Okay. So. We cant leave yet, which means we have to prepare. Maybemaybe we can blockade ourselves in here. That might buy us some time.
Leave? She meant to leave with him? Without the artifacts shed mentioned? Without trying to pry information out of him? That made no sense. Unless
Prepare for what? His execution?
The Lords. She popped to her feet and slowly spun. Ill have to shut the door between the rooms. As she spoke, she rushed to the wall. She hooked her fingers around the edge of the door, and pulled.
Scraaape.
Gradually, the hole closed. Haidee then shoved the dresser against the exit he hadnt known about, preventing anyone from opening it from the other side. Well, anyone of normal strength. She did the same to the front door, using his vanity.
Amun watched her, no closer to answers now than hed been before traipsing through her head. Perhaps even further away. She was serious about protecting him. Despite who and what he was.
If you continue to heal so rapidly, and they continue to stay away, we might be able to fight them when they finally bust inside. We can escape. And I know, I know. Our motto is die if you must, but take as many Lords as you can with you. And I was totally prepared to do that when I thought you couldnt be moved. But sometimes its better to get out and come back later, you know?
You hate the Lords? he asked, just to discover what shed say.
Hate is a mild word, dont you think? She never ceased her efforts to blockade them.
She had told the truth. Shocking. Why?
I have my reasons, and you have yours. She attempted to wrench the mirror from the vanity. Hoping to shatter the glass and use the shards as blades? We dont talk about them, remember?
No. I dont remember. Now, what would she say to that?
Finally she paused, her sharp gaze whipping to him. You dont remember our past?
She thought they had a past. No. Should I? Carefully, he had to tread carefully.
Her eyelids slitted, evidence of the predator that lurked inside. I swear to God, baby. Ill make them pay for every injury they inflicted on you.
Baby again. And she meant to seek revenge on his behalf? He still couldnt, wouldnt, soften, but something was wrong here. The knowledge changed the direction of his rage. She wasnt pretending to like him; she actually liked him. And when Amun looked past his own emotions, he realized Secrets sensed no malice in her. Not directed at him, at least. And even as unreliable as the demon had been since Amun had woken up, he found he couldnt refute that.
Haidees fingers curled over the mirrors frame so tightly her knuckles leached of color. After a few seconds of deep breathing, she released the wood and straightened.
What are you doing? he asked.
We need weapons. Her gaze circled the roomshe did that a lot, he realized, and thought it was a defensive instinctbefore landing on his closet.
She strode forward, disappeared inside. He had multiple weapons stashed inside, but he knew she wouldnt find them. No one could hide things quite like Amun. What he wanted to remain unseen, remained unseen. Soon she exited with one of his shirts wrapped around her fist, and that was all. Still, satisfaction radiated from her. Barely a second passed before she reached the mirror and punched, punched again, a hard jab, jab.
They have a whole wardrobe in there, she said. This room must belong to one of them. The glass shattered against that second thrust, and she released the material from her grip, letting it float to the floor.
One of them, shed said. As hed suspected, she hefted several shards, tested their weight, turned them in the light. With a nod, she sheathed several in her pockets.
Haidee.
She jolted as if startled. Im sorry. Yes?
Whoam I?
You dont know your name, either? A frown darkened her expression. Your name is Micah. Weve been dating for about seven months.
Micah, like the tattoo on her arm. Micah, her baby. Thats who she thought he was? And Im a Hunter?
Yes.
Like you?
Yes. So easily admitted, without a care. Unless she was a grade A actress capable of fooling a demon, she truly believed what she said, that he was Micah, a Hunter.
Knots formed in Amuns stomach, then sharpened into daggers, cutting at him. So there it was. Proof, by her own admission, that she was his enemy. He needed to kill her before she discovered the truth about him. Before she thought to fight him, to hurt him when he couldnt really defend himself.
And as shed just locked them inside this room, effectively trapping herself in his presence, all he had to do was summon her over, wrap his hands around her pretty neck, choke as hed already wanted, and twist. He might be weak, the action might pain him, but he wouldnt back down. He couldnt.
