Wicked Edge (3 page)

Edge narrowed his gaze on her face. Nothing in her expression hinted she was actively trying to keep him out. Strange.

“You’re…” She spoke the word on a soft exhalation of wonder and maybe a little fear.

“Not a demon.”
I’m much, much worse
. He smiled his most reassuring smile.

She didn’t look reassured. “I know that.” Her gaze dropped to the bag he held.

“I’m Edge. I help manage the Castle of Dark Dreams when I’m not bringing death and destruction to the locals.” Truer than she’d ever know.

“Oh.” She looked surprised.

“When I checked in at the registration desk, Bill told me you’d lost your luggage. We always want our guests to have a comfortable stay, so I picked up a few things you might need tonight.” He held out the bag.

“Thank you.” She smiled as she accepted his offering.

There were smiles, and then there were smiles. Edge had seen some of the best over thousands of years—sexy, innocent, calculating, and his very favorite, the you’ll–die-happy ones. Passion McBride’s smile
was
the best. It was innocence wedded to knowing, sensuality wrapped in unlimited possibilities.

He wanted everything that went with that smile. Just for a night. Because that’s how long his interest usually lasted. Besides, the few times he
had
hung around for more than a night, things had ended badly. He’d learned his lesson.

She glanced into the bag. “A nightgown, robe, slippers, and toiletries. You’re a lifesaver.”

When she looked up, her smile had warmed and some of the shock had left her eyes. But not all of it.

“I have about an hour before I do my second fantasy. I’m hungry. Bet you are too. Let’s go down to the restaurant, and I’ll buy us dinner.” He tried to look nonthreatening, a lot tougher than looking demonic.

Now would be when she’d say she was married, or that she didn’t go anywhere with men who scared her witless. Because he
was
frightening her. He could see the fear resting right beneath the shock. Interesting. Women never sensed his threat until further into a relationship. Not that a marriage or her terror meant anything to him. Nothing much had mattered to him for a very long time.

“Why?” Her question was straightforward.

He studied her before answering. No guile in her eyes. She wasn’t fishing for a compliment. Edge thought about lying, but for whatever reason told her the truth. “You interested me when I saw you watching the fantasy. There was something different about you. I like different.”

She looked horrified. “No, I’m not different. I’m just like everyone else. Do you really think I look different?”

Okay, this was weird. “Hey, if you say you’re ordinary, then you’re ordinary. I’d still like to buy you dinner.”

She seemed to relax a little. “I guess I could eat something.” She nodded. “I’m Passion. You can tell me about your job at the castle over dinner.”

He’d rather impress her with his
real
job, but he had a feeling her “ordinary” human mind would explode from that particular disclosure. He didn’t want to lose her that quickly.

A few minutes later, they were seated in the restaurant. He waited impatiently while the waitress took their orders before asking
his first question. “So what brings you to Galveston and the Castle of Dark Dreams?”

She glanced past him out the window with its view of the Gulf of Mexico. “I’ve had lots of stress in my life lately. I wanted to spend a few weeks relaxing someplace with a water view. And castles fascinate me. So this is perfect.” She offered him a quick smile before looking away again.

A lie. She really needed to work on her technique. Avoiding eye contact was a dead giveaway. He was immediately intrigued again. Why would she want to keep her real reason for being here secret? Cheating on her husband? Somehow he didn’t think so.

As though she knew what he was thinking, she looked directly at him. “My turn to ask a question. Why have you allowed darkness to take you?”

Uh–oh. Passion watched Edge’s gaze sharpen. Her question had just popped out. She was too impulsive. Thoughts became words with no waiting period between them. Not smart in a place where evil walked. She was human, and she could die.

As for the evil…Passion knew it stared across the table at her. She didn’t need any color coding to tell her that. It was there in the wicked slant of his lips and the layered secrets hidden in those amber eyes. And it fascinated her more than was safe if she ever intended to return home.

“Why would you think darkness has taken me?” He leaned forward, and a few strands of his tawny hair fell across his eye.

Impatiently, he raked them back with fingers that seemed too long and elegant to belong to a man as dangerous as she suspected he was.
All the better to wrap around your neck.
His smile mocked even the idea that he was wicked, but his eyes looked wary.

