Jaci Burton - Taken by Sin

Michael smiled. “Not that I’m aware of. Ryder and Angelique battled one similar to this one, but it disappeared. We don’t know if it was destroyed or not.”

“So how are we going to figure out what kills them?”

Michael arched a brow. “We have a nice test subject in the lab.”

She smiled back. “We get to do battle with it?”

He leaned back in the chair, stretching out his long legs. “We’re not going to keep it around as a pet, Mandy”

She laughed. “I might have underestimated you in the beginning, Michael.”

He laced his fingers behind his head, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “Does that mean you’re starting to like me?”

“I wouldn’t go that far. I don’t like anybody.”

He cocked a brow. “I’ll get to you yet, Mandy. Just wait.”

“Famous last words. Many have tried. Most fail.”

“I’m not most.”

She snorted. “Speaking of boasting …”

“Just stating facts.”

“Maybe we should pit you against the demon. You could have an ego match, see who comes out the winner.”

“Still a smart-ass, I see.” He stood, went around to the desk, and picked up the phone, a smile still lifting the corners of his lips.

Not only did he have a wit equal to hers, he also had a really nice mouth. Full lower lip, the kind a woman could grab on to with her teeth.

Not that she would know anything about that kind of thing. Or even care. Especially about Michael. Where had that come from anyway? She didn’t think about him that way at all.

Though she just had, hadn’t she?

Gah. Where had her head gone? She shoved her hands in her lap and laced her fingers together, trying to look anywhere but at Michael, think about anything but his mouth. Her gaze ended up drifting back toward him. He was on the phone with someone about their demon, telling whoever it was everything they’d discovered.

He had full, midnight black brows that matched his hair. He needed a haircut, though she kind of liked it long and shaggy like he wore it. Lots of hair there for a woman to sift her fingers through during-

And there her mind wandered into very unfamiliar territory, setting off mental visuals that warmed her up considerably. Someone needed to turn the heat down. She shifted, turned on her side so she leaned against her hip, and laid her head against her hand, studying Michael as he turned his back to her.

He had a great ass. Narrow waist, muscular thighs, but not overly big like a lot of the guys she was used to. He was all lean muscle, really well built but not like a bodybuilder. She’d bet if she touched his body, he’d be solid.

Her gaze drifted up, and she realized he’d turned back around, was off the phone and staring at her, his expression that of bemused interest. Like he’d been checking her out the same way she’d been checking him out.

Oh, God. This was so embarrassing. Men as fellow demon hunters, fine. As her pseudo brothers, check. She had those relationships down pat. Men as … men, as sexual creatures, as potential partners … she had no clue how to handle that aspect of the male species.

“Mandy.”

His voice had gone all low and sexy. She jumped off the sofa and ran her sweaty palms down the front of her pants. “I think I’ll go check on our demon.”

She nearly ran down the hall, hoping the breeze it created would quell the heat flaming her body. As she reached the interrogation chamber, she looked at her coat, then grimaced. She probably wouldn’t even need it. The arctic temperatures inside the chamber were just what she needed to cool down her libido.

Bad time for her sex drive to decide to kick into high gear.

And with the wrong damn person. The absolutely wrong damn person.

Isabelle had found peace. A tenuous peace, anyway. Last night she’d slept in Dalton’s arms, and the dreams had stayed away. If she’d known all it was going to take to keep the demons of her nightmares away was sleeping with Dalton, she’d have done that a long time ago.

This morning was the first time she hadn’t woken in a haze, or with the remnants of her nightmares still with her. She’d woken with a gorgeous, sexy man slumbering next to her. Her body cradled against his, her butt nestled up against him, had been the most pleasant wake-up call, especially since Dalton woke up hard.

Morning sex was an amazing thing. Warm, half asleep, he’d roused her to full wakefulness by sliding inside her, stroking her breasts with one hand and her sex with the other until she cried out and arched against him in an amazing orgasm. They’d showered together afterward, had breakfast, then Dalton said he wanted to work with her out back on weapons and strength training.

All in all, it had been a damn fine day so far, even if Dalton was a bit quiet.

Men. Who could figure them out. She was happy and she wasn’t about to start questioning every little thing. They worked companionably together, Dalton teaching her some basic moves. She was lithe and learned quickly. It wasn’t like he intended to drop-kick her across the yard, so she came at him head-on, kicking like he taught her, though she couldn’t imagine coming that close to a demon, or what possible use any martial arts training would be on a demon. But Dalton explained it had more to do with honing her physical and mental reaction skills. He didn’t expect her to fight a demon one-on-one.

After they’d worked themselves into a decent sweat doing the physical stuff, they took a break, had a drink, and Dalton brought out the weapons. Lasers, sonic guns, rifles, swords-amazing things, from the ancient to the high-tech. She was riveted while he explained how everything worked.

The day wasn’t even as hot. After the storm the night before last, the heat had lifted. Of course it was still hot as blazes, but not as humid, and there was even a breeze. Every little bit helped. She felt so much lighter now. Was it the weather or something else? She decided it was the weather. After the hellacious heat they’d battled the past few days, this weather seemed like fall and it made her happy.

But really, it was probably the sex. Isabelle smiled.

“You make me nervous when you smile at the weapons.”

Her gaze lifted to his and her smile widened. “Actually I was thinking about sex.”

“Oh. In that case, keep smiling.” He winked.

She laughed and he held out one of the lasers to her. “You have to be careful with these.”

Her eyes widened. “It’s loaded?”

“Yes. And the trigger is an easy pull. It doesn’t take much to set it off. But I want you to get a feel for it because it’s heavy and bulky.”

He laid the rifle in her hands. He was right. It was heavy. She lifted it and, as Dalton showed her, she laid the butt against her shoulder and aimed for the trees at the back of the yard.

Shoot him.

She stilled, blinked, turned to Dalton. “Did you say something?”

“No.”

She shook her head.

Kill him.

She closed her eyes as a wave of dizziness swept over her, a blanket of evil wrapping itself around her. It was like darkness cloaking her, touching her, fingers caressing her hand, willing her to do something she didn’t want to do.

Pull the trigger. Kill him.

“No. I won’t.”

Dalton was right there in front of her. She wanted to scream at him to get out of the way, but her voice wouldn’t work.

He’s going to hurt you. Kill him before he can.

She refused to listen to Tase’s voice. He was behind her. She could feel him, his presence so real she felt the heat coming off him. She shook her head, the tears in her eyes blinding her. She lifted the barrel of the laser, pivoted and pulled the trigger.