by Katie Reus
Hunted by Darkness
Darkness Series
Katie Reus
From two different worlds…
Now that she’s escaped her oppressive family, Nyx is enjoying her new life and friends—even if most of her friends don’t know who or what she is. As a rare demigod, she’s just learning how powerful she truly is, but family drama turns her world upside down, throwing the one man she cares about into danger.
He wasn’t supposed to fall for her…
Nyx is nothing like the females half-demon Bo Broussard has been with. Sweet and innocent, she’s not even remotely his type. But the moment she walks into his bar, he knows he’s not letting her go. Unfortunately someone from her past thinks they can force her into an arranged marriage.
He’s not letting her go…
Someone is targeting one of them, and Bo doesn’t know why. When they’re thrown into a Hell realm together, he and Nyx will need to band together if they want to survive the perils of that world. No matter who was behind the attack, his choice is clear. Defend Nyx at all cost and make her his forever.
Hunted by Darkness
Copyright © 2016 Katie Reus
Cover Art by Sweet ‘N Spicy Designs
Proofreading by JRT Editing
Digital Formatting by Author E.M.S.
* * *
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the author.
Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book. This purchase allows you one legal copy for your own personal reading enjoyment on your personal computer or device. You do not have the right to resell, distribute, print or transfer this book, in whole or in part, to anyone, in any format, via methods either currently known or yet to be invented, or upload this book to a file sharing program. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
ISBN: 9781942447405
Dedication
This book is for every reader who asked about Bo and Nyx. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
Chapter 1
Bo tried not to stare at Nyx as she smiled at a group of vampires she was serving drinks to. He really did try. Sort of. But it was impossible to take his eyes off her. He always felt like a stalker, but he was a half-demon and unapologetic about the pull he felt toward her.
She was his, even if she didn’t know it yet.
Nyx had gotten under his skin in a bad way. He’d known from the moment she’d walked into his bar wearing a ridiculous turtleneck and jeans that she would be his. It didn’t matter that she was too good for him. A quality female who shouldn’t have looked twice at him. But they’d somehow become friends.
His demon rippled under the surface at that thought, sneering at the word. The very concept. Friends. He’d settle for that right now. Soon she would be his. Even if he didn’t deserve her.
“Dude, get your shit together,” Cynara said, not looking up from where she was mixing drinks behind the bar.
His half-sister could read him better than anyone. It wouldn’t matter that on the outside he appeared unaffected, their demon halves were in tune with each other. After years of working together their bond had grown stronger.
Bo didn’t respond, instead turned back to Nyx. Tonight she had on a dark green turtleneck sweater-dress that hugged her lean body like a second skin. The heeled knee-high boots with shiny studded skulls on them were just the icing on the Nyx-cake. Watching her now, he could envision burying his face between her legs while she had nothing on but those boots, her heels digging into his back as he made her scream his name. Her taste would be…perfection. He shifted uncomfortably. Damn it, that was the last thing he needed to be thinking about.
“She can take care of herself anyway,” Cynara continued, pulling him out of a fantasy he didn’t need to be indulging in at the moment.
“That’s not the point.” He rolled his shoulders once, flicking a glance around the club. His place was a nondescript warehouse on the outside, but a lush nightclub on the inside. He owned a lot of normal, human-run companies, but his club provided something in the area not found within a hundred miles.
Supernatural beings needed to be able to let loose, to be themselves without prying human eyes and his place provided that—including private rooms behind a red door his patrons paid very well to use. His two basic rules were that this was neutral territory so no inter-pack or clan or whatever disputes could be settled on his land. And everything that happened between individuals had to be consensual. If someone broke those rules, they died. Usually by his hand. Simple as that.
Cynara shook her head, her shocking purple hair seeming to sparkle in the lights. “Pretty sure it is the point.”
No, it fucking wasn’t. Everyone was an enemy right now as far as Bo was concerned. At least when it came to strangers talking to Nyx.
A week ago some random asshole from her father’s side of the family had told her she had a week before they tried to force her back to her father’s realm. Not only that, but her psycho goddess mother had done Nyx a huge favor less than a week ago—in exchange for one from Nyx. The only reason she’d reached out to her mother was because her friend had been kidnapped and would have been killed for the dragon blood in her veins. And her mother took advantage of Nyx’s kindness.
Nyx’s only demands had been that the favor couldn’t include rape, murder, torture or maiming. That still left a lot of other shit on the table that he didn’t want to think about.
Her long, inky black hair was pulled away from her face in a complicated braid, the tail flat against her back. She had four empty glasses on her tray, but those vamps were still chatting her up. Flirting with her.
It didn’t seem to matter that she wasn’t flirting back, that her smile was neutral and a little bored. He didn’t think she knew how to flirt anyway.
