Midnight's Master

Chapter 16

Two car wrecks. A bank robbery. And a shooting in the suburbs.

It had really been one bitch of a day. Holly rolled her shoulders, more than ready to leave the station and head home.

Or to Niol’s-because she needed to see him.

How bad was that?

A knock sounded on her door. Her new door. She’d demanded a new office and gotten one. Granted, it was small and she knew it had been the storage closet until oh-about six hours ago, but she wouldn’t complain.

Holly glanced up and found Mac standing in her doorway. “What’s up?” She asked cautiously, half afraid the guy would send her out to cover another story.

Not tonight.

His eyes narrowed. “We need to talk, Storm.”

Great.

She motioned to the one chair across from her desk. No room for more.

He shut the door and marched over.

He didn’t take the seat. “How long you known about ’em?”

She blinked. The lines on Mac’s face looked deeper tonight. His hair a bit grayer. “What are you talking about?” With Mac, it could be any-

“The damn fucking demons, Storm. How. Long?”

Her jaw dropped.

“It was that asshole who got torched in the alley, wasn’t it?” He shot at her. “Always knew there was more to the case. Figured you had to know after that, especially when you hooked up with Niol.” Mac shook his head. “ Christ, Niol? Were you just looking for the toughest asshole you could find?”

In a way, yeah, she had been.

Holly considered her options, fast.

Okay, she didn’t have many and Mac was glaring at her like-

“Knew Niol was a demon the first time I saw him.”

How?

“Are…you a demon?” That would make sense, but-

“Hell, no.” His shoulders stiffened. “Human. One hundred percent human.”

She couldn’t say the same. “Then how did you-”

“I saw my first demon back in ’Nam. He’d taken a hit, dead center in his chest.” His chin lifted. “Knew there wasn’t anything I could do. I was a medic with piss little training and I was in a fucking jungle with gunfire all around me.” He sucked in a breath. “Told the kid he wasn’t alone, thought it would help him. Then he turned his head and looked at me-”

She knew where this was going. At a time like that, the glamour-

“His eyes were black. Never seen anything like it before.” A pause. Thick. “But I sure as hell have since.”

She didn’t look away from him. Did he know her own secret?

“More people than you realize know about the demons.” His hands were fisted. Big fists, now that she noticed them. “And not all humans are happy about the paranormals.”

Not a newsflash.

The small office felt even, well, smaller. The desk separated them, but Mac’s gaze seemed to bore into her.

“Some folks think demons should be wiped off the earth.”

She’d always liked Mac and his no-nonsense attitude. Always thought he was smart. Tough as nails.

But, dammit, had that just been a threat? “Some folks don’t understand this world we live in very well.” Her voice was even. Impressive, that. “Demons aren’t evil-”

“They’re not all evil.”

“Just like humans!” She fired back.

He nodded. “Thought that would be the case with you. Specially after I heard about your new boyfriend.”

What in the hell was happening?

He leaned over her desk. Stabbed a finger toward her. “Stay on your guard, Storm. You might be safe, but Niol will always attract trouble.”

Then he turned around and stalked out and Holly stared after him, still not sure…

Had Mac been threatening her, or trying to warn her?

The storm that had loomed since noon finally unleashed its pounding fury just as Holly ran for Niol’s front door. She’d gone to him, headed straight for his house, when she’d finally slipped out of the station just after the last broadcast.

Her skin was soaked in seconds as she ran and-

“Holly.”

Niol stood before her. Raindrops slid down his cheeks. His dark T-shirt clung to him, molding to his chest as the rain pounded against him.

He’d been waiting for me?

She stumbled to a halt, caught by his stare and the roar of thunder.

The rain was a cold touch on her skin. Stinging.

And Niol seemed just out of reach.

Then he moved toward her.

Maybe she should have called first. Maybe she was presuming one hell of a lot by showing up on his doorstep, but she’d-

Wanted him. “Niol, I-”

He kissed her. An openmouthed, knee-shaking kiss that screamed possession and lust the way the storm screamed its fury.

His hands locked on her hips. Slid down and caught the curve of her ass. He jerked her against him, right against the bulge of arousal that couldn’t be hidden with the wet clothing.

The cold wasn’t affecting him.

And it sure wasn’t slowing her down any.

His mouth lifted and he stared at her, those secrets still in his eyes. “I was going to stay away.”

What?

“Fucking can’t.”

His head bent and his mouth pressed against her neck. Oh, yes. She’d always loved it when-

The swirl of his tongue.

The faintest press of his teeth.

Her nails dug into his shoulders and her head tipped back. If the man wanted access…

Her thighs parted and he slid one muscled leg against her core. She rocked against him. Not enough.

Not nearly.

“If we don’t get inside in the next thirty seconds…” Growled against her throat. Holly shivered. “I’ll take you here.”

Tempting. She’d never made love in a rainstorm and it sounded wild and sexy and-

And her guards were out there somewhere. Waiting. Watching.

