Releasing the Hunter (Harlequin Nocturne)

by Anna, Vivi

  “No, I don’t think so, Reggie.” Ronan ran at the sorcerer full speed. As he moved, he unsheathed two blades from his back harness; he’d gotten one just like Ivy’s.

  Reggie was caught off guard at Ronan’s attack and didn’t have time to release his magic. They tumbled to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs. Reggie wrapped his hands around Ronan’s neck, intending to strangle him with power. But Ronan had been quicker.

  The sorcerer’s eyes widened when he realized what had just happened. He looked down and saw that Ronan had buried both blades into his body, one in each side. Blood poured down his torso and onto the off-white carpet.

  Ronan pushed away from the sorcerer and got to his feet, pulling the knives out as he did. There was no way Reggie would survive.

  “You shouldn’t have threatened her. I might’ve let you live.”

  Reggie blinked up at him, then slowly his eyelids closed. Ronan sensed the moment the sorcerer died. A chill rushed through the room.

  Wiping the blood off on the sheets, Ronan quickly made his escape from the room. He had a lot of work ahead of him. He had to efficiently and effectively erase every trace of himself.

  Chapter 31

  One month later

  Ivy ran a hand over her new cross necklace, fidgeting as she waited at the bar. The day after she’d gotten back the key, she’d handed it over to Quinn, then promptly went out and bought herself a shiny new silver cross to replace it. As she played with it with her fingers, she knew it wasn’t the same and never would be. In more ways than she wanted to admit to herself.

  The cross had represented so many things to her. Quinn’s love and abandonment. As well as Ronan’s betrayal. And his attempt at redemption when he brought it back. Thirty days later and she still was waiting for him to show up at her door and apologize.

  The bartender set down another drink in front of her. Soda and lime. She took a sip and spun on her chair to check out the place again. This was her first job since coming back from Sumner. Another bar. What was it with demons and bars? She supposed there were easier targets here. Mostly drunk, desperate women in this particular place. So, perfect for a male demon predator.

  This one was a little different, though. He hadn’t killed anyone, yet. He just got them drunk or stoned, took them out back and seduced them. He was a lust demon. Sex was how he got his energy, how he fed.

  This one also supposedly had important information that Quinn needed. Something about the Chest of Sorrows. The chest that King Solomon had encased his grimoire in. Hence, her brother was across the room sitting at a little table in the corner, surveying the same crowd she was. Unfortunately they didn’t have a clue what the demon looked like. They just had to be on the lookout for the signs, do a sweep, listen to their amulets and hopefully find the right one with the hellfire in his eyes.

  It was strange doing a job with Quinn. They hadn’t worked together since before he’d left over three years ago. But they’d easily fallen back into a rhythm. With Quinn telling her what to do again. She’d wanted to tell him to shove it up his butt, but the fight had quickly gone out of her and she’d done what he asked without a comment. He’d seemed surprised, but didn’t question it.

  Her fire was fizzling. There wasn’t much in life that fired her up anymore. Even hunting was starting to lose its spark. She was seriously thinking about quitting and finding something else to do with her life. Something that would stop reminding her of Ronan.

  She took another sip of her drink, and then set it down. The guy sitting beside her took the opportunity to slide in closer to her. “Hey, baby. Can I buy you a real drink?”

  She didn’t even turn to face him. His booze breath managed to hit her in the face anyway. “No, thank you.”

  He touched her arm. This, of course, was a huge mistake. “Come on. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? To hook up with someone like me?”

  She turned, then, to look at him, about to tell him to take a flying leap off a high cliff, when the fire in his eyes froze the words in her throat. Her amulet was glowing blue and it burned her skin. She’d been so distracted that she hadn’t noticed it warming on her flesh before now.

  He grinned at her. “Hello, Ivy Strom. It’s so awesome to finally meet you.” Before she could react, he had her spun around and forced her into a headlock, a knife pricking at her throat. “Don’t move or I will slice you open.”

  The other patrons around them jumped back and two lovely drunk ladies screamed at the top of their lungs. This was good, she supposed, because it would let Quinn know she was in some serious shit.

  He started backing up, dragging her with him. Others moved out of their way, giving him fantastic access to the exit. She really wished people would sometimes get involved.

  Quinn moved up along one side, but the demon spied him. Probably noticed him long before he even got there. The demon poked her in the neck with the tip of the blade. It stung something fierce.

  “One more step, Quinn Strom, and baby sister here is dead.”

  Quinn put his hands up, palm out, in surrender. “Look, we just want to talk to you. We’re not here to kill you.”

  The demon smirked. “Yeah, right. When have the Stroms not killed demons? You’re famous for it.” He continued to back up toward the exit.

  Quinn followed him, careful of not getting too close to spook him. Thank goodness, because believe it or not the demon’s hand shook. The tip of the blade pressed into her skin with every shake. He was afraid. That surprised her.

  “I just have a couple of questions. I promise no harm will come to you.”

  The demon didn’t believe him. Ivy didn’t, either. She knew Quinn would put him down no matter what he told them. He was single-minded that way. He had a ferocious hate on for demons in all forms.

