The demon kept backing up until he came to the street. There was an old sedan parked partially on the curb. He backed up to it, then smashed in the driver’s-side window with his elbow. Reaching behind him, he opened the door.
“You first, little sister.”
Ivy looked at Quinn for a cue. His eyes widened and then a little smirk grew on his face. What was he trying to tell her? Something was obviously going on.
“You just damaged my car, my friend. Big mistake.” The deep voice vibrated over her and she closed her eyes in relief.
Next thing she knew, the demon was no longer holding her hostage. He was flying backwards over the car and out onto the street. Ivy swirled around to see Ronan standing on the roof of the car.
He jumped down, walked to the fallen demon, grabbed him by the shirt collar and dragged him back to the car. He pushed him up against the hood and slapped something on his chest. It was one of her devil’s-trap stickers.
He caught her looking at it and shrugged. “You left some in my gear.” He then motioned toward Quinn. “You can ask your questions now.”
As Quinn moved forward, Ronan stepped away. Ivy wasn’t surprised. He wouldn’t know what Quinn would do. He did steal the key and all. Yeah, he brought it back, but in Quinn’s eyes it didn’t matter.
And did it matter to her? She didn’t know. All she knew was that her heart thudded in her chest and her gut clenched when she looked at him.
He moved toward her, his steps hesitant. It looked like he’d bolt at a second’s notice.
“Thanks,” she said. “Again. For saving me.”
He gave her a little smile. “Seems to be a habit of mine.” He pointed to her neck. “You’re bleeding pretty good there.”
She touched her throat; her hand came away smeared in crimson. She could feel warm trickles sneaking under the collar of her shirt. “Yeah, he nicked me a few times too many.”
He stepped even closer to her. She could smell him now. A dark, dangerous scent clung to him like shadows. “Let me see.” He touched her neck with just his fingertips.
She shivered as a warm sensation drew over her throat, down her shoulders and ventured lower still. She felt her nipples harden instantly under her shirt. She stifled the urge to cover her breasts with her arm to stop him from noticing. It didn’t matter. He noticed. She could tell by the slow, lazy smile that spread over his face and the gleam in his dark eyes.
He dropped his hand from her and took a step back. “There. The bleeding should stop.”
She stared at him for a long moment, taking everything about him in. He looked the same. Maybe his hair was a little longer; the ends flirted with his earlobes. But he was the same. And in that moment she remembered every reason why she fell in love with him. Those reasons hadn’t gone away.
“I like your necklace.”
She reached up and stroked a hand over the silver cross. “At least it’s just a cross.”
His lips twitched a little. “Yeah, good thing, that.”
“I gave the key to Quinn.”
“I figured you would. It’s best with him anyway.”
“Why did you bring it back?”
He looked at her, as if memorizing every nuance on her face, every line, every slope and every muscle. “Because being human meant never having a chance to be a man with you.”
Her heart skipped a beat in her chest and she had to fight down the urge to let the tears welling in her eyes fall. Instead, she cleared her throat and kicked at a small pebble on the ground. “Quinn won’t ever forgive you. I can’t promise you that he won’t try to kill you later.”
“I don’t care.” He reached for her hand and took it in his. “All I need to know is...can you forgive me?”
Her skin warmed in his, and the sensation crept over her wrist and up to her biceps. He was doing that thing he knew she liked, when he transferred some of his power into her. It was sneaky, but she couldn’t stop the giddiness inside her stomach. It was one more thing she liked about him.
“I don’t know. Maybe in time.”
“Good.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss on the back, and then he let her go. He turned to leave.
“Where are you going?”
“Giving you that time.” He gave her one of his devilish smiles and walked out into the night, the shadows along the street swallowing him up.
The jerk, she thought. He’d done it to her on purpose.
Every night for the past week since seeing him on the street in front of the club, she’d been waiting for him to show up at her house.
She would eat dinner, watch some TV, dress for bed then sit in her dark bedroom waiting for the knock at the door or at the window. It wouldn’t have even surprised her if he slipped into the house unseen and unheard to take her by surprise.
But he hadn’t shown and she was growing more impatient and frustrated with every passing minute.
Just the way he wanted her, she suspected.
She could’ve called him on his cell phone, but she didn’t want to seem desperate. She didn’t want him to have the upper hand. She was supposed to be trying to find ways to forgive him, when in reality she’d forgiven him the second she’d seen the hanging necklace glinting in the moonlight. She would’ve welcomed him back into her arms gladly.
Tonight, she’d met Jake for some prep on a new job. He’d had information she needed. He’d also informed her that the Crimson Hall Cabal was after her and to watch her back. Once they’d met, they’d talked, had a drink, then she’d left with Jake’s warning fresh in her mind.
Jake hadn’t asked her about Ronan, but she could tell he’d wanted to. Maybe it was the angry glare she’d given him when he started to open his mouth. Or the sadness that she couldn’t stop from enveloping her when she thought no one was looking.
She’d had no real idea how truly empty her life was until Ronan had come into it and messed it all up. And now that he was gone, she felt not just empty but hollow. Like he’d taken all the good stuff with him.
She parked her newly acquired vehicle in the carport, turned it off and got out. She was tired and thought about nothing but climbing into bed and sleeping. She slipped inside and locked the door behind her. She toed off her sneakers and padded across the living room toward her bedroom with every intention of stripping off her clothes and sliding under the sheets.
But the second she stepped into her dark bedroom, she sensed something was wrong.
She unsheathed a blade from her back harness and held it out defensively. Her breathing slowed and she tilted her head to hear. A rush of movement came from her right, and she swung her arm but it was blocked. She was grabbed around the biceps and pushed up against the bedroom wall. A warm sensation stroked her skin.
She growled, “What took you so damn long?”
Ronan smiled. “I was giving you time to forgive me.”
“Yeah, well, time’s up buddy.” She dropped her knife, and wrapped her hand around his neck, pulling his mouth even closer. “Kiss me before I change my mind.”
He did. And it was good.
A rush of delicious shivers raced down her spine. Her other hand found purpose under the hem of his shirt, as she feathered her fingers over his stomach and up to the hard planes of his chest. He moaned into her mouth as she rolled one of his nipples between her fingers.
“Damn, woman, you’re killing me.”
“Get used to it,” she said as she licked along his jawline. “I plan to kill you for a long time.”
