The Demon Lord (A Demon Outlaws Novella) (Entangled Edge) by Paula Altenburg Page B

leached it away.
    The cloud bank dissipated so that all was as it had been before, except for this tiny, tempting new pool she had created in the center of demon territory.
    Awe overwhelmed her as she surveyed her handiwork. She had lived unrestricted by time for longer than she or any of her goddess sisters could remember. She’d traveled to the far-flung reaches of the universe. Yet she had never experienced anything as lovely or joyful as the wonders this fascinating, time-bound world and its people presented. From a single grain of sand to the tiny mayfly that lived but one day, everything here had a beginning and an end.
    Immortals did not. They merely existed.
    The goddesses were all in agreement. They would not give up this amazing world.
    Luring the Demon Lord could not be that difficult. Demons pursued goddesses with greater ardor than they did mortal women. Women were an easier conquest, however. They could not resist the sensual lure of a demon any more than mortal men could resist the sexual appeal of a goddess.
    The difference was that goddesses were kind to their lovers.
    Demons were not.
    And Allia stood in the depths of demon territory this night, in this tiny oasis, tasked with seducing the least kind and gentle of them all.
    She slipped the soft, sheer, whisper-thin robe she wore from her shoulders to leave it at the side of the pool, and stepped into the warm and soothing waters. Light from the heavy, pale moon glinted off a glossy, black surface that mirrored the star-speckled night sky above.
    With a sigh of pure pleasure, Allia submerged herself, then rose, lifting the heavy, wet ropes of her long golden hair in her hands.
    A silent shadow blocked the moon’s light before gliding away.
    Instantly alert, Allia lowered her arms and allowed her hair to settle around her. She again immersed herself in the water so that only her face remained exposed and tipped to the night.
    The shadow passed above her again, and from the corner of her eye she saw a figure descend into the swell of darkness beyond the edge of the oasis.
    Her heart pounded. If it was the Demon Lord, and he wanted her, he would have to lure her from the protective waters.
    Or at least, she would allow him to believe he had done so.
    …
    The Demon Lord landed beneath the cover of darkness, shifting to mortal form. His bare feet struck the still-warm sand. Cool air washed over his naked flesh.
    He’d spotted movement in a small pool of water where no water should be, and a feminine shape. Curiosity nudged him to discover why a woman would come so deep into demon territory—and his personal hunting grounds—without being summoned.
    Also excitement, because he knew that a mortal woman would not. He had never seen a goddess up close, nor touched one, even though they were the reason demons had come to this world.
    They were no longer the sole reason demons stayed here. Mortal women provided an equal distraction. Their numbers were far greater, leaving more than enough matings. Only after demons tired of hunting them would they move on—and demons had not yet tired of the sport, although several hundred years of mortal time had already passed.
    Time, too, remained a novelty. Inside its limitations, mortal women came and went. They grew old, became less appealing, and even the ones who were claimed were eventually discarded for others. They offered no permanence. No continuity.
    The goddesses, then, forever remained the demons’ obsession. None of his kind would pass on an opportunity such as this to find the one destined to be his for all eternity. The one promised to him at creation. Hunters hunted. But the true objective was to retire from the chase.
    He moved stealthily across the sand and through the long tangles of grass butting the oasis, his feet making no sound as he approached. Tumbles of dried brush littered the broken landscape and provided enough coverage so that he could watch for a few moments before confronting her.
    She had