  The demon snickered. “Yeah, right.” They were a couple feet from the exit. A few people crowded around the door. “Open the damn door or I will cut this bitch open,” the demon shouted.

  One enterprising guy jumped up and ran to open the door for them. Ivy wanted to kick him in the balls on the way out. Thanks for helping, buddy.

  Quinn followed them out, his hands still up. She knew he was looking for a way to take the demon down without getting her killed. She was pondering the same thing. But just swallowing was killing her. The demon was getting careless with his knife. Almost every step he took jogged his hand and nicked her skin. She’d bleed out soon enough if he kept it up because one of those careless nicks could get her right in the jugular.

  Once they were outside, Ivy looked around, or as much as she could without turning her head. She had to do something soon. She couldn’t let him take her any farther, especially not into a waiting vehicle. This had to end now.

  Although she couldn’t see his face, Ivy knew the demon was also looking around, trying to figure out how he was going to escape unscathed. She could’ve told him that was an impossibility. After another minute, she sensed that he came to the same conclusion because she felt him relax a little.

  “If I answer your questions, will you let me go?”

  Quinn nodded. “Yes, but first you let my sister go.”

  The demon shook his head. “No, I think I’ll keep her for a little while longer, just in case.” He turned her head so she could look at his face. “You don’t mind, do you, baby?”

  She glared at him, and then croaked, “No, not at all, dickhead.”

  He chuckled, but it had a nervous twitter to it. “Ask your questions.”

  “Have you heard of the Chest of Sorrows?”

  The demon shrugged, which caused his hand to move, which caused another slit along her skin.

  “Watch your blade, asshole,” Ivy barked.

  “Oh, sorry, sugar.” He lifted it slightly, enough that she considered her next move. He may have afforded her eno
ugh space between her neck and blade where she could safely break his hold on her.

  “Was that a yes or no answer?” Quinn asked, his hand lowered to his sides now. It looked like he was gearing up to make a move, as well.

  “I may have.”

  “Do you know where it is?”

  “No. But I might know who does.”

  “Who?”

  “Before I tell you, I want a guarantee I’ll get out of here alive.”

  “I give you my word,” Quinn said.

  The demon shook his head. “Sorry, but somehow that doesn’t give me any confidence.” He backed up again, taking Ivy with him. “No, I’ll just take pretty sis here with me until I think I’m safe, and then I’ll tell you.”

  Quinn kept in step with them, about five feet away at all times. He looked at Ivy; she knew he was asking her the question, Can you safely get away? She didn’t know for sure. The demon had a pretty tight hold on her, demons were megastrong and that lousy blade kept wavering dangerously at the main vein in her neck. If she made a mistake, moved too fast, went too slow, that tip could easily slide in and she’d be done for. She couldn’t heal from something like that. If only Ronan were here, then maybe she’d consider it. He wouldn’t let her die.

  The demon kept backing up until he came to the street. There was an old sedan parked partially on the curb. He backed up to it, then smashed in the driver’s-side window with his elbow. Reaching behind him, he opened the door.

  “You first, little sister.”

  Ivy looked at Quinn for a cue. His eyes widened and then a little smirk grew on his face. What was he trying to tell her? Something was obviously going on.

  “You just damaged my car, my friend. Big mistake.” The deep voice vibrated over her and she closed her eyes in relief.

  Next thing she knew, the demon was no longer holding her hostage. He was flying backwards over the car and out onto the street. Ivy swirled around to see Ronan standing on the roof of the car.

  He jumped down, walked to the fallen demon, grabbed him by the shirt collar and dragged him back to the car. He pushed him up against the hood and slapped something on his chest. It was one of her devil’s-trap stickers.

  He caught her looking at it and shrugged. “You left some in my gear.” He then motioned toward Quinn. “You can ask your questions now.”

  As Quinn moved forward, Ronan stepped away. Ivy wasn’t surprised. He wouldn’t know what Quinn would do. He did steal the key and all. Yeah, he brought it back, but in Quinn’s eyes it didn’t matter.

  And did it matter to her? She didn’t know. All she knew was that her heart thudded in her chest and her gut clenched when she looked at him.

  He moved toward her, his steps hesitant. It looked like he’d bolt at a second’s notice.

  “Thanks,” she said. “Again. For saving me.”

  He gave her a little smile. “Seems to be a habit of mine.” He pointed to her neck. “You’re bleeding pretty good there.”

  She touched her throat; her hand came away smeared in crimson. She could feel warm trickles sneaking under the collar of her shirt. “Yeah, he nicked me a few times too many.”

  He stepped even closer to her. She could smell him now. A dark, dangerous scent clung to him like shadows. “Let me see.” He touched her neck with just his fingertips.

  She shivered as a warm sensation drew over her throat, down her shoulders and ventured lower still. She felt her nipples harden instantly under her shirt. She stifled the urge to cover her breasts with her arm to stop him from noticing. It didn’t matter. He noticed. She could tell by the slow, lazy smile that spread over his face and the gleam in his dark eyes.

  He dropped his hand from her and took a step back. “There. The bleeding should stop.”