Her eyes opened, blinking against the raindrops. “In…side.” Okay, yeah, that was her sounding all hoarse. Couldn’t help it.

A nip of those teeth.

Heat pooled in her sex.

He grabbed her hand and ran with her toward the brightly lit house. Water splashed around them. Thunder rumbled close by.

The thick wooden door opened just as they reached the steps. Handy trick, that.

Warmth hit her, battling against the chill she’d all but stopped feeling.

The door slammed.

She pushed wet hair out of her eyes. Jeez, she probably looked like hell. Serious drowned-rat syndrome while he-

He looked good wet. Hair dripping. Muscles flexing beneath the shirt that clung like a second skin.

Holly swallowed. Oh, damn.

Niol reached for her-

But Holly shook her head. “I’m taking you this time, demon.”

He blinked.

She smiled and sank to her knees before him.

“Holly, you don’t have to-”

Removing wet jeans was a very tricky business. “I want to.” She wanted to taste him so badly that her mouth had gone dry.

The snap popped loose. The zipper hissed down.

His arousal sprang into her hands. Full and long and thick and-

And she wanted him.

Holly bent her head and took the tip of his erection into her mouth.

“Fuck.”

Not now, but soon.

She licked him, learning his shape slowly, using her lips and her tongue to tease and take.

As he’d taken her.

A drop of his essence leaked out and she tasted him. Salty, but strangely sweet. He tasted different from a human-better.

She wanted more.

Another inch. Two. His length slid into her mouth as his hands sank into her hair.

“Love, that’s good. So damn good. ”

It was sure good for her. Holly’s sex clenched as she took him. More, now, deeper.

His hold on her became harder and her mouth moved faster. Her cheeks pulled in as she took him. Her fingers dug into his ass- great ass-and her nipples ached as the need and lust tangled within her.

Her gaze lifted to his face. Flushed cheeks. Shining eyes.

“Dark,” he whispered and she knew that her own eyes had changed. His jaw clenched. “No…more.”

But she wanted more.

His hands pulled her back. “With you, love, or not at all.”

Well, she sure wasn’t taking the “not at all” option.

Holly rose, knees trembling. She yanked off her shirt, heard the slap of the wet material hitting the floor. With a tug, her bra came loose and her breasts were bared to him, nipples pebbled and hungry.

His lips closed over her nipple and he sucked. A deep, hard pull that was exactly what she’d wanted. His left hand took her other breast. Fondling and squeezing and her hunger built even more.

Getting out of her pants was hard. They clung. They twisted. But after one wild shimmy, she’d ditched them, her shoes, and her panties.

The bed was close. The couch was closer.

Niol had her on the cushions, her legs up and spread, his cock against her eager opening, in a blink.

“Now.” A snarl from Niol.

“Now.” She growled the word right back at him.

He drove deep.

Yes. What she’d wanted all day.

What she’d needed.

The rhythm was fast and hard. Almost…desperate.

Pleasure built and tempted.

Withdraw. Thrust. His fingers marked her flesh, digging deep, just like hers did.

Their eyes locked. Holly’s drumming heartbeat filled her ears. She strained against him, needing to be even closer.

The climax slammed into her.

Him.

She lost her breath and could only hold on as the release blasted her. Niol was with her every second. She heard the gasp of his breath, felt the hot pulse of his release, and saw the satisfaction fill his face.

When her heartbeat slowed and the little convulsions in her sex finally eased, Holly realized her legs were around his hips, her heels digging into him. She also realized she didn’t want to move.

Her lips curved. Having sex with Niol was damn fine.

“Can’t fucking stay away.”

A frown pulled her brows low. He’d said something like that before-

Niol kissed her. Hard. Angry. With the edge of desperation she’d felt earlier.

His mouth tore from hers. “Can’t.”

She didn’t understand, but Holly just shook her head, needing to soothe him. “You don’t have to-I want you with me.”

Niol didn’t speak. Just kissed her once more.

He had an addiction. A drug of choice that was in his blood, twisting and turning in his veins.

Demons had a problem with addiction. All the paranormals knew that.

He’d been so careful over the years. So careful .

Niol turned in the bed and let his gaze fall on Holly’s face. Her hair was dry now and curling just a bit. He brushed a lock back from her cheek.

His addiction.

One he’d lie for. Kill for.

And quite possibly even fucking die for.

After seeing the Monster Doctor, he’d thought of Holly. Of her life with him and without him. Niol didn’t doubt for even a moment that her life would be a whole lot easier without him.

But I can’t stay away.

When he’d seen her car pull into his drive, his cock had hardened instantly and his heart had raced. He hadn’t been able to get to her fast enough. To see her. That slow smile that stretched across her face, the wink of that dimple.

Holly had been beautiful in the rain.

No, he hadn’t been able to wait to see her-or to take her.

