Defying Instinct (Demon Instinct Series) (4 page)

There
didn’t seem to be any blood on me now.  Though I felt somewhat disoriented, I
didn’t think I was hurt.

“I’m
fine,” I finally replied.

Grayson’s
two Hammers casually climbed into the hole in the van wall as if it were
something they did every day.  The one with dark hair yanked Benn from my
arms.  I began to protest, but was thrown over the blonde Hammer demon’s broad
shoulder in one, swift motion.  The surprise shut down my defenses.  I couldn’t
function enough to even consider trying to fight my way free.

All
I could think was my rear end was right next to a Hammer’s face.  His hand that
could tear a grown man’s head off his neck was wrapped around the back of my
left knee.  My view of his well-muscled back clothed in a tight fitting, baby
blue sweater wasn’t the worst I’d ever had.  I could even feel the sweater’s
material.  Cashmere caressed my hands, the only part of my body that was
touching his without my clothing getting in the way. 

As
he trudged, I felt his muscles flex with every move.  I let my hands slide down,
indulging in the soft feel of the cashmere countered with the flexing, hard
muscle underneath.

I
blinked.  Confused by my own actions, I snapped my hands away.

The
next instant, he flung me to my feet, pushing me headfirst into the back of a
car.

Stunned
from being manhandled, it took a few moments to understand where I was.  The
car he’d stuffed me into was a very luxurious, very long limousine. 

I’d
never been in one before.

Benn
was placed beside me seconds later.  His body, wilted and pathetic, slumped across
the leather seats.  He’d been unconscious for maybe five minutes.  Shouldn’t he
have woken up by now?

After
two of the three demons were in the long car on the far end from where Benn and
I sat, we started to move.  Neither male even feigned interest in looking at
me.

“Was
that necessary?” Grayson said to his blonde Hammer friend, but there was poorly
masked amusement in his tone.

“I’ve
never seen a female so uninterested in you, Gray.  It’s refreshing.”  The
blonde Hammer’s voice was deep and smoky.  Though his head was turned and I
couldn’t see his face from the far end of the limo, I could hear the smile in
his words.

The
Tempter grunted, turned his head to stare out the window.

“Maybe
it’s because she’s so very unattractive,” the blonde demon said, but there was
no cruelty to the statement, which was surprising.

They
didn’t seem to realize I could hear them.  My hearing was only slightly above a
normal human level, but I heard every word from the back row of the limo.

“Rowan,
my friend,” Grayson finally said, his voice like a roaring fire and a silk
covered bed.  “I’ll put money on you regretting that statement within the next
few days.”

He
knew.  Grayson the Tempter demon knew about my glamour. 

Or
was I jumping to conclusions?  Was he just messing with his friend?

He
whispered something I couldn’t make out.  But I read one word on his lips that
explained it all.  Why he was here.  Why he had come for me.  Why he didn’t
look at me like I was a troll.

Mother.

Why
hadn’t I considered it before?  These three demons worked for my mother.  She
must have told Grayson how to find me.  She must have filled him in.

The
blonde Hammer, Rowan, said nothing more.

“Grayson,”
I said, confident my voice sounded even and sure just as before.  The humans
saw my inappropriate calm as inhuman, but these demons surely would see it as
strength.  “Let my friend go.  He isn’t part of this.”

The
Tempter’s expression didn’t change.  His eyes locked on me for several seconds
before a wisp of silver danced around his irises.  Rowan nodded.

It
took them less than a minute to pull the limo over, unload a still unconscious
Benn onto a bus stop bench and get onto the road again.

I
was speechless.

A
second later, I was fuming.

“What
are you doing?  You can’t leave him out there unconscious in the middle of—”

Grayson
put up his hand and I was so puzzled by it, I bit my tongue snapping my mouth
shut.

“I
was holding your human male unconscious.  The moment we pulled away, he awoke
with the urge to go inform your father of your whereabouts.”