  She stared at him for a long moment, taking everything about him in. He looked the same. Maybe his hair was a little longer; the ends flirted with his earlobes. But he was the same. And in that moment she remembered every reason why she fell in love with him. Those reasons hadn’t gone away.

  “I like your necklace.”

  She reached up and stroked a hand over the silver cross. “At least it’s just a cross.”

  His lips twitched a little. “Yeah, good thing, that.”

  “I gave the key to Quinn.”

  “I figured you would. It’s best with him anyway.”

  “Why did you bring it back?”

  He looked at her, as if memorizing every nuance on her face, every line, every slope and every muscle. “Because being human meant never having a chance to be a man with you.”

  Her heart skipped a beat in her chest and she had to fight down the urge to let the tears welling in her eyes fall. Instead, she cleared her throat and kicked at a small pebble on the ground. “Quinn won’t ever forgive you. I can’t promise you that he won’t try to kill you later.”

  “I don’t care.” He reached for her hand and took it in his. “All I need to know is...can you forgive me?”

  Her skin warmed in his, and the sensation crept over her wrist and up to her biceps. He was doing that thing he knew she liked, when he transferred some of his power into her. It was sneaky, but she couldn’t stop the giddiness inside her stomach. It was one more thing she liked about him.

  “I don’t know. Maybe in time.”

  “Good.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss on the back, and then he let her go. He turned to leave.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Giving you that time.” He gave her one of his devilish smiles and walked out into the night, the shadows along the street swallowing him up.

  Chapter 32

  The jerk, she thought. He’d done it to her on purpose.

  Every night for the past week since seeing him on the street in front of the club, she’d been waiting for him to show up at her house.

  She would eat dinner, watch some TV, dress for bed then sit in her dark bedroom waiting for the knock at the door or at the window. It wouldn’t have even surprised her if he slipped into the house unseen and unheard to take her by surprise.

  But he hadn’t shown and she was growing more impatient and frustrated with every passing minute.

  Just the way he wanted her, she suspected.

  She could’ve called him on his cell phone, but she didn’t want to seem desperate. She didn’t want him to have the upper hand. She was supposed to be trying to find ways to forgive him, when in reality she’d forgiven him the second she’d seen the hanging necklace glinting in the moonlight. She would’ve welcomed him back into her arms gladly.

  Tonight, she’d met Jake for some prep on a new job. He’d had information she needed. He’d also informed her that the Crimson Hall Cabal was after her and to watch her back. Once they’d met, they’d talked, had a drink, then she’d left with Jake’s warning fresh in her mind.

  Jake hadn’t asked her about Ronan, but she could tell he’d wanted to. Maybe it was the angry glare she’d given him when he started to open his mouth. Or the sadness that she couldn’t stop from enveloping her when she thought no one was looking.

  She’d had no real idea how truly empty her life was until Ronan had come into it and messed it all up. And now that he was gone, she felt not just empty but hollow. Like he’d taken all the good stuff with him.

  She parked her newly acquired vehicle in the carport, turned it off and got out. She was tired and thought about nothing but climbing into bed and sleeping. She slipped inside and locked the door behind her. She toed off her sneakers and padded across the living room toward her bedroom with every intention of stripping off her clothes and sliding under the sheets.

  But the second she stepped into her dark bedroom, she sensed something was wrong.

  She unsheathed a blade from her back harness and held it out defensively.
Her breathing slowed and she tilted her head to hear. A rush of movement came from her right, and she swung her arm but it was blocked. She was grabbed around the biceps and pushed up against the bedroom wall. A warm sensation stroked her skin.

  She growled, “What took you so damn long?”

  Ronan smiled. “I was giving you time to forgive me.”

  “Yeah, well, time’s up buddy.” She dropped her knife, and wrapped her hand around his neck, pulling his mouth even closer. “Kiss me before I change my mind.”

  He did. And it was good.

  A rush of delicious shivers raced down her spine. Her other hand found purpose under the hem of his shirt, as she feathered her fingers over his stomach and up to the hard planes of his chest. He moaned into her mouth as she rolled one of his nipples between her fingers.

  “Damn, woman, you’re killing me.”

  “Get used to it,” she said as she licked along his jawline. “I plan to kill you for a long time.”

  “Promise?”

  She looked up at him, met his gaze, saw the question there and the answer. “Yes, I promise.”

  “Good, because waiting for you has been torture.”

  “Torture?” She nipped at his chin. “You’re the one who was torturing me. Saying you’ll give me time. You knew I would be waiting for you to show up. Not knowing if you would.”

  He laughed. “I thought that was what you loved about me. My unpredictability.”

  “Maybe.”

  He released her one arm, then cupped her face in his hand and looked into her eyes. “It’s okay to say it, Ivy. It’s okay to love me. Because I love you.” He brushed his lips against hers. “For as long as I live, demon blood and all, I will love and protect you.”

  “I don’t care about the demon blood, Ronan. You are more human to me than any other man has ever been. I love you, all of you, because of how you chose to use the power it’s given you.”

  He found her mouth with his and kissed her hard and long. It had her head swimming by the time he was done. He released her other arm, then streaked both his hands down to her behind. He picked her up effortlessly and carried her across the room to the bed. He tossed her onto the mattress.