Yet she’d stopped him. Gone to her knees before him and parted those sweet lips.

She’d nearly driven him to his knees then.

Sexy, smart, and strong.

His addiction.

His fingers traced the curve of her cheek. One that I won’t give up.

The conscience that had tried to raise its head was quiet now, hushed by his need and hunger.

He just needed her too fucking much to do the honorable shit and walk away.

Don’t make me love you.

Maybe he should have given her the warning sooner.

Too late now, for both of them.

Fucking incompetence. The demon bitch was still alive and guarded by half the police force.

There would be no getting to her now. No slipping inside and finishing up the job, the job that should never have been screwed up in the beginning.

A spleen. Jesus Christ -that was useless. A heart would have been something. A brain, oh, yeah, a good, clean brain. The addict’s brain hadn’t been an option, too screwed up by the chemicals, but the girl- she would have worked.

Gloved fingers curved into fists. Not the way the deal should have gone down.

And now there were witnesses. At least that was the story on the news. Witnesses . Some nosy bastards who were working with the police on a sketch.

Dammit.

More problems.

If the girl lived, there was no telling what she’d remember. Demons had different responses to the drug she’d been given. Every single time, the response shifted.

No prediction there. Just fear.

Fear.

Fucking demons-they were ruining the world. They all needed to be killed. Sliced open and drained dry. Only then would the world be a safe place. Only then.

“Have to clean up the mess.” Always. No one else could do it right.

The story on the news blared. The anchor cut to an earlier shoot and there was Holly. Going on and on about that freaking sketch.

Lying, evil Holly. Just as twisted as the others. She was another loose end. Too many of those were lying around. Time to cut them all and wipe away the blood.

Mac was sending her ass all over the city. Holly glanced down at her watch. Four fifty-eight p.m. She’d been running with her cameraman since she’d arrived at the station a little after ten that morning.

She’d woken in Niol’s arms. A pretty great place to be. But before she’d even had the chance to give him a good-morning kiss, her cell phone had started ringing.

Mac. Telling her to drag her butt into the station because they were short a reporter. Leo Dodge, the police beat reporter, had been involved in a car accident. The guy wasn’t hurt too seriously, but he’d broken a leg and sprained his wrist-

And she was the cover for the day.

At first, Sue Patrick had said she’d cover. The blond special-interest reporter had been pushing for more hard-hitting stories. But then she’d backed out, claiming she’d come down with food poisoning.

Highly possible, considering the woman investigated restaurants with health violations every week.

Holly rolled her shoulders. She didn’t want to be covering follow-ups on home break-ins and stolen cars. She wanted to be working the Hunter case. Wanted to be at the hospital, by Kim’s side.

She might wake up today. Might. The doctors hadn’t seemed too optimistic, but Niol had said that Kim would survive. He knew a lot more about the demon psyche and healing powers than those MDs.

Ben braked the news van in front of a small brick house. Boards covered the front windows. Weeds hid the sidewalk. He pushed back his cap as he leaned forward to get a better view of the place.

Holly frowned. “Uh, we’re supposed to be meeting someone here ?” Creep city. Great. The house looked abandoned. Sitting at the dead end of the small neighborhood, it was separated from the other houses, other inhabited houses, by an overgrown lot.

“Mac said we were.”

Holly pulled out her notebook. “Vandals,” she said. “Twenty-eight-oh-nine Nemoy Road.” Mac had told her this house had been targeted three times in the last month by vandals. The place appeared scary as hell, so why vandals would want to break in and spray paint the walls-

“Guess the owner’s gonna meet us here?” Ben asked, not looking too confident.

Holly’s gaze tracked back to the house. She didn’t see anyone. No cars were in the broken driveway. “We’ll see.” Her thumb jerked toward the sloping porch. “Let’s just get some shots. I’ll check my notes again and then be ready for a take.” If the owner didn’t show up, they’d still have material and they could finally wrap up this too-tiring day.

Ben’s door squeaked when he shoved it open. He uncoiled his body and stretched. Holly exited on her side, aware of a tension between her shoulder blades. Odd that, when she-

“Shit, I swear I’ve seen that SUV before.”

She rounded the hood and came to his side. His gaze was on the gray SUV near the neighborhood’s entrance. Holly forced a smile. “You probably have. SUVs like that are everywhere these days.”

He grunted, then shook his head as he opened the side door of the van and grabbed his camera. “Guess you’re right.”

Her gaze darted back to the SUV. Her guards had been with them all day, and after seeing Kim’s injuries, she was real glad of that fact.

While Ben set up, Holly reviewed her notes. Some teens had been arrested two weeks ago, charged with vandalism. Seemed like a pretty straightforward story.

“ Help me…”

The hair on Holly’s nape rose.

Her gaze lifted from the notes and zeroed in on the house. “Uh…Ben?”

Another grunt.

Then a curse as he banged his knee on the van.

“Did you hear that?” She asked quietly, turning to stare at him.

