But it was more than just his looks. There was something utterly compelling about him. Lethal. He wasn’t a demon. Her sense of ‘knowing’ didn’t prickle, but a strain of ice slid over her psyche. And she shivered.
Nia remained in the shadows and rubbed her arms.
What is he?
As if satisfied the place wasn’t infested with germs and such, he strolled toward the bar. The gawking patrons parted like the Red Sea, and he took it as his due.
His tall form clad entirely in black, the color was a perfect backdrop for his striking hair, blended in shades of brilliant sunset red. It framed his coldly handsome face and fell to his shoulders.
Yup, stone can look good, too.
He cut her a detached, cursory glance as he passed without slowing. Amidst the smell of liquor and snacks, the subtle scentof the great outdoors with a hint of citrus curled around her like a caress.Ooh boy.
It took everything in her not to follow.
Jesus! She bit off a wry grimace. No matter his good looks, his utter indifference sent a chill down her spine. Like he could kill someone and still get a good night’s sleep.
Putting the uberhot, stone-cold man out of her mind, Nia pivoted for the bar?—
A hand gripped her arm and yanked her back into the dimly lit hallway.
“What the hell!” She tried to break free. The familiar odor of ash and pinewood stung her nose.Oh, shit!
“Glamour?” Kas sneered in her ear, the bill of his ball cap poking her face. “You can’t hide from me, Nia.”
Her belly heaved as her gaze clashed with the demon’s dark, red-streaked glare. “I don’t know who or what you’re talking about.”
“I knowyourscent,” he hissed, his face too close to hers. He bared his fangs, fingers digging painfully into her biceps. “You waste my time. You are mine! Come.”
“No!” Nia yanked at his hold. “Let me go, dammit?—”
Suddenly, she flew back, crashing into people and landing on her backside. Pain jarred up her spine. Biting back a groan, she scrambled to her feet, her sore butt protesting, and froze.
The redheaded guy lifted Kas in a chokehold with one hand as if he were a rodent. Legs pedaling air, Kas snarled something in a strange, guttural language, trying to wrench the man’s hand off his neck. The lights flickered, and something vast and burning erupted from his back, like wings of living flame.
Red broke Kas’ neck with a flick of his wrist, the crack vibrating in her ears.
Oh, God, oh, God!She stumbled back.
The door flew open. Demons burst into the bar—not humanoid ones, but the horror movie type with blackened, leathery skin, horns, and bleeding red eyes. Stained fangs gleamed in the flickering lights.
Screams started. Nia reeled for the bathroom. There was a window there.
Red tossed Kas aside like garbage. Moving like the wind, he grabbed her by the arm.
“No!” she shrieked, the sound lost in the noise, unable to look away from the massive flames which seemed to be a part of him. The air around them swirled like a cyclone, and the bar vanished?—
They reappeared in the chilly breeze on a flat rooftop.
Blood drumming in her head, Nia wrenched free and staggered back. “Who-who are you?”
Her head spun as she cast a terrified look around, trying to realign her scrambled thoughts. The familiar noise of people and cars drifted from below, and she gulped in more frigid air. They were still in the Quarter.
Red remained statue-still, watching her.
Then it hit. He’dflashedher from the bar here, just like those bottom feeders from the Dark Realm could do. Her stomach roiled.
Never show fear,Saia’s words reverberated in her head.