And that wasn’t good. Passion needed everyone in the castle to see her as clueless and nonthreatening. “Nothing, really. Just a feeling.
I guess seeing you as a demon affected me more than I realized.” She shrugged. “But feelings don’t mean much, do they?”

He seemed to relax. “Glad you don’t take them too seriously, because I’m a pretty laid-back and happy guy. A
good
guy.”

Right. He was also a big fat liar. She could sense the tension and need for violence surging just below the surface. What
was
he? Because he sure wasn’t human. She might be missing her usual powers, but her instincts never failed her.

Everything about him was just
more
. He wore a touch-and-you-
will
-get-burned warning any woman would recognize. The blond strands in his hair shone beneath the restaurant’s dim lighting. Thick, and looking so soft she wanted to reach out and…No, definitely wasn’t going there. Anyway, his hair almost brushed his shoulders and framed a face that hadn’t lost any of its savage beauty since she first saw it.

And his eyes shouted
other
. She sensed too many years filled with too many experiences for any human lifetime.

She would’ve gone on to catalogue the high points of his body, but the tattoo on one powerful bicep snagged her attention. The sleeve of his T–shirt revealed half of what looked like…“Is that the grim reaper on your arm?”

Edge pulled up his sleeve so she could see the whole thing. “I like the symbolism—hooded, scary guy coming to cut your life short with that crazy scythe. I know most images of him show a skull inside the hood. But I like this better. You can’t see a face, just a black hole. The unknown terrifies people. What do you think? Would you want to stare into death’s eyes?” He seemed serious.

“Not particularly.” Weird question. She’d swear he looked disappointed by her answer. Probably liked adventurous women, the ones who jumped out of planes or climbed mountains. Too bad she couldn’t tell him exactly how adventurous she was.

The waitress brought their food, saving Passion from any further
discussions of death as she concentrated on her meal. Passion loved eating anything with lots of flavor, not something she got at home. She’d eat even if she wasn’t hungry just to experience the flavors. Guess that made her a glutton. She glanced down to make sure no orange was swirling around her.

And as she ate, she puzzled over her job here. What did the Council expect from her? She wasn’t one of the avenging angels, so they didn’t want her to eliminate anyone. A relief, because the thought of destroying Edge made her…uncomfortable. So
what
? Talk him down from where he perched on his evil ledge? Didn’t think
that
was going to happen. Maybe if she—

“I don’t mean to interfere”—a woman’s voice—husky, sensual, and way too eager—“fine, so I
do
mean to interfere.”

Passion looked up.

“I’ve been watching you. This is not an eat-your-own-weight–in–mashed-potatoes contest. You make a lumberjack look like a picky eater. Put down the fork.” It was an order.

Surprised, Passion obeyed. She widened her eyes as the woman pulled out the chair next to her and sat down.

“Feel free to interrupt our meal and our
private
conversation.”

Edge sounded irritated but resigned. He knew this woman.

“Your
boring
conversation. I was listening.” The woman didn’t apologize to Edge.

“Do you know how amazing you are?” The woman’s eyes shone with wonder as she studied Passion. “You’re the perfect blank canvas. I can paint a masterpiece on you.”

Passion suspected an insult in there somewhere, but she was too busy staring at the woman to worry about it. Talk about painting a masterpiece. Passion had always wondered why lust was blue. Anything connected with sex should be a hot color. This woman was painted in every shade of sensuality anyone could imagine. Long red hair, sexy amber eyes, bloodred nails…

Wait, she had eyes the exact same shade as Edge’s eyes. An unusual color. “Are you two related?”

Edge narrowed his eyes at the exact same moment the woman widened hers. What had she said wrong?

“What makes you think we’re related?” Edge sounded indifferent to whatever she might say, but his white-knuckled grip on his glass told a different story.

“You have the same color eyes, and I’ve never seen that exact shade of amber before.”

The woman laughed. “Do you believe in coincidences?”

Passion didn’t, but she kept her mouth shut.

“Edge and I are just good friends.”