His brows bunched together. “Hear what?” His cap cast a shadow over his face.

Great. “Nothing.”

But…

“Help.”

Holly jumped. Okay, that was a woman’s voice. Weak, but definitely a voice and it was coming from inside the house.

“What the fuck?” Ben shoved his camera back into the van and took off toward the house.

“Ben, wait!” She ran after him, managing to catch him near the steps and grab his arm.

“Somebody needs help, Hol! We’ve got to get inside-”

Her stomach knotted. Something felt wrong.

It is wrong. Someone is inside, probably hurt, and you’re dawdling your ass out front. Get moving! She swallowed. “Right, let’s-”

He was gone. For a big guy, he sure could move fast.

God, please, don’t let me find another broken body.

She hurried after him, yanking her cell phone out.

He kicked the door open and ran inside, calling out, “Hey! Hey, we’re here! Where are you? Where are-” He bounded down the hall.

“Nine-one-one operator. Please state your emergency.” A polite female voice said in her ear.

“Ben, wait! Ah-I’m at 2809 Nemoy Road. Someone’s hurt-”

“What’s the nature of the injury?”

“It’s a-”

Thud.

Her fingers squeezed the phone. “Hold on,” she whispered. Then, louder, “Ben?” He’d gone into the room up toward the right, but she didn’t hear him anymore. “Did you find someone? Ben?”

Oh, shit, this wasn’t good .

“Help me. ”

Not Ben’s voice. The woman’s. But coming from the room Ben had just entered, she was sure of it.

Why wasn’t Ben talking?

What the hell was going on?

Run. Her instincts screamed at her but she couldn’t leave Ben behind.

“Send the cops.” Her voice was so soft she was afraid the operator wouldn’t hear her. Holly stepped back, slowly.

I can’t leave him.

She needed a weapon. Something, anything, but the house was empty. No furniture anywhere.

Just red-paint-stained walls.

The paint reminded her way too much of blood right then.

She kept her phone on, just in case. She’d done a report once on tracking cell phones. Help could find her that way.

The operator kept talking. Asked how many people were hurt, but responding back to the woman right then was probably not the best idea ever.

The guards are outside. I can run out and get them-

And Ben could be dead before she got back.

Holly had seen how fast killers could work.

Fumbling, she slid the phone into her purse and managed to pull out her can of mace. Not much of a weapon. Damn little, but there was no choice.

The door to that room squeaked as it swung inward.

“Ben?” She raised her voice. Tried to sound in control. Answer me.

No answer.

Holly lifted the mace and her death grip tightened on it.

“The police are coming! They’ll be here any second-” More like in ten or fifteen minutes, but what the hell. She wasn’t-

A growl. A deep, inhuman sound of fury. Then a figure in black shot out of the room and ran toward her, with something glinting in his hand.

Holy shit-a knife!

Her finger jerked on the mace and a stream of liquid shot right toward the guy in the black ski mask.

A high-pitched scream.

The flash of the knife.

Holly jerked back and felt a burn on her side- No, no, no. The mace fell from her fingers as she kicked out. A long-delayed response that she still thanked God that her Tae Bo instructor had taught her years ago. Her foot caught the attacker’s stomach and shoved him back.

Then Holly ran as fast as she could. Because her Tae Bo skills were pretty poor.

The guards. Get to the guards. “Help!” Her scream was deafening. She was proud of that. And scared because her side throbbed with a burning pain.

The guards would have more acute senses than a human’s. Even as far away as they were, they’d be able to hear her-

“Holly! Holly Storm!”

She loved her some demons.

Two men stormed in the front door.

“Watch out! He’s got a knife-” Holly glanced back over her shoulder.

No one was there.

What?

One of the men, a big, burly, linebacker, I’ll-Break-You type shoved past her.

Wincing, Holly grabbed her side and wasn’t the least bit surprised to feel something wet and sticky touch her fingers.

Not now.

“My cameraman’s missing!” She yelled to the other guy, pressing down hard with her hand. “We have to find him and make sure he’s all right-” And they needed to find the psycho in black.

Oh, damn, but when had she ever been this glad to see a demon?

The guy-Burns something-hurried toward her. “ You’re hurt-”

A door slammed. Had to be the back door. The linebacker was giving chase. Good.

“I’m okay-no, stop, I’m all right!” He was trying to pull her hand away, but she didn’t want to look at the wound then. Holly wrestled out of his hold and ran toward the end of the house.

I’m running, can’t be hurt too bad.

The demon reached the door before her. She took a deep breath, but could only smell her own blood. “Ben?”

Her guard went in first. Holly tailed right after him.

Ben was pushing himself up from the floor. An old board, looked like a two-by-four that had fallen from the ceiling, lay beside him. He blinked up at her. “Hol? Wh-what’s goin’ on?”

She could have kissed him then. “Take it easy, Ben.”