The way she was only added to her appeal, however. In a club where people often showed more skin than at the beach, Nyx never even showed a hint of cleavage—and got more tips than any of his other employees.
But when one of the male vamps laid a hand on her forearm, any sense of reason he had burned away. He shoved away from the bar and started toward her, ignoring the annoyed gasp of a female shifter as he practically pushed her out of the way. He was acting like a complete barbarian, he knew it. He didn’t care.
Before he’d taken two steps, the ground shook, the trembling slight but enough that all the noise except for the music dimmed to a trickle. He had no idea what the shaking was. Doubtful it was an earthquake. Not on the Gulf Coast.
That protective need he always felt for Nyx surged through him. Using his supernatural speed, he was next to her in seconds, grasping her elbow as the shaking stopped.
Everyone started talking at once.
“Was that an earthquake?” one of the male vamps asked one of his friends as Bo gently steered Nyx away.
“That wasn’t an earthquake,” Nyx murmured, her expression nervous as they winded their way through the high-top tables. “That was—”
A tall woman with red hair so bright it was like fire, appeared in the middle of the cluster of tables, two feet from them. Her winter blue eyes glittered as they landed on Nyx. Her expression was unreadable.
“My mother,” she muttered.
Moving on instinct, Bo shoved Nyx beh
ind him. He was vaguely aware of her dropping the tray. Normally he would stop the glasses from falling using one of his gifts, but he let the glass shatter, not wanting to expend energy on anything other than keeping Nyx safe. Her mother was a possible threat to her and everyone else in his bar.
The female in the gauzy white Grecian-style dress smiled at him, though it looked more like a dragon baring its teeth.
He didn’t bother with pretenses. He just snarled, letting his demon show in his eyes. “This is neutral territory.”
She just threw her head back and laughed, the sound echoing around his club with an eeriness that felt like talons scraping over his skin. As she did all the glasses behind his multiple bars and the ones in patrons’ hands or on tables, shattered.
He’d never transformed in public before, but his demon punched at him, begging to be unleashed. He knew Nyx could transport herself anywhere she wanted, but he also knew she wouldn’t leave a club full of people to face her mother’s wrath. As he started to let go of his beast, Nyx grasped his upper arm and moved next to him.
“You are such a drama llama!” she shouted at her mother.
The redhead blinked. “It’s drama queen, dear.”
“No, it’s llama… I’m not having this conversation with you! What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to collect my favor, of course.”
Over Bo’s dead body. He started to take a step forward when she held up a hand. He could feel her power pulsing over his body, scraping against his skin like shards of glass, but because of who his father was—repugnant bastard—her goddess control was limited. At least here in his club. He’d had this place spelled decades ago.
When nothing happened to him, her head tilted to the side just the smallest fraction. “Interesting.” Just as quickly she looked at Nyx. “We can have this conversation here or—”
“In my office,” he interrupted. Because no way was this bitch leaving with Nyx. He wasn’t letting his female out of his sight. And he was well aware that technically she wasn’t his. But half-demons never got hung up on technicalities.
Nyx might not understand it yet, but she was his female. And he planned to make that known very soon. She knew he had feelings for her and he was aware that she was attracted to him. She just refused to do anything about it. But it was more than a simple attraction for him and he would not let her go. He was going to bind her to him pure and simple.
Before either of them could argue, he hooked an arm around Nyx and headed across the dance floor. No one was dancing and the music had stopped by now. “Music,” he shouted, not surprised when moments later a popular song filtered through the speakers. His people never questioned him.
He didn’t look behind him to see if Nyx’s mother was following. When he reached the simple white door that led to his office, he opened it and ushered Nyx in before turning to see the goddess following. Her full lips were pulled into a thin line of annoyance as she watched him.
“You will treat me with respect.” Her voice had a savage edge to it as she passed him.
Bo didn’t bother responding. She was an enemy, nothing more. Nyx had already made it clear what type of mother she’d been. What kind of mother made a bargain with her daughter when she needed help? Especially one as sweet and innocent as Nyx? He gritted his teeth and moved past her to open his office door, using a biometric scanner with a few magical enhancements.
Nyx moved inside, a mix of emotions on her pretty face. Worry, fear and what looked a lot like guilt. He wasn’t sure about that last one, but he didn’t like any of them.
Her mother, who he wasn’t even sure what to call, strode in after her, head held high. She glanced around his simple office, clearly unimpressed before sitting on his desk as if she owned it. She spread her hands out next to her, shoving his papers out of the way.
He tamped his beast back. Let her have the small win. Let her think she was putting him in his place. He could be patient when it came to his enemies.
But if it came to it, she would learn he was a force to be reckoned with.
“That whole display was unnecessary.” Nyx crossed her arms over her chest as she stood next to Bo.