Haidee, he projected to her, the word a croak, even in his mind.
Yes?
Dont do it, part of him cried. She was sweet and lovely and utterly luscious.
Secrets might even have whimpered, eager to return to her mind and play rather than destroy.
The other part of Amun recalled her past deeds, her current motto. Die if you must, but take as many Lords as you can with you. The moment she realized he wasnt this MicahAmuns hands fisted, how he despised the bastardfor no other reason than he was a Huntershe would attack. There would be no stopping her if he failed to act. And fast.
Determined, he lifted his chin. Come here.
CHAPTER FIVE
PANTING FROM EXERTION, those drugs still playing havoc with her body, Haidee strode to the bed. She placed a sharp glass shard on the nightstand, within Micahs reach, then stuffed one under his pillow. Never hurt to have two weapons at your disposal, rather than one.
Then she searched the nightstand, surprised she hadnt thought to do so before. She found all kinds of goodies inside. Toothpaste, a toothbrush, mouthwash, antibiotic ointment, bandages and wet wipes. None of which made sense. Or had the Lords wished to torment Micah with what he couldnt have or use?
Well, she would show them! She made use of the wash and wet wipes and helped Micah do the same, cleaning them from top to bottom, even intimately, which left her blushinghello, big boythen applied the ointment to his wrists as gently as she was able.
He watched her, silent, his dark eyes intent but unreadable. She hated that he didnt remember her or their relationship. Not that there was a lot to remember, but months ago theyd reached an understanding. Theyd get to know each other before they had sex, but theyd get to know each other without discussing their pasts; theyd also vowed that no matter what, they wouldnt see other people.
Why had he agreed to that? she wondered now. At the time, shed thought he respected her, hoped to ease her skittish nature. But had she not had those visions, she wouldnt have agreed to such an arrangement. Because with the restrictions laid bare like that, she realized they hadnt had a relationship. Theyd had a tolerance.
That would change, she vowed. Hed come after her, fought to get to her and endured horrendous torture on her behalf. He deserved everything she had to give. So, she would give.
When she finished, she put everything back inside the drawer. Now. The shards will cut your hand if you use them, she said, easing beside him, and with as much blood as youve already lost Her voice trailed off. She didnt want to remind him of his frailty. He was a warrior to his soul and might think to prove his strength if she pressed too forcefully. What Im saying is, only use them if absolutely necessary. Okay?
He might be healing physically, and at an astonishing rate she couldnt explain, but her worry for him hadnt faded. Hed been savaged and mind-fucked in the most terrible way. He would be a different man now. Was already showing signs of change.
Hed always been an intense man, and that intensity had deepened and darkened over the past few months, frightening everyone around him. Moods had blackened around him before hed ever spoken a word. Even hers. Now, he was just as intense, but the darkness had faded. He actually lightened her mood.
Before, the thought of sleeping with him had disturbed her. Shed felt as if she would be cheating herself ofsomething. The sizzle, she supposed.
And maybe if shed felt that sizzle she would have felt comfortable discussing her past with him. Shed never told him that shed lived before, that shed died before. Shed never told him what happened to her after she died. That shed lived far longer than her seemingly twenty-odd years. That shed had hundreds of lives but couldnt recall any detail that didnt involve blood, pain and death. That shed tattooed herself so that she would have some link to the good things that had happened to her.
To her knowledge, shed never told anyone.
One, she didnt trust people. Ever. Not even Micah, not fully. Two, when your business involved killing anyone with a supernatural abilitybecause that ability could mean possible demon contaminationyou didnt admit to having a supernatural ability of your own. And three, the less people knew about her, the easier it was to return from the dead as someone else.
Yet, she thought she might like confessing all her secrets to this man. Even though he was more distant than eversuch clipped responses to her every word. Even though he was harder than shed ever seen himhed endured so much, yet he barely seemed to notice his pain. They were connected in a way theyd never been before, and hed been so gentle with her. More than that, she felt safe with him. And desired.
