“It’s not poison. Just homemade venison stew.”
“I don’t eat meat.”
He raised one finely arched brow. “I’ve never heard of a demon who wasn’t a carnivore. You will eat this. Your body needs the protein.”
“Screw you.”
That slow, sexy grin glided over his face again. “In good time, sweetheart. We will be lovers, but first, you need your strength. I can be very … demanding.”
“I’m not a demon.” Feeling woozy and out of her element, she dug into the stew. Forget pride. Four days with little food stripped her of energy. Once she regained her strength, her powers would return.
“A Darklighter. There’s enough demon in you to call out a contract for your pretty little hide.”
Fear rippled through her. Samantha set down the spoon, wiping her mouth with the paper napkin as she sought to disguise her emotions. The venison was delicious, but she had no appetite.
“I can sense your fear. It smells like old ashes.” He returned to the rocking chair and sighed. “Eat your stew. I won’t harm you.”
“No, you’ll leave me for others in the Society to kill.” Her stomach knotted as she remembered what happened to those deemed malevolent.
Eating poisoned stew would be a merciful death.
“You’re not going to die.”
“Taking me in for the bounty?” She frowned, studying the cabin. It made no sense. Hunters always returned their quarry to lockup first, collected their pay and left.
Or dumped the bodies at the Society…
“I’ve been given a different assignment.” His gaze was steady. “Tame your dark side.”
“Right. And that’s why you brought me here.”
“No, I brought you here so we could become lovers.”
The stew lodged in her throat. She choked it down, coughing. “You’ve got quite a sense of humor, wolf.”
“I’m not joking and the name is Grayson. Might as well know my name before we get naked.” A devilish gleam entered his eyes. “So you can scream it when we’re in bed together.”
Samantha gulped down the rest of the stew, wiping her mouth carefully. She folded the napkin into a neat triangle and set it on the tray. “I don’t get naked with anyone and we will not become lovers.”
“We’ll see about that,” he said softly.
Strength seeped into her cells, her bones. The only thing you’ll see is my ass as I’m leaving, wolf.
“And such a pretty little ass it is, too. A sight I wouldn’t mind, especially since I’ll haul it back in here if you escape.”
Her breath hitched. Samantha bit back a worried gasp. “You’re no ordinary Hunter. They don’t read minds.”
Grayson smiled and stood. His shadow dipped over her. He was over six feet and muscled. She remembered his heavy weight atop her as he’d pinned her in the field. His erection riding the apex of her thighs. Her body tingled and warmth pooled between her legs.
Samantha steeled herself and studied her captor. Not one to easily escape, but hell if she wouldn’t die trying. He was the only thing blocking her from the Hunter she needed to destroy.
“I’m an Ancient. One of the hybrids whose powers enable us to track the darkest evil, and vanquish it.”
Those broad shoulders shrugged. “I’m also an SWW, single white wolf who enjoys cooking venison stew, long walks on the beach in the moonlight, fine wine over dinner and I’m looking to bed a Single White Darklighter so she’ll stop ripping off the wings of Fae and searching for a certain Hunter to latch her talons into.”
“Not latch. Destroy.” She stood, spilling the bowl. It clanged on the wood floor, the violent noise matching her inner turbulence.
He bent over and picked it up, giving her full view of his backside. Denim stretched over his taut buttocks. Firm and muscled. A tingle raced through her veins, making her breasts suddenly aching and full.
“Don’t think so. The Society has a thing about demons killing their Hunters.”
“And I have a ‘thing’ about Jerome Cabot, the Hunter who murdered my parents.”
His expression shuttered. “Your father was a demon with a hefty bounty on his scalp. He’d been warned not to mess with humans and ignored it.”
“And my mother? She was an angel.” Samantha squeezed her fists. Blood seeped from her palms as her talons emerged, digging into soft flesh. Her powers were returning. The demon inside her emerged with fear. It roared for justice, craved for the kill.
“A fallen angel, who failed at her mission to destroy your father. The Society banished her for breaking the laws.”
“They fell in love! Is love against your laws, too?”
“Mating a demon is, and she knew it, knew the consequences.” His rugged voice softened. “They were left alone until your father killed that human.”
“That human butchered our neighbors and their children. They never hurt anyone. Our town was a little haven from crime until that killer came along!”
“I know. But our laws are clear. Leave the justice for mortals. Your father stirred up a load of trouble when he took the law into his hands. He was warned not to interfere. He paid the price.”
Grayson took a step closer, crowding her against the bed. “Maybe you forgot about the panic when the public found a corpse ripped to shreds and hanging upside down. Rumors started about demons and witches. Our world was nearly exposed, not to mention your father’s rage unleashed black magick on the town. It took a year before the darkness was expelled and by then, four houses were burned to the ground, ten divorces took place, a host of kids fell prey to drugs. That’s what your father’s rage did.”
Troubled, she fell silent. She’d been blissfully ignorant of the happenings around her. Her mother had shielded them from it.
“Did you ever pause to think that maybe your father’s nature drew that killer to the house next door?”
“He changed when he married my mother. He wasn’t evil.”
Grayson stepped closer, forcing her to sit on the bed. “Like attracts like, darkness attracts darkness. When he wasn’t playing house, he sacrificed animals to keep his power alive. It drew evil straight to the source and suddenly that nice small town wasn’t so nice anymore.”
The venison stew in her stomach curdled. “It’s all lies.”
He leaned over her, caging her with his arms on either side of her body. Warm breath tickled her cheek, smelling of mints and whiskey.
“Sometimes we choose to ignore what our family does because it cuts too deep. But truth is truth.”
