Page 50 of Legacy of Temptation

“I know you work in the Spirit Management department, but I’m not clear on what you do. The Aegis doesn’t have one.” Probably because The Aegis hadn’t found a way to reliably and efficiently collect and imprison souls.

“I mostly hunt and trap demonic spirits. I perform a lot of exorcisms too.”

The Aegis had Guardians who specialized in exorcisms, but since most humans were possessed by living, physical demons, the goal was to free the human and send the demon back to Sheoul. If the entity possessing the human turned out to be a spirit, DART’s Spirit Management team was called in to handle it.

“What drew you to that job?”

She heard him shift in the chair. “I thought you were jet-lagged.” His voice was low, soothing, and teasing at the same time.

“I am.” She yawned, her body proving her words. “But I’m concerned about your qualifications.”

He chuckled, and she wished she wasn’t facing the far wall. She’d have loved to see his smile. Closing her eyes, she imagined it. Ah, he had the most kissable lips…

“I knew from birth that battling demons in some way was my destiny,” he said, and her eyes popped open. Destiny? “I guess I always figured I’d work for DART since half my friends and family do.”

“You have family at DART?”

“A cousin. Scotty. You might have met her. The rest, the friends, are pretty much family too.” He shifted again, the soft rasp of his shirt or pants against the upholstery sounding stupidly erotic. It made her wonder what sound the chair would make if she straddled him, her satiny pjs the only thing between his skin and hers.

“Okay, but why Spirit Management? What made you want to catch the spirits of dead demons?”

There was a long silence, filled only by the increasingly loud thud of her pulse in her ears. Finally, he inhaled. Exhaled. Spoke softly.

“I discovered I had a talent for it. But the story involves college and a girl, and I don’t want to talk about it.”

Disappointing, but she understood. “It’s okay. I guess I should try to get some sleep. But, Logan?”

“Yeah.”

“Will you wake me up after you catch the demon?”

“Sure. But why?”

“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I guess I just want to see if I feel any different. Thank you again. Good night.”

“Sweet dreams.”

She hadn’t had sweet dreams since the day the nightmare demon took them from her. Thanks to Logan, she now had hope, and for the first time in years, she fell asleep the moment she closed her eyes.

Logan didn’t have long to wait.

Eva had barely been asleep for an hour when he felt the telltale tingle of a spiritual presence. He rolled thedecipulaaround in his palm as he watched her breathe. His nocturnal vision was excellent, thanks to Lilith’s demon DNA. Could be Reaver’s too, he supposed. Some angels could apparently see as well in the dark as they did in the light. No doubt his grandfather was one of them.

Eva snored lightly, an adorable catch in her throat. For just a moment, he wondered what she’d do if he told her the truth about himself. Would she freak out?

Of course, she’d freak out. The question was, how much? Not that it mattered. He wasn’t giving his heart to a human ever again. Especially not one who worked for The Aegis. That was a mistake he wouldn’t make twice.

Eva’s breath hitched. Took on a new, frantic rhythm. Logan stilled. Watching. Waiting.

Out of the darkness, a blurry, transparent form took shape. A disembodied torso with long arms and claws. Floating above that was a spiked skull with a malformed jaw and a mouth full of sharp teeth.

“Damn,” he whispered. “You’re an ugly bastard.”

The thing didn’t appear to hear. It floated toward Eva, its claws outstretched. Drool dripped from its gaping mouth onto the comforter. And Logan cursed. Until the bedding was washed, anyone sleeping in this room would suffer nightmares. He’d have to take it with him when he left.

Logan bounced the soul trap in his palm and planned the perfect toss. Head shots were best to minimize having to listen to them scream.

“Head shot, it is...”

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