The Darkest Pleasure (19 page)

But he couldn’t have her, and he knew it. Not now. Not yet. If the woman he bedded tonight showed no signs of bloodlust…maybe. All he could do was breathe Danika in deeply—gods, that sea-storm scent drove him wild—and stalk from the room.

William was already at the front door, pacing. When he spotted Reyes, he stopped and grinned. “Where we going?”

“Club Destiny.” Before Reyes could talk himself into staying home, he strode past him, out the door and into the daylight. The air was slightly chilled, rain clouds in the muted sky. Several rays of sunlight seeped from the canopy of trees.

“Anyone going to be there?” William asked, keeping pace beside him. “It’s only midday.”

“Someone will be there.” Many someones. “Paris visits the club at all hours of the day and night, so women stay there, waiting for him.”

William rubbed his hands together. “Humans, right?”

“Yes.” He maneuvered around the thick base of a tree, careful of its limbs. One touch, and poisoned darts would be released, slamming into his chest.

“Not into human females?”

He flicked the warrior a glance. “What do you mean?”

“There was disgust in your voice just now.”

Oh, yes. He was disgusted. With himself. “I like human females. Be careful of that rock,” he added without pause. “A pit waits on the other side of it.”

They steered clear, already halfway down. Wind rustled the leaves and whistled through the stones. “Why all the traps up here?” William asked, clearly intrigued. “I mean, I noticed the trip wires, the poisoned darts and the hanging stones on my way up.”

“Hunters once came knocking.”

“Ah. Say no more. Let’s get back to the blonde.”

Reyes’s hands fisted at his sides, bereft without his blades. He felt as though unseen gazes were boring into him, spotlighting his flaws, his mistakes. Judging. Condemning. This might be the wrong decision, leaving her, but he didn’t know what else to do. He wanted her so badly, had to have her, but couldn’t until he’d proven she was safe from his demon. Which meant being with another woman.

But would she want him if he first took someone else?

“She’s feisty. I like that.”

“She is not up for discussion,” Reyes snapped.

“Ouch. Touchy subject. I see your little demon awakens when she’s mentioned. Your eyes glowed neon-red, just like Lucien’s tend to do when he looks at me.” Chuckling, unafraid, William held up his hands in surrender. “I’ll never bring your girl up again, swear.”

“You are odd,” Reyes told him. “Most would tremble at the thought of my demon. You laugh.”

“You forget. I fought Anya, and she’s fiercer than all of your demons put together.” William slung an arm around Reyes’s shoulder. “Ten minutes with me, and I can help you forget the person I’m not supposed to talk about. You’ll see.”

They strode in silence for several minutes and soon hit the bottom of the hill. The sensation of being watched increased, and Reyes studied the surrounding area, gaze cutting through the shadows. Nothing seemed out of place, no one lurked nearby, but he didn’t relax his guard.

“Let’s get this over with,” he said, and moved forward.

“Y
OUR REPORT
,
Stefano?”

“Gladly. I spoke with the girl. She mentioned another demon. Hope. Said this one’s the Lords’ enemy. Clearly they lied to her. Hope is not evil. Besides, we’ve seen and heard nothing of him. As for movement, at fifteen hundred hours, the one called Reyes left the fortress with a warrior we haven’t yet been able to identify. The girl just left the premises, as well.”

“Was she bound?”

Dean Stefano sat at his desk and held a phone to his ear, sweat pouring from him. After talking with Danika, he’d spent a little time in front of the punching bag, hammering away. Then a call had come in from a trusted source, one who had relayed unexpected news. News that could destroy everything he’d worked for these past ten years.

Then he’d had to make a call of his own.
This
call. His heart would not stop pounding.

“No,” he said. “She didn’t appear subdued in any way. She was with the female demon Cameo and seemed willing to follow her. I’d say she acted of her own accord. Might even be working with the demons now.” It would be a shame if that were true; he’d had high hopes for young Danika.

His boss remained silent for several seconds. They had worked together for a decade now, and he knew Galen to be single-minded in his pursuit of a life without Lords. Fierce, ruthless in his quest. Righteous.

That’s as it should be.
Galen was an angel, sent from the heavens. A living, breathing angel who flew through the skies on the wings of glory. Stefano hadn’t believed him, not at first. Then he’d seen the wings.
Then
he’d looked deep into the man’s eyes—eyes as fathomless as the sky, eyes that offered hope in a world of despair. Stefano had grabbed on to that hope for all he was worth.

Galen had assured Stefano that when the demons were gone, the world would become a peaceful place. Pain and misery, pestilence and disease would be things of the past, a distant memory. Ten years he’d been fighting this battle, and he’d never regretted it. His wife would be avenged, and never again would a happy couple be hurt as they’d been.

“Keep a close eye on them. Do not trust the girl and do not let them take her anywhere. If they try to move her, kill her.”