Yes, hed desired her before. But that desire had been tempered with a bit of hesitation. Now, nothing would stop this man from getting what he wanted. If she rebuffed him, she thought he might help her see the silliness of that. In a good way, of course. His protective instincts were too honed for anything else. Look how tenderly he had caressed her cheeks.
And there were physical differences, too, she realized. His lips seemed fuller, but of course, that could be from the swelling. His lashes were definitely longer, his eyes now so black you couldnt distinguish pupil from iris. His shoulders were wider, the ropes of muscle in his stomach more numerous.
She knew the Lords had branded him with their butterfly, but what if theyd done more than that? What if theyd somehow possessed him with a demon and thats why he carried the mark? The moisture in her mouth dried as she recognized the possibility for what it was: likely.
Galen, leader of the Hunters, had found a way to pair a human with a demon. Maybe the Lords had, too.
Haidee.
She blinked as that husky voice penetrated her thoughts, then forced her suspicions to the back of her mind. Scaring a man in this condition wouldnt be wise. Or maybe he already knew, but didnt know how to tell her. Did he fear she would turn away from him if she learned of his possession?
Haidee, he repeated.
Sorry. My mind wandered. Twice. She slid closer to him, not stopping until her hip met his.
He grimaced as he pulled himself into a sitting position. This close, she could feel the heat of his skin. So much heat shed never encountered its like. Another difference. Hed never been this warm before. Otherwise, she would have finally given in and slept with him, even without the sizzle; she wouldnt have been able to help herself. Nothing was more delicious than the sweet burn of him.
Haidee, he snapped again.
Again she blinked into focus. She had to stop traveling these unwanted mental paths. Sorry. What do you need, baby?
To touch you. He managed to raise his hands on his own this time and cup her temples.
More of his heat enveloped her, his skin like a live wire against hers. She shivered and leaned into his grip, practically purring. Surprise flashed through his eyeseyes now flickering with sparks of red. Oh, yes, she thought, hopes plummeting completely. He had been possessed. He knew. And he hadnt expected her to desire him.
Poor darling. As if she would ever betray him. He couldnt help what had happened, and she wouldnt reject him for it. Besides, her war with the Lords had never been about their demons, but about their actions.
Micah hadnt infected her. He hadnt killed her family.
Blood, a river between her mother and her father. Both helplessdead.
She shook off the memory before it could tug her into a pit of despair.
If they did something to you, somethingevil, Ill help you through it, she told him gently, flattening her hands over his. Touching him was definitely a need. I wont turn you in to Galen or Stefano. I wont betray you. No matter what. And if you start todo things, bad things like lashing out, killing indiscriminately well, Ill take care of you myself. Mercifully. And only after shed done everything in her power to purge him of the demon.
Shed loathe herself, would probably replay the act again and again with every new lifetime she experienced, but she would do whatever was necessary to save innocent families from the blood-fate hers had received. Even destroy herself and the only source of her happiness.
Do you understand what Im telling you? she asked gently.
Again surprise flashed in his eyes, adding tiny pinpricks of amber light to the dark irises. Thankfully, the red was gone. Something evil. Like?
Another shiver danced through her. She was coming to love the times his voice drifted through her mind, as warm as his body. Ademon possession. He tensed. Tell me everything. How you got here. What your purpose is.
At least he hadnt flung her away for guessing the truth. Nor did he seem afraid of her. Good. Okay. She lowered his hands to her lap, clutching them tightly. He didnt protest. The demon of Defeat, the one hosted by the Lord named StriderI dont know if you remember him from the pictures weve seen?
Micah merely blinked at her.
She continued. He was in Rome. He had the Cloak of Invisibility. We spotted him, chased him. He managed to capture me. Bitterness seeped into her tone. Shed been such an easy mark. I think he meant to kill me, but for whatever reason, changed his mind. A few times, I even caught him looking at me likeyou know, like he wanted me, but that cant be right. He detests me. Anyway, he brought me here. Put me in the room next door to you. I heard you calling and basically clawed my way through the wall to reach you.