Maya’s legs struck his back as she flew over him. He untangled himself and whirled around, but damn she recovered fast. She tossed her dagger to the side to avoid jabbing herself as she tucked and rolled. Then she jumped to her feet and faced him with both fists up. Her face was almost expressionless, her heavy panting the only indicator she was battling to the death. Damned if his interest wasn’t drawn to her ample chest beneath that tight black top.
She smiled, almost as if she were enjoying herself, and came at him with another kick.
He leapt back to avoid being hit. “Damn it, I’m trying to talk to you, lady.”
Beyond frustrated now, Taeg closed his fingers around her arm and spun her toward the wall. She hit it hard, chest first, and he used his body to plaster her to it before she could attack him. Yanking her arms to her sides, he growled into her ear. “You’ve made it quite clear you don’t like my kind, but can we stop fighting and talk now? Please?”
“Fuck you, demon.” Maya rammed the back of her head against his chest in an effort to dislodge him. The woman was like a wildcat—she just wouldn’t stop.
Taeg pushed in closer to her, and suddenly he had a whole different problem. All her frantic squirming and wriggling pushed her luscious ass into his front, and he was in no way immune to that. She couldn’t possibly mistake his growing erection pressing to the small of her back.
Great. Now he looked like a would-be rapist. That wouldn’t do.
“Can we just talk already?” he snapped, letting go of her and backing toward the wall behind him.
“I hope you burn in Hell.” She spun and raced at him, her movements frenzied.
Fucking great. The last thing he wanted was to keep fighting her, but he wasn’t about to walk away. Not when she hadn’t responded to his charm. No, little Maya had now become more intriguing than he’d imagined.
He stepped to the side to avoid her attack, not realizing until he moved how close to the wall he was. She didn’t either. Her eyes widened a fraction of a second before she flew by him, colliding with the wall. Face first. Her head jerked back from the impact. She crumpled to the ground.
“Shit!”
Taeg raced toward her, crouching and turning her limp body so he could examine her face. An almond-sized lump formed high on her forehead, already turning purple from the force of the impact.
“Geez, lady.”
It sucked that she’d knocked herself out because of him, but all he’d done the whole time was defend himself. The woman had more moves than a horny teenager on prom night. He studied her in the dim light. Long, dark hair with matching, slanted eyebrows. Mocha skin that suggested an ethnic heritage. And of course, the mouthwatering figure.
He touched his free hand to her bruised forehead. “What secrets are you hiding?”
Aw, crap. Looked like he had an unconscious, wannabe demon-slayer on his hands. What was he going to do with her? He couldn’t very well carry her down the street, and he sure as hell couldn’t flash home now, as he’d originally intended. Sighing, Taeg fished his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed his brother.
“Dagan, are you at home?”
“Yeah,” his brother replied. “Why?”
“I need you to come pick me up. And hurry. It’s sort of an emergency.”
“What did you do this time?” Dagan drawled.
“Fill you in when you get here. Just move it along.” Taeg gave him directions and hung up before his little brother could question him further. Hoisting Maya into his arms, he settled down to wait.
One thing was for sure: Dagan would never let him live this one down.
Chapter Two
“What, you have to knock them out now to get ’em to go home with you?”
“Ha-ha, very funny,” Taeg said to Dagan. “For your information, she knocked herself out.”
Dagan chuckled from behind the wheel of the fancy 6-Series convertible he’d bought after his last two bounty gigs.
“What’s up with the car, bro?” Taeg grumbled from the backseat, where he had a still-unconscious Maya laid across his lap. “Overcompensate much?”
“For what?” Dagan snickered. “I’m not lacking anything.”
“Yeah, except humility.”
Much as he loved to mess with his brother, Taeg was glad Dagan had taken so well to Earth since they had moved here. The circumstances leading up to that move hadn’t been easy on him. On any of them.
Dagan snuck a look at Maya from the rearview mirror, narrowly missing a collision with another car. The other driver laid on his horn.
