Relaxing a bit, she inhaled the contents. Her one weakness, the rich dark coffee Damon always indulged her with. A definite change from the cocoa he used to make for her when she was younger. No surprise his favorite brand had become hers.
“Thanks, Damon. There’s food. Kira cooked...er...something, if you’re hungry. It’s in the fridge.”
A pained grimace crossed his face. “Tell Kira to take up another hobby.”
“It’s edible this time,” she protested, defending her friend.
“I’ll pass, thanks.” He picked up the remote from the coffee table and switched on the flat-screen TV. Turning to the couch, he shoved Bob aside and sat down. An annoyed hiss left her pet. The cat hopped off the sofa and took up space on the armchair.
“So? Anything occurred since I’ve been away?”
“You’ve been gone two days. What can possibly happen in that short amount of time?” Echo reached down, scratched Bob’s belly, and was rewarded with a euphoric rumble.
“You don’t want me to answer that question, do you?” His eyes narrowed when he saw her stroking the cat. “For Christ’s sake, don’t scratch that lazy creature’s belly.”
Her fluff-ball purred even louder. Echo smiled. It was as if her pet understood what was going on. “Really, Damon, you’re so temperamental with Bob. I can’t understand why you won’t get along with him. You gave him to me.”
“My mistake. I should have given you a dog.” Damon gave Bob another black look.
“Do you want coffee?” she asked him, heading for the kitchen.
“No.” He shook his head, switched off the flat-screen, and tossed the remote aside.
Retrieving her coffee, she took a sip and studied him. Something was off. Unease started to rise in her again. “Damon, what is it?”
He turned. Echo was taken aback at the dark expression on his face. Despite their constant disagreement about her hunting, Damon wasn’t one for dramas or ordering her about. A nerve ticked in his jaw. His mouth was drawn into a thin line. “I don’t want you out on the streets. These are dangerous times.”
“I can look after myself, Damon. After all you were the one who taught me how to fight.”
“So you could protect yourself, not go hunting after those bastards!”
She watched him warily. He never got angry.
“Bloody hell—I’m sorry, Echo. I’m concerned.”
“Then why don’t you help me?” she said softly. “You were once a hunter. We could find the fiend sooner and get rid of him. That’s the only reason I go out, and you know it.”
He pushed to his feet and roamed the small room like a caged animal. Impatiently, he raked back his hair, which just fell forward again. “Echo, I gave that up when I adopted you because I want you safe.”
“I know, Damon, but I can’t. I have to find the demonii who killed Tamsyn. I owe her that for keeping me safe when I lived on the streets—”
“I know exactly what she’s done for you,” Damon cut in, his voice harsh. His violet eyes darkened with anger.
Oh hell, this can’t be good.
“I still have contacts out on the streets. Demoniis are searching for you. You go out there, killing the bastards, now they’re coming after you.”
She opened her mouth to speak. But there was nothing she could say without further riling him, so she shut it. Finally, she understood why Damon had cut short his trip and rushed home.
So, the soul-sucking fiends wanted her dead? Well, they could try.
CHAPTER 5
Aethan headed down East Houston Street as bleak afternoon sun filtered through a thin layer of smog which hovered around the tops of the skyscrapers. He’d concluded his business midtown but had been too edgy to go back to the castle, so he took to the streets. He hoped Michael got back soon from wherever he’d disappeared to. If they were going to stop some prophecy from unfolding, he wanted to know if the female they searched for was tied into this prophecy about the angels Riley had spoken of.
Stopping under a leafless tree, he sent out his senses and performed a wide scan of the humans in his immediate vicinity. If he picked up on a strong psychic vibe, then he would investigate it. Hands shoved in his pockets, he waited for anything resembling a psychic spike. Nothing. Not one gods-damn glitch. Just a shitload of stray thoughts...