He lifted his hand and touched the back of his head. “What the hell hit me?” His baseball cap lay on the stained floor beside him.

They already knew the what . Now they had to figure out who.

The thud of footsteps. Holly glanced over her shoulder, aware of a faint prickling in her face.

The linebacker shook his head. “Long gone.”

Hell.

“Did we…stumble onto the v-vandals?” Ben’s voice drew her gaze back to him. He was on his feet now, swaying just a bit.

“I don’t…think so.” No, not vandals. There was no spray paint around. The guy who’d come after her had been sporting a knife. He’d meant some serious business.

He’d been waiting for them. Hiding in the house and waiting for them to come inside.

How had he known they’d be there? Only Mac knew.

Mac.

“We are in such fucking trouble.” The linebacker’s eyes were on her fingers-her bloody fingers.

“Hol?” Ben paled. “We’ve got to get you to a hospital, we’ve got-”

On perfect cue, the wail of a siren cut through the air.

Holly hoped, really hoped, that the dispatch lady had sent an ambulance because the world around her was starting to dim.

When Holly opened her eyes, a bright light shone right in her face. She winced and tried to turn away.

“Coming back, are you?” A woman’s voice. Dry.

Holly blinked and attempted to focus past the light.

“Hi, there.” A face appeared before her. A woman with faint laugh lines around her eyes and a green hospital cap over her hair. A white mask was pulled low, dangling from her throat. “You’re all stitched up, hon. Should be good as new.”

Stitched up? What was she-

The house.

The psycho with the knife.

Holly shot up, nearly slamming her head into the doctor.

“Easy…”

“Did you put me out?”

A quick smile. “No, hon, you were out when the EMTs brought you here.” She pushed an instrument tray away. Holly glanced at that tray and tried not to think about Kim.

Failed.

“You needed eleven stitches. You were really lucky-”

Wasn’t that the truth.

“The blade dug across your skin, but you managed to deflect the brunt of the hit.”

Her shirt was gone. She wore a hospital gown, one gaping open in the front. Perfect. Holly jerked it closed and winced when she felt the pull of the stitches.

“You’ve got a crowd outside.” One blond brow rose. “Lot of folks must care about you.”

“ I want to see her-now. ” The roar penetrated right through the walls.

“Yep, sure must care.”

That familiar roar-Niol’s voice.

“Think you can walk out under your own steam?”

Fifty-fifty shot of that.

“Usually, we’re supposed to keep folks in for observation, but…” A delicate pause and the cheerful gray eyes suddenly darkened to black. “You’re not most folks, are you?”

Her breath caught. “How did you-”

A wink. “I knew your grandmother.” She handed Holly her shirt. “Take care, little demon.” Then the doctor turned around and walked away.

At the first opportunity, Niol was going to nail demon ass to the walls of his bar. Niol glared at the two ex-guards, his body vibrating with fury. “Where the hell were you two while Holly was getting attacked?”

They looked at each other.

Niol’s back teeth locked. He’d thought she was safe-

Like Gillian.

- and she’d nearly been killed.

On his watch.

That bitter taste in his throat, he knew it was fear. Not a damn thing he could do about it.

The air in the waiting room was thick and hot. From him. The rage inside screamed for release.

His control held only by the thinnest thread.

Need to see Holly. Have to touch her.

“Ease up, Niol.”

That jackass human detective again. Niol tightened his fingers into fists. It would be so easy to send him through the window. He’d tell Cara it had been an accident. No big deal.

“It was just a flesh wound. I saw her myself-she’s fine.”

She’d better be.

Too many times. Holly had nearly been killed again.

What the fuck?

Niol had thought, after the attack at the club, that the hunter was coming for him.

But he’d been wrong and Holly had paid for his mistake.

The impure will die.

The message had been loud and clear, but the picture had been of him and Holly.

The bastard knew her secret, knew even when she hadn’t, and his lady was on the hunter’s list.

Time to kill the asshole and incinerate his soul.

“Get on the streets,” he ordered the demons. “Find him.” They knew damn sure who he was talking about. “I don’t care who you have to bribe or who you have to hurt-”

“Ah, Niol-” Brooks’s eyes widened.

“Find him.”

They nodded.

He stabbed a finger toward Brooks even as he heard the crack of glass behind him. There go the windows. Can’t stop it. “Tell your partner we’re hunting again, and this time, I’ll find the prey before he does.”

The shifter would know exactly what he was talking about. Gyth had beaten him to the last kill they’d competed for, but not this time.

This time, he’d be the one to send the sick bastard to hell.

No one touched Holly. No one made her bleed.

No fucking one.

“Niol, calm down.”

He spun at the female voice. Quiet and soothing.

Cara.

The succubus stood just inside the doorway, her blond hair a halo around her. Absolute perfection-from the top of her perfect hair to the tips of her dainty, fire-engine-red-painted toenails-and she didn’t do a thing for him.

Not with her powers, not with her body.

