before I can. .” he trailed off and looked at Darrak. “Screw it. Eden’s soul is at risk. And if you think I’m going to allow you to be near her, to touch her, to destroy her life, you filthy, evil, selfish, demon piece of shit, then you’re —”
Darrak lashed out and grabbed Ben by his throat, digging his fingers in on either side of Ben’s windpipe, slamming him up against the wall behind him. Eden gasped out loud at the suddenness of it. Darrak had been calm and contained all this time. His quick turn to violence had taken her by surprise.
“If you don’t leave now, I’m going to lose my temper,” Darrak growled, and his eyes changed from ice blue to fill with amber flames. “You don’t want that to happen.”
“And what would you do then?” Ben rasped. “Tear me apart? Devour my soul?”
“Thanks for the suggestion. That donut wasn’t nearly as satisfying as it should have been.”
Ben fought against him, grabbing Darrak’s arms and managing to break the hold, before connecting his fist with Darrak’s jaw in a quick punch that snapped Darrak’s head to the side.
“Really?” Darrak glowered, recovering quickly. “You’re stronger than I thought, but is that the best you’ve got?”
Darrak grabbed Ben by the front of his shirt, and for a moment, Eden feared for the cop’s life.
“Are you going to kill me?” Ben snarled.
“Will you leave Eden alone?”
“And let you destroy her? Not a chance.”
“Darrak!” Eden let out a frustrated breath. “Let him go. Ben, you need to leave right—”
The next moment, a scream tore from her throat as the shallow pain that had been in her stomach shot through her entire body. It managed to stop all coherent thought, quickly submerging her in white-hot agony.
What the hell was this? What was going on?
Every cell of her body was filled with pain. It felt as if something, both inside and outside of her, was attempting to tear her apart.
Darrak was at her side in an instant.
“Eden,” his voice was panicked. “What’s wrong?”
“I. . I don’t—” She screamed again as another wave of pain ripped through her. She clutched at Darrak’s arm, digging her fingernails in, trying to use him as an anchor so she didn’t get swept away by whatever this was.
“What the hell’s going on?” Ben demanded, his voice breaking with stress. “Andy, call an ambulance. Now!”
Being shot had been the worst pain she’d ever felt until now. This. . this was a thousand times worse.
Andy stumbled toward the phone on his desk and grabbed the receiver to hold it to his ear. “There’s no dial tone.”
“This is because of you, you selfish asshole.” Ben jabbed a finger at Darrak. “You’re killing her.”
“This isn’t my doing,” Darrak snapped back. “Not this. Not now.”
But as strongly delivered as the reply was, Eden could hear the doubt in his voice. Whatever this was, it had to do with Darrak. There was no other explanation.
Another bolt of pain tore through her, and she clung tighter to Darrak — tight enough that it would probably break the ribs of a regular human — and then it was over. The tearing sensation ceased and her body relaxed. It had weakened her so much she couldn’t move, couldn’t think clearly. Her eyes closed, and her head fell slackly against Darrak’s chest.
She could hear Ben’s erratic breathing. “Is she dead?”
Darrak pressed his fingers against her throat, feeling for a pulse.
“She’s alive.” He sounded deeply relieved.
“Let me take her with me. I can help her.”
“Not going to happen.”
“Damn it, demon, you want to destroy her, don’t you? Is that your goal?”
Darrak’s muscles tensed, and he drew Eden closer to him, cradling her in his arms. “If you really think that, then you don’t know me.”
“I don’t want to know you.”
“You’re not wanted here, cop. Get that through your thick head. I’ll handle this.”
Ben laughed, but it didn’t hold an ounce of humor. “You’ll handle it. Yeah. Looks like you’re doing a stellar job so far. Eden’s too blind to see what you really are, but I can. She needs me.”
“Yeah. She needs you to
Ben went silent for a moment. “You son of a bitch.”
“Bzzz. Wrong. I never had a mother. You’ll have to find another insult.”
Eden heard them as if they were miles away. Ben’s words were harsh, but she could hear his concern.
“What happened with my fiancee is none of your damn business.”
“Eden is my business,” Darrak replied.
“Right.” Ben’s voice twisted unpleasantly. “Got to protect your host, don’t you? Without her you’d have to find another body to highjack. One that might not be so willing to put her existence on the line to save yours. You may have Eden fooled, demon, but I’m not so naive. I can see right through you.”
“You can, can you?” Darrak’s words were cold as ice.
“I’ve done some research on demonology, enough to know that there are no selfless or caring demons. You all think humans are food or playthings. Nothing more than that. It’s impossible for you to feel otherwise. So whatever you’re pretending to be, whatever Eden believes you are — it’s all a lie. No demon in history, no matter what the circumstances have been, has changed their base nature.
“Leave” was all Darrak had to say in his defense. He was so tense his chest and arms felt like marble.
Ben snorted. “See? You don’t even deny it. You know the truth even if she’s too blind to see past your flashy exterior. I swear to God, demon, I’m keeping a close eye on you. If anything happens to her, you’ll have me to answer to.”
The bell above the door jingled as Ben left the office. After another moment Eden managed to pry her eyes open. She looked up at Darrak.
Why hadn’t he argued and told Ben he was wrong? Maybe no other demon had ever changed before. But. . but Darrak was different.
Wasn’t he?
“I have a dial tone now,” Andy announced shakily. “I’m calling an ambulance.”
“No,” she rasped. “No ambulances. I’m okay now.”
Darrak slowly helped her stand, supporting her all the way. His brows were drawn together and he looked worried.
But was it only an act?
Shit. She hated that Ben had managed to plant a seed of doubt in her mind about him. She and Darrak were over this, weren’t they?
Yes, of course she did. She had to. She had no other choice.
“What happened?” Darrak asked.
Eden braced herself on the edge of her desk and tried to breathe normally. “No idea. One moment I was okay, and the next. . I felt like something was trying to rip me apart.” She frowned. “Maybe Nancy poisoned my coffee so she could get to you without your bossy fake sister around.”
“Sounds reasonable. But you hadn’t drunk any coffee yet.”
“Then that cancels out that theory.” She placed a hand over her abdomen and pressed. The pain was completely gone.
