Sylvia Day - A Touch of Crimson

But that would have to wait. Lindsay needed to trust him first, then want him as much as he wanted her. When he finally had her, there would be no restraint. And he didn’t expect she would allow him any. Not as fierce as she was. When she gave herself, it would be with abandon, he suspected. This woman with the heart of a warrior and a soul radiating such pain.

He would simply have to be patient through the necessary prerequisite steps: keep her safe, make her strong, win her trust.

“You’re not eating,” she noted.

“I am, actually. Just not in the same manner as you do.”

“Oh?” Her tone was deceptively neutral. “What’s your way?”

Her grip on her lacquered chopsticks changed, became lethal. He could snap her spine with the slightest touch, yet her sense of right and wrong coupled with her need to protect others goaded her to prepare for an offensive move in a no-win scenario. He admired that fighting spirit and strength of conviction.

Adrian considered his answer carefully. It would do him no favors to have her see him as a parasite like the vampires. “I absorb energy.”

“From what? How?”

“There’s energy all around us-in the air, the water, the earth. The same energy harnessed by wind turbines and hydroelectric plants like the Hoover Dam.”

“Bet that comes in handy.”

“It’s convenient,” he agreed, returning his attention to cooking the last of the batter-coated shrimp and vegetables.

His energy levels were thrumming now, as they always did when Shadoe was near. Her proximity-the unique force of two souls in one vessel-allowed him to achieve the greatest levels of power of which he was capable. Life-force energy from souls was the primary source of seraphim sustenance and the reason why the Fallen had turned to blood drinking-they still needed life-force energy to survive, but the stripping away of their souls forced them to obtain that energy through direct means.

“So,” Lindsay began, “you hunt vampires.”

“I do.”

“But the guy in the grocery store, he was a dragon.”

“He was.”

She took a deep breath. “Are there also demons? I mean, angels and demons always seem to go hand in hand.”

He pulled the last of the tempura out of the oil with a strainer, then turned the burner off. “The dragon was a demon. There are other classifications of beings that fall under that designation.”

“Vampires?”

“There are some creatures who have fangs and drink blood that are demons. But they’re not my problem. My responsibility is other angels-fallen angels. The vampires I hunt were once like me.”

“Like you. Angels. Really.” Her lips thinned. “But aren’t demons everyone’s concern? They’re the bad guys, right?”

“My mission is sharply defined.”

“Your mission?”

“I’m a soldier, Lindsay. I have duties and orders, and I follow them. I expect those whose job it is to hunt demons feel the same way about their responsibilities. It’s not my place to intercede and I wouldn’t regardless. Frankly, I have enough on my plate.”

“But someone is taking care of them?”

“Yes.”

She stared at him a moment, then nodded slowly. “I didn’t know. If someone’s vibe is off, I’ve taken them out.”

Adrian’s grip on the counter tightened. It was a miracle she was alive today. “How do you sense this vibe? How does it feel?”

“Like I’m walking through a Halloween fun house and I know something is about to jump out at me. My stomach quivers and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. But it’s really intense. There’s no mistaking it for anything else.”

“Sounds scary. Yet you hunt the things that scare you. Why?”

Lindsay set her chin atop steepled fingers. “I don’t have aspirations of saving the world, if that’s what you’re asking. I hate killing. But I can feel the evil in these things for a reason. I can’t turn my back on that. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.”

“You feel you have a calling.”

She took a slow, deep inhalation. The silence stretched out. “Something like that.”

“Who knows that you hunt?”

“You and your guards, and whoever you tell.”

“All right. This is a no-brainer, but I have to say it anyway: you’re going to have to trust me,” he said softly. “I have no chance of helping you otherwise.”

“That’s what you intend to do? Help me?” Her shoulders went back. “Did you know about me when you saw me in the airport?”

“Did I know you could sense demons and vamps, and were actively hunting them?” he clarified, deliberately narrowing the scope of her query so he could answer honestly. “No. I saw you, I wanted you, and you made it clear there was a possibility I could have you. I acted on that.”

Lines bracketed her mouth and eyes. A muscle in her jaw twitched with tension. “And that sort of coincidence just rolls right off your back?”

“I happened to be in the same place you were at the right time. After that, we met because you sensed I was ‘different,’ right?”

“Actually, I thought you were the hottest man I’d ever seen. The vibe came later. As for right place/right time, I should have been on an earlier flight. I missed my connection.”

“And I was attacked by a vampire this morning, which resulted in the crash of my helicopter and a need to travel commercial. See?” He shrugged. “Random chaos.”

“You’re an angel. Aren’t you supposed to preach about a divine plan or something?”

“Freedom of choice, Lindsay. We all have it. Today you and I were affected by the ramifications of other people’s choices.” He held her gaze. “But you don’t really want to get into a theological discussion with me. You want to avoid talking about the events that led you to hunt. I’m not going to push you-yet-but we’re at an impasse until I know what’s going on with you.”

She stared back. “You’re so sure I have a story to tell.”

“I saw you in action. It takes years of practice to learn how to wield a blade like that. Who taught you?”

“I taught myself.”

Fierce admiration heated his blood. “What materials are you using to forge your blades? You must use at least trace amounts of silver.”

“Yes. I figured out most… things have a negative reaction to it.”

“Dragons don’t. In fact, aside from two points of weakness, they have an impenetrable hide. Your blade would’ve bounced right off of him if he’d shifted.”

Lindsay held up her left hand and showed the pad of her thumb. A straight crimson line betrayed a recent injury. “Some creatures have a negative reaction to my blood, too. I always smear a little on my blades before I toss them, just in case. The blood by itself won’t kill, but it gives my weapons a chance to get the job done. Found that out the hard way.”

Adrian’s mind spun with the implications. She was mortal, but even if she’d been a naphil like Shadoe, her blood shouldn’t have any effect on others.

She continued to eat, blissfully unaware of his confusion.

Reining in his thoughts, he said, “So you dedicated what had to be a substantial portion of your free time to learning how to kill things that frighten you. You have a strong sense of right and wrong, Lindsay, but no one who’s sane begins killing things without provocation. No matter how evil you sense someone may be, you had to have witnessed that evil firsthand to resort to lethal force. Something tipped you off, and something else keeps you motivated. Vengeance, perhaps?”

“And you want to help me get it?” Her expression was wary and assessing. “How would you do that, exactly? Why would you?”

“Why not? Our goals are the same. You’ve been lucky so far, but that won’t last. One day soon you’re going to take down a demon or vamp who has friends who’ll hunt you, or you’ll miss your target. Either way, your days are numbered.”