Page 97 of Demon Found

No. I won’t let it happen.

Fists clenched in determination I stand and suddenly come nose to chest with a sweaty bloodstained six pack. I take a step back, craning up to see Chano’s dark face and big gray eyes staring me down.

“Chica! How did you know I was here?”

My anger with him from the other night comes flooding back along with unbidden memories of him with his tongue down Belinda’s throat. “I didn’t. Not everything revolves around you, asshole.”

He grins. “Doesn’t it? I hadn’t noticed.”

“You wouldn’t. You self-centered, arrogant . . .” My anger fades to nothing as my brain chooses this precise moment to replay exactly what I did to Belinda, snatching her away from Chano . . . burning her. My shoulders sag.

“I’m sorry.” My words are meek, barely audible.

“Me too.” Chano clears his throat gruffly. His hand snakes out, and he interlaces his fingers in mine. I stare down at our joined hands, confused.

“I’m sorry, chica. I’m responsible for your outburst. I knew. I was testing my theory.”

I snatch my hand away from him, wrapping my arms around myself.

“You knew? YouknewI was a demon and you didn’t tell me?”

“What? No, not that. I thought you cared about me, even if you wouldn’t accept it. I had to see if I was right. I asked Belinda out to prove it, to me and to you.”

My mouth drops. Belinda was doing him a favor and . . . and I . . .

The big guy looks truly awkward. His gaze is fixed solidly on a stone on the ground in front of us, and he’s clenching and unclenching his fists.

“I told you before . . . I think you’re it for me. I needed to be sure you felt something. You’re my weakness in a world where I can’t afford to be weak. But if you care about me too, nothing else matters.”

He slowly lifts his eyes and peers into my face. The uncertainty in his gaze pulls at my chest.

“Say something, Lori.”

“You asshole! I . . . I nearly killed Belinda.”

He shrugs and catches my hand up again, tugging me a step closer to him. There are only centimeters between us, and the heat radiates from him.

“My fault,” he growls. “It was kinda hot though.”

“Are you fucking insane?”

“I’m a demon. We’re not angels, chica.”

My body strains toward him as my anger slips away.

“What about the allegiance? What about the balance?”

“You’re my Aeternum, dammit. I thought it even before the suppression was off you. I’m fucking sure of it now.”

My heart leaps, and I lean against him, pulse racing. I want to hear these words. I need to hear them.

“I’m not a good man, I will sacrifice the whole fucking world for you. I am not giving my Aeternum up for those assholes in our allegiance. Not . . . not if you want me.”

I bite my lip, worry tickling at the edge of my brain, but his aroma is all around me, filling my head. Making my heart beat faster and my breathing hitch. I trail my hand up his torso, resting it on his arm. I want this. I want him. The clarity of the thought surprises me. But Naeve . . . the other guys . . .

“Don’t say no. Not yet. Listen to me first. I asked mi mami.” Chano looks into my face, his brow creasing. “Mate-bonds in allegiances aren’t common. But there is a chance we can navigate it without destroying the allegiance. Dammit, Lorelei. If it was my decision alone, I’d choose you over them any day.”

Chapter Forty-nine: Lorelei

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