I
opened my mouth, then closed it.  Opened it again, then closed it again.  I
didn’t know what to say.  Thank you?  No, I couldn’t thank this demon.  I
didn’t know him and he was holding me hostage in the back of a limousine. 

So I
kept my mouth shut the entire drive.  Even as we pulled into an abandoned
warehouse.  As Rowan dragged me from the back of the limo, threw me once again
over his well-muscled shoulder, then locked me in a dark room, he didn’t once
look me in the face.

Guess
I couldn’t blame him.

When
I was younger, I obsessed over how my dad met my Razer mother, let alone ended
up sleeping with and conceiving a child with her.  Any mother who would do
something like she did to her own offspring couldn’t have been a good person.

I used
to think I’d never do that to a child of mine. 

But
there were no quarter-castes, other percentages of demon and human hybrids
other than half.  Though some demon castes could procreate with humans, demons
couldn’t have offspring with demons outside of their caste. 

And half-castes,
no matter which caste, couldn’t reproduce.  We were all infertile.

It made
a preadolescent me kind of sad, knowing I’d never even have the possibility to
have a child, to be the mother my mother never was.  It seemed wrong to lose
that choice so completely to a kid who didn’t know she’d never develop those
kinds of feelings. 

Yet,
even now, I thought if I had started out with any purity, any innocence in me,
finding out I was born incomplete would have terminated any virtue I may have had.

Locked
in a warehouse with three very male demons, for some reason, was making me
think about those long forgotten, sad things.

Which
was strange.  I had nothing to offer a male.  It wasn’t like they could use me
for anything.

Maybe
it was just feeling trapped, and so out of control.  I couldn’t fight them. 
Would they listen to a half-caste nobody if I tried to reason with them?  I was
good at that sort of thing.  Not caring what people thought of me and being
blunt were qualities I possessed. 

There
had to be a way out of here.

A
few minutes later, which I spent planning my defense, the lock
snicked
and
the door opened.

The
moment I saw him, whatever defense I might have come up with disintegrated.

The
average-looking, unaffecting, grey-eyed image of what I thought was Grayson’s usual
glamour was gone.  It wasn’t that he looked all that different, but he did in
indescribable ways.  It was as if this other glamour was a bigger, better
version of the first. 

Where
his average glamour was believable in looks, height, and lean muscle, this Holy
Crap glamour was a little too tall, a little too well muscled, and far far too
beautiful.  Those slightly dull, grey eyes sparkled now with crystal clear
light blue, they looked like cut diamonds.  His irritating grin was now a smile
so bright I was instantly convinced it was created to unfailingly destroy female’s
rational brains and replace them with malleable marshmallow fluff.  

My
heart fluttered, and for the first time in a long time, it was my human half
that was feeling something stronger than my demon half.

“Don’t
be frightened of me, Savannah.”  His voice was sexier too, all silky and low,
the beat of his words vibrating inside my stomach.

I
opened my mouth, willing my vocal cords to come to my rescue because it quickly
became clear my advanced mental functions were no longer operating.

“Come
to me,” his smooth, will-power obliterating voice called, and I obeyed.

As
he rose his hand to touch my face, his diamond blue eyes flashed to pure silver,
iris, pupil, and sclera black-out metallic.

With
a jolt, I snapped out of my stupor as quickly as I was plunged into it.  I
wasn’t sure how, but I was grateful when his hand stilled in midair just in
time, saving me from his touch.

“Knock
it off.”  I balled up a fist, knowing perfectly well I could do nothing against
him.  “Or I’ll stop playing nice.”

I
backed up my words with a solid slap to his hand next to my face, rewarding me
with a pleasant crack of sound.  It probably didn’t even compute for his brain
as a strike, but it made me feel better, even if the brief contact made me
uncomfortable.

Grayson’s
devastating lips twitched but his eyes remained completely metallic.  “This has
been you playing nice?”

I
huffed quietly.  “I’m not laughing at you, so there’s that.”