The goddess flicked a dismissive hand in the air. “Of course it was, but it was fun.”
“What’s your favor?” Nyx’s voice was devoid of emotion. Though Bo wanted to take over, he knew that if he spoke he’d only exacerbate the situation.
Nyx knew her mother better than him. She’d be able to handle the goddess. Hopefully. If not, he was going to plan B. He wasn’t sure what that was exactly, but if the female made a move on Nyx, he’d rain fire down on her.
The woman raised an eyebrow at her daughter. “No small talk?”
“Why bother?” Nyx was like a completely closed book, the neutrality of her expression so unlike the sweet woman he’d gotten to know over the last month or so.
Her mother’s eyes flickered like storm clouds before she pulled a small brown package with twine wrapped around it from the folds of her dress. She handed it over to Nyx. There was a name written on it. “You are to deliver this within forty-eight hours.”
“That’s it?” Nyx asked, slightly shaking the box. “Just deliver it?”
A single nod.
“Then we’re even?”
Her mother smiled in a way that had all the hair on Bo’s neck rising. “Yes. And you are not allowed to open it.”
Nyx shifted on her feet. “Where?”
She rattled off a local address, one Bo wasn’t familiar with. He’d lived on the Gulf Coast for decades since moving from his hometown of New Orleans but the address wasn’t familiar. He recognized the street name though and thought it might be in a residential area.
Nyx nodded once. “Okay.”
“If you don’t deliver it, I’ll deliver you to your father’s realm.”
Nyx didn’t blink, but Bo swore he could feel her pain at her mother’s words. There was only one person in his life who had ever loved him and that had been his human mother. It pissed him off even more that Nyx, the kindest female he knew, had such assholes for parents. He refused to let this woman cause her more pain than necessary.
“You’ve delivered your message, now get the fuck out of my club.”
Her gaze snapped to his, a full-on storm brewing in her eyes. No longer a vivid blue, but actual lightning flashed amidst rain in her eyes. It was creepy as fuck. But he’d seen weirder. Her power was a live thing, scraping against his skin again. He knew she wanted to rip his head from his body, could feel it. But if she did—or tried—his father would come after her. Well, he might. There had never been any love lost between them.
Nyx’s mother was probably weighing exactly who he was or what he was. And if she’d figured it out, she’d be weighing whether attempting to kill him would be worth the repercussions it would cause her. Gods and goddesses were self-involved like that.
He braced himself, waiting for her to strike. But to his surprise, she vanished into thin air. Still, he didn’t let his guard down until Nyx spoke.
“She’s gone,” she murmured, rubbing a hand over her face as she collapsed onto one of the chairs in front of his desk. “You shouldn’t have antagonized her like that.” There was no anger to her words, just raw fear as she pinned him with those ocean blue eyes that never failed to captivate him.
“I’m not worried about her.” Maybe that made him stupid. Being around Nyx tended to have that effect on him though. With the exception of attempting to comfort Nyx exactly once, he had no experience with females outside of sex. But he crouched in front of her now, hoping to soothe the anxiety he could see on her face. He needed to wipe it away, needed to protect her from pain. It was a driving force inside him, one he didn’t fully understand.
“You should be, Bo.” She reached out, as if she would cup his face, but dropped her hand and looked down at the small package in her lap.
It shouldn’t hurt or feel like a rejection, but it did. He wanted her to touch hi
m and only him. He rolled his shoulders, unused to feeling anything like…this. He didn’t even know what this was, other than the female made him feel insane with lust and possessiveness.
“I should just take it now, get it over with.”
“Fuck. No.” There would be a catch with the delivery, he felt it bone deep. No way was her mother calling in a favor as simple as this. Someone like her wouldn’t waste it with a delivery request.
Nyx looked at him, fire in her gaze. It was one of the few times he’d seen that spark of anger and it stirred his inner beast in a way it shouldn’t. He wanted to see her riled up, wild—riding him. Not the time, he reminded himself.
“Excuse me?” she demanded.
He swallowed down the instinct to order her. Before Nyx he’d dominated all his bed partners. He was used to being in control. Always. With Nyx he’d felt like he was in a tornado since the moment they’d met. She confused the hell out of him. One moment he wanted to pin her down and take her, make her his, and the next he wanted to protect her from everything and everyone, including him.
“I think we should take this to Finn, let him know what’s going on.” Though it went against all of his instincts to take this to Finn Stavros, the leader of the local wolf pack in Biloxi.
But the male was fair and had a lot of powerful contacts, as Bo had learned firsthand in the last couple months. Not to mention it would buy Bo time. He didn’t want Nyx going to wherever this address was before he’d done recon himself. Because he protected his people. Even if she didn’t know it, she was very much one of his own.
She raised an eyebrow. “Is there a question in there?”
