of her back, and steered her down the hall.
Just that simple touch was enough to send shivers through her. Control was gone when it came to him and Nicole wanted it to return. "I'm not sure I like this."
"Tell me about it."
Dak pulled out a chair for her at the table. By the time she settled herself comfortably, he was back with two plates from the warming oven. Omelets stuffed with cheese and mushrooms and bell peppers. Not what she'd expected.
And it reminded her that despite how well she knew his body, she didn't know the man.
Looking up from his food, Dak said, "You know me, just like I know you. Maybe you can't name the bands I listen to and I don't know what kind of movies you like, but it wasn't only our bodies we shared. I know who you are at your core—the rest is details."
She paused with her fork in midair. He had a point. While he'd held back part of himself, he hadn't been able to conceal what kind of person he was. It wasn't only some nebulous, psychic communication they'd shared either. They'd talked, too. Nothing deep or profound, but he'd made her laugh and he'd made her forget about vampires and wizards.
Maybe that was why she had such a hard time not thinking about the future. She liked Dak. He could be tough when he needed to be and gentle when it mattered. He preferred to be in charge, but he'd also been able to step back and let her be in control sometimes while they'd made love. And last night, he'd protected her from the vampire, but at the same time, he didn't want her as his mate.
His sigh brought her head up. "What?" she demanded.
"I want you, trust me on that one."
"Only for sex."
Frustration. His. He wasn't sending, but it slammed into her and she couldn't tune it out. What Dak had said earlier about her thinking too loudly suddenly made more sense, but it wasn't along the path they'd communicated over before they'd mated.
Curious, Nicole followed the trail of emotion. And then she "heard" him.
Why the hell is she worrying about this? The odds of us both surviving another fight with the vampire aren't good. She needs to stay focused on the enemy.
Nicole gaped at him. That's how he was reading her so easily. They had a second link to each other, a line that nobody else could use. He had lots of practice blocking the main communication channel, probably because he'd been doing that his entire life, but he couldn't close her out on their connection.
"You're right," she said. "We should focus on the vampire first. I just— This morning with you— It was earthshaking, and I think that's why I'm stuck in the relationship loop."
"Damn. You figured it out." He sounded resigned.
"Yes." She was aware of exactly what he was talking about without having to ask. "You could have told me we had a private line."
Dak snorted and she distinctly got, Yeah, right.
She grinned; she couldn't help it, but it faded fast. "Do you really believe we'll be killed if we don't defeat Mary Beth? So far we've been able to escape when things have gone south."
Putting down his fork, he pushed the plate away and leaned back. For a few seconds, he simply considered her. Nicole couldn't read anything from him, not clearly. His emotions were a chaotic snarl and she couldn't untangle them.
After a quick grimace, he said, "She would have killed us last night if we hadn't had some luck on our side."
"The luck being that she tried to neutralize you from a distance and couldn't do it through the wards I have around my apartment." Dak nodded, but Nicole sensed his agreement before she saw the motion. "Is there some way to turn off the amulet so she can't use it?"
"Only if I know the exact incantation, and not only are there dozens of possibilities, wizards almost always put their own stamp on the spells they use."
Dak sounded so grim, Nicole couldn't think of a response. Instead, she moved his plate until it was in front of him again. He'd only eaten half the omelet and he needed food to keep his powers maximized. She froze for a second when she realized she shouldn't know that, then gave a shrug and took a bite of her eggs.
"After breakfast, I'll show you the basics you need to use your talents." Dak reached for his orange juice. "I hope you're a fast learner."
"I always have been. And thanks. I know it's not easy for you to stand back and let me have Mary Beth, but I appreciate it."
He went still. "I'm not teaching you these things because I want you to make the kill. What I'd like is for you to stand behind me as you did last night and let me handle things."
The growl that escaped her was pure demon. "The only reason I stayed in back of you was because I was worried about you doing something stupid if I didn't. Once I can use my powers, I'm in the fight." She leaned forward to glare into his eyes. "I mean it, Dak; the vampire is mine."
If she thought the frustration she'd felt from him earlier was intense, that was nothing compared to what hit her now.
"The fight probably will be yours, whether I like it or not." His voice was rough. "The amulet will weaken me, and last night it left me dazed for around fifteen minutes. Until I can come up with some way to evade the blast, there's nothing I can do about it. But why the hell are you so stubborn? Why the fucking crusade against Mary Beth?"
Nicole began to shake and she couldn't stop. She put down her fork to hide how badly she was trembling. It surprised her that Dak didn't know, but maybe all he got from her on this subject was the same tangle of strong emotion she'd gotten from him earlier. It didn't matter and he needed to understand.