“What
about me could you possibly have to laugh at?” he asked, looking down at
himself.  Maybe I didn’t know the truth about glamour, but I was starting to
think of it as a lie.  I was beginning to realize how much I resented that lie.

“You
could be vainer if you stood in front of the mirror when you say that.”

Unrepentant
in his conceit, the Tempter said, “There is nothing wrong with my form.”

Well,
no kidding. 

Grayson’s
silver eyes narrowed defensively, and I wondered if he wasn’t taking my
estimation of his looks seriously until now.

“Exactly
the problem.  This form you choose is so ridiculously perfect, looking at you
for any length of time makes my retinas sizzle.”

The
demon blinked the silver black-out eyes away into the diamond blue again, and I
recognized his expression.  It was one I got a lot.  He couldn’t figure out how
I could be so nonchalant.  I’d just told him he was hotter than the sun with a
shrug and a flat, somewhat annoyed expression.  He didn’t understand that thinking
he was attractive meant nothing to me.

Maybe
he’d understand the other reason he was getting on my nerves.

“And
I look like a mad scientist’s experiment gone wrong.  You even hinting at
charming me is beyond laughable.”  I took a deep breath, wondering where this
newfound willingness to chat was coming from. 

Don’t
insult my intelligence,
I telepathed.

A
blast of strangely potent shock struck his devastating face.  In an instant,
right before my eyes, the Tempter went from mildly annoyed, to oddly bashful,
to the average-looking human form I’d first seen on him. 

Unaffecting,
granite eyes stared at me.  There was nothing wrong with his average form.  He
was still better looking than probably ninety-nine percent of the human
population.  But somehow he wasn’t so completely, looking-into-the-sun perfect
anymore.  I felt significantly better being trapped in a room with him.

“Now
that that’s done,” I said, stepping to the side, positioning myself out of his
arm’s reach.  “Why am I here?”

Grayson’s
dulled, grey eyes squinted, and I could feel his appraisal, as if this were the
first time he’d looked at me.  But it wasn’t my looks he was assessing, at
least, not by his expression.  Instead of repulsion, he seemed…confused.

“Iliana
has taken over the Underrealm as Royal,” Grayson announced.  “Her only
daughter, half-caste Savannah Cole is now sole Scion.”

“Huh,”
I said, deliberately crossing my arms as a barrier between us.  “So the humans
weren’t lying.  That’s a surprise.”

“The
humans who took you just now?”

“Did
you kill them?” I asked, unsure how I felt no matter his answer.  I wasn’t sure
I valued every human and demon life, but someone dying because of me felt…unexpectedly
wrong. 

“They
live,” Grayson replied after a minute, as if allowing me time to figure out my
opinion on the subject.  “For now.  How could they have known already?”

“Can’t
say they shared their source.  Why?  When did Iliana,” my birth mother’s name
felt heavy on my lips, “take over?”

“Three
hundred and three of your human days past,” Grayson said absently.  He stared
into space, calculation in his expression. 

“Then
why is this happening now and not last year?”

My
question didn’t bring Grayson out of his trance, but he answered anyway, in an
even more absent tone.  “Many who supported her coup believed she had borne no
children.  By demon law, any offspring before becoming Royal are automatically Scion
without question or ability to appeal to the contrary, without training,
without conditioning, without knowing their nature.  Part of the package, as they
say.  Females…”

Everything
drenched in silver.

When
I shook it off, I couldn’t figure out what we’d been talking about.  He’d told
me something about females, but the memory was gone, and most of everything
else he’d said was hazy. 

Convinced
he’d just done something to me, but positive he wouldn’t answer if I asked what
it was, I focused on what I did remember.  What was the last thing Grayson said
that wasn’t hazy? 

He’d
said, “three hundred and three days past.” 

Thinking
about Iliana becoming Royal less than a year ago, something clicked, and I
understood a fact that struck me as absolutely true even though it was absolutely
crazy.

“
I’m
the reason demons came to St. Louis?”

