“Go before I change my mind,” he snapped.
Apparently, she knew better than to ignore that. Without another word, she scrambled to her feet and hurried from the room. The door banging shut was followed by her echoing footsteps down the hallway.
Alone, he dug his claws into the floorboards at his sides and gritted his teeth, fighting to get whatever monster had crawled out of him back in its cage. Not long ago, he’d been feeling content and relaxed for the first time as far back as he could remember. Now, he was anything but.
He swore that one of the reasons he’d survived as long as he had was because he’d transmuted the sexual urges that ruled so many demons. He’d never been controlled by sex. The most powerful succubi in Hell had never been able to get a rise out of him.
And now this. Reduced to a raging monster of primal urges.
He took deep, calming breaths. He flexed his power over his souls, just to remember what control felt like. He reminded himself what was at stake, and why he couldn’t afford to lose focus now.
But the inner battle raged on.
THEEND OF THEROAD
AS PREDICTED, IT HAD TAKENBELIAL OVER AN HOUR TOwalk home from the club. His new neighborhood was ritzy and full of mansions, and as a result, the streets were dead silent, save for the occasional car passing by. It was oddly calming.
When he got home, he ditched his clothes on the bedroom floor and stood under the scalding spray of his shower for over half an hour before sprawling out on his enormous bed.
The house was so quiet he could hear the ringing in his ears.
It was late, well after two in the morning. The room was dark. But he wasn’t even close to sleeping.
Instead, he lay on his back and stared at the ceiling. He couldn’t get the terror in Skye’s eyes out of his head. Eyes open or shut, the sight of her backing away from him was burned into his retinas like he’d been staring at a too-bright light.
His phone rang on the nightstand. He would normally never answer a call this late, but he had a feeling he knew who it was.
“Bel, are you okay?” Eva asked immediately when he picked up. “What happened?”
“Don’t askmeif I’m okay,” he replied. “Ask your friend.”
“What happened?”
“I scared the shit out of her.” He spoke through gritted teeth. “She took off running like the hounds of Hell were after her.”
Eva cursed.
“Have you spoken to her?” he asked. “Did she make it home?”
“I talked to her.”
He waited for more. The silence was suspiciously weighted. “And?”
“And …” Eva took a breath. “You’re right. You scared the shit out of her.”
“What did she say?”
“Um … well, I don’t know exactly what happened, because she couldn’t really explain the supernatural shit. So she kinda translated it into thinking you’re a big, terrifying red flag.”
Bel winced. “She’s not wrong.”
“What exactly happened?”
“A car almost hit her. Some drunk idiot running the red light. I tried to shove her out of the way, but I pushed her too hard and she went flying.”
“Oh, damn,” Eva said.
“That’s not all.”
