Page 68 of Death Wish

I commanded my raging libido to settle down.

“I’m not sure why it affected me more now,” he began, still smoothing the aloe on. He moaned in relief. Within seconds, the blisters disappeared and the redness to his skin lightened. “It could be because this new power of yours is getting stronger…”

“Or…” I pressed, noting the wavering in his voice.

“Or I’m getting more like them.”

Them meaning the Halflings.

“I was forced to use my Hellfire at Wyatt’s. Every use pushes me closer toward my demon side now.” He rubbed his forehead in worry. “We need to get the rest of the cure.”

Agreed.

“I’ve been getting this terrible pain in my head whenever I use the power, so I think I may need one of your magical guns. Do you have an extra? If things switch back for me and I become alive again, that is.”

My light was too unpredictable to be using, especially if I could hurt Cole again in the process. As much as he annoyed me, I didn’t want to blast him back to Hell.

Not yet anyway.

I might be able to use that as a threat in the future, if he got me mad enough.

He scoffed and continued lathering on the aloe. “You with a gun? I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“And why not?” Annoyance pinched at me, and my gaze dropped to his waist, where his pants rode low on his hips. My throat thickened. The silky aloe glistened across his skin in the dim light of the room, and all I pictured myself doing was running my tongue along every inch of him.

His sexiness didn’t make him any less of an asshole. I had to remember that.

“I saw you fighting back there,” he said. “A bit reckless if you ask me.”

I crossed my arms. “Just because I use my hands to fight and don’t rely on a weapon all the time doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“I didn’t say that.” He held up his hands in surrender. “It’s just an…unreliable technique, in my opinion. And not my style.”

My anger flared. “Oh, you mean shoot first, ask questions later?”

“Hey, it’s worked well for me this far.” His tone grew sharper.

“That’s why you were on my assignment list, and I found you unconscious in the alley?” I retorted. “Besides, if I recall, I saved your ass twice. Actually three times. Without me—”

He let out a quick, skeptical laugh and jumped from the bed. “That’s not what the claw marks across my chest and the burns on my shoulder say.”

“I don’t need your help, you know. I don’t need to be here.” I whirled on my heel and headed for the door, but my temper swung me back around to face him. “No wonder you’re used to working alone. Who could stand you?”

He blustered, closing the distance between us with two large strides. “You’re no fairy princess yourself.”

I had never wanted to strangle someone so badly in my life. Every part of me burned with fury, and at the same time, I couldn’t help noticing how sexy he looked with the muscles tensing across his chest and arms from anger.

Something sparked in his stare, intensifying the normally cool blue to a more vivid cobalt. Was the demon part of him coming out again, or did he normally look this intimidating and breath-takingly hot when he argued with someone?

I should be scared of this man. Who knew how close he really was to turning into one of the hellion things and dragging me into a pit?

The conflict raging inside me only heightened my frustration, but I met his gaze straight on, determined to show him that I was not the type of woman who backed down.

I pronounced every next word out of my mouth with gusto. “Go to Hell.”

The moment those three words left my mouth, he pulled me into his arms and silenced me with a kiss.

The rage died the moment Cole’s lips claimed mine, his aggression transforming the kiss into something wild and mind-blowing. It was unlike anything I had experienced before—at least that I could remember.

---