Her gaze settled on his face. If Milk-White was good-looking, this one knocked what little air she had in her lungs right into the stinky alley. Straight, ebony hair framed a face made for sin and fell about his broad shoulders. His flame-hued, topaz eyes did a quick up-down of her, and for some reason, it had her breath catching—
Vae!It washim!
The demonshe’dogled earlier.
Up close, he was even more breathtaking. Tiny pairs of black hoop earrings glittered in both his lobes, and something about them added to the perilous air he wore like a second skin. She couldn’t help but stare.
Then he opened his mouth. “Female, any other time I’d play with you. Right now, do me a fav and get lost. This is none of your business.”
The condescending ass!
One thing she hated even more than having a mate chosen for her was being spoken down to as if she were a clueless idiot.
“Wrong,” she said coldly, her fascination dying. “My turf, my biz, demon.”
There was a heartbeat of a pause. Then his head cocked, recognition dawning in those hellish eyes. One corner of his mouth tipped in a knowing smirk, revealing the tip of a fang.
Too bad for him, only one of them would come out of this alive.
With preternatural speed, she flew at him, staff swinging. He ducked her deadly weapon and grabbed her, her body slamming into his at full speed. The air punched out of her lungs as arms like steel bars locked around her. Before she could dematerialize and free herself, his searing eyes captured hers. This close to him, she could actually see the orange streaks in his topaz irises.
“Don’t fight,laika.”The low timber ofhis mesmerizing voice blurred her thoughts, and everything around her disappeared but him. His scent of anise, leather, and a hint of woodsmoke, masculine and seductive, teased her senses. His nose trailed along her jaw, his silky hair sliding along her cheek like caressing fingers. But underneath it all, was something darker…perilous.
“Forget you saw this,laika.”His lips lingered at the corner of her mouth, causing her breath to stutter.“It’s for your own safety. Until next time…”His voice faded, the words a taunting whisper in the ether, hauling her out of her stupor.
And she was alone.
“Fuck!” Not even the human swear word alleviated her rage, especially at herself for being so easily sidetracked by a pretty face. And worse, finding herself on a freaking rooftop!
Her fingers clenched around her weapon. She’d fought and killed many of the vermin in the year and a half since she became a Guardian, even those damn Narakas who’d come after Nik several months ago, but none derailed her like this infuriating demon!
Jaw clenched, Ely flashed herself back down to the silent alley.
Those asses she’d trapped with her shadows had disappeared, too. Dammit! With her mind distracted, she’d lost her hold on them.
A faint groan reached her.
Putting aside her frustration—oh, she would find the scourges’ leader and end the ass!—she dismissed her weapon and sprinted to the victim.
The man the demons fed on lay on the ground, his shirt torn, blood trickling from his neck wound. A faint whiff of liquor combined with a coppery odor drifted from him. Sighing, Ely knelt at his side. Drunken humans made easy prey.
She moved his collar aside, revealing the two small, still seeping holes in his throat. So, they hadn’t taken much, if any at all, but his heart pumped too slow, and his collar sported more blood, which generally indicated a frenzied feeding.
She frowned. His throat should have been gored open…
The human whimpered. Before he awakened, Ely cleared his memories, then she held her palm over his throat, letting her healing abilities flow into his wounds, sealing the punctures closed. She couldn’t do much about his ruined clothes. It would have to remain a mystery for him.
However, the irony didn’t escape her. Back on her homeworld, she healed. Here, she killed. But then, most of the vile pests from the Dark Realm deserved death.
As she lowered her hand, the man groaned and sat up.
“Go.” She willed him to leave.
He blinked bleary eyes at her, scrambled to his feet, and shuffled off toward the main street.
Movement further down the alley snagged her attention. And Ely narrowed her eyes. Not demons. Instead, a fellow Guardian came into view, dressed all in black, cutting an imposing figure.
She shoved her hands in her coat pocket as Aethan drew closer. This male who, if her parents had had their way, would have been her mate. Except, she’d never seen him as such. Aethan was her brother’s best friend and like another sibling to her.