Passion glanced from one to the other. The way they avoided each other’s gazes hinted at something else. Love? Hate? She couldn’t tell. Interesting.
Disturbing.
And she didn’t have a clue why any relationship they might have should bother her.

“Oh, and I’m Sparkle Stardust. I own Live the Fantasy.” She held up her hand. “Before you ask, I chose my name. I’m just not a Susie Smith kind of person.” Her smile was friendly and open, promising that they could have all kinds of fun together.

Then why did Passion want to make a run for the door? She forced herself to stay in her seat and concentrate instead on the swirls of violet and yellow wrapped around Sparkle. Greed and pride. Strange, no sign of lust. Whatever Edge and Sparkle shared, it wasn’t sexual. At least not at this moment. The thought perked her right up.

That worried her. If she expected to fix whatever was wrong here, she had to stay emotionally detached. Only no one had explained how to turn off her feelings.

“Passion’s an unusual name.” Sparkle leaned forward. “I absolutely love it.”

Startled, Passion yanked herself back to the business at hand—to
find out what was going on in the castle and then to stop it. “My parents loved strange names.” The truth? The Council frowned on too many personal freedoms, but they did allow the angels to choose their own names. Passion had chosen one she knew would drive them crazy.

“You’re staying at the castle?” Sparkle studied her nails. “The color’s starting to chip. Damn.”

“For a few weeks.”

When Sparkle looked up from her nails, her eyes held a manic gleam. What was that about? Okay, Passion was outta here. The only person who’d given off normal vibes in this place was Bill at the registration desk. She needed to get out of the castle for a few minutes and clear her head before going back to her room to map her strategy. Once away from Edge and Sparkle, maybe she’d get her perspective back and realize she was just overreacting to everything. But she didn’t think so.

Besides, there was no real reason to stay, because she wouldn’t be getting any more information from Edge. He kept staring up at the exposed beams that crisscrossed the restaurant’s ceiling. She glanced up, trying to see what had caught his attention. But shadows hid whatever it was. Sparkle was staring too, and she didn’t look happy about what she saw.

Anger was in every line of Edge’s tense body. And all that fury seemed centered on whatever crouched in the shadows above them. Not a mouse. Something bigger, more dangerous. Okay, that was stupid. Nothing was up there. She hoped being human wasn’t making her paranoid.

“I think I’ll go for a short walk and then get to bed early. It’s been a long day.” She pushed her chair back and stood. “It was great meeting both of you.” Passion smiled as she looked at Edge. “Thanks for the meal.”

He returned her gaze. The coldness in his stare froze her smile
in place. She took a deep breath. That look wasn’t for her. She sensed it was for whatever lived in those rafters. And what could that possibly be? Her paranoia was alive and well.

Sparkle waved. “Bill told me you’d lost your luggage. I’ll have a surprise for you in the morning.”

Secret joy filled Sparkle’s eyes, and foreboding touched Passion.
Crap.
Vulgar but not a curse. She needed the real thing right now. Damn it to hell. There, that felt better.

She hurried from the restaurant, and she could feel Sparkle’s stare drilling into her back the entire way. Passion quickly crossed the hotel lobby and didn’t breathe easily until she stepped outside.

A cool November breeze revived her confidence. There wouldn’t be anything here she couldn’t handle. All she had to do was to find the emotional trigger for each troubled person and use it to convince him, her, or it that evil wasn’t the best career path.
What about the irredeemable one? What can you do with
him? She didn’t know.

Passion stared across the road separating the castle from the Gulf of Mexico. Light from the full moon gleamed on the surf rolling onto the beach. It soothed her on a soul-deep level, something her home never did.
Don’t get too attached. This isn’t forever.
And of course she didn’t want it to be.

“Angels lose their wings here, babe. I have a whole collection of them.
”

Passion’s heart pole-vaulted into her throat. Who was in her head? She spun in a complete circle. No one. She looked up. Nothing. She glanced down.

A big gray cat sat a few feet away from her, watching her from unblinking amber eyes that gleamed with feline superiority. Just a cat. Her gaze swept past the cat, searching for someone powerful enough to get into her head.