laughed slightly, even though he wouldn’t describe the sound as truly amused.
“You can say that again.”
She continued to sort. But something in her expression pulled his thoughts away from lust. Toward another emotion. And not one that made him all that more comfortable.
“Are you sure you want to talk about this tonight?”
She’d been nervous earlier, and while she seemed to have calmed down now, he didn’t think his opinions on her family would do much to keep her in that state.
She frowned. “Sure. I think we probably should talk about it. It’s why you are here, right?”
He nodded, partially in response to her and partially in reminder to himself. The job was why he was here. Protecting her was why he was here.
Not to lust after her.
“So what do you think about my family?” Ellina asked again, still not looking at him.
Jude regarded her a moment longer, then said, “I think that there are several members who could want…”
She stopped putting away utensils and met his gaze, her pale eyes widened, prompting him silently to answer. There was an innocence to those eyes somewhere between the lightest blue and the faintest gray.
“Want what?”
He gritted his teeth. He wished he didn’t feel this way. But he did. And she needed to know.
“Want to kill you.”
Chapter 9
Jude should have known his ominous words wouldn’t get the response from this woman that he would expect. He’d been worried his opinion would put her on edge again.
Instead she laughed.
“I know this is your job, and you have to look for the worst, but I don’t believe anyone in my family wants to kill me. Maybe give me a good shake every now and then.
But kill? Nah.”
Jude studied her, trying to decide how this woman, a writer, a preternatural—or at least half preternatural—who should be very perceptive, could be this oblivious. This unaware.
“But do they really consider you one of their own?”
Jude instantly regretted his blunt words. Ellina actually blanched, her skin whitening to the point that her eyes look huge as she stared at him.
“I just,” she shook her head, “I just can’t believe that.”
Admittedly, he wasn’t absolutely convinced either. But he did think she had to consider everyone. Even family. Maksim had made interesting observations about many of them. Ellina had rubbed several demons the wrong way, and mostly with her books.
The books essentially outed the demon world. Most of the demon world wouldn’t appreciate that from a full demon, but from a half demon, that could be a real problem.
“Given what you write,” he said, keeping his tone low, calm, “you certainly know how dangerous demons can be. And they cannot be happy with you exposing their secrets.
Their weaknesses. Their strengths for that matter.”
She laughed again. “I write fiction. Fantasy. I’m not exposing anything.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “That isn’t what your brother led me to believe.
When we talked, he said you use real spells in your books. Real incantations.”
Her amusement faded into a frown. “I do. But these are fictional books. None of my readers would even consider that they could be real.”
“Are you sure?”
“Well…no,” she admitted, her frown deepening, more with consternation than irritation. “But the stories are so clearly fantasy.”
“Your family knows that not all of it is fiction, don’t they? And maybe other demons have figured it out too. Maybe humans, as well.”
He watched the emotions at war on her face. She really had never considered the fact that someone human or inhuman might have discovered the facts scattered within her fiction.
“Why do you think your father doesn’t approve of your books?” he asked.
Ellina blinked. “I know he doesn’t like the ongoing story-line of a love affair between a demon and a human woman. I thought that he felt that was a little too close to home for him. You know, sort of writing the story of him
“You can say that again.”
She continued to sort. But something in her expression pulled his thoughts away from lust. Toward another emotion. And not one that made him all that more comfortable.
“Are you sure you want to talk about this tonight?”
She’d been nervous earlier, and while she seemed to have calmed down now, he didn’t think his opinions on her family would do much to keep her in that state.
She frowned. “Sure. I think we probably should talk about it. It’s why you are here, right?”
He nodded, partially in response to her and partially in reminder to himself. The job was why he was here. Protecting her was why he was here.
Not to lust after her.
“So what do you think about my family?” Ellina asked again, still not looking at him.
Jude regarded her a moment longer, then said, “I think that there are several members who could want…”
She stopped putting away utensils and met his gaze, her pale eyes widened, prompting him silently to answer. There was an innocence to those eyes somewhere between the lightest blue and the faintest gray.
“Want what?”
He gritted his teeth. He wished he didn’t feel this way. But he did. And she needed to know.
“Want to kill you.”
Chapter 9
Jude should have known his ominous words wouldn’t get the response from this woman that he would expect. He’d been worried his opinion would put her on edge again.
Instead she laughed.
“I know this is your job, and you have to look for the worst, but I don’t believe anyone in my family wants to kill me. Maybe give me a good shake every now and then.
But kill? Nah.”
Jude studied her, trying to decide how this woman, a writer, a preternatural—or at least half preternatural—who should be very perceptive, could be this oblivious. This unaware.
“But do they really consider you one of their own?”
Jude instantly regretted his blunt words. Ellina actually blanched, her skin whitening to the point that her eyes look huge as she stared at him.
“I just,” she shook her head, “I just can’t believe that.”
Admittedly, he wasn’t absolutely convinced either. But he did think she had to consider everyone. Even family. Maksim had made interesting observations about many of them. Ellina had rubbed several demons the wrong way, and mostly with her books.
The books essentially outed the demon world. Most of the demon world wouldn’t appreciate that from a full demon, but from a half demon, that could be a real problem.
“Given what you write,” he said, keeping his tone low, calm, “you certainly know how dangerous demons can be. And they cannot be happy with you exposing their secrets.
Their weaknesses. Their strengths for that matter.”
She laughed again. “I write fiction. Fantasy. I’m not exposing anything.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “That isn’t what your brother led me to believe.
When we talked, he said you use real spells in your books. Real incantations.”
Her amusement faded into a frown. “I do. But these are fictional books. None of my readers would even consider that they could be real.”
“Are you sure?”
“Well…no,” she admitted, her frown deepening, more with consternation than irritation. “But the stories are so clearly fantasy.”
“Your family knows that not all of it is fiction, don’t they? And maybe other demons have figured it out too. Maybe humans, as well.”
He watched the emotions at war on her face. She really had never considered the fact that someone human or inhuman might have discovered the facts scattered within her fiction.
“Why do you think your father doesn’t approve of your books?” he asked.
Ellina blinked. “I know he doesn’t like the ongoing story-line of a love affair between a demon and a human woman. I thought that he felt that was a little too close to home for him. You know, sort of writing the story of him
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