She avoided his gaze and walked to the bed furthest from the door, dropping onto its floral surface to a squeak of springs. Horny demon or not, she’d much rather he was here with her than not—there was no arguing he made a mighty fine meat shield. Plus…
Selma looked up at him again through her eyelashes as he moved about, checking the small bathroom and windows. She couldn’t deny that she felt infinitely safer with him around than she ever had on her own. He was big, strong, and demonstrably powerful—and the care with which he treated her made her heart soften despite her innate fear of demons. He was risking everything for her when in reality, he owed her nothing.
She kicked off her shoes, but kept on the dress Meredith had brought her as she climbed underneath the covers. Exhaustion pulled on her eyelids and relaxed her muscles, and when Kain turned to his own bed, sleep wasn’t far away.
“Selma?”
“Hmm?” When she’d been alone, it had been hard to relax enough to fall asleep. Apparently her own instincts were only too happy to trust in her male companion to keep her safe during the night, no matter how much her rational side muttered about him being a stranger.
“Tomorrow we will arrive at the city where my contact is located. It is a place with many demons, and they may notice me—and you, by extension. If we are approached, you will have to act as my mate.”
The thought of clinging to Kain’s arm and fawning over him like a lovesick schoolgirl made her giggle, halfway gone on sleep as she was. “Mmhmm.”
“If we are not approached… There are laws for Lords passing through another's territory, such as first presenting oneself to the local ruler before going about one’s business in his Area. We do not have that option because any Lord will know that you are not my mate, as they have never attended your auction. If we are not approached, there is every chance we are instead being observed, which may result in an attack. I want you to understand how dangerous this is before you agree to it.”
Selma knew she probably should ask him questions, but she was so tired, and deep in her core she knew the man whose subtle scent had her head spinning would protect her from anything and everyone. There was no true danger while he was present.
A low thump followed by a muttered cursing made her startle back from the brink of sleep—and when she saw the reason for it, she couldn’t help but crack a half-smile. He’d evidently stubbed his toe against the bed frame while sliding his jeans off, and there was something endearingly human about such a clumsy act.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine,” he growled, tossing his jeans over one of the chairs and letting his T-shirt follow.
Selma drew in a small breath and hurriedly bit her lip to quell the sound so she didn’t alert him to her attention. He was built. Sure, she had some hazy memories from last night about his ridiculously muscled torso, but she’d written off her intense attraction to his physical appearance as a result of the ring.
Now though, as he moved around the room in only his boxers to turn off the few lamps, letting the lights from the parking lot illuminate him through the flimsy curtains… Yeah, there was no denying he was very handsome in his human disguise. His thighs were thick as tree trunks, his biceps almost as wide, and his chest and back spanned more than a yard across, narrowing to a tight, but thickly muscled waist. He was the epitome of male strength.
Only when he climbed into his own bed and turned his back to her did she dare to exhale, shame heating her cheeks. What was the matter with her? She knew what he was underneath his disguise: exactly what she’d given up everything to escape. Yet here she was, not even under her ring’s cursed influence, imagining the heat of his strong body sliding underneath the sheets with her…
A pang between her thighs served as the first warning that her thoughts were going to get her into trouble. She could mostly ignore the ring, despite its tight fit over her most sensitive nerves, but as blood rushed to her nether regions the trapped nub swelled against the cold circle of metal, sending shocks of sensation through her pelvis.
Shit.
She glanced at Kain’s broad back, praying silently he was a fast sleeper, but from the way he moved on the uncomfortable bed, she was pretty sure she wasn’t that lucky.
He’s going to smell me.
A jolt of unwelcome excitement mixed with her anxiety, blurred images of his furious lust when he’d broken off the bed post the previous night flashing before her mind’s eye.
Against her will, her sex softened at the memory and she bit down on a groan. She needed to stop. This was only going to end one way—a way she certainly didn’t want.
Even if the thought of Kain pinning her to the bed didn’t fill her with dread like it should have.
But he wasn’t like the others. She felt… safe with him and had since the second time she’d set eyes on him. When he’d carried her from the warehouse and healed her wounds… sated her desperate desire, broken demon laws to save her… he’d proven he was nothing like the beasts who’d haunted her her entire life.
She looked at him again and noticed the hard outline of his tensed back muscles in the low light from the window. He’d smelled her, all right.
Selma swallowed thickly, her breath slow but shallow. If he got up from that bed… if he came for her… would she resist?
Her clit pulsed hard against the vicious metal encircling it as she lay in the darkness, waiting for him to follow the temptation of her scent.
But he never moved so much as a muscle—and when she finally fell asleep some long hours later, she still wasn’t sure if she’d wanted him to.
19
Kain
The woman next to him seemed surprisingly relaxed, considering how close the demon she’d shared a room with had come to losing control.