“Eyes on the road, chuck.”
“Sorry, man, can’t help it.” Dagan’s attention darted back to Maya. “That chick is smokin’.”
Taeg snuck his own glance. He couldn’t disagree.
“Remind me again why you’re taking an unconscious babe home with you? I mean, it’d be one thing if I was picking you up after a four-hour pub crawl, but—”
“I told you, she knew what I was.” Taeg took a breath, trying to quell his impatience. If the tables were turned and it was Dagan in the backseat with a passed-out babe in his lap, he’d sure as hell be curious, too.
On second thought, maybe that wouldn’t be so surprising, considering it was Dagan.
“Yeah, and on top of that, when I tried to charm her it didn’t take,” Taeg added.
“You mean The Gaze didn’t work?” Dagan whistled. “That must have burned your ass.”
Now that he mentioned it... that had been a major pain. No one had ever failed to respond to him before. Fought it, yes, but failing to respond altogether? “There’s something unusual about her.”
“I’ll say. She’s stacked. Smells good, too. Like flowers and... cinnamon or something,” Dagan said.
Now Dagan was starting to irritate him. Yeah, that’s what the tightening in his gut was—irritation. Not jealousy. Couldn’t be that. He wasn’t all caveman about women like his big brother, Keegan.
Dagan must have sensed what Taeg was thinking. “So you decided to kidnap your own woman, huh? After all, it worked out so well for Keegan.”
“Bite me.”
But Dagan had a point. When Keegan had kidnapped Brynn six months ago to keep their evil father from using her to raise an army of zombies, none of them could have imagined he’d end up married to her. And now Taeg had inadvertently conducted a kidnapping of his own. The irony wasn’t lost on him. But it was for Keegan and Brynn that he was doing this. They were his family, and he owed them. If Maya had a gift that would help him find what he searched for, he would take advantage of that.
“What are you going to do with her?” Dagan asked.
Good question. Taeg studied Maya. She seemed so innocent in sleep with her head tilted to the side, her lips parted. “I’ll wait for her to wake up, then find out if she can see through all forms of glamours. If so—”
“You think she’ll help you find the sword.” Dagan’s words were more statement than question.
“Yup. She’ll help me, like it or not.” Taeg would make sure of it.
“Waking up in a strange place won’t endear her to you.”
“She hates demons, bro. Short of cutting off my own head, I have a feeling nothing I do could endear her to me. Besides, you didn’t see her fight. She can take care of herself.” Taeg was walking proof of that. He might’ve been at least ten times stronger than her, but she’d still managed to land some good hits. Thank the devil he healed fast, or he’d be dripping blood all over the inside of his brother’s new car.
Just when Taeg was beginning to question his brother’s uncharacteristic silence, Dagan asked, “Do you really think the sword can destroy the Book?”
“I think it’s the best chance we’ve got. I need to take a crack at it.” When Dagan nodded, Taeg added, “Don’t tell Keegan, okay? I don’t want to say anything until we know for sure it’ll work.”
“Got it.” Dagan pulled up to the front of Taeg’s Lower East Side apartment, which he’d rented from B
rynn after she married Keegan and moved in with him.
“Hey, bro, I need to borrow your car. Find somewhere around here to park it.”
“Fuck you.” Dagan turned to face him, a deep scowl on his face. “I just got this thing, and you want me to park it on the street? Plus, you’ve never really driven before.”
“If an imbecile like you is doing it, how hard can it be?” Taeg nodded toward Maya’s sleeping form. “I’ll need the car to transport her.”
“I can’t believe this.” Dagan muttered a defeated curse as he turned to face the front.
“Thanks, bro. Walk the keys up when you’re done parking.” Shifting Maya forward on his lap so he could reach the car door, Taeg turned the handle and slid out with her in his arms.