"Because when I was ten years old, she came into my house. She ripped open my stepfather's throat and she did the same to my mom, but that wasn't enough for her. Next she murdered my half brothers—they were four and two. Then she came after me."
Dak's hand covered hers and his thumb rubbed circles on her palm. It calmed her enough to finish.
"I swore that if I survived, I'd avenge my family. I lived, and now it's time to settle the debt or die trying."
Chapter Ten
Dak stopped in his tracks when he
heard Nicole growl. Her frustration had been roiling for a while now, but she'd doggedly persisted in trying to harness her powers.
She glared at him, eyes sparking red, and demanded, "Why the hell is this so hard?"
It wasn't, not really. Demon children could access part of their magic from the time they were toddlers, but he carefully shielded that thought from his mate. She wasn't pissed at him. Yet. And he wanted to keep it that way. "Maybe you didn't have a good teacher."
That earned him a reluctant smile and he winked at her before closing the gap between them. Her hair was loose and he smoothed an errant strand off her cheek before cupping her chin in his palm. Damn, she was beautiful and not only in appearance.
Nicole got to him in so many ways, he'd lost count.
She had a sense of humor. That was important and the fact she could smile at his weak joke while she was this aggravated boded well.
He liked her courage. It could be exasperating, like when she insisted she be the one to kill the vampire, but Dak knew himself and he'd have little patience for timidity. His job could be difficult, and he needed a mate up to living with the danger he faced regularly.
Then there was her honor. He could believe in her if she made a promise. Nicole thought that demons were dishonest—and they frequently were with humans—but they were mostly trustworthy when it came to dealings with their own people.
The stubbornness? That was a major irritation, but she'd need that trait to deal with him. He could admit it.
And he was glad Nicole was too focused on her powers to be listening in on his thoughts. As a strong demon, he was accustomed to blocking everyone unless he specifically wanted to share something. With her, it took a lot more work and was only successful about half the time. Maybe less. He'd liked it better when she hadn't realized they had a separate connection.
Unable to resist, he ran his thumb across her lips. Her tongue licked the pad and Dak felt heat rise. Leaning forward, he brushed his mouth over hers.
Sweet. So fucking sweet. He could lose himself in her, wanted to lose himself in her. Dak waited for the disquiet to rise, but it didn't and that rattled him. His defenses against her were crumbling faster than a sand castle on the beach during a hurricane. That didn't shake him up either. Hell.
With one last kiss, he eased back. "Turn around, Nic."
She gave him a quizzical look, but didn't argue. He liked her faith in him, too, and Dak grimaced. Make that a sand castle on the beach in a force five hurricane.
He wrapped his arms around her from behind, froze when she wiggled her ass against his groin, and muttered, "Stop that. We're trying to get you to use your powers, not see how fast you can arouse me."
"How does this help?"
"Just a sec. And don't move around," he tacked on. Dak tugged her closer, trying to envelop Nicole as much as possible in his natural field of energy. When he had her situated, he said, "Now mentally mesh yourself with me as tightly as possible."
Dropping the last line of defense around his mind didn't make him happy. This was why he hadn't used this teaching method to begin with, but he opened himself to her, helping to interlace her consciousness with his. He needed Nicole to be able to fight the vampire if he was taken out of the picture, and as it stood, she couldn't, not yet. He remained quiet until they were in complete unison. Follow what I do, Nicole. Feel how I draw my power, how I wield it. Be one with me.
Dak made a shallow draw and used it to turn on the lights in his condo. Now you try. Flip the lights off again.
She wasn't successful this time either, but now he knew what the problem was. "The power is part of you," Dak said softly against her ear. "You're treating it like a lake and you're trying to scoop up the water in a bucket without getting wet. If you need that imagery, picture your legs as straws and draw the water in through them to your core."
Show me again.
He did, using the power to lower the blinds. Your turn.
Her agreement came without words, the acceptance simply there. Dak ignored how normal that was beginning to feel and concentrated on what his mate was doing. The energy flowed into her in fits and starts. Nicole lost her hold on it over and over. She also drew unevenly and the sputtering grated on his nerves, making it hard for him to maintain the merge with her.
I did it!
She had; the lights were off. And if this had been a battle, Nicole would already be dead. Dak needed to come up with some way to neutralize that damn amulet.
"I'll get better with practice."
"I know." But this had been an easy task requiring little energy. "Work with it some more—open the blinds, play with the lights, anything."
Nicole did increase her speed each time, but she wasn't quick enough, not by a longshot. Dak stopped her after half a dozen tries. Making sure their link was solid, he sent, What you're pulling is what I used to strengthen your wards. I'm going to do the kind of draw I'd need to power up my arsenal in a fight. Feel the difference.
