“No.” She licked her lips. “I’m at a crossroads, Logan. If I mate you and give you powers, you might be able to save the world. Or I could mate Niall and follow his path. Either way, the universe is both threatened and possibly saved. But I’m finished wondering, and I’m finished waiting. It happens tonight.”
His indulgent smile barely masked the anger her words created. But it was there glowing in his eternal eyes and undulating in his hard-cut muscles. “You’re mating me. On my terms and in my time.”
“Well.” She threw challenge into her eyes and settled into her plan, no matter the cost. How well did she really understand the demon? She was about to find out. So she gathered as much power from the atmosphere as she could seize, going for the jugular. “I guess it’s Niall, then.” The air shimmered, and she forced herself into a teleport.
“No!” Logan lunged, grasping her ankles in the nick of time, his grip unbreakable.
But she’d expected him and only jumped outside and across the rushing river, within eyesight of the cabin. His hold on her would’ve prevented her from going any farther, so she didn’t try. They landed in the wet weeds and rolled, rain beating down on them.
She came up onto her feet, already panting, warning ticking through her. Wet weeds dropped from her shirt to the dirt. Water slid over her face and into her hair, not cooling her determination in the slightest.
“What the fuck are you doing?” He rose to his full height, his bellow startling wildlife into flight through the darkness.
She gulped, her jeans and shoes covered in wet grass. “Teleporting to Niall. You’ve given me no choice.” Her knees wobbled, but she met his gaze directly. It was the only way this could possibly work. She couldn’t back down. If she showed one ounce of fear, one tiny sliver of doubt, he’d go into protector mode.
She wanted the predator.
He grabbed her hand and turned toward the river, his gaze seeking. The moon glowed slightly through the cloud cover, barely diminishing the darkness. “There are a series of rocks that cross the water nearby.”
She jerked away and shoved wet hair off her face. The rain chilled her skin down to her bones. “I am not going with you.”
The muscles in his back, clearly defined beneath the wet cotton, bunched and knotted. “Stop this, Mercy. Now.”
It was too late. Way too late. “No.” Waiting until he turned to face her again, she kicked up with her full strength, striking him beneath the chin. Her one signature move. The sharp crack of his head going back nearly made her rethink her strategy.
Then his chin lowered, and his eyes glowed. Really glowed. His human façade disappeared, leaving only the primal creature at his core.
She turned and ran.
Even though this had been her plan, instinct took over, and she fled as fast as she could. Through weeds, over branches and bushes, she ran as if the devil pursued her.
Because he did.
No predator on Earth—or any other dimension—would allow prey to attack and then flee. It went against their very nature. She knew Logan would have no choice but to pursue her. With his neck hurting and his anger scorching. But what he’d do with her if he caught her was all Logan. A furious demon-vampire hybrid that she’d challenged in the most fundamental of ways. She quickened her pace.
She panted and tried to quiet her breathing. She tripped over a rock and went flying through the rain, her arms windmilling. Somehow, he was in front of her, catching her before her face impacted an ancient cedar tree. Protecting her, even now.
Her momentum made him swing her around, and he set her down, his mouth dragging across hers. “I know what you’re doing, and it isn’t going to work.” Even so, his hand fisted in her hair, and he jerked her head back. Tingles exploded along her scalp, and her nipples pebbled so fast and hard they hurt. “You want to play? I’ll play. But you’re not going to like the results,” he rumbled.
Desire slammed to her core. Edged with a craving she hadn’t expected and barely understood. She twisted and caught his knee with her foot, forcing him back. He released her, and she turned to run again. Because he let her.
A trail wound around rocks and branches, barely there, soaked by the rain. She followed it, her head down. The river rushed to one side, and the forest sprawled to the other. Dark laughter and hard footsteps pounded behind her.
Sexy trembles skittered down her back. She was smaller and more agile than he was, and she had challenged the beast. The taste of danger sweetened the rainy air around her. She beelined between a sharp outcropping of rocks, keeping close to the river.
The night smelled of him. Cedar and pine and spicy intent.
She sensed him before she saw him, right on her heels. Yelping, she turned and leaped over a downed tree, barreling into the forest. She ducked and dodged, lifting a branch and letting it snap behind her. It hit him with a crack, and she laughed, wild and free.
“You’ll pay for that,” he said, his voice riding the storm.
She turned again and caught sight of him—a hunter stalking prey. How did such a robust demon move with such grace? Her plan to slow down and let him catch her burned away with the need to test him. Truly challenge him. Just how good was he?
The game slid away. This was real. Fundamentally so. If he wanted her, really wanted her, he’d have to catch her.
The trail dipped, and she followed it, running full-out. Her heart pounded so hard it drowned out any sounds behind her. She couldn’t sense exactly where he was any longer. He was close—she could feel him. But where? In which direction?
She grasped the edge of a rock and boomeranged around it, trying to give herself more speed. Shelter. She needed to duck and hide, at least to regain her breath. Had she thought this out well enough?
