friendship.
It couldn’t be coincidence. She jerked
around and glared up at Leo. “How did you find out? Did you -- is
this a joke?”
But it was too late, because the next time
she hazarded a glance at the bar, Zack was staring straight at
her.
The chill from before vanished under the
heat of his gaze. But then, it always did. Zack made her feel all
of the things she’d turned away from the day Leo had dragged her
from the burning rubble of the trap her own pride had set for
her.
“ You’re the one,” Leo
whispered. “You’re his untouchable human. He doesn’t
know.”
Even as she watched, realization washed over
Zack’s strong features, and the set of his jaw hardened. Iris
tightened her fingers around her jacket and fought a shudder. “He
does now.”
Caitlin bit her lip. “You have to go to
him.” Her dark eyes clouded a little, and she wrapped a hand around
Iris’ arm. “You think I can’t know anything about you or Leo, but
you’re wrong. I know, because I listen. Now you have to
listen.”
Zack would be furious. She could already see
the tight look in his eyes shifting from shock to anger. If she
gave in to the temptation and reached out with her power, she
doubted she’d find that his deepest desire involved taking her
upstairs to do dirty things to her.
More likely his darkest desire at the moment
involved strangling her.
Iris shook Caitlin’s hand free and turned
her back on the bar. “I’m leaving. Leofric, you’d do well to teach
your psychic not to meddle with demons. We’re not all as
soft-hearted as you.”
Annoyance flashed in Leo’s eyes, and he
curled a protective hand over Caitlin’s shoulder. “Lie to yourself
all you want, Ianthe. But don’t take it out on someone who’s just
trying to help.”
Heat flooded her cheeks when she
realized Leo had used his magic to read the darkest desires of her heart. He knew
what dreams kept her up at night, kept her panting into her pillow
as she fought temptation and the need to tell Zack the truth and
give herself to him, body and soul.
He acknowledged her embarrassment with a
cocky little grin, and Iris felt her temper spike. “We don’t belong
with them,” she snapped. “You’ll only hurt her in the end. And I’m
not taking that chance with him.” And because her words were
nothing but bluff held together with the unraveling shreds of her
self-control, she shoved past Leo and headed for the door,
determined to reach it before Zack recovered enough to follow her
and demand an explanation.
She made it past the bouncer outside before
Zack caught up to her, his arms bare in the cold night air. “Who
are you really?” His eyes were flinty. “How do you know
Leofric?”
Anger laced his voice, and instinct overrode
self-control. The dark magic she’d shunned for decades bubbled to
the surface, hungry for Zack and his power. Hungry for his
desires.
Fury arced through her, and that
she could have handled. But it was the hint of betrayal, the
desperate need to know why she’d lied to him, that held her rooted in place when she
should have turned and fled.
Instead she gave him the truth, half hoping
it was enough to drive him away and save him from the darkness
inside her. “I’m a demon.”
He shivered. “And a liar.”
“ And a liar.” In seventy
years, nothing had hurt as badly as seeing the pain in his eyes.
She shifted her gaze to the wall behind his head and struggled to
remember all the reasons she’d deprived herself of the comfort of
his touch. “You were better off without me, Zack. I destroy
men.”
He took a step closer, his breath clouding
the space between them. “You knew what I was, Iris. You could have
let me make that decision.”
“ So only men get to suffer
the noble pangs of self-denial?” A tiny spark of temper burned
through the pain, and she rose up on her toes. It only put her eyes
on level with his chin, but she focused the sleepy tendril of
unused power into the strength of her gaze,
It couldn’t be coincidence. She jerked
around and glared up at Leo. “How did you find out? Did you -- is
this a joke?”
But it was too late, because the next time
she hazarded a glance at the bar, Zack was staring straight at
her.
The chill from before vanished under the
heat of his gaze. But then, it always did. Zack made her feel all
of the things she’d turned away from the day Leo had dragged her
from the burning rubble of the trap her own pride had set for
her.
“ You’re the one,” Leo
whispered. “You’re his untouchable human. He doesn’t
know.”
Even as she watched, realization washed over
Zack’s strong features, and the set of his jaw hardened. Iris
tightened her fingers around her jacket and fought a shudder. “He
does now.”
Caitlin bit her lip. “You have to go to
him.” Her dark eyes clouded a little, and she wrapped a hand around
Iris’ arm. “You think I can’t know anything about you or Leo, but
you’re wrong. I know, because I listen. Now you have to
listen.”
Zack would be furious. She could already see
the tight look in his eyes shifting from shock to anger. If she
gave in to the temptation and reached out with her power, she
doubted she’d find that his deepest desire involved taking her
upstairs to do dirty things to her.
More likely his darkest desire at the moment
involved strangling her.
Iris shook Caitlin’s hand free and turned
her back on the bar. “I’m leaving. Leofric, you’d do well to teach
your psychic not to meddle with demons. We’re not all as
soft-hearted as you.”
Annoyance flashed in Leo’s eyes, and he
curled a protective hand over Caitlin’s shoulder. “Lie to yourself
all you want, Ianthe. But don’t take it out on someone who’s just
trying to help.”
Heat flooded her cheeks when she
realized Leo had used his magic to read the darkest desires of her heart. He knew
what dreams kept her up at night, kept her panting into her pillow
as she fought temptation and the need to tell Zack the truth and
give herself to him, body and soul.
He acknowledged her embarrassment with a
cocky little grin, and Iris felt her temper spike. “We don’t belong
with them,” she snapped. “You’ll only hurt her in the end. And I’m
not taking that chance with him.” And because her words were
nothing but bluff held together with the unraveling shreds of her
self-control, she shoved past Leo and headed for the door,
determined to reach it before Zack recovered enough to follow her
and demand an explanation.
She made it past the bouncer outside before
Zack caught up to her, his arms bare in the cold night air. “Who
are you really?” His eyes were flinty. “How do you know
Leofric?”
Anger laced his voice, and instinct overrode
self-control. The dark magic she’d shunned for decades bubbled to
the surface, hungry for Zack and his power. Hungry for his
desires.
Fury arced through her, and that
she could have handled. But it was the hint of betrayal, the
desperate need to know why she’d lied to him, that held her rooted in place when she
should have turned and fled.
Instead she gave him the truth, half hoping
it was enough to drive him away and save him from the darkness
inside her. “I’m a demon.”
He shivered. “And a liar.”
“ And a liar.” In seventy
years, nothing had hurt as badly as seeing the pain in his eyes.
She shifted her gaze to the wall behind his head and struggled to
remember all the reasons she’d deprived herself of the comfort of
his touch. “You were better off without me, Zack. I destroy
men.”
He took a step closer, his breath clouding
the space between them. “You knew what I was, Iris. You could have
let me make that decision.”
“ So only men get to suffer
the noble pangs of self-denial?” A tiny spark of temper burned
through the pain, and she rose up on her toes. It only put her eyes
on level with his chin, but she focused the sleepy tendril of
unused power into the strength of her gaze,
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