Oh yeah, he’s a big one. Hot-damn! He can ride me anyway he likes—
Aethan narrowed his eyes and found the Hells Angel eyeing him from across the street where he sat astride a Harley. The male wore a leather vest and had chains draped over his jeans. He didn’t seem bothered by the cold weather. Tattoos spread like a virus over chunky arms, his expression sporting an “I’m-all-yours” look.
Urias! Not even if he was inclined in that direction.
His mood dropped another notch. He should head back to the castle since he had a training session with Týr. Reaching Sunshine Cinema, he crossed the street and staggered to a halt.
Children scampered around the playground like colorful little rainbows, dressed in warm clothes against the crisp bite in the air. Some climbed the jungle gym, others swooshed down slides, letting out whooping shrieks of laughter.
The sounds of their joy took Aethan back fast and hard—cracked open dark painful memories that rendered him helpless. Ones he had no way of shutting off.
‘A’than!’ A childish voice filled his head. ‘Here, for you.’ A few wilted stems of wildflowers dangled from her fist as she came careening to him...
‘Ariana, no—get back!’ Frantic words she didn’t understand as his sword went winging through the air.
Blood, so much blood.
His lungs seized as if a tanker had landed on his chest. He couldn’t breathe. His mind scrambled around like a blind man, found his off switch, and shut down. He inhaled a harsh breath, pushed up his shades, and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Urias, he had to get the hell out of here.
Leaving the playground behind, he headed down the street and was looking around for a place to dematerialize when a tantalizing spark brushed against his psyche. He faltered mid-step. That touch unforgettable...
Focusing on the taunting sparkle, Aethan tracked the psychic tug. He dashed across the street, crossed over to the corner of Norfolk Street, and stopped, zeroing in on the basement gymnasium there. Wilde’s Health & Fitness Center.
He took the few stairs down and pushed open the glass door. A female receptionist popping gum, sat at the front desk, the phone pressed to her ear. She looked up and her mouth dropped open as the phone slipped from her grasp.
Her expression changed, became sultry. “Hello. Can I help you?”
The words were a subtle invitation he ignored. Removing his shades, Aethan slipped them into his jacket pocket, then held the blonde’s gaze, and willed her mind to open to his. Her pupils dilated and took over her blue irises.
“I’m looking for someone. This tall.” His hand stopped below his chin. “Short, spiky black hair, brown eyes—”
“You mean Echo?”
Echo. The name wrapped around him and seeped into his soul. “Yes.”
“She has a class at the moment, should be done in five. Please have a seat.”
Before releasing his hold on her mind, Aethan planted the suggestion that he was waiting for Echo, and she should ignore him. Leaning against the wall, he scanned the massive place.
White walls displayed photos of humans in various stages of exercise. His acute hearing picked up on the sounds of an intense workout session of some kind, taking place farther down the corridor. Grunts and curses, along with the hiss of a steam room, added to the cacophony, but through it all, he kept track of her provocative psychic sparkle.
Arms crossed over his chest, he waited, ignoring the flow of human traffic that stopped to gape at him. It reminded him why he preferred the night. Way easier to disappear into the shadows.
***
Echo rubbed the goosebumps on her arms, still far too restless to settle. Damon
had left that morning, only after she’d promised to be careful. She realized hunting for Tamsyn’s killer would be dangerous, just like he understood it was something she had to do. And Damon didn’t need to know she used her pheromones to lure and kill the fiends. He’d have a coronary or lock her up forever. With him, probably both.
A quick glance at the wall clock reminded her it was time to slow down, as the class drew to an end. “All right, people, cool down phase—five minutes and no dodging this part. It’s as important as the actual training.”
As usual, this group of teens didn’t care about easing off. They bolted for the door like a tornado of human bodies.
Who knew a self-defense class could be this much fun?
Echo picked up her hoodie from the floor and headed for the staff lounge. The room was a white square box, broken up by several bright prints of New York’s skyline. Vivid-colored sofas and two armchairs, in greens and blues, surrounded three low, glass-topped coffee tables. Two small basement windows, at street level, revealed the assortment of feet that ambled, walked, or jogged by. A small kitchenette was set back off the lounge.
