The Demon Within (15 page)

Determination forced her shoulders square. She needed to lay down some ground rules. The sooner he learned them, the better off the others would be. As for herself, she feared it was much too late.

Convinced her logic was sound, Caly hesitated then yanked a towel off the cupboard. No sense in being rude. Maybe if she could gain his trust, she’d be able to sneak away without him on her ass.

Pulse pounding like a teenager with a crush, she went outside to confront him. Long strides ate the distance between them all too quickly. She opened her mouth to call out.

Only to have her breath stall in her chest. Up close, he was even more impressive than she’d imagined.

A light mist of water sprayed her, but she hardly noticed the coolness on her overheated skin.

Gooseflesh covered his exposed torso. Frozen like the statue he used to be, Caly couldn’t seem to force herself to move. He stopped stock-still like he sensed her watching. He bent forward and switched off the hose, giving her a perfect view of his behind that made her mouth water.

Then he turned, catching her in the act.

They both held motionless.

She licked her lips, her eyes following a rivulet of water as it trailed into the waistband of his pants. Muscles flexed under her gaze, calling out for her touch. Strength lay in his body. Strength she’d experienced firsthand and still felt in her dreams.

An angel? Caly thought not. Not with a body like his just ripe for sinning.

She dabbed at her face only to stop dead at his smile. Following his gaze, she glanced down and blinked in surprise at her nearly exposed torso. It looked like she’d entered a wet t-shirt contest.

And from his expression, won.

Feeling hunted and wanting to be caught a little too much, Caly threw the towel at his face.

He deftly caught it mid-air, doing nothing to diminish the intensity in his eyes.

A shiver raced over her as the breeze picked up, and she crossed her arms, refusing to admit it had anything to do with him. Never one to second-guess her actions, she couldn’t understand this sudden shyness.

If she didn’t want to kill him, she wanted to kiss him.

Her focus went unerringly to the towel as he dried off, the way he dragged it over his body. No way could she form coherent words while he performed such an intimate task. He finally looped the towel around his neck, leaving his smooth chest exposed. Barely able to tear her gaze away, she dared a glance up to his eyes.

Only to find that he seemed to be just as fascinated with her. His hunger made her feel like a chicken wing at an all-you-can-eat buffet. She shouldn’t have felt relief at not being the only one affected, but she did.

“We need to talk.” Her voice came out husky and provocative rather than the stern she was aiming for.

Embarrassed, she forced her gaze from his body and stared over his shoulder. Unfortunately, her imagination worked just fine.

“This is going to be a problem.” Even as she mentally selected the next words with care, three vehicles pulled up in the yard. When she turned, headlights blinded her.

A cloud of dust shot their way, and she buried her nose in the crook of her elbow. Grit stung her eyes and peppered her skin. The swirling mess coated them in seconds. She fingered her weapons, but didn’t draw, not until she knew if they were friend or foe. None of her senses registered any danger. The darkness inside her remained peaceful in slumber.

The guardian stepped forward, his body blocking most of the debris. It didn’t help. Her white shirt would never be the same.

Annoyed and a bit relieved to have their conversation postponed, Caly dropped her arm and squinted as shadows took shape in the darkness. Then she recognized the cocky strut of the man heading in her direction.

“Henry. I should have known.” Never one to hide behind another, Caly stepped around the guardian.

“Name.” She mentally slapped herself for forgetting to ask. A huff of breath passed her lips, and she shoved all her emotions in one direction…to kindle her anger.

“What are you doing here? You made it abundantly clear you wanted nothing to do with me.” She cringed at the hurt she heard in her voice. She thought she didn’t care about being expelled from the group, but anger and sexual frustration ripped off the fresh scab of their abandonment.

And Henry was the best target for miles.

She opened her mouth then paused when she noticed the ragtag group behind him. They were beaten and bloodied. “What the hell happened?” She hurried forward to help a woman with a broken arm from the vehicle.

Henry answered in a bald statement. “The warehouse was attacked. I warned you what would happen if the group splintered, but you did it anyway.”

“Shut up, Henry.” Nancy, a petite redhead who usually worked out the legal details for the group, exited the last vehicle. “It’s Tuesday. I came in to do the paperwork and found the place destroyed. From my guess and from what they said, the base was attacked early this morning, less than an hour before sunrise.”

Caly whistled. “Risky.”

With a nod and a disgusted look, Nancy waved an arm to indicate Henry. “He and his group were celebrating a successful mission. Only they didn’t notice they were followed back.”

“How many survived?” A quick survey of the vehicles and a glance down the road told its own story. Caly cast Henry a scathing glance, furious that he could make such a rudimentary mistake. She well understood the need to celebrate after all the setbacks they’d suffered, but you do it away from base and post guards.