He closed his eyes, something he'd never do in a real world situation, and gathered the energy. Since there was no way he was firing inside his home, Dak held it in his body for a few moments, enjoying the buzz it gave him, and then slowly allowed it to disperse.
Reluctantly, he let the last of it go and opened his eyes. Dak could sense how stunned Nicole was, and with a grimace, he rested his chin on the top of her head. "The amount I was able to call up isn't unusual; any strong demon can do it."
"Including me?"
"Yes." Dak hesitated, then added, "Vampires and demons can build an energy shield around themselves for protection. Battle usually means hitting their defenses over and over until they collapse."
"In quick succession while simultaneously carrying out a physical attack, right?"
He didn't have to say anything, she knew the answer. Nicole turned in his arms and leaned back far enough to meet his gaze. "This is what Mary Beth faced in the past during the demon wars."
"We call them the vampire wars, but yeah, probably."
With a sigh, she rested her cheek against his chest and Dak hugged her tight, one hand stroking her hair. Nicole wouldn't stay discouraged long—another thing he liked about her—but she needed to be aware of what kind of challenge they were up against. "I trained for five years to do my job and this was after using magic my entire life. You're not going to pick it up in a single afternoon no matter how stubborn you are."
"I prefer to use the word determined," Nicole said. "What is your job anyway?"
She could have delved in his head and gotten the information without asking, but she didn't. Dak smiled. Momentarily. His position was considered prestigious among demons, but Nicole had been raised human. How would she react?
He could probe her mind and try to come up with an answer, but she'd respected his privacy by not mining his brain and he'd do the same. Her emotions, though, could blast him if they were strong enough. Dak erected a mental barrier, and unwrapping Nicole's arms from around him, put physical distance between them as well.
When he was on the other side of the room, he rested his hands on his hips and measured her. He picked up curiosity, nothing more. With a shrug, he gave her the truth. "I'm an executioner."
Confusion came first, then she asked, "You kill vampires?"
"No, this is a first. Usually, I'm assigned to hunt demons who've been sentenced to death by our courts."
Nicole glanced down at the T-shirt she wore and her lips curved. "Rogue demon slayer, huh?"
Dak grimaced and ran a hand over the back of his neck. "That was a gift from my sister. My smart-ass sister. I've never worn it and I thought you'd be more comfortable in something new."
"Why are you—" She stopped short and became serious. "You're worried about my response to your job?" At his nod, she crossed to him. "I'm a vampire hunter. I'd have to be a pretty big hypocrite to toss stones at you."
Some of the tension leached from his muscles. "It's not going to be an issue between us?"
"No. Is my job going to be a problem?"
"Not once you learn how to use your powers." And that made him go taut again. "It's only a few hours until sunset."
"Yeah." Nicole stuck her hands in the back pockets of her jeans and rocked, a pensive expression on her face. "I know I've been the one who's been adamant about hunting Mary Beth, but it doesn't have to be tonight. In a couple of days, when I'm smoother with the power thing, then we can go out looking for her. I waited seventeen years to avenge my family; a few more days won't matter and we can lie low here until we're ready."
She didn't know. Dak thought she'd read that information from him already, that she understood his urgency. "We can't hide here, Nic. I didn't get it at first, but I thought about it all day. There's only one way the vampire could have found us as easily as she did last night."
"Because she knew where I lived."
"Maybe, but that's not how she zeroed in on us in the parking garage." He took a deep breath. "That amulet is tuned to my energy. She can use it like a fucking GPS to track me down. There's nowhere I can lie low."
Chapter Eleven
Nicole glanced out the front window of the sports car, saw the sky had deepened to indigo, and looked back at Dak. He had a death grip on the steering wheel, but it was late enough that every vampire in the city was stirring by now.
Wanting to soothe him, she reached out and put her hand on his thigh. The muscles were tight there, too, and she ran her fingers up and down his inseam, hoping that would relax him.
His hand covered hers briefly before returning to the wheel. "There's time to drop you somewhere safe," he said.
She squeezed his leg. "Do you really want to have this argument again?"
"No, but I want you out of the line of fire, Nic."
The way he shortened her name, the tone of voice when he used it was intimate enough to make it an endearment. She liked that. And she liked how they'd become friends.
He'd gone from demon males protect their mates to I want you safe, Nic. Her, specifically, not her as his mate. It was a subtle difference and maybe she wouldn't have grasped the distinction if it wasn't for their mental connection. She wasn't sure anyone had really given a damn about her since her family had died, but Dak did.
