Page 70 of Lure of a Demon (Unearthly Sins)

Dammit! How was I supposed to talk to her if she kept screaming?

Rolling my eyes when she continued to struggle, I slapped her hard enough to knock her out for a bit. I wasn’t an asshole, so I caught her as she lost consciousness and lowered her to the ground. Lifting her purse from her shoulder and rifling through the contents, I stopped when I found her identification.

Kelly Michaels, M.E.

So she was the ex-girlfriend mentioned only in passing.

My blood boiled.

Well, that made thissomuch better.

Snarling, I moved to stand and race to Ilsa’s when I turned. Grumbling with frustration, I kneeled beside Kelly and lightly tapped her cheek. When she came to, I clasped my palm over her mouth again, sighing loudly when she immediately went to scream.

“Fuck me, woman, I told you I wasn’t going to hurt you.”

Standing, I pulled her with me, and she continued to struggle against me.

“I’m just trying to… fucking let me… oh forget it!”

Letting her go, Kelly staggered away from me with the force she had been yanking at my grip, and almost lost her footing. She stared at me for a moment, one hand on her head and the other in her pocket, no doubt fumbling with the useless mace. As she bolted, I waved her purse in the air.

“You forgot your—” But she was already around the corner. “Whatever,” I mumbled as I made my way back to Ilsa’s. I decided this time I better go to her door rather than knocking on the window.

For some reason, it seemed to bother her when I did that.

ILSA

There was a knock on the door just as I was settling back into bed. Huffing with frustration, I got out of bed for the second time that night. If I had left the city when I said I was going to, maybe I’d be sleeping soundly at this godawful hour of the morning.

A lie, but it was a nice lie. A new city wouldn’t help me forget the anger and pain swirling in my stomach every time I looked out the window. I had packed and unpacked more times over the past few weeks than I’d like to admit, and each time I was met with the same thoughts.

Where exactly would I go?

Back home? That was a fucking joke.

Every other city would be the same. A place I could afford to stay, and wanted to, would be much the same as this. Something about living in the suburbs amongst happy families didn’t sit right with me. As though the combat was part of my blood now, and even if it meant having to be on guard as I was walking down the street to get a coffee, something about that felt more like home than having a lawn and watching small children play in the street as elderly couples went on walks. I had fought so they could have that, but it doesn’t mean I had to want it for myself.

And anything resembling home was all I could cling to now because, God knows, I hadn’t found anything else in my life that gave me any sort of a sense of purpose.

In the city, at least, there were still fights raging and people who needed protection, a point that had been firmly cemented with my dealings with Ray.

Maybe this city needed me as much as I needed it.

Maybe I’d simply become the vigilante I had tried to stop in Ray.

“Kelly, I told you I’m fine,” I grumbled as I approached the door. “You don’t need to check on—”

“Hey, lover.”

Ray.

At my door.

For what fucking reason?

Slamming the door, I was met with resistance as she moved her foot in the way and held it steady with one hand. She was strong. Even shouldering the door, I had no chance of closing it.

“What do you want, Ray?”

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