A hand with claws pushed through the broken wood, reaching for the doorknob. At the same time, a loud crash came from behind her. Heart-stopping terror shot through her. They were in the room. She began to scream as she slowly turned around.
“Shh, shh,” a voice said, from the darkness. Immediately, big hands and long fingers circled around her upper arms. He pulled her to the side of the ravaged door. The wintry air from the broken window had followed him in, mixing with the woodsy scent of his cologne. His body was warm against her back, and she sagged against him in relief when she realized he was just a man.
“The t-t-thing at the window?” she stuttered, as he quietly moved her further away from the door. Looking up, she gasped at his size. He was huge. She could smell the leather he was wearing, but she was too stressed to study him at leisure.
He shot her an incredulous look. “You can see them? What they actually are?”
She bobbed her head yes.
“It won’t be bothering you again,” he replied, looking at the door. His words reassured her as she heard the confidence in them. He was someone who knew what he was doing. He was someone who knew what they were.
In a flash, he grabbed the arm that was shoving at the dresser. With a quick twist, he broke it completely off. A scream of pain erupted from the hallway, so loud and shrill Anna had to clap her hands over her ears. The man shoved the dresser aside with one hand before he flung the door open and disappeared into the hallway.
Anna glanced back at the broken window before quickly making her way to the doorway. She didn’t want to be alone if something else decided to come in. The sounds of fighting quickly came to a stop.
She shivered, breathing as quietly as possible. No one could walk away from a battle with beings like that. She wondered if he'd died, making her responsible for yet another death. Anna silently grieved for him. If he'd died for her, he was someone who died in vain. Without him, the end was near.
She quietly crept down the hallway.
The moonlight pouring through the open curtains illuminated her savior as he glided up from the floor. It was too graceful to call it “getting up”. He stood well over six feet, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His blue eyes sparkled unnaturally in the shadows. He was powerful and looked dangerous in his black leather outfit—just like the perfect killing machine.
“Are you hurt?” he asked. His voice was husky, slightly accented. He cocked his head, almost as if listening for something. Clearly deciding the threat was eliminated, he turned on a lamp and made his way over to her.
It had all happened so fast. Anna was speechless, unable to put a voice to her thoughts. She collapsed in a seat before looking up at him in wide-eyed shock. She was still trying to take in the fact that she was alive, saved by an unlikely hero.
He knelt down beside her, his hands running along her body in a detached manner. “I asked if you were all right,” he repeated, in a brusque voice. Up close, he was even more attractive than she'd realized. His hair was dark and hung down to his shoulders, with just enough curl to accentuate his features. Being close to him was playing havoc with her nerves.
Her body felt heated everywhere his hands had skimmed. He had long fingers attached to very strong hands, something Anna found very attractive. She blushed when he noticed her perusal.
Seeing how gorgeous he was made her feel frumpier than ever. Rising, she asked in a snappish voice, “Who are you? What are you doing in my home?”
Anna was trembling, but she wasn’t sure if it was because of the fight or the man beside her. He stood back up, towering over her. She was five foot ten, and she wasn't accustomed to people being taller than she was. His height and build made her feel almost delicate.
SHAYNE WATCHED THE woman as she looked around the cabin. Then she sighed and seemed to look relieved. If he had to guess, she was checking for damages. With the exception of the bedroom, the cabin had escaped relatively unscathed.
He wasn't surprised. He was good at what he did. The last thing any endurer wanted to do was leave evidence behind. There was nothing left of the creatures he'd battled, no body parts or blood. Should anyone come investigating, the only thing they'd find were signs of a break in.
Anna looked up at him, her face pale in the moonlight when she asked, “Did he get away?”
Shayne stopped to think before answering. He hadn't had time to ask Arch any questions about his next assignment before being rudely transported into the thick of it. With Arch, though, that might have been intentional.
His eyes narrowed as he watched her closely. “You didn’t know they eventually dissolve?” he asked, confirming what he already suspected.
She gave a quick negative shake of her head.
Shayne released a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He wasn’t sure how to proceed. The unknowns were beginning to add up. Arch hadn’t told him the woman could actually see demons. As terrified as she’d been, she seemed to know it wasn’t human. He was certain she had some type of history with demons, but he didn’t know what.
This had never happened to him before. Demons always appeared human to humans when they attacked in the mortal plane. It was almost unheard of for a human to ever be able to see their true form, unless the demon chose to reveal it. Arch had put him at a disadvantage, and Shayne didn't like the feeling. Until he talked to the
