The Darkest Secret

shade of red as her hair. Saw that pixie nose, those siren lips. Two, she would distract him — more than she already was. And with her litany of challenges still ringing in his head, she’d made certain he couldn’t afford a distraction.

He wished his demon would get the message.

Ever since she’d opened that fire-and-brimstone mouth of hers in the car, Defeat had been supercharged. Eager, humming with nervousness, but also with great waves of anticipation. She was a worthy opponent, strong, brave and fearless. Besting her would be a thrill unlike any other, and a sexual high the likes of which he’d never experienced. As many battles as he’d fought over the centuries, he knew it, felt it. Wanted it.

And yeah, some of Strider’s anger with Kaia had drained as they’d staged the campsite. She was just so unabashedly female, so unrepentantly aggressive, and he admired those qualities. But that didn’t mean he liked her liked her.

The burn of her gaze brought him back to the present. She was studying him, taking his measure.

«Why are you here?» he asked, checking the site on the rifle mounted beside him. «Why did you ask Lucien to find me? The truth this time.»

She sighed, her breath warm as it drifted over his shoulder. «Maybe I wanted to be with Paris.»

«Nope. Try again. You’ve slept with Paris, and you know he can’t have you again.» Irritation had crept into his voice, and he didn’t know why. What did he care if this gorgeous Harpy had welcomed his friend into her bed? She wasn’t his, and he felt no sense of possession toward her.

«Maybe I wanted to make William jealous.»

«Please,» Strider said, his irritation rising for whatever reason. «Lucien said you’d specifically asked for me, and you don’t need me to make William jealous. He’d offer himself up for your pleasure, even if you just wanted to carve the Chinese symbol for dumbass in his chest.»

She paused, tensed. Then she grumbled, «Fine. I admit it. I wanted to be with you.»

Harpies were notorious liars, as she’d admitted, but in this instance, he suspected she was finally telling the truth. Not because he was hot and most females wanted him. Well, yeah, he was hot and most females wanted him. But there had to be another reason.

«Why?» he insisted. «And don’t give me that shit about being bored, because I also want to know why you tracked my Hunters.»

«Your Hunters?» She snorted, every inch the warrior. «When you weren’t tracking them yourself?»

«Kaia. Please.»

She sighed again, the second caress of her breath making his muscles go rigid. «Lookit. You don’t know this, but I was in the clouds with Bianka when you brought that female Hunter to the fortress. You…desired her and hated yourself for it.»

He stiffened. If there was one topic guaranteed to blacken his mood, it was Haidee. «How do you know that?»

«Duh. While I’m in the clouds, I can watch anyone I want.»

And she’d wanted to watch him? «Why me?» he demanded again.

Another pause, this one brittle with increased tension. «I…like you,» she eventually admitted.

The words had him stiffening all over again. There was so much longing in her tone, he wanted to cover his ears. «As a friend, right?» He did not need a Harpy crushing on him. Especially now. Harpies were more determined, more stubborn than a pack of rabid pit bulls.

«No,» she said, tracing something on the space between them. «Not as a friend.»

Defeat’s attention switched from the coming battle to the Harpy. Winning her heart would be—

No. His hands curled into fists. No. He didn’t want to win her heart. Her body, yes. His cock was filling, hardening, suddenly desperate to feel the slick glide of her inner walls. He shook his head when he realized the direction of his thoughts. He didn’t want to win her body, either.

Gentle, he had to be gentle with her. If he hurt her feelings with a rejection, she would hurt his face with her claws. The situation was as simple as that. «Kaia. You slept with Paris. One of my best friends.»

«I made a mistake,» she said hoarsely. «Haven’t you ever made a mistake? I mean, you still smell like the stripper you banged. The one wearing the peach-scented body oil.»

He understood her hatred for peaches now. She’d been — was — jealous. That did not please him. «Okay, so, yeah. I’ve clearly made mistakes, and I don’t blame you for yours. But I’m not going to sleep with you.» Defeat might have whimpered. You’re afraid of her, remember? «Some of the guys can share. I can’t.»

«I–I wouldn’t be with anyone else while we were together,» she whispered, and his chest ached.

If he didn’t know better, he would think she was…vulnerable right now. But he did know better. Harpies were as hard as steel. Nothing intimidated them, nothing softened them. They wanted something badly enough, they took it, and that was that. She probably just saw him as a challenge, something to tame. Gods knew enough women had tried and failed over the centuries. Gods also knew he understood the allure of a challenge.

«That doesn’t matter,» he said, still using that gentle tone. «It doesn’t change the past.»

«You wanted to share with Amun,» she replied, trembling now. «You wanted his woman. Would have taken her if she’d wanted you in return.»

«But I didn’t, and I won’t. Why do you think I left the fortress?»

«Well,» she huffed, «just so you know, I didn’t ask you to nail me. I just wanted to go on a date with you, maybe get to know you better.»

So she could hop into bed with Paris, no preliminaries, but Strider needed to wine and dine her first?

And don’t you dare take this as a challenge, he snapped at his demon. The beast had gone quiet, ceasing that annoying humming, waiting for Strider to reply to her, waiting for Kaia’s next response.

«Let’s backtrack a little,» he said. Maybe, if he prodded her enough, her desire for him would fade. «You saw that I wanted the Hunter.»

«Yes.»

«And?»

«And I realized I didn’t like it.»

Again, he doubted she lied. «So you tracked the other Hunters because…»

«I didn’t want you distracted by them.»

«Because…»

«I wanted you focused on me.»

He was not pleased by that, either. When are you going to stop lying to yourself? «On dating you, not sleeping with you.»

«Yes.»

«Even though I wanted someone else?»

«Yes,» she snarled.

Time to go in for the kill. «I’ll be honest with you, Kaia. Ultimately, I need a woman who won’t challenge me.» Which will bore the hell out of you, common sense piped up. Strider ignored his stupid common sense. «I hate what happens when I lose, and with you, everything would be a challenge.» And exciting. And nerve-racking.

«No, I wouldn’t—'

He held up his hand for silence. «You wouldn’t be able to help yourself. Look where we are, think about what we’re doing. You challenged me to kill more Hunters than you do, for gods’ sake.»

«That was for your own good,» she protested. «You were depressed or something and not taking care of business, which placed you in all kinds of danger. I was helping you, damn it!»

Maybe. Maybe not. «Well, your help has ensured that I slaughter anyone who’s foolish enough to track me. Your help ruined my much-needed vacation.»

Silence.

Finally he allowed himself to look at her. She was still watching him, those beautiful gray-gold eyes wide and glassy, as if she was fighting tears. A Harpy, cry? Not bloody likely. She was just disappointed that she wasn’t getting her way, he rationalized, but that didn’t stop the ache from blooming in his chest again. Didn’t stop a wave