Because he was a demon long gone.

Shit. Shit.

“He’s trying to kill her.”

He heard a gasp from the right. Holly’s mother. She’d arrived a few minutes ago, her nervous hands fluttering as she eyed the ER doors. She hadn’t spoken to him, and he hadn’t been sure of what to say to her.

Probably not the best thing to say in front of Holly’s mother, but-

He was scared.

Time was running out, he could feel it.

I won’t lose her.

Cara stepped forward. “Brooks isn’t going to let that happen.”

“No, I’m not,” Niol snapped. Cara knew better, she knew what he had done in the past. He wasn’t one to stand by and let another-

“Niol, don’t go down this path again.” She was right in front of him, her voice was soft, and he knew she didn’t want the others to hear.

He didn’t really care about them.

But he sucked in a breath and fought for calm.

“Let the police take care of this,” she whispered, and her hand caught his arm. “I don’t want-Niol, you have to be careful.”

She knew what he’d done, and Niol also knew that Cara had kept his secret. When Nina had been murdered, he’d gone after her killer. It hadn’t been pretty and the death hadn’t been easy.

Vengeance never was.

“You lose a bit of yourself every time you cross the line.” Her gaze held his. “If you keep going this way, one day, there won’t be anything left.”

Niol shook his head. “He went after her.” No choice. He couldn’t risk another attack. Hell, how many more attacks could Holly survive? “He’s killing demons in my city, doing things you don’t want to know about.” He’d bet the cop hadn’t told her about the hunter’s organ-snatching. “He has to be stopped.”

But first, he had to be found.

The faint scent of lavender.

Niol’s head jerked up. Holly, pale, with wide eyes, stood in the doorway. The same spot Cara had held moments before, but-

So different.

Not built for temptation like the succubus. Her hair was a wild curtain of fire around her face. Her lips were still, all color gone from them. Borrowed scrubs covered her, and her slim hands twisted in front of her.

The most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

Niol went to her. Pulled her tight against him, felt the thud of her heart and the fragile strength of her bones.

He wanted her then. Wanted to kiss her and take her and make sure she was all right .

And he wanted to just…hold her. To keep feeling the soft vibration of her heart. To know that she was safe.

“You’ve got to stop doing this to me,” he grated, and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“I’ll try,” was her response, so quiet and calm, just like Holly. Just like his Holly.

His lips tried to curve.

Lost . So very lost in her.

He caught her chin. Lifted her head. And kissed her.

It should have been an easy kiss. Gentle. Delicate. She deserved that now.

But he wasn’t a gentle man and he needed to taste her too much.

Wild and hard-it was his way.

And hers-because she kissed him right back with the same fierce need.

The silence in the room behind them thickened.

His hold tightened on her and she made a soft sound in the back of her throat. A moan, a sigh and he wanted her even more.

When he lifted his head, Niol had no idea how much time had passed. Didn’t really care. Color was back in Holly’s face, staining her cheeks, and her eyes sparkled with life again.

Better. So much better.

A cough behind him.

Niol turned but kept Holly in his arms.

“Baby, are you all right?” Her mother asked.

“Yeah, Mom, I’m fine.” Her smile didn’t look too convincing.

Kelly’s gaze turned to him. “You’ll stop him?” There was knowledge there, and Niol realized that Holly and her mother must have had one big revelations night.

“I will.”

“The police will-” Brooks began.

But Niol cut him off. “Find him first,” he challenged.

Kelly gave a nod. “Good. Good.” Then she pushed Niol’s arms aside and hugged her daughter.

“So she’s why.” Cara. Soft and almost sad. “Be careful, Niol. You know your weakness.”

His weakness stood right beside him. Yes, he knew.

The succubus turned to her lover with a shrug. “You’d better find him first.”

“Damn.”

And Niol knew the cop had brought Cara in to calm him down. Pity he wasn’t in the calming mood.

But he was in the killing mood.

Let the games begin.

Niol took Holly home. He wanted her by his side, where he could be certain that she was safe.

But he also needed to be on the streets. Because no one could put the fear of the devil into the lowlifes he needed to talk to quite like, well, he could.

But being with Holly-that came first.

He took her to his house and up to his bed. He stripped her, being careful not to touch her wound.

She watched him with her emerald eyes. So quiet and close, but seeming so far away.

“You…never slept with Cara, did you?”

Not the question he’d expected.

Holly rubbed a hand over her face. “Ugh! I can’t believe I just asked that! Don’t tell me, it doesn’t matter, I-”

“No. I never did.” It mattered or she wouldn’t have asked. “I was involved with her sister, but I think you know that.”

And she knew the way that story ended.

A hard exhale. “I do, I know. But when I came in there and saw the two of you…”

“What?”

Her head fell back against the pillows. “I was jealous, okay?”

More than okay with him. “Good.”

“What? No, not ‘good.’ Good isn’t wanting to yank another woman’s hair out right after you’ve had a doctor shoving stitches in your side.”