“Remember: not a word.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
At the building’s entrance, Taeg fumbled in his pocket for the key. Maya was light by his standards, but it was still difficult to maneuver her. Finally, he tossed her over his shoulder and opened the door. With his shitty luck, he half-expected one of his nosy neighbors to pop out to see what was up, but he got all the way to his third floor apartment without seeing another soul. Unfortunately, the way he carried Maya put her curvaceous rear on display.
Ignore it. Just ignore it.
Easier said than done.
He unlocked his front door and entered the apartment. What now? He couldn’t just put her down. She’d probably karate chop his ass out the window the minute she regained consciousness. With a muffled curse, he carried her into his bedroom and laid her on the bed. He had to tie her up. No doubt that would piss her off even more once she awoke, but he couldn’t think of a better option.
He rummaged through his closet and dug out some silk ties his friend Cresso had jokingly bought for him when he’d first made the move to Earth. After he’d tied Maya’s arms to the ornate metal headboard he stepped back and admired his handiwork. She didn’t budge. He touched the top of her forehead where a bruise had already formed. Too bad he couldn’t heal others like his brothers, Keegan and Ronin. She would probably have a major headache when she woke up.
He didn’t realize he was standing there watching her until a knock sounded on his door. Dagan, no doubt, with the keys to his car. After one last lingering glance, Taeg left the bedroom, closing the door behind him.
No, she definitely wasn’t going to be happy when she woke up.
§
Awareness returned slowly, melding with the remnants of old memories and all-too-familiar nightmares.
Clomp… Clomp… Clomp.
The man’s booted feet thumped across the wooden floor. From her hiding spot, she clamped her lips shut so she wouldn’t scream. Could he see her? Did he know where she was?
She inched her bare feet farther back into the dark, terrified he’d be able to spot them. That he’d find her.
An amused, gravelly voice called out to her. “Donde estas, niñita?” Where are you, little girl?
He sounded human, so very human, but he wasn’t. Por Dios, she knew he wasn’t.
Maya’s eyes flew open. Her breath puffed out in harsh gasps that made her fear she would hyperventilate. She tried to sit up but she couldn’t move. “What the—?”
Her vision finally cleared. She was in a bedroom. A small bedroom decorated in warm, masculine colors. And she was tied to the freaking bed.
Her last memories came back in a blinding rush. She’d been walking home when she felt someone following her. Squeezing in with a small group of pedestrians, she’d snuck a quick peek behind her. It was the demon from the library—Taeg, he’d called himself. He’d probably decided she was his next meal. So she’d squeezed into the first dark alley she could find and snatched one of the daggers from her boot. Then she’d waited.
Oh God, she’d gotten cocky. Had thought she could use the element of surprise to take him. She knew demons were strong, much stronger than humans, but he wouldn’t be the first demon she’d taken down.
The others hadn’t seen it coming. But somehow, he had.
She’d underestimated his strength and speed. And now she was tied to his bed with her head propped up on two fluffy pillows.
“No.” This couldn’t be happening.
From the other side of the closed door came the soft thumping of someone walking across a room. She fought a burst of pain and the nausea that arose when she turned her head toward the door. Memories engulfed her, threatening to take over once again.
Clomp… Clomp… Clomp.
His boots stomped on the floor. So loud, but even still she was afraid the sound would be drowned out by the fierce pumping of her own heart. Could he hear it?
They were dead. They were all dead. She’d heard the screams.
The monsters had come here for her. Because of her.
And now everyone was dead. It was all her fault.
As if he could sense her fear, he laughed. “Donde estas, niñita? Te encontraré.” I’ll find you.
“No,” Maya gasped, forcing her mind away from the memories she couldn’t help but relive. Things had changed. She was much stronger now. No longer a frightened little girl who didn’t understand the concept of true evil.
She would survive this.
Maya forced herself to close off her emotions, and braced for a fight. At least the sick bastard had neglected to tie down her legs. She still had some measure of control. All he had to do was get close enough to her.
