Deals With Demons (3 page)

Talia jerked awake, falling less than gracefully from the bed. On hands and knees, she scuttled backwards until she hit the wall.

Her harsh breathing filled the dark, empty room. She was alone.

“It was a dream,” she said aloud, trying to calm her racing body. “Only a harmless dream,”

Maybe thinking about Devlin had stirred up the memories of their one time together.

Talia reached up to touch the black rose on her throat, half-expecting to feel an open wound. But the skin was smooth and blood free. It may have been a freakishly realistic dream but it was a dream none the less. Devlin was not here. She was no longer nineteen. And she was not the silly woman who’d once loved him more than anything.

Talia was older now, and wiser. She’d never fall into the old trap of thinking Devlin gave a damn about her. He was a centuries-old demon, after all. Manipulating people was a hobby for him. It was her fault she’d believed the magic of her nineteenth birthday meant as much to him as it had to her.

She pushed herself to her feet before stumbling back to the bed. Devlin St. Clair was no longer her fairytale hero. If he knew what was best for him, he’d stay the hell out of her way.

15

Chapter Three

A demon lounged against her building.

Talia had spent her night tracking a rather pitiful mark trying to escape his overlord. All she wanted to do was take a long, hot bath and sleep like the dead. But instead she had to deal with the freaking demon in her path. Who did a girl have to kill to get a break around here?

With a sigh, she strode forwards. Talia was not a woman who ran from her fears. At least not anymore.

As she came closer she noticed two unusual things. The demon stood deliberately in the shadows to hide his face and, beyond the fact that he wasn’t human, Talia couldn’t sense anything else about him.

Usually she felt demons’ emotions and could predict their movements. Sometimes she learned even more, sensing ages, desires and even brief glimpses of their personalities. But with this demon she got…nothing.

She flexed her wrists as she stepped onto the same block as her visitor, making sure her daggers were easily accessible. Talia felt the weight of his gaze as she strode forwards. Did he know who she was, what she was, or was he merely hunting?

She stopped a few feet from the demon and crossed her arms.

“I would suggest you turn around and walk away before you give me a reason to kill you.”

“Some would argue you already have several reasons,” a cultured voice replied.

A voice she knew too well.

Devlin stepped forwards into the pale glow of the street lamp.

He looked the same as he always had. Tall, dark and breathtakingly beautiful. The same stunning green eyes she remembered studied her in silence, drinking in the sight of her. He wore all black, as usual, and she knew if she checked, his suit and overcoat would have designer tags. He always had loved luxury and pleasure.

Talia stood strong before him, hiding her shock behind her cool business façade. She was proud of her response, especially considering the dream she’d had the night before. The last thing she wanted was for him to see how badly his appearance spooked her.

She’d always wondered what she would do when she saw him again. Would she go for his heart with a dagger or throw herself at his feet and beg him to kiss her again? But now fantasy had become reality and she was helpless to do anything but stand frozen before him.

“Hello, Tali,” he said softly.

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped. “I’m not that child anymore.”

Something flickered in his eyes. If she hadn’t known him so well she would have sworn it was pain.

But she did know him, and she knew he’d never cared about her in any way that mattered.

“What are you doing here, Devlin?” she asked harshly.

“You challenged me to come get you,” he reminded her.

Talia snorted. “Like I thought you’d come. You have better things to do than chase after an inconsequential human.”

A frown marred his beautiful face. “You are many things, Talia,” he replied, “but inconsequential is not one of them.”

She hid her shock at his words.

“I need to speak with you,” he said abruptly. “Shall we retire to your apartment?”

“Like hell I am letting you near my home.”

“This is not a matter to be discussed in the streets.”

“Ever heard of a phone?” she snapped, unyielding.

Devlin shook his head in exasperation. “I’d forgotten how stubborn you are.”

“Not stubborn,” she corrected. “Cautious.”

He glanced at her sharply. “You cannot think I am any threat to you.”

“As I learned the hard way, I don’t know anything about you at all.”

He actually took a step towards her, anger burning in his eyes, before he stopped himself.

Talia was shocked at the display of emotion, however small. He prided himself on forever being in control.

“If I wanted to harm you,” he said through gritted teeth, “I’d have had ample opportunity before now.”

“You knew where I was?”

“I look after what is mine.”

“I’ve never been yours,” she snarled.

He opened his mouth to reply but thought twice. Instead, Devlin drew a deep breath before speaking in an even voice. “I wish to hire you, Talia. Surely you do not discuss business with a client in the streets.”

“I have an office,” she replied. “Make an appointment.”

“You would refuse to see me.”

“Damn straight.”

“You do not want to refuse me this time.”

“Give me one good reason why I would ever want to associate with you again,” she demanded.

“Because I want to hire you to track the demon who murdered your family.”

Talia jerked back in horror.

17

“Still want to discuss this in the street?”

Talia could hear the impatience in his tone. Without another word she opened the door to her building and motioned him inside. He followed her silently as they climbed the stairs. No way was she stepping into a small elevator with a demon.

“I was surprised you chose to live here,” Devlin said as he stepped into her apartment. “You always had the same taste for luxury I did.”

“Nothing about me is like you,” she denied.

Devlin flinched slightly.

Talia shrugged out of her coat and tossed it over the back of the white sofa. She motioned to the kitchen table and grabbed her notebook before she dropped into a chair.

Graceful as always, Devlin slid into the seat across from her.

For a moment she couldn’t believe this was real. Devlin was sitting in her kitchen, staring at her with his beautiful eyes. He was still the most stunning man she’d ever seen. Every cell in her body burned simply from being near him. But she knew all too well she walked a dangerous road. Devlin’s appeal was a deadly trap. It sucked you in and left you broken and bleeding.