The woman could make him smile.

“Hell of a day.” She covered her eyes with the side of her arm. “And it’s only gonna get worse from here on out, isn’t it?”

Yes, it was.

“I have to…go out.” He couldn’t delay any longer. She’d be completely safe in his house. He’d doubled her guards, but in the house, she wouldn’t need them. No one could get past his security.

Her arm slowly lowered. “What are you going to do?”

So far, he’d played this game by human rules. For her. He’d tried to be good, tried to rein in the monster inside.

And all he’d gotten for his trouble was her pain.

“Whatever I have to do.” If he had to rip into minds-human or Other -to find the bastard out there, he would.

This shit ended tonight.

“Niol…”

He put his fingers to her lips. Such soft lips. “I don’t have a choice anymore. He’s come too close.” To you .

He wouldn’t tell her any more. She didn’t need his plans on her conscience.

“Stay here. You’ll be safe.” He kissed her because he had to. “I’ll be back before you know it.” Niol started to rise.

Holly caught his arm. “I heard what Cara told you.”

Cara was like family to him, but right then, he could have easily kicked her curvy ass from the city.

“Don’t do this for me. Don’t hurt innocents for me. I don’t want that-dammit, Niol, that’s not who you are-”

“Isn’t it?” Maybe it was time they both stopped pretending. Nice little fantasy, but here’s ugly reality. “You need to see me, Holly. All of me.” Before it was too late for her.

Maybe it already was. He stared into her eyes and saw straight to her soul.

I don’t deserve her.

But he’d fight like hell on fire for her. “Stay here, Holly-”

“While you go out and fight the monster in the dark?”

He was the monster in the dark. “You can’t come with me this time.”

She pushed up on her elbows. “I thought we were partners on this case, remember? The whole point was that you were supposed to give me access to your world.”

Not this part. “Is that what we are now?” He asked softly. “Partners, just working on the case?”

Her pupils flared at that. “You tell me.”

Stubborn woman. He even liked that. “I agreed to help you because I wanted you in my bed.” Couldn’t get more stark and honest than that.

She wet her lips. “I came to you because I wanted your help…and because I wanted you in my bed.” Her chin was up. “After the shit hit the fan-”

Not delicate, his Holly. He didn’t want delicate.

“I stayed around because I wanted you .”

Good that, he liked-

“But we’re still partners, Niol, and partners don’t abandon each other.”

He stiffened. “I’m not abandoning you.”

“Let me come with you then, let me-”

His gaze fell away from hers. Because when he admitted this, he couldn’t stare into her eyes. “You make me weak.”

Silence.

“I think of you too much, worry about you. I-I can’t do that when I hunt.” When he used his powers, like he planned tonight, when he went into the darkness so far, there was no room for inattention.

“Niol…”

His stare returned to her. “You’re hurt, Holly. You have to heal, and I can’t hunt tonight with you.” No more to say. She might be pissed at him, but there was no choice.

He wouldn’t risk her.

Niol headed for the door.

“Don’t hurt an innocent, Niol.”

Glancing back over his shoulder, he forced a smile. “Love, there aren’t any of those left anymore.”

Not true.

He was staring straight into the soul of an innocent right then. One who’d never touched evil, well, not until she’d touched him.

Sleeping wasn’t an option for her. After Niol left, Holly paced the floor of his house. Upstairs, downstairs, as she went crazy.

She called the hospital to check on Kim. Of course, they told her nothing. Not that she blamed the staff, really. She knew Kim was being protected and information on her had to be kept close to the vest.

Before she and Niol had left the hospital, they’d stopped with Brooks to check on Kim.

Still unconscious and the doctors had no idea when or if she’d wake up.

Holly rubbed her eyes. They were so grainy at this point that they hurt, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Niol or about the bastard who’d attacked her.

A man. Tall, broad-shouldered.

But she’d heard a woman’s voice calling for help, and Kim had been attacked by a woman.

Holly didn’t think for even a moment that the two incidents weren’t related. Coincidence-hell, no, she wasn’t buying that anymore. So that meant-

Either the woman had hired another guy to do her dirty work for her, a distinct possibility…

Or maybe…just maybe she wasn’t looking at a single killer.

Her breath hitched.

A team. She’d seen this before. In her last big murder case, a woman had been helping the killer lure in his victims. They’d been a bloodthirsty team, right until the end-when the male had decided it was time to ditch his partner in crime.

He’d ditched her the nice, old-fashioned way. He’d left her broken body for the police to find.

A team. The more she thought about the idea, the harder her heart pounded.

The shrill ring of her cell phone had Holly jumping. She whirled around and saw her bag on the nearby countertop.

Holly answered on the fifth ring.

“Dammit, Storm, where the hell are you?” Mac’s voice.

Her blood chilled. She didn’t trust him, not anymore. “I’m resting because it’s the middle of the night. Where the hell are you?”

