Page 18 of Inflamed By an Incubus

She shook her head, trying to dislodge that thought. No. Not for her eyes. He was charming her somehow, tricking her into wanting him. She didn’t want him. So why couldn’t she pull her eyes away from him?

Why did she feel so drawn to him?

He edged around to face her, his gaze scalding her as she found herself tracing the ridge of muscle that arched over his hip with her eyes. She tried to look away, but was powerless to resist following it down to the low waist of his cotton trousers.

And lower still.

Her cheeks flushed and her temperature soared, and she dragged her gaze away from him as Archer moved a step closer to her. She glanced at him, catching the concern in his dark eyes before she looked away and touched her cheek. It was burning up. It burned even hotter as shame swept through her. What was wrong with her? She shouldn’t be looking at a non-human in the way she had been, entertaining thoughts that were dangerous and more than a little wicked.

Evelyn pulled down a breath and straightened her spine, and purged all the feelings the incubus had stirred in her, shutting down those unruly emotions and leaving herself cold and empty. Exactly how a hunter like her should be in this situation.

She risked another glance at Archer. He looked as if he wanted to say something, and she willed him not to, because she didn’t need him bringing up her reaction to the incubus in front of the male and the guards. It had been a momentary slip.

It wouldn’t happen again.

“Move it. Play nice for the lady.” Archer grabbed the incubus by his left upper arm and shoved him forwards, and then slid another worried glance at her.

“I’ll be fine.” She patted his shoulder and jerked her head towards the two guards who had been assigned to her. “Cell twenty-seven-D is our destination, lads. Keep an eye on him.”

She took the lead, aware of the incubus’s gaze on her back as he followed her along the pale corridor. Heat stirred in her veins again and she denied it this time, focused her mind and put a lid on her feelings. She glanced over her shoulder, surprised to find him walking without the guards forcing him. She couldn’t remember the last time she had brought in a non-human who was so calm and almost compliant. Most of them kicked up a fuss and did a lot more damage than a graze to those who had captured them.

Evelyn glanced back at him again and found him staring at her, his eyes swirling in that strange way an incubus’s did and the markings that tracked over his biceps and shoulders shimmering with the same gold and blue. Their eyes locked and she shivered as intense heat rolled through her, shut it down and steeled herself. Apparently, he didn’t need access to his powers in order to be charming. She was sure he was using that ability on her. He was trying to make her desire him. It wasn’t going to work.

She faced forwards again, keeping her focus on her destination and off the male.

When she took the first turn in the maze of corridors that would lead her to the cellblock, the incubus finally broke his spell of silence.

“You shouldn’t be here. It’s dangerous.”

Her spine stiffened.

“Dangerous? Are you threatening Archangel?” She looked back at him again. “I saw you in that demon realm… in that castle. You’re working for them, aren’t you?”

His dark eyebrows met hard above his swirling eyes. “No. I don’t work for demons. I don’t work for anyone.”

She scoffed. “It was definitely you I saw.”

“I was a captive of theirs too.” His voice took on a hard edge, and she had the feeling she had irritated him. Because she wouldn’t believe him? Or because she had all but accused him of working for her enemy? He didn’t give her a chance to ask, continued before she could decide which question to pick. “The reason I was in Hell and ended up in that castle is standing right in front of me.”

She tensed again and tossed him another glance, this one curious. There wasn’t a hint of a lie in his eyes as he gazed at her. His face was sinful perfection, had her lingering and her step slowing. The feel of the guards behind him looking at her had her snapping out of it and she wanted to curse the incubus for using his charms on her, attempting to weaken her.

He wasn’t going to escape her.

Although, he could have if he had wanted to.

She faced forwards as she thought about that again, mulled over all the chances he’d had to teleport away from them. Why hadn’t he taken them?

Because he had wanted the opportunity to talk to her? To feed her lies designed to sway her? Was she just a part of a plan he had? The more she thought about it, the more she felt sure this wasn’t a coincidence. She had seen him in the Fifth Realm—he had confirmed that—and now he was here and he had let her capture him. He was up to something.

She just wasn’t sure what it was.

He moved closer to her back and whispered, “I needed to stop you from dying.”

She tensed as those words rolled over her, the earnest way he spoke them rattling her. There was so much pain in his deep voice, so much need that she swore she could feel the depth of it and how badly he wanted to protect her.

Not wanting him to know he had shaken her, she looked over her shoulder at him and rolled her eyes. “You expect me to believe that?”

His expression was deadly serious as he said, “You were dead. I felt you die.”

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