The door swung open and the light came on. She winced as it temporarily blinded her.
“You’re awake,” the monster said, as if they were meeting somewhere for tea rather than in his bedroom with her tied to his bed.
“You’ll regret this, demon.” She tensed and the silk straps restraining her to the bed tightened. At least the material didn’t cause her any pain.
He leaned against the doorjamb, looking confident and carelessly masculine in his T-shirt and worn jeans. Even she would admit that his playboy looks could make any woman drool. Any woman who couldn’t see the real him, that was.
Those eyes, those evil red eyes.
“You’re the one who wanted to turn our conversation into a Bruce Lee flick,” he said to her. “I just wanted to talk.”
“Yeah, ’cause all demons ever want to do is talk,” she deadpanned.
He scoffed at her words. “You sure have a low opinion of demons. Someone did a real number on you, huh?”
“A what?” she sputtered. The nerve of him, to act like she was the crazy one. “You... you suck.”
“How do you know what I am?” He cocked his head to the side in a manner that showcased the strong bent of his jaw underneath his scruffy growth of facial hair.
Again with that question. What did he care how she knew? “Eat shit and die, hell spawn.”
The demon let out a disbelieving laugh, though if Maya didn’t know better, she would have thought he almost appeared hurt at her words. “I’m in for one hell of a hard time, aren’t I?”
“You’d better believe it.” If she was in an apartment, he had to have neighbors. Taking a deep breath, she screamed, “Someone help me. I’ve been kidnapped. Help!”
He chuckled and shook his head. He started toward her, the soles of his scuffed shoes rapping on the hardwood floor. “The walls in my apartment are soundproof.”
Clomp… Clomp… Clomp.
“Donde estas, niñita?”
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head in an effort to clear those unwanted memories.
He froze in place, a strange look crossing his face. Slowly lifting his hands up, he backed away a few paces. “I’m not going to hurt you. I swear on my mother’s life.”
Oh, shit. Despite her best attempts to hide her fear, he’d seen it. Maybe she wasn’t as strong as she thought.
No. She was strong.
She squared her shoulders and made her voice hard as steel. “Yeah, right, like demons have mothers.”
“Of course we do.” He gave her a puzzled look.
“Did a demon hurt you?”
Maya fought to keep her mouth from dropping open. Why was he asking her this? Why hadn’t he attacked her already? And why on earth was he trying to reassure her, of all things? “Mind your own business.”
He shook his head and actually had the nerve to look exasperated. “I would never hurt a woman.”
“Yeah, why don’t I believe that? Maybe ’cause I’m tied to your bed.” The dull throb heightened to a sharp ache every time she lifted her head to look at him.
“Hey, all I did back there was defend myself, sweetheart. If you’ll recall, I tried reasoning with you.”
Reasoning? She let out a snort. “Like demons can reason. And don’t call me sweetheart.”
Something about his frown almost made her feel guilty. That pissed her off.
“You are an amazingly difficult woman to talk to, you know that?”
“What do you want with me?” By some miracle, she managed to keep her voice even.
“Look”—he raked a hand through his hair before looking her in the eye—“I couldn’t help but notice back at the library that you could tell what I was, what the other man—”
“Demon,” she said. “He was not a man.”
“I want to know more about what you can do,” he continued, ignoring her outburst.
Maya stared at him in disbelief. This wasn’t at all going how she’d imagined. Why hadn’t he attacked her yet? What was he waiting for? That he’d tied her to the bed while she was unconscious told her he liked to play with his prey. But now she was beginning to suspect he liked to talk them to death first. “Why would you care about what I can do?”
“I have my reasons.” His bit his lip and turned away, as if he were nervous. Hiding something was more like it.
“Let me get this straight. You kidnapped me because you want to know more about me, not because you have any plans to hurt me? Because of course, you would never do that.” Maya made sure her tone left no doubt as to what she really thought about him.
Mark of the Sylph (Demons of Infernum, #2) Page 2
