The Darkest Pleasure

the pain. What he needed was peace of mind. Only stabbing him would prove that she could hurt him, could meet his needs and not mutate into a pain-hungry little hooker.

With that in mind, she flattened her palm on his chest and pushed. Though she was strong, he was stronger, and the movement wouldn't have budged him unless he allowed it.

He allowed it.

'We're done here,' she said, and slammed the bathroom door in his face.

WOMEN. Would Reyes ever understand them?

He was doing Danika a favor, keeping her from the dark side of his life, yet she'd looked at him with absolute betrayal in her eyes. Even now, two hours later, that expression haunted him.

What if she's right? What if Pain leaves you when you're with her?

Did he dare try and confirm such a fantastical thought? Could irreparable damage be done if she was wrong? He just didn't know.

'Are you all right?' he asked her.

She nodded. She was unusually quiet as they navigated the Oklahoma sidewalks, doing their best to remain in the shadows of the tall, redbrick buildings and out of the sights of other pedestrians. Cars and trucks buzzed along the road. He hadn't spotted any Hunters, or even anyone watching them too intently.

'Just a little farther,' he said, reaching for her hand. Earlier, Torin had e-mailed him the women's location. They hadn't moved, and they were still together.

Danika nodded again, her ponytail bouncing. Her features were pale and drawn and she pretended not to notice his hand.

Reyes hated seeing her like this.

He dreaded what would happen if—when?—she found that her grandmother had been killed and buried, and that was why the woman hadn't moved. Would Danika rediscover her hatred for him? Would she rail at him or seek comfort from him?

Would she wish she had aligned herself with the Hunters?

Dread coursed through him. He should warn her, prepare her. But he opened and closed his mouth, and the words never left him. And then they were standing in front of the targeted building, a dilapidated structure with boarded windows and spray paint marring the brick.

'I'll go in first,' he said.

'No.' A tremor of…dread? excitement? rocked her. 'They'll freak when they see you.'

Reyes cupped her cheeks. Clouds shifted, turning the bright sky to murky gloom. When they shifted again, sunlight tossed a beam directly at her, paying her smooth, flawless skin the homage it deserved. Just then, she practically glowed. She didn't look part of the earth, but something more powerful, something beyond.

I've had this woman, tasted her.

His body tightened, preparing to have her and taste her again. Not yet…Perhaps not ever again. The demon purred happily, and Reyes didn't know if it was because he wasn't going to allow himself to have her or because there was a chance he would ultimately cave.

Where had that purr been the last time he'd made love to her? Where do you go when I'm with her? he couldn't help but ask the creature.

Fires.

Fires. Hell?

Sometime soon, I have to let her go. It's for the best, safer. For all the reasons he'd named before and a thousand more. Being with her opened that portal into heaven—which meant he might very well cause her to open the one into hell, as well. Also stood to reason that, if he traveled to heaven, she would be the one to travel to hell. Already her nights were plagued with terrors. She did not need more evil in her life.

Letting her go, though…His hands tightened into fists. One day, would she fall in love with a human who would not hurt her, destroy her or ruin her? A man who would give her children and—

Roaring sounded in his head. His. The demon's. No man but him would touch her. Not without dying.

'Reyes, you're hurting me.'

Instantly his arms fell away from her. He jerked a hand through his hair, no longer having to wonder how the demon felt about her. 'I am sorry, so very sorry.'

She gave him a weak smile, reaching up and tracing a finger down his nose. 'Hey, don't worry about it. I'm fine.'

She seeks to comfort me. I am not worthy of this woman. Though he wanted to push her against the wall, claim her lips with his own, drown in her scent and her flavor, he motioned to the door. 'Are you ready to go inside?'

Indecision played over her lovely features. She lowered her lids, spiky shadows tumbling down her cheeks.

'What is the matter?'

'Why didn't they want me here?'

'They—'

Reyes caught a glint of movement in the window just above them. Two boards covered two windows yet they didn't quite meet in the middle, allowing a crack of visibility.

The form he'd glimpsed had been too big to be a woman.

He'd thought that if the women were still alive, they were merely in hiding. He had not considered the fact that they might have been captured by Hunters. He'd assumed the Hunters would have contacted him and the other Lords if that had been the case, suggesting a trade. So foolish.

'Danika,' he said, gaze searching the surrounding area with new intent. He had to hide her, had to keep her safe.

Too late.

The door swung open, revealing three men. Each had a weapon, and all three were pointed at Danika, as if they knew training a gun on Reyes would not have mattered.

Fury surged inside him, intensifying when Danika gasped in horror. 'Oh, my God.'

'Hands at your sides, demon,' one of the men told him, 'and step inside. Try anything, and I'll hurt the girl.'

Hurt Danika? He chewed on the inside of his cheek, purposefully shredding his flesh. The demon stalked and prowled, growling. Ready, Pain?

Oh, yes. Evil laugh.

'Danika,' Reyes said. 'Close your eyes.'

He didn't look to see if she had obeyed. He simply unleashed his demon.

THE BLOOD, the carnage, the screams.

At one point, Danika had to cover her ears with her hands. She couldn't stop trembling. Stupid girl that she was, she hadn't closed her eyes as Reyes had demanded; she'd wanted to help. War was something she'd prepared for—or thought she had.

Then Reyes had seemed to change from warrior to crazed skeleton in a blink. She'd no longer seen the skin she so loved to touch. She'd seen gnarled bones and teeth so long, sharp and thick they could have belonged to a shark.

The Hunters had fired their guns at Reyes, but he hadn't seemed to notice. He certainly hadn't slowed. He'd simply devoured them. Even now, he propelled from one Hunter to the other, claws ripping into flesh. Snarls and snaps sounded, eerie, like something out of a horror movie.

Wide-eyed, she continued to watch, afraid to get in his way. Afraid he wouldn't care who she was and would attack her, too. So badly she wanted to run and hide. Blood already splattered Reyes from head to boot, slicking his hair to his scalp and his clothes to his body. So badly—but she didn't. Her family was inside this building. Were they okay?

I should have come for them sooner.

Amid the terrible chaos, she grabbed a fallen gun and rushed past Reyes and through the building. Where were they? She checked the nearest room—empty. The next room—four Hunters were inside, cursing, loading