“This is it.” Tight lipped, Nancy clicked her tongue in disgust. “I also found this dunderhead had rigged the ballot. The group knows. It’s the reason why we’re here.” She met Caly’s gaze directly. “You won by a landslide.”

Caly’s jaw sagged. She shook her head in denial, unable to assemble enough brain matter to formulate a response.

She wanted to deny everything, didn’t want the responsibility. She wasn’t anywhere near ready like everyone seemed to think. And worst of all, if everyone knew the truth, knew her connection to the demon underworld, they’d agree with her and that’s what shattered her.

While she battled her indecision, Nancy shrugged. “We would’ve shown up sooner, but the police were asking some sticky questions and detained us most of the day. At least you couldn’t do ant worse than this knucklehead.” She sniffed at Henry before disappearing inside the house.

Henry glared at Caly. “This is all your fault. If you hadn’t dragged everyone here, we would’ve had enough defenses to repel the assault. Instead, we lost some good people because you didn’t keep your word.” He crowded closer in an attempt to intimidate her.

Her lips curled in a snarl. “I kept my word. Everyone here came of their own accord. They left the group.” Caly shook her head. “No. They left you and your lackluster leadership. I told you this would happen if you didn’t find a strategist.”

“You bitch.” Spittle flew from his mouth. Face purple, fists clenched, Henry all but shook with repressed rage. Less than a foot separated them.

Caly tensed for attack when warm hands settled on her waist, pulling her backwards. Caly stiffened and tried to jerk away, but the hold was unbreakable. With little effort, she found herself lifted clear off the ground and set aside.

“What in hells name are you doing?” It did nothing to deter him. Her guardian released her, stepped forward, still almost naked, and faced down Henry.

The action startled her, and she stilled.

She could fight her own battles. Always had.

She didn’t know how to react to having someone do it for her. Anger gave way to curiosity, and Caly watched wide-eyed as Henry backed down from the confrontation.

“Apologize.” The low rumble of the guardian’s voice made her spine tingle.

The threat must have been enough. Henry blanched. A mumbled, half-assed apology escaped as he scrambled for the front door.

She didn’t trust Henry completely, but they never left one of their own behind. Even the assholes. Then a dark suspicion worked its way into her mind. Henry wouldn’t run scared from a simple threat.

Demons often exposed their true self when enraged. Half afraid of what she’d find, Caly quickly circled to face the guardian.

Only to find the same too handsome appearance.

A cynical smile twisted his lips. “What did you expect to see? A demon?” He laughed humorlessly. “Careful little one, keep pushing and you might find more than you can handle. Don’t dig if you can’t face the truth.”

It stung that he’d so easily guessed her intent. Caly didn’t understand it. Just what type of demon was he? Determined to find out the truth once and for all, Caly tromped toward the library for the second time in as many days. She would find answers, even if it took her all night.

“You could say thank you.”

Caly rolled her eyes and picked up the pace, hounded by the warmth in his voice and the way it tugged at her. She felt his eyes watching her retreat, felt branded by his gaze. Heat moved down her body and came to rest on her ass.

It was all she could do not to turn around and confront him. The only reason she hesitated was she feared she was more interested to see if he was checking her out than to actually reprimand him over the fact.

Frustrated, she stomped up the porch steps, the wood vibrating underneath her boot heel. It didn’t make her feel any better. Desire still hummed through her body.

And there was nothing she could do about it, no visible enemy she could fight. Just how did a woman fight herself and come out a winner?

Laughter drifted on the breeze. “My name’s Ruman.”

She slammed the door behind her.

Chapter Twelve

W
ithout Oscar’s police contacts, necessity forced Caly to wait until daylight faded the next day to search the compound for any clue of the attackers.

Unfortunately, waiting gave Ruman the opportunity to tag along, which was the last thing she wanted. The greater the distance between them, the better for both. His sheer presence suffocated her objectivity. She didn’t know where he went during the day, and told herself didn’t care. The daylight hours granted her a much needed reprieve from his overbearing attitude.

Though it wasn’t much of a break. The crew asked questions about him all day. And every time she had a few moments alone, no matter how she tried to keep busy, her mind automatically gravitated to him like a damn homing pigeon.

Her hope to escape the house undetected dwindled when hushed voices rose from the foyer. As she came down the stairwell, the third step creaked under her weight, and she winced. The voices stopped. She hadn’t fixed that step as it was a perfect alarm system. Now, with so many people in the house, it was a nuisance.

The old farmhouse, chipped paint and all, was packed to the gills. No one could fart without someone else knowing.

Her steps slowed to allow herself a few seconds to compose herself before facing everyone. In a nervous gesture that was unlike her, she adjusted her weapon. Then she hit upon the reason for her unease. Her room had been searched. Everything remained in place but her things had felt off, not put away in the same, precise way she took care of her few belongings.