And so they didn't die like-Niol glanced down. "Peter Storm." Had he been a demon? Odds were high that he had. Maybe he'd been stronger than Holly, had a greater power, and been scared to death of that unknown darkness.
"Have you found a demon link in Holly's family tree?" Had to be one. Demons didn't just randomly pop up as some kind of mutation in the general population. Vampires did that-those weird-ass Born Masters. They were born to humans. Seemed completely normal then-wham. Woke up one day with a wild hunger for blood and enough power to generally level a city block.
Maybe they were the cursed ones.
As for demons, his kind had been around forever. Since the first gasp of man, and before.
And they'd be around long after that last desperate breath, too.
"I'm working on the rest of the family now…give me more time, Niol." Almost pleading.
He grunted and pushed out of the vinyl chair. Great view, shitty chairs. "Call me." A glance at the round face of the clock on Giles's wall showed him that it was nearing midnight. Holly should be finishing up at the station soon.
And coming to meet him.
His c**k swelled at the thought.
He'd meet her at the door.
Her house was dark when Holly pulled into the driveway just before one a.m.
The porch light glowed, but the interior of the house was pitch black.
She slammed her car door shut and stared up at the house and the darkness.
Maybe she should have been a bit nervous, walking up alone toward a house cloaked in shadows. A psycho was on the loose, one she'd deliberately baited on camera.
Maybe she should have been afraid.
But she wasn't.
Because Holly knew she wasn't really alone. She didn't glance over her shoulder and down the street to the left; she didn't need to look over to see the gray SUV that had been tailing her. She'd spotted the vehicle earlier, right after lunch, and recognized the two men inside from Paradise Found.
Niol's guards.
She'd been pissed for five minutes. Ready to call him and bawl his ass out for putting his goons on her tail.
Then reality had set in. A killer was on the loose. Holly knew that hit-and-run hadn't been pure coincidence, and if two really big, really strong demons wanted to watch her ass, who was she to argue?
Once the killer was caught, she knew they'd vanish.
So, no, she wasn't afraid of the darkness or of the monsters that waited under that cover-and she knew he was waiting for her.
Niol was inside her house. As promised.
Holly knew it, with every fiber of her being. She'd been thinking about Niol since she'd left him.
He'd slipped into her thoughts almost constantly as she'd worked.
Not like the lovers she'd had in the past. Not even close.
Her fingers tightened around her keys.
She hurried toward the door. She wanted to get to him. To hold him. To strip and feel the hot slide of his body against hers.
For the last few hours, she'd been working on that damn demon killer story and she wanted to forget.
Niol would help her to forget.
Holly shoved the key into the lock and pushed open the door.
Silence.
Her heart slammed into her ribs. "Niol?" She crossed the threshold, kicking the door shut behind her. A quick punch of the alarm had her safe light shining steady again. "Niol, are you here?"
He was…She could almost feel him.
So dark. She reached for the nearby light switch-and warm, strong fingers curled around her wrist.
"Don't turn it on." His voice seemed to be part of the darkness, a growl that sent shivers skating over her.
He pulled her to him. His clothes rubbed against her, the hard strength of his body surrounded her.
"Niol-"
His mouth took hers, and, oh, yes, it was exactly what she'd been waiting for…
Lips. Tongue. Tasting. Taking.
Her sex clenched as a wave of lust had her shuddering.
Her hands found his shoulders in the dark. Tightened around that broad expanse. She wasn't going to pretend, not even for a moment, that this wasn't exactly what she wanted.
He was what she wanted.
His mouth lifted, slowly. "Come with me." He took her hand and tugged her through the house.
The guy seemed to be able to see perfectly in the dark. She'd thought only shifters could do that.
But he didn't stumble, not once. Didn't bang into her coffee table or walk into a couch.
No, he just glided quickly through the den and pulled her into the bedroom.
Candles flickered to life the minute they crossed the threshold-the tall, thick white candles she kept on her dresser and on her cherry chest of drawers. The sweet scent of vanilla filled the air and Holly's breath caught.
She expected him to pull her toward the bed. A soft mat tress, silk sheets, and naked male flesh seemed like a perfect plan to her.
But Niol steered her toward the mirrored doors of her closet. He pushed her in front of him so that she stared into green eyes that looked smoky…and wild.
Niol stood behind her, his arms circling her body just below her br**sts. His head bent toward her, his lips feathering over her neck.
His lips closed over her flesh and her own lips parted in hunger.
Then she felt the swipe of his tongue.
Her sex creamed.
She tried to turn, to catch his mouth and kiss him so that-
"Don't move." An order whispered in her ear. "Watch…in the mirror."
His hands snaked down her body. He caught her skirt and shoved it to the floor. Her skin looked so pale next to his tanned hands. Darkness and light.
His hands came back up, teased her stomach with a soft caress, then his fingers began to slowly unbutton her shirt. The edge of her bra peeked through the opening and Niol's fingertips smoothed under the light material, stroking the areola of one nipple.
Her legs stiffened. The better to keep standing.
The candlelight danced in the mirror, swelling higher, brighter.
The front of her shirt hung open now, clearly exposing her pale blue bra and the matching panties she'd chosen so carefully earlier that day.
Knowing what would come?
His thumb slid under the front clasp, popped it free and her br**sts spilled forward, right into his hands.
He teased her ni**les, plucking and stroking with his slightly callused fingertips. The friction was so freaking amazing and she began to twist against him as the tide of desire rose within her.
No teasing, dammit. She wanted the man.
"Watch." A seductive demand.
The eyes she didn't remember closing sprang open. His hands cupped her br**sts. His mouth hovered over her throat.
And his heavy c**k pressed into her ass.
He wanted her, just as much as she wanted him.