A large pair of shoulders encased in a sleek black suit caught my attention at the edge of the tables. A tall man moved in the way before I could hone in on them. A moment later, the shoulders were gone.
Frustrated, uncomfortably aroused, mad as hell, I continued through the press of bodies, sucking down my drink and leaving the cup on a random table. A sweaty form brushed against my side, making me grimace. A person bumped into me on my right, belching in my ear. A loud cackle made me grit my teeth. Where were the people-throwing demons when you actually needed them? I hated busy clubs.
Near the edge of the tables, I caught the scent again. Anticipation sparked within me. He’d been here. That set of shoulders had belonged to him.
Stop being so fucking excited about that fact, you idiot! I thought to myself. He’s bad news. Find out what he wants and get the fuck out. One month, and then we’re done with him forever.
I sincerely hoped it would be that easy.
I knew better than to think it would be.
I stopped at the large, busy bar in the center of the second floor, behind two rows of waiting people. The bartender paused in front of my section, leaned over, and gestured me forward. The people parted in confusion, and the bartender gave me an expectant look. My babysitter had clearly filled her in.
“Gin and tonic,” I called. “And get all these people you skipped a free drink. They deserve it. On me.”
She hesitated a moment but did my bidding. It wasn’t her job to question.
“Hey, thanks,” one of the guys said, turning to me with a sloppy smile.
“No, no.” I held up my finger to him. “Don’t talk to me. My boyfriend is insanely jealous. Just take the forthcoming drink and go dance.”
I hoped Emeric wasn’t in earshot to hear that. It might give him ideas. But it was the easiest way to get this clown to keep from chatting me up and getting his fool ass thrown across the bar.
Back in the crowd, I walked around the bar, glancing left on impulse. A tall man with impossibly broad shoulders leading down to trim hips stood in the center of an open pocket of space, his pristine suit hugging his sculpted body. His jet black hair was swept to the side, partially covering his broad forehead. Piercing black eyes circled with a flare of glittering gold watched me like prey. His incredibly handsome face was as familiar as my own, given how often he appeared in my dreams and waking thoughts.
My blood froze. My heart lurched. My glass dropped out of my suddenly limp hand.
Two people passed in front of me, and then a crowd seemed to come out of nowhere, blocking my view.
I hurried that way, glass forgotten. I shouldn’t be chasing him. I shouldn’t be playing this game with him.
I shouldn’t be this fucking turned on.
By the time I reached the space, only his lingering smell remained.
Wetness drenched my panties. I couldn’t seem to get enough air.
“Dropped something.”
I jumped as my babysitter appeared out of nowhere with a new drink. She handed it to me with a soft smile before wandering away.
Magic curled around me, beckoning me. Pulling me. This was his magic, reaching out to me.
A bouncer waited at the stairs leading up to the third floor, the high money VIP area. The female demon saw me coming and immediately reached for the velvet rope. She was short and slight with large brown eyes and small features. Dainty. But her eyes gleamed with a killer’s cunning. Anyone foolish enough to try to push past her—and she wanted people to try—would be severely hurt for their efforts.
“Ms. Von Brandt. Nice to see you again.” She gave me a genuine smile.
Overlooking her position as Emeric’s mercenary, often breaking legs or gouging eyes to get payment or see a “favor” carried out, she was a helluva great gal. For a demon.
“Hey Pricilla,” I said, climbing the stairs. “Have you seen him?”
“I know better than to get involved.”
Her eyes glittered with suppressed mirth. She’d been my babysitter on my first visit, and we both knew she loved getting involved, right up until the point of getting punished for it. That edge between compliance and non-compliance was her favorite place to walk, so the fact that she hadn’t twitched or doled out some double entendre suggested she hadn’t seen him.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t on the third level, though. The most powerful demons could teleport, essentially. They called it fracturing, winnowing themselves through space and time and converging at a set point.
Whatever you called it, it didn’t require walking. Emeric, being quite powerful, could travel large distances. Farther if I was at the endpoint. Even without a bond, he could use our mirror connection to draw himself to me. This was true everywhere except in certain pockets of the world that naturally repelled demonic magic. Greensford, Oregon was such a place. Once I made it there, he wouldn’t be able to use our mirror to teleport to me, or even to find me.
The third floor closed down into shadowy rooms and little alcoves. These intimate dance floors hosted slinky girls and guys who’d been brought up for their appearance. Their benefactors looked on, watching the show they had essentially paid for. The bar had muted lighting and two bartenders moving more slowly, both of them human. They were here to both comfort the human VIPs and offer a little thrill to high-powered demons that wanted to skirt the line of propriety. By rule, no visiting demon could make a sport of their host’s staff.
The not-so-good demons believed rules were meant to be tested, however. Hosts were pushed to see how far they would bend.
Emeric enjoyed the game, and his employees were paid handsomely to be the bait.
“Gin and…” I looked down at my full drink.
“Tonic.”
The deep voice coated my flesh in delicious shivers. I closed my eyes as a wave of pleasure washed through me.
Emeric.
I turned very slowly, and it felt like fireworks were going off in my stomach.
He stood about a foot taller than me, his black tie smooth against a black dress shirt. His suit screamed expensive. He looked down on me with those black eyes rimmed with gold. So unique. So expressive. So incredibly appealing, like his face. If I was an angel tonight, he was an angel of death, terrible but beautiful to behold.
His thick black brows swooped low over his eyes, lending to that piercing, focused gaze. His straight nose ended above perfectly shaped lips, the bottom a little fuller than the top. His cheeks hollowed between sharp cheekbones and a severe jaw, giving him an intense look that fit his overwhelming presence. He entranced the eyes, conjuring up a needy longing in me so great that I half wanted to weep with it, and half wanted to knife it out of myself and then knife him.
A flare of anger gripped me. Losing control of my temper, I splashed my drink in his face.
Someone gasped.
To the bartender, Emeric said, “She’ll collect that drink later.”
He reached out and grabbed me, and I knew I was in trouble.
4
Lights and sounds roared around me like a train was bearing down on me in a tunnel. The world spun, my stomach lurched, and my knees threatened to give out.
Emeric caught me, pulling me up against his hard chest. Soft light flowed over his annoyingly handsome face, softening it to the point of heartbreaking. I could barely breathe as I clung to his muscular shoulders and looked up into his eyes.