She went in and helped herself to a shot of caffeine. The strong aromatic made her mouth water. Drinking her coffee, Echo strolled out of the kitchen, just as the door to the lounge opened. She glanced up with a ready smile, expecting it to be another staff member or her boss, Jimar. And froze. Only her excellent reflexes kept her mug from crashing to the floor.
The man, who persisted in haunting her ever since she’d seen him at the cathedral, stood in the threshold. Every moody inch of him.
Her eyes clung to him, then like treacle they glided slowly over his body. He wore leathers again. God, the man was way too sexy—too hot. He should come with a warning sign for susceptible women like her, because he made breathing impossible.
His striking hair was tied into a queue. The small silver earrings he favored gleamed in his ears. Her eyes collided with his and she found him watching her like some dark, hungry predator.
It took her straight back to when he’d bitten her. She had to restrain herself from touching the spot on her neck. He hadn’t left a mark but the sensation still lingered.
“What are you doing here?” She tried to get her mind to function again.
He strolled in, the door swinging shut behind him. Those mercurial eyes took in everything with one sweep before settling back on her. “It’s a gym—open to all, I believe.”
No way! He couldn’t have. “Did you join?”
“Yes, and you’re my personal trainer.”
She speared him with a glare at his droll comment. Snapped, “Dream on, pal. I may be a trainer but I don’t get personal.”
“Really?” His dark voice told her that if he was of a mind, she’d hand over her best friend to the demoniis for a tumble with him. Oh Lord. She scrambled to find her balance, because truth was, she’d probably giftwrap Kira, too.
“I’m Aethan.”
“And here I thought it was Sarcasm.” She headed for the armchair. Far safer, she decided, than to tackle him to the floor and take a bite of his scrumptious mouth.
“I see your temper hasn’t improved.”
She heard the smile in his voice. Knew he followed her, because every inch of her felt too warm.
“I don’t have a temper.” She sat down and realized too late she was at a horrible disadvantage as he towered over her. “I am—was a calm and rational person until you showed up,” she grumbled.
His gaze brightened in amusement and his brief smile floored her. Oh, why couldn’t her stupid heart settle? Give her time to build up her defenses again.
“If you want to see my boss, you missed his office by a mile. It’s at the front. Can’t miss him. Big, good-looking guy, really buff. Lots of tatts.”
The amusement faded from his eyes, leaving behind gray diamonds. Echo wondered at her stupidity in taunting him. The last time she did, he bit her.
“He means something to you?”
Wariness settled in her at the bite in his tone. “Sure. He’s the guy who pays my salary. If you came to see me, you caught me at the wrong time. I have another session in ten.”
The tension eased out of his big body. His expression relaxed, as much a stone could.
Aethan planted one hand on the armrest of her chair and she drew back, her lungs seizing. A swathe of silky blue hair, escaping its confines, swung forward as he leaned toward her. His seductive scent of warm male and leather was like fighting a riptide, one determined to suck her in.
He cupped her chin and tilted her face to his. “Breathe,” he said softly.
How could she, when a vacuum had sucked out all the air in the room?
The door opened.
“Hey, Echo,” someone called. Her barely functioning brain recognized the voice but hers had deserted her. “I’ll come back later.” Laughter followed Chris when he left again.
Try as she might, she couldn’t break the hypnotic allure of Aethan’s gaze.
Aethan.
God, even his name sounded hot. There was just something so compellingly seductive about him...argh! This wasn’t helping her situation. She was grateful he had no idea how her body responded to him, short of sliding his hand between her legs—
Dammit! She bit the inside of her lips and squeezed down on her inner muscles.
His dark eyes narrowed. “You wear contacts?”
As if someone had dumped icy water over her, her libido fizzled out and she brought herself back on track again.
“Damn, you caught me.” She wrenched her face away from him. “I thought I could get away with it.”