He
smiled, seemingly satisfied by something and also amused by my transparent
gawk. “Iliana moved headquarters from the west coast the day her Royalship was
accepted.”

I
blinked, consciously pulling myself together.  “Do demons vote?”

“We
accept, or we deny.”

The
finality of his words told me a lot.  If Iliana’s Royalship were denied by
demonkind, they would have killed her.  Not killing her meant they approved of
her leadership.  Brutal.

“You
say those Division humans spoke of Iliana as Royal?”

They
had been Division?  I didn’t know much about the
Division of Human-Demon
Relations
, the human-run branch of the military that tracked, measured,
tried, and judged demons.  Some said they were demons themselves in disguise, here
to make humans think demon dealings were being regulated, that their actions
were subjected to a human system of justice.  Some said the opposite, that they
were a human government sanctioned demon hate group.  Now that I met Holly and
Jake, I was prone to agree with the second opinion.

“They
acted like it just happened.”

“And
they knew you were her offspring.  I wonder…” he trailed off, and began humming
an indiscernible tune deep in his throat.  It gave me the urge to punch him and
lap my tongue lazily along his jugular at the same time.  And he wasn’t even
trying.  Wasn’t even conscious of it.  I shuddered to think what he was capable
of.

“If
demons didn’t even know about me, then how did Division?”

“Spies,
I suppose.”

“Shouldn’t
you have a more…dramatic reaction to accusing one of your fellow advisors of
being a spy?”

The
Tempter grinned, all male pride and vanity.  “So you do know who I am.”

I’d
done a better job hiding my thoughts than I’d realized.  Ever since Grayson sauntered
into the room, a voice that sounded strangely like Benn freaking out in the
back of my mind wouldn’t let me forget for a second who the Tempter was.

“Why
do you suspect an advisor?” Grayson’s grey eyes narrowed.

I
human-like shrugged, and it amused Grayson further.  “I thought only advisors
got to be in the know with the Royal while having the autonomy to live away
from the Underrealm.”

“Autonomy. 
Yes,” he grinned again, only this time, it didn’t look natural.  “You know more
about us than I expected.  Yes, advisors are the only demons to live above
while privy to Royal decisions.”

“If
Nikolai and Noah…“  I realized I hadn’t considered what happened to the old
Royals when the new one took over.  “Are they dead?”

“Nikolai
is.  Noah lives.  For now.”

That
was the second time he’d made that threat, as if he had the right and the
ability to destroy anyone if he wanted.  Looking at those inhuman, grey eyes, I
didn’t put it past him.

“What
happened to their advisors when Iliana took over? 
You
survived.”

Grayson
smiled, and the dullness in his eyes started to swirl, as if the Tempter didn’t
have complete power over the glamour that made him look more human.  Maybe he
didn’t.

“Iliana
kept all but one of Nikolai’s advisors.  Nikolai’s Sorcerer—”

“Kristoff,”
I offered pointlessly, allowing my arms to fall to my sides.

Grayson
nodded, looking more amused than ever. 
So
glad I entertained him.

“Kristoff
was replaced with a younger, far less powerful Devil named Octavia.  The young
immortal is only about a century old, but loyal to your mother.  Myself,
Stratton, Greta, and Apollo remain.  Also Matteo, your mother’s Razer, who has
been her lover for—”

“I
appreciate you telling me all this,” I cut him off, my words clipped.  “But you
can imagine how much I don’t need to know about Iliana’s sex life.”

Grayson
cleared his throat, and for a moment, I heard male laughter from the other side
of the door.

“If
they can hear us, why the locked door?  An attempt to frighten me?”

“Are
you frightened, Savannah?” Grayson asked, his words saying things to me far
beyond their simple meaning.  Was he baiting me?  Teasing me?  It was like he
knew I felt nothing, no fear, no attraction for him.

“I’d
like to know what’s going on,” I said, satisfied by the evenness in my words. 

“You
need to be protected.”