Page 45 of Seducing Hope (The Hope Legacy)

“Khalkaroth,” the demon grinds out. She twists the knife again, tearing through muscle, a brutal and precise move meant to maximize pain without killing someone.

“Why?” she presses.

“To kill you,” he gurgles, as blood dribbles from his lips.

“How unoriginal and anticlimactic. Why does he want me dead?”

When he doesn’t reply, she pulls the knife out of his thigh and plunges it into the other, twisting it deep. The demon screams. I smile—this woman is merciless.

“Why does he want me dead?” she demands again.

The demon flicks his gaze in my direction. “I don’t know.”

Natia glances at me, missing nothing. “You lie. Try again.”

“He wants to win. He wants it unleashed.” I study Natia’s response. The answer makes complete sense to me, but if she’s as clueless as she says, it should be a mystery to her. Her face scrunches up in genuine confusion. Tension I didn’t realize I was carrying leaves my shoulders.

“What isit?” she demands.

He spits some blood toward her, and she leans away. “The final evil.” His body starts to convulse. Natia removes the knife and slices cleanly through his throat.

She wipes it on the grass and pushes to her feet.

I assess her for injuries; her neck is red, and she’s clutching her abdomen. I assume one of them got their hands around her throat and ribs. I could strangle her myself for the danger she’s walked into.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she rasps. The damage to her throat must be worse than I thought.

“It appears you needed some assistance.” I point toward Leo and Jed.

She narrows her eyes on Leo. “You work for him?”

Leo scratches the back of his neck. “I didn’t think to mention it at the time.” Zee, Aaden, and an unfamiliar man, who I assume is the warlock, run toward us. They stand next to Natia in a line of protection. It’s an instinct she provokes in people, including me.

Jed, Leo, Nathan, Barney, Zac, and I stand opposite them—she should be intimidated. Instead, she is furious and sexy as hell. As I struggle to decide if she’s brave or stupid, she steps toward me, and the warlock grasps her arm. My power flares.

Grinding her teeth, she shakes him off. “No, Duncan, we need to know what these assholes are up to.” I’m distracted by her outfit, showing every perfect curve of her body. Her hair has come loose and cascades down her back.

This is the real Natia.

She strides toward me, her boots coming toe-to-toe with my shoes. Tipping her head back, she stares defiantly into my eyes. She’s close enough that I can feel her breath on my skin.

“I’ll ask again. What the hell are you doing here?”

Zac initiates our mental connection.

“She’s pissed.”

“Agreed.”

“Do you want me to do something?”he asks, sounding amused.

“No, I like her feistiness,”I admit.“I can’t decide if she’s brave or crazy.”

Zac tips his head to the side.“She has a lot of courage, she’s a fighter, and she has never backed down from you. She might be a little insane, though.”

I chuckle. The rest of my men initiate our mental link. I allow it.

Leo examines her like she’s something to eat.“Her ass is fucking perfect in leather.”

---