“Tell me about the demon,” she said to turn her mind away from painful memories.

“His name is Saleel.”

The monster of her childhood finally had a name.

“How powerful is he?”

“He is almost as old as I,” Devlin replied, “and, very likely, almost as powerful.”

Talia stared at him in shock. As news went, it rarely got worse. She was tough, but at the end of the day she was still mostly human. It was impossible for her to kill something as strong as Devlin. She might hate her demon lover but never, even in her wildest fantasies of revenge, had she deceived herself into thinking she had the slightest chance of physically harming him.

In one sentence he had forever destroyed her dreams of killing the man responsible for her shattered childhood.

“Why did you come?” she demanded painfully. “Is this merely some new torment to inflict on me?”

He sucked in a sharp breath. “I would never hurt you.”

She laughed bitterly, knowing the words for the lies they were. “I can’t kill something as powerful as you. Now I will never be able to avenge my family. It would have been far kinder to let me live in ignorance.”

“You cannot fight him, it’s true,” Devlin said softly. “But I can.”

Talia looked at him sharply. “What?”

“You can sense him. You can track him. When you find him, I will kill him.”

18

A shock too deep to be hidden showed on her face. “Why?” she asked, for once the old anger gone from her voice. “If he is as strong as you say, it will be dangerous for you. He might even be able to kill you. No demon puts himself at risk in such a way. Why would you?”

A self-deprecating smile twisted his lips. “He hurt you,” he answered simply. “That is reason enough.”

It was too much. Before her sat the hero from her girlish dreams, not the monster she had hated all her adult life. She couldn’t handle the dichotomy. Talia pushed herself out of the chair, needing to put some distance between them. She paced across the room until she was as far away from him as she could get.

Was he telling the truth? Would he honestly risk his life to kill the man who had hurt her? Why?

Maybe it was restitution, she mused. But his actions didn’t fit with her image of him as a selfish demon who took what he wanted without consideration for who he hurt. Why would he wound her so badly in the past only to show up now as her saviour?

She turned back to face him from across the room. “I don’t understand why you would do this.”

A short laugh escaped him, filled with a world of pain Talia couldn’t understand. For a moment he didn’t move. He closed his eyes and turned away from her.

Talia shifted uneasily as she watched him. They were playing a game she didn’t know the rules to.

Everything he did was the opposite of what she expected.

Finally Devlin opened his eyes and looked back to her. She drew in a sharp breath. Gone was his wounded look, his air of vulnerability. Instead, the Devlin who sat before her was the one from her memories, the demon who ruled his world with an iron fist. He never did anything free and there was no mercy in his soul. Devlin pushed back his chair abruptly before striding over to her.

“I see you cannot believe I’d help you merely because you asked. So let’s try a different path. Make a deal with me,” he demanded, his tone hard.

Her body shook. “Even a child knows not to make deals with demons.”

“But you are no longer a child,” he replied, his gaze moving heatedly over her body. “Offer me a deal to win your vengeance.”

“What could I possibly offer you to make you risk your life?” she asked, honestly bewildered. She had nothing to tempt him with even if she was stupid enough to make a deal.

“Use your imagination,” he murmured, his eyes burning with unfulfilled need.

She sucked in a sharp breath. He wanted her to bargain with her body? She told herself she was disgusted even as her traitorous heart raced at the idea of being in his bed again.

“I don’t sell myself,” she snapped angrily.

“Think of it in a different way,” he replied, showing no mercy. “You need my strength. I need your passion. A mutually beneficial arrangement, is it not?” He took a step forwards, forcing her to back up until her body hit the wall behind her.

19

“Is it such a repulsive idea?” he asked her softly, his breath fanning her face. “You know you would enjoy it as much as I. This is the only deal I’ll offer you, Talia. I shall kill your monster and in return you will be mine for one night. After that you may leave my world forever. I will never seek you out again.”

“You’ll release me?” she whispered. “No more henchmen demanding I return?”

“You’ll be truly free,” he agreed.

For a price.

She looked up into the green eyes she’d seen only in dreams for six long years. Even hating him as she did, his nearness stirred up all sorts of unwanted desires. She owed it to herself to at least be honest. It would be no hardship agreeing to be his for one last night. In fact, she probably would have made a deal just to have him in her bed again.

One night. All she would ever have from him was one more night. Was she strong enough to take what he offered? If she did, she would have to be very careful to leave her emotions at the door. She’d learned the hard way nothing but pain came from loving this demon. It was a mistake she would never make again.

But if it was only sex… She admitted her body still craved his touch, even after six years.

“Okay,” she whispered before she could talk herself out of it. “I will accept your deal. Kill the demon who murdered my family and I will give you one night.”

There was no triumph in his eyes as she’d expected. If anything he looked even more miserable.

“Deal,” he agreed in an emotionless voice. “Seal it.”

Already she felt his magic staining the air around them, waiting for the deal to be completed. To seal a deal with a demon there needed to be an exchange of body fluids. The most traditional way was mingling a few drops of blood. Of course, there were other ways.

“How?” she questioned, feeling her body tingle with anticipation.

“Given the nature of our bargain, I think you know,” he replied.

Sealed with a kiss.

She wet her lips nervously. If she couldn’t even kiss him, how was she going to sleep with him?
Grow
up, Talia
, she commanded herself.
Get it over with.

Her hands shook as she raised them to cup his face. His body was cooler than hers, a fact she’d forgotten. Against her will her traitorous fingers trailed over his smooth skin, marvelling at his presence before her once more.

His hands rose to settle on her hips and she felt his touch burn through her jeans. No matter what happened in her life, she knew she would never react to another man the way she did to this one.