“You can count on me.” In war, there were always casualties. “There’s something else.” He gulped. “The girl…she’s not simply a human. My source claims she’s some type of living weapon. Supernatural, like the demons. What she is exactly, he didn’t know. But if she
is
working with the Lords and if she
does
have special powers…”

There was a pause. “Why did you let her go then? Not only let her go, but gift wrap her and deliver her to the enemy?”

Because you told me to,
he thought, but didn’t say it. They had the same objective, and discord would only distract them. “My apologies. How shall I proceed?”

“Retrieve her. And if you can’t—kill her. Better she dies than helps them.”

D
ANIKA GAZED AROUND
the nightclub. A silver strobe hung from the ceiling and tossed glistening pinpricks of light in every direction. They gleamed like stars in a black velvet sky, made for wishing and dreaming.

Hungarian rock blasted from the speakers. People danced,
their bodies undulating together in a heady rhythm. Hands roved, caressing, kneading…seeking. The scent of sex practically coated the air. Waitresses hustled drinks from the bar to tables, then raced back to grab a few more.

Where was Reyes?

On the dance floor? Grinding his erection into another woman? Asking that other woman to scratch him, bite him,
hurt
him?

Danika’s hands curled into fists. She’d finished the preliminary sketches on two paintings and had even added a little color. One, she’d hidden. It was for her eyes alone. The other she’d propped in the studio before going in search of Reyes, knowing he would want to see it. She hadn’t found him. Instead, she’d found Cameo, the beautiful woman who made her want to pluck out her eyes and jam sticks into her ears.

Cameo had escorted her here and now stood at her side. “Look. I probably shouldn’t have brought you here, or let you leave the fortress at all. Try to run, and you won’t like me when I catch you. But I’m a sucker for romance, so here we are. See him?”

“I won’t run.” The emotional pain caused by the woman’s voice was almost too much, and she nearly covered her ears to block it. “And no, I don’t see him.”

“When you do, just remember he is a warrior with a tortured past you cannot even imagine. If you want him, you’ll have to fight him.”

Maybe it was their topic, but the more Cameo spoke, the more the sensation of misery eased. “Don’t you mean
for
him? Fight for him?”

“Oh, no. You’ll have to fight him. He won’t surrender to his feelings easily. Good luck. Remember, no running or you’ll regret it.” With that, the female warrior disappeared into the shadows, leaving Danika alone in the doorway.

Well, as alone as a woman could be when surrounded by people. Were any Hunters among them? The suspicion chilled her. What if they
were
here? Stefano had told her several of his
men would be in the area. What if they saw her? Tried to talk to her? Sweet Jesus. She and Stefano hadn’t covered what to do in this type of situation because neither of them had thought she would be leaving the fortress. Despite the ice in her blood, sweat instantly beaded over her skin.

Where the hell was Reyes?

As she barreled her way through the crowd, her gaze scanned every face. No one familiar jumped out at her. By the time she reached the bar, she didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified.

“What’ll it be?” the bartender asked in Hungarian.

She’d spent a month studying the language before she and her family had first flown here, so she knew enough to get by. “Coke,” she replied, not wanting to risk alcohol. Though numbness would have been welcome, all of her wits were needed.

A few seconds later, the drink was sliding toward her. She slid one of the multicolored bills Cameo had reluctantly given her to the man and faced the dance floor again. Again, no Reyes. Shaking now, she moved forward, trying not to slosh her drink over the rim of the glass.

A man latched on to her free arm, grinning and pulling her closer. Scowling, she ripped herself free. Her expression must have been murderous because he paled and held up both hands in surrender.

She sipped the soda and moved forward, gaze continuing to search, blood pressure rising. There was a wall of windows at the far end of the club, elevated to overlook the floor. Another room? Probably. Probably VIP, too, with a guard at the door. Yep, she saw two seconds later. There was indeed a guard.

You’re smart. Sometimes. You can find a way inside.

Determined, she raised her chin and marched. The tall, muscled man standing in front of a staircase frowned over at her, and that frown deepened the closer she came. He crossed his arms over his middle.

“I’m looking for Reyes,” she said, first in English, then in fumbling Hungarian.

His brown eyes gave no flicker of recognition either time. “Back off, lady. It’s a private room.” English. At least he was polite enough to be rude to her in a language she could understand.

She persevered. “If you’ll just tell him—”

“Back off, or I’ll have you thrown out.”

“I have information he needs, and he’ll be—”

The guard reached out, intending to shove her. But strong fingers wrapped around his wrist, squeezing, and he howled.

“No touching the girl.” A large figure stepped from the shadows. “What are you doing here?” that figure growled, releasing the man.

Danika’s eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. Her heart instantly sped into a frantic tango, mimicking the dancers behind her. Reyes towered in front of her, cut and bleeding. Blood was dried and splattered on his neck. His black shirt was ripped, gaping around his navel and revealing a small patch of tanned skin.

“I asked you a question, Danika.”

He’d been with a woman. The knowledge was like being hit in the chest by a dozen arrows, all laced with poison. She thought of the last time she’d slept with a man. Sadly, she had to go back years. Even more sad, it hadn’t been that good. Something had been missing. Reyes’s kiss had promised that something. Or so she’d thought. The urge to slam her palm into his nose, shoving cartilage into brain, filled her, but she managed to stop herself in time. He’d like it.

And there’d be no more pleasure for Reyes. Not from her.

“I just came to tell you that your enemy could be here, watching you. I didn’t realize you’d be doing a little hunting of your own.” She placed her drink on the nearest table, spun and stalked away. Where she was going, she didn’t know.
I will not cry.

Now strong fingers curled around her shoulder, halting her getaway.

This time, she couldn’t stop herself. She swung around and planted her fist straight into his eye. His head whipped to the side.

When he righted himself, she saw that his nostrils were flared with…desire? Oh, yes. It was in his eyes, too, his pupils dilated and consumed the brown irises. He reached for her.

“Don’t touch me,” she shouted over the music, jolting back.

His arm fell to his side. “Hit me like that again and you’ll regret it.”

“You plan to hit me back?”

“No, but I will be all over you, unable to keep my lips off you.”

“Oh, yeah,” a male voice called from above them. “Fight it out, baby. Fight it out.”

Her gaze lifted. A gorgeous man had opened the windows in the VIP room and now hung halfway out of one. There were two women beside him, caressing his bare shoulders and back, licking and nipping at him.

Was that what had been happening to Reyes before she’d arrived? She saw red. He, at least, still had his shirt on.

“Bring her up here, my man,” the stranger commanded with a grin. “Let her join the party.”

“Shut up, William,” Reyes growled. “You are not helping.”

While she’d been aiding him and his cause with her painting, Reyes had been scoring babes and making friends. How sweet.

“Come on. Bring the blonde. There’s plenty of room, and I’ll be bored without you.”

“I don’t want her up there.”

Because she’d spoil his good time. No reason to say it out loud. Danika had heard enough. She had a good ten feet between them in less than a blink. If only she could stop her trembling.
Why do I care who he’s been with? He’s a demon. They’re evil.
Sometimes.
And I’m working for their mortal enemies.
Kind of.

Someone backed into her path, laughing at something some
one else said, and she shouldered her way past him, uttering a quick, “Sorry.”

“Hey,” he shouted. Whatever he thought to say next died on his lips as Reyes caught up with her and punted the man out of the way.

His arm banded around her waist in an iron lock. She glared up at him but didn’t struggle. There was no reason to. Physically, he was stronger than she was.
Where’s your training?
He led her through the crowd. People gasped as he approached and jumped out of his way. If they weren’t fast enough, they were sent flying to the ground. None of them demanded an apology or even seemed to mind, she noticed. Some actually
smiled
when they touched him, as if he were a god, their savior.

“I know Hunters were watching,” he said. “In turn, Torin was watching them and called me when there was a problem. He’ll call me if there’s another. How did you know they were here? Did you see your captor?”

Were,
he’d said.
Another problem.
“What happened?”

“We’ll discuss that later.”

“I’m not going back to the fortress with you,” she told him, ignoring his question.

“No, you’re not.”

So…what? Where was he taking her? Was he getting rid of her? Kicking her out? “You’re a bastard, you know that? But fine. Whatever! Throw me out on the streets. I don’t care. I’m leaving tomorrow, anyway, and the journey will be much easier without you.”

They reached the side wall, three doors greeting them. Two were marked bathroom—one a man’s, one a woman’s—and one said
Keep Out
in big red letters. Reyes didn’t slow as he shouldered that door open, shattering the lock and ushering her inside.

There was a desk, several chairs, filing cabinets and a computer. Oh, and four men. All four jumped to their feet, gaping at Reyes.

“Out,” he barked.

There was a slight hesitation, but they didn’t protest. Once they gathered their wits, they nodded and raced out of the office as if their feet were on fire.

Danika stalked to the desk and whirled. “How dare you!”

His eyes narrowed, homing in on her. “How dare I what? Claim this room? The club was destroyed by Hunters nearly two months ago, and I rebuilt it in three days. Believe me, they are happy to let me use anything I want.”

Even the female patrons? she almost shouted, barely managing to contain the words. “No, how dare you force me in here? I’m done with you!” And what did he mean, Hunters had destroyed it? She remembered the aftermath of the explosion, but hadn’t realized Hunters were responsible.

He closed what little distance there was between them. His warm breath trekked over her face, and she tried to hold her own breath. She really did. But that lasted only a minute before she was sucking in his scent, her lungs desperate.

“No, you aren’t,” he said softly, menacingly.

Though she wanted to tear her gaze from his harsh and beautifully angry face, she didn’t look away.
I’m strong now. I do not back down. Ever.

“Are you angry because I left without you?”

“Please.” She raised her chin, squared her shoulders, just like she’d learned in one of her classes. Sometimes appearing confident was enough to send your opponent running. “I’m not angry.”

“Liar,” he lashed out. His top lashes intertwined with the bottom, blocking even a minute view of his pupils. “Why? Tell me.”

“Go to hell.”