Since he’d needed a guard on his house who didn’t smell of wolf, he’d humored her. Humor time was over.
Her lips lifted in a taunting half-smile. “I knew the cops wouldn’t keep you for long.”
“You saw the attack.” Not a question. He heard footsteps behind him as Michael and Sarah came inside the cabin.
Marley’s blue gaze—another lie, a demon’s real eyes were black—lowered a bit, then flickered to Michael. “I . . . I didn’t see the kill.” Quiet. “By the time I caught the scent of blood on the wind . . .”
A demon’s sense of smell was nowhere near as powerful as a shifter’s.
“. . . it was too late. The human was dead.”
Great. “I let you stay here because you said you’d guard the house.” His one retreat. The place away from the pack. Now the place was stained with blood. Hell, wasn’t everything he touched stained with blood?
“I have been guarding it, okay? I went out—I do that sometimes, you know. If you want full-time surveillance, get a freaking video camera.”
Right. Because he wanted footage of himself shifting into a wolf. That would be great when it fell into the wrong hands and got blasted all over f**king kingdom-come.
“I didn’t see the kill.” Marley tossed back her hair and lifted her hand. Her finger pointed straight at Sarah. “But I did see her.”
Sarah didn’t gasp in shock. Didn’t start yelling that the demon was lying. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Her face appeared totally blank.
“Something you need to tell me, Sarah?” he asked softly but Marley’s words weren’t a surprise. Just confirmation. He’d caught Sarah’s scent near the porch. Fainter, but still sweet vanilla.
Her gaze tracked to his. “I was supposed to be with John. We were supposed to meet at your place—”
“How did you even know about his place?” Michael interrupted, his voice rough as the wolf began to near the surface. “You and the dead human shouldn’t have—”
“Rafe knew about the place, so that meant I knew.”
He was getting real sick of old Rafe.
Sarah held Lucas’s stare. “I was late. I should have been here sooner, but I was late.”
If she hadn’t been late, would he have come back and found her dead body on his doorstep, too? And would he even have cared?
Wouldn’t have known her. Wouldn’t have kissed her.
A dead human.
Would he have cared?
His claws broke through his fingertips. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Can’t trust her. He knew that. The woman wore secrets like other women wore perfume.
“What was the point? When I got here, he was already dead.” She stared down at her hands. She turned them over, staring at the palms. Lucas thought of the pool of blood that had surrounded the body.
Did it stain your hands, Sarah?
“You weren’t there,” she told him. “No one was there. So I ran.”
“Then the cops came,” Marley muttered, watching Sarah closely, “right after your girl vanished.” She shrugged. “So I had to vanish for a time, too. Until those jerks stopped searching the property.”
“No wonder you gave me an alibi.” Lucas cocked his head as his gaze slid back to Sarah. She was still staring at her hands. Still seeing blood? “You’re the reason the cops tossed my ass in jail.”
She dropped her hands, and her gaze lifted to his. “No. You got tossed in jail because you’ve got a history with the cops. It’s not my fault you and that detective—detective—”
“Bruce Langston.” Dickhead.
“—have some kind of war going on.” She straightened her shoulders. “I wasn’t just going to leave John’s body out here to rot. He deserved better than that.”
“Most folks don’t deserve the way they die.”
Michael crowded in close to her. “And some folks do.” His eyes had narrowed with suspicion. “Some folks deserve exactly what they get.”
Her small jaw clenched. “Back off, wolf,” she gritted.
Lucas slanted a hard glance at Michael.
The wolf eased back a step, but he glared at Lucas. “Don’t let your dick lead you, man. The woman lied to you!”
“He never asked me if I was here!”
“What the f**k? You never said!” Michael snarled right back.
Lucas’s gaze darted back to Marley. She was watching Michael and Sarah, a faint gleam in her eyes.
Marley. The bloody and beaten demon who’d come to him six months ago. She’d begged for his pack’s aid, saying she only wanted a safe place to stay, and in return, she’d given them her fire. Demons were so good at controlling fire.
And there had been some murdering ass**les who deserved those flames.
As far as Lucas knew, Marley had never left the house since they’d made their agreement. Food and supplies were brought to her. So after six months, suddenly, she decided to take a stroll . . .
He moved quickly, catching both of her arms and pinning them behind her back.
“Lucas!” Her scream of shock.
Sarah and Michael both froze.
“Where’d you go, Marley?”
She twisted against him. “Let me go!” Fire began to lick across the floor.
“Where’d you go?”
The fire flared higher—then it shot straight for Sarah. “Get her out of here!” Lucas ordered because no way was he letting the demon go then.
Michael grabbed Sarah’s arm and hauled her toward the door. They’d taken about three steps when the door slammed closed, trapping them inside. Damn demon power.
Lucas brought his hand to Marley’s throat. “Let’s try this again,” he whispered and he let her feel the sting of his claws on her flesh. “I know you didn’t go any damn place. I know you’re lying. So who the hell did you see slice that human?”
The flames circled Sarah and Michael. The fire burned higher.
His claws pressed deeper. “If the flames don’t die, you do.” His gaze darted to Sarah.
Her eyes met his through the flames. He knew she’d see the beast shining in his stare. See the claws, see the teeth. Here’s the monster, never really hidden by the man.
The fire was so close to her skin. Charmers were weak when it came to magic. The fire would hurt her, kill her—
A growl worked in his throat as he turned his fury back on Marley. If this was the way it would end . . .