Page 22 of Kiss of Light

He woke. For a moment he was disorientated. The room was pitch black and the motion he’d felt in his dream, the shaking, was still happening. And there was a noise that took him a moment to place.

It sounded like a car engine.

His erection faded but not the memory of the pleasurable dream he’d been having. It left him disconcerted. He glanced round, mortified that Tala may have noticed his condition while he slept, and his face came up against something plastic.

Puzzled, he touched it. It was all around him. And was that a zip in front of his nose?

Realisation blossomed. He wasn’t on a bed in a hotel anymore. He was in a plastic body bag in a car.

With a bellow of rage he tore the bag apart, claws lengthening and slashing in the blink of an eye. He sat up and saw he was on the back seat of the SUV. They were driving on a highway, headlights flashing past them.

Tala flicked a glance over her shoulder.

“Oh, hey. You’re awake. There are clothes on the floor next to you.”

“Demon,” he said very slowly and deliberately, “where the fuck are we going?”

“Ultimately, Colorado. I thought I’d make a head start. You shouldn’t have ripped up that bag though.” She sounded reproachful. “It was lightproof and everything.”

“How dare you!” His voice thundered in the close confines of the car and Tala flinched. “I trusted you and this is how you repay me? You said we would talk first!”

“I thought it would save time if we talked on the road.”

“So you kidnapped me?”

“You really do sleep like the dead, don’t you? Good job. Took me a while to get you into the bag but don’t worry, I kept my eyes closed. I promise I didn’t look.”Well, not much.

He couldn’t continue this conversation naked. Angrily, he groped around on the floor and came up with a white T-shirt and jeans.

“You want me to dress like a red-neck?” he said sarcastically.

“I want you to blend in. Designer clothes stand out a mile. You need to look more human.”

“What Ineedis to go back to New York.” He dragged the jeans over his hips, annoyed that they fit perfectly.

“Not a chance. By now every tracker will have heard about New Orleans. The stupid ones will hotfoot it over there looking for you. The less stupid ones will stay in New York waiting for you to return.”

“And the smart ones?” He pulled the T-shirt over his head.

“They’ll try to figure out where we’re heading and ambush us.”

“Reassuring.” He reached round and grabbed a handful of her hair, slamming her head back against the car seat. “So why don’t you pull over here and let me out?”

“Lemar, listen to me…”

“I said pull over.”

His snarl was low, guttural, touching some primitive part of her brain that housed her fear receptors. His fist tightened in her hair painfully. The car slewed across the lanes and she fought to control the wheel, bringing the car to a stop on the hard shoulder.

In the sudden silence, he heard her soft breaths. The beating of her heart. Hunger scratched at him.

He had never fed from a demon before. Was it a violation of his vow, if he fed from someone who wasn’t human? He pulled her head back again, knowing he was hurting her but unable to stop.

He was self aware enough to know it wasn’t just hunger driving him. He was angry. Angry with her and her complete disregard for his wishes. But also angry because he’d dreamed of her. Dreamed she’d wanted him, when she so clearly wanted nothing more than a pay-check.

If he couldn’t have her that way, then he’d damn well feed from her.

He put his lips to her neck and her scent washed over him. Her damned demon scent. Tantalising him. Tempting him. His canines slid out.

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