He just had to bring that up. As if nature hadn’t been cruel enough in blessing her with cursed pheromones, she got mismatched eyes along with it. Brown was simple, safe. She wasn’t some Aussie Shepherd, for Christ’s sake!
“It must be really heavy.”
The low cadence of his voice tugged her back. Her gaze flickered to his. “What?”
“That chip you carry around like armor, keeping everyone at a distance,” he murmured, brushing a thumb across her chin.
She desperately wanted to push him away, needed the breathing space, but didn’t dare. Even if she could command her limbs to move, she didn’t want to touch him, not with the way she felt. Besides, a man like him wouldn’t budge unless he wanted to. She’d learned that two days ago.
Echo dropped her gaze to his swaying ribbon of hair and gave into temptation. Like silk, the strands slid between her fingers. “Is this real, the color?”
“There’s only one way to find out.”
His mesmerizing voice filled her with sensual suggestions. Why did he have to say that? Echo swore she could feel his hands on her skin, the slide of his body between her legs, his mouth devouring hers—
Laughter in the corridor jerked her out of her moment of madness and she dropped her hand. Leveling him with the same cool look she used on her disruptive students, she said, “That’s my cue.”
He straightened. Amusement flashed in his dark eyes again.
Damn, she should have known her attempt to intimidate would amuse him. Jerking to her feet, she rushed past him. Christ! The man had the ability to make her forget where she was. She glanced down at the mug she still held. Bloody hell!
She came back, set it on the table, and headed for the door.
“Echo, wait.”
That magnetic pull of his voice had her stopping. Damn, damn, damn! She wanted to be gone from this erotic web he’d spun around her.
She turned and faced eyes gone impossibly cold. How the heck did he turn himself off so easily when desire still blazed a trail through her body? Wait. He knew her name? Of course he did, he must have asked Becky. One look from him and the blabbermouth receptionist probably spewed out everything he wanted to know.
She scowled. “What?”
“I want you to stay off the streets at night.”
“Why would I do that?”
***
Why?
She would ask him that, the stubborn female. “Because demoniis are on the hunt for those with any kind of psychic abilities. I don’t want you in their sights.”
She’d taken down the demonii at the cathedral easily enough. He didn’t need to be clairvoyant to know exactly how she spent her nights. Her next words confirmed it.
“Look, I’ve been killing those fiends for a few years, I’m used to this. And why do you care what happens to me, anyway?”
Aethan closed the distance and grabbed her arm. “Killing one demonii is a helluva lot different than battling a horde of them. They get you, you will die. Do you hear me?”
“I am aware of the risks.” She tried to shrug off his hold. “Getting hurt is part of the job—collateral damage and all that.”
His ire shot up at her careless words, at the utter disregard for her life.
“You think this is some thrill-seeking adventure?” He yanked her to him. The delicate, musky scent of her arousal wasn’t helping matters, and all he could focus on was laying her on the table and tasting her right between—
“I know exactly what I’m doing.” Her hands slammed against his chest and slapped him back into awareness.
“What? Being on top of the fuckers’ menu list?” he growled in her face.
She leaned back and rammed a finger into his chest. “I’m willing to risk that to keep this place safe. How about you?” she challenged with another poke.
His blood buzzed in fury. He was seconds from kissing the hotheaded female into submission. Instead, he grabbed that annoying finger and bit it.
She froze.
Deliberately, he licked her finger, slowly sucking on it, and saw confusion tingeing the desire in her eyes. A strangled breath escaped her, and she tugged her finger free, balling her hand into a fist.
“This isn’t about me,” he said, edgy now. The taste of her on his tongue made him all too aware of how easily she was getting past his rigid control.
She glowered at him, but kept her hand at her side. “Fine, don’t answer me. But until you’re willing to do so, you don’t have the right to tell me what to do.” Then she tipped her chin at him, stubbornness written all over her tempting face. “How did you find me?”
Absolute Surrender Page 5