“At Kent Towers downtown. We’ve got a bomb threat and I need your ass down here to get this story! The idiots from Channel Seven are already on the scene. Ben’s on his way but I need you here, Holly.”

“Get someone else.” Don’t trust him. He’d sent her to the house on Nemoy. He’d warned her. Okay, she was pretty sure he’d threatened her, too.

“ There is nobody else. You’re the best damned reporter at the station and you know it! Christ, look, I’m sorry for stepping on your toes, earlier, okay? You wanna date the king of all demons-fine, date the king of all demons. Just get your ass down here!” The scream of a siren sounded in the background. “Fuck, bomb squad is here. I need you. ”

He sounded just like the old Mac. Not dark and threatening. Just…Mac.

This is my job.

“They’re gonna scoop me, Holly. Come on…”

But I can’t take a chance with my life . “I’ll be there, but I’m not coming alone.” She’d take the guards and they’d better stay close this time.

“Fine-bring a damn entourage, I don’t care! Just get your ass over here!”

Click.

Sure didn’t sound like a man bent on her death.

Holly grabbed her keys and rushed for the door.

“This is Holly Storm, reporting live from Kent Towers, where bomb squad members have just wrapped up an intensive four-hour search of the building. No bombs were found…” A good thing in her mind. “But investigators aren’t closing the case yet. Now their attention will turn to tracking the person who made the false claim.” And throwing his ass in jail. “I’ll be back with more live news later in the day.” When most of the folks would actually be awake . “Back to you in the newsroom, Steve…”

She waited a beat until she got the clear from Ben, then her shoulders dropped.

For the last two hours, she’d been running on fumes. Those fumes were gone now and she’d be crashing in the next half hour.

Where was Niol?

Maybe he’d be back home when she got there.

As long as he’s safe.

Mac was gone. He’d cleared out when word had first come down about the hoax. The guy had been assured that he wouldn’t be scooped, and, satisfied, he’d taken off.

And left her and Ben to carry the story.

Poor Ben looked like he’d been beat, hard.

But, then again, he had.

“Get some sleep, Holly,” he said and she realized she probably looked the same way.

Her side throbbed.

“I’ll see you tonight at the station.” He dragged his camera away.

Her guards stepped forward.

“Holly!”

She winced at the call, recognizing the voice instantly. Not what I need.

She turned and caught sight of Zack. His face was flushed as he hurried toward her.

“Your mother called and told me what happened-”

Her mother had done what?

“When I found out you were here, I had to come-”

“Give me a minute,” she told the guards. Just seeing the man made her head throb.

Some of the other reporters were still around and she sure didn’t want them hearing this conversation. The entrance to a parking garage was just a few feet away. She maneuvered Zack that way. The guards could still see her there, but the reporters wouldn’t be able to overhear this little talk.

The sun had just begun its ascent and the pink colors from the sky spilled a few steps inside the cavelike entrance of the garage.

He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close. “You could have been killed.”

“But I wasn’t.” She pushed him away. “Zack, stop doing this, okay? I am not your concern anymore.”

A muscle flexed in his jaw. “I want you to be.”

The guy was thick. “I’m with someone else now, Zack, and I’m happy with him.” True, and that realization stopped her. They were neck-high in trouble, but when she was with Niol, she was…happy.

Well, damn.

“I’ve met your ‘someone else.’ He’s not right for you.” His lips thinned. “He’s dead wrong.”

“Not your call to make.” Holly took a deep breath. “You came. You saw that I was all right. There’s no reason for you to stay here anymore.”

“Holly, I-”

“We’re over, Zack.” Couldn’t get clearer than that. Her voice was calm as she said, “Stay away from now on, okay?”

He stared at her. Eyes so intense. “If that’s what you really want…”

It was.

“I’m sorry for what happened. Sorrier than I can ever say.” He swallowed. “I fucked up, but I guess-I guess there are some things that can’t ever be changed, huh?”

For a second, he was the guy she’d first met. The nice guy. Smart. With the kind eyes.

“Good luck, Holly. I mean that. Have a good life.” He snapped his mouth closed, as if he wanted to say something else, but he was stopping himself. Then he spun on his heel. Strode to the row of cars parked on the far right side of the garage.

Holly blinked. Well, okay, that had gone much better than she’d hoped.

Now, time to get out of there before the exhaustion had her falling on her face. She needed to-

Holly froze. Then her gaze very slowly backtracked to the row of cars on the right side of the garage. Zack was sliding into his Corvette, his back to her, but two cars over-

A white van sat parked in the semidarkness.

There had to be hundreds of white vans in the city. Doesn’t mean that was the one that nearly ran me over.

But…

But she’d already stopped believing in coincidence.

Her guards. Holly spun around. They were talking to someone. Who was that? Mac?

“Hey! Hey, I-” Something slammed into the side of her head and Holly hit the concrete.