Ely sat up, eyes wide, as he zipped up his jeans over his painfully erect cock.
“What’s wrong? I don’t sense any danger.”
“My world problems.” Anger torqued him. The fuckers would dare taunt him? Come this close to the garage again?
“I can help.”
“No. I’ve dealt with low-lives like these before.” He pulled on his t-shirt and raked back his tangled hair. Ely watched him like a beautiful siren. Unable to resist her, he leaned down, cupped the back of her head, and kissed her again. “I won’t be long,laika. Wait for me.”
Then he flashed from the room, tracking the sewer rats.
* * *
What on earth? Ely frowned at the spot where Nate had been moments ago, his expression utterly lethal. It washerjob to hunt down these sleazeballs from the Dark Realm, and if they shed blood, be it human or the peaceful Otium demons, well then, she would kill them.
Hastily, she rolled off the bed and swayed, the heat resurging, hitting her harder than before. Dammit! She dropped back to the mattress, panting as if she’d run miles across the planet. Even the much cooler air from the open window didn’t help. Ugh! She pushed up once more, dressed, tied her hair into a high ponytail with one of the rubber bands she found in the bedside drawer, then lit out of there.
Outside in the welcoming chilly air of early morning, she scanned for Nate… And in the damp night air, the smell of anise and cedar merged with woodsmoke lingered—okay, most of it was already on her. A smile snuck to her lips.Ugh, get a grip, Ely.Right. She dematerialized, following the tug of her man.
A moment later, Ely found herself somewhere on the waterfront in Queens, near massive warehouses, the sounds of growls and grunts reaching her.
“Did you think I wouldn’t find you?” Nate’s icy voice reached her as she reformed in the shadows of the building. A body flew through the air, hitting the warehouse wall with the impact of a bullet and dropping to the asphalt. A guttural snarl erupted, and the demon reared up and flashed toward Nate, who easily evaded him.
Ely watched Nate fight, his movements fast and brutal as he landed blows, then a roundhouse kick to the jaw. Bones crunched. The demon groaned. Nate grabbed him in a chokehold—
A sudden hiss sounded, and a hellish bolt sizzled out of nowhere, brightening the night, its trajectory heading straight for Nate. Lightning fast, he moved, wheeling around, holding the cur in front of him like a shield. The bolt struck. The demon yowled in agony.
Her heart lodged in her throat, eyes narrowed, Ely scanned the place, ready to demolish the unseen damn ass for fighting dirty, not that she expected fair play from these Dark Realm scumbags.
“You know better than to come after me,” Nate bit out, dragging her attention back to him.
“When the price is right, anyone would—” the demon coughed, spitting blood.
“I’m sure. But your pal isn’t coming for you if that’s what you’re waiting for. He let you take the fall. So talk.” Nate rammed him against the wall. “Or, I will tear from limb to limb. Death won’t be quick.”
“H-he wants you dead,” he grunted, clutching his chest, blood glistening on his dark shirt. “He wants the unicorn brought back.”
Unicorn?Ely frowned. Earth didn’t house any rare mystical creatures she knew of…unless it was in disguise?
“That’s never gonna happen.”
A slash of silver glinted as dawn broke, streaks of gray lightening the sky. The demon broke free and lashed out with his dagger. Her breath caught. Nate didn’t evade the strike, he merely sidestepped, then grabbed the demon’s hand and yanked it upward, slicing the fiend’s carotid with one barely seen move. Blood sprayed everywhere. He snagged the falling blade and plunged it into the cur’s chest. The demon fell to his knees and collapsed on the asphalt, disintegrating into goo before seeping back into the earth.
It wasn’t like she didn’t kill, too, but this, whatever Nate was embroiled in, it was more than someone hurting Aba. She’d never seen this side of him. So cold and deadly.
Still, Ely inhaled lungfuls of air, grateful he wasn’t harmed. “Nate,” she called out.
His head snapped her way. “Dammit, Ely! Don’t follow me. This isn’t your fight.”
“Demons on Earth, hurting humans or Otiums, and causing strife? It sure is,” she corrected. “In any case, I didn’t interfere. I stood aside.”
“I don’t want you involved in this,” he growled, crossing to her. “They already have their sights on you, and yeah, it’s fucking personal!”
“Uh-huh, I can see that.” She stifled a snort. “The unicorn, what did he mean?”
His features hardened, his gaze flickering to her head. “What do you think?”
Frowning, she touched her ponytail, wondering if something was caught in her hair. Her brow furrowed as she dropped her hand. Ugh, Nate with his darn cryptic comment—
