Rogue Rider

“If someone has been summoning this demon, we kill them, too.”

“And if it’s an unintentional summoner?”

Ky ground his teeth. This was where the job got tough. An unintentional summoner was someone who’d been marked by a demon for some reason… to be used as a breeder or as food or as an energy draw. In any case, the person would be a magnet for all demons of that species, which meant that killing a single demon wouldn’t solve the problem.

“We do what we always do,” Ky said. “We take them out.”

Eleven

Reseph rarely got angry. He might not remember who he was, but he knew that about himself. And he knew that the kind of fury he was feeling now was unusual. Something had hurt Jillian, had nearly killed her, and yet, she’d survived, coming back strong in a way he doubted many people did. And now she was afraid again.

Something was out there, hunting her neighbors and killing wild animals. He’d thought he was seeing things, but now he knew that a demon had been within sight of Jillian’s cabin. If it was the last thing he did, he’d take it out and mount its head on a pole to warn others. Don’t fuck with my woman.

His woman? And shit, where had he gotten the idea that it would be a good idea to mount a demon head on a pole? Whatever. He’d do it if it would keep Jillian safe. As for her being his woman, well, it would probably be best to get his memory back before he went all, you’re mine.

Especially since the nagging feeling that he wasn’t a Boy Scout was growing stronger with every passing hour. He had too many weird thoughts, knew too many fucked-up things.

Maybe he’d been a demon hunter, like the people investigating the Bjornsen and Wilson killings. That might not be so bad. Might be kind of cool, actually. He’d hunt down the demon lurking here in the mountains, and then he’d track the ones who had hurt Jillian at the airport and make them feel everything they had done to her. Right after that, the ex-fiance asshole would have to go.

Another burst of rage made his blood sizzle. Nothing would hurt her again. Nothing.

“Reseph?”

He blinked, realized he’d been lost in his own mind like some kind of head case. “Yeah?”

“You were growling.” She was looking at him like she thought he was some kind of head case, too.

“Shit.” He brought one of her hands to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the silky skin. “Sorry. I just feel so damned helpless. I want to kill the thing that attacked you, and I want to protect you from everything else, but what if…” He trailed off, not wanting to voice his darkest fears.

“What if… what?” She hooked one finger under his chin and forced his gaze to hers. “Reseph? Don’t shut down on me. I just shared with you. Your turn.”

Yeah, it wasn’t fair for him to not spill his guts after she just had, but there was a big difference here. What she’d told him had made him feel even more for her, had plucked at every tender, protective gene he had. But what he held inside could only do the opposite to her.

“What if it’s me I have to protect you from?”

“I’m not afraid of you, Reseph.” Her level gaze was unwavering.

“But you don’t know who I am.”

“I know you’re cocky and funny. You’re protective and sweet. You’re not afraid of hard work. You’re strong, but gentle. You can’t cook worth a shit.”

“I think I’m offended.”

“But you really can’t cook,” she grumbled.

“I was talking about the ‘sweet’ part.”

Her full lips quirked in an impish smile. “Sweet.”

This wasn’t going well, not when she wasn’t taking his concerns seriously. “Jillian, maybe that’s who I am now. But what if we find out I’m a sick bastard. What if—”

“Stop.” When he would have argued, she tugged him up onto the bed with her so they were both lying across the mattress. Her dark hair framed her face in messy wisps, softening the stubborn light in her eyes. “Look, I’m not going to lie and say I’m not worried about who you were before. I’ve dated a lot of guys who ended up being total dicks, and Jason was the icing on the cake. It’s hard for me to trust a guy not to turn on me.”

“Who were the guys?”

“What?” She propped herself up on one elbow so she could look down at him. “You want to know about the morons I dated?”

Yep. Including addresses. “What did they do to you?” God, this possessive, murderous side of him could not be good.

“Let’s see… well, one cheated on me, one had a gambling problem, one was an accountant who failed to tell me that he was a cokehead.” She sighed. “And I already told you about Jason.”

“I think,” he growled, “that I must have been an assassin before I lost my memory, because I really want to hunt down those guys and put a crossbow bolt between their eyes.” It didn’t even bother him that he’d do it and not feel an ounce of remorse. She’d taken so many blows in her life, and yet, she was still standing. She was so strong, and his admiration for her swelled.

“I’m not sure if I should be flattered or extremely freaked out.”

“Go with flattered.” He pushed himself up on one arm so he could face her. So he could feel her heat mingle with his. “If you aren’t afraid of me, then why did you leave me in town?”

He hated the shame that settled into her expression, the little frown he wanted to kiss until she smiled again. “Because I don’t trust myself.”

“You don’t trust yourself to what?” He reached out and trailed a finger along her jaw. “To not let me strip you naked and lick every inch of your body?”

A delicate smudge of pink spread across her cheekbone. “As… interesting… as that sounds, no. I don’t trust my judgment, and I don’t trust myself to not get attached.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to say, “Then don’t,” because it seemed like the obvious solution, but then he’d be a hypocrite, because he was definitely developing feelings for her that he wasn’t sure how to handle. It was almost as if now should be the time he started running for the hills. Was that what he’d done before? Why? He loved how he felt when he was with Jillian, so why wouldn’t he have wanted that before now?

So many questions, and the only thing he knew was that he was growing close to Jillian, and he wasn’t going to fight it. She, obviously, was. And frankly, the more he thought about it, the angrier he got, even if he understood her reluctance. He had no past, and because of that, a questionable future. So he understood it, but he didn’t like it.

Stung by her rejection, he leaned forward, forcing her back. “Then don’t get attached. Because let’s face it. I’ve wanted to fuck you since the moment I woke in your bed, surrounded by your scent.” Her eyes flared with surprise, and he pressed the issue, getting right in her face. “And I know damned good and well you would have let me take you right there in the sheriff’s station if we’d been alone. So let’s screw around, no emotional commitment. That way, we’ll both have protected our delicate little hearts if we find out I was some kind of asshole scumbag in the past.”

Huh. Guess they didn’t need to wait to find out if he was an asshole. He’d just taken that on-ramp.

Jillian’s lips parted in shock before she pressed them together and her eyes hardened with a cold inner resolve. “Fine. You’re right.” She palmed his chest. “Wanna have sex?” She dragged her hand down his abs to his waistband, and he nearly stopped breathing, but his cock jumped, all, hell, yeah.

Then he stunned the hell out of himself when he grabbed her hand and stopped her from unbuttoning his jeans. “Are you sure?”

What the fuck. Why wasn’t he taking what she was offering, no questions asked? This was so… foreign. Like he’d never in his life questioned or turned down sex.

“After all your chasing, now you’re backing off?” She nipped his fingers hard enough to make him let go and dropped her hand back down on his fly. “Yes, I’m sure. I used to like sex. I miss it. Commitment-free sex, you say? Sure. Why not? My delicate little heart will be just fine.” Their eyes met, hers