What a Demon Wants (8 page)

“Really?”

God, he hated that question. And more than that question, Jude hated the reaction that followed. Ellina was fascinated and shocked like he was a freak on display in a traveling circus.

“How’d you become both vampire and werewolf?”

And even more than the reaction, he hated the inevitable flurry of more questions that followed that.

“It was a bit of an accident.”

That was his standard response. And an utter lie. He’d planned to become what he was. He’d sought to become a freak. No, he’d wanted to be an unstoppable killing machine.

Freak was just an unavoidable derivative of that.

“So how can you be out in the sunlight? Does the werewolf side somehow offset the vampire side?”

At least she hadn’t gone to that horrible question yet. The why question. He wouldn’t answer that one. He wasn’t going to tell this woman—or anyone—what a selfish ass he’d been.

“Yes,” he answered. “Although sunlight does bother my eyes, and I will burn badly if not protected.”

“And clearly”—she glanced at his plate—“you don’t have to live solely on blood.”

He’d almost finished his mound of food, and he’d probably get another helping.

“Yeah, I’ve got the werewolf appetite, although I do like my steak very, very rare.”

She smiled, but he could see her mind was still going, and more questions would follow, of course.

“And what about full moons?”

“I don’t get claws and fangs and pointy ears, if that’s what you mean.”

“So you get nothing from your werewolf side? Aside from the eating habits?”

He hesitated. Damn, he felt dumb admitting this, but he knew she’d keep pressuring if he didn’t give her something, and he wasn’t telling her about some of the other side effects. One in particular, she’d never know about.

“My hair gets longer.”

She blinked, then laughed. “Your hair gets longer? Just on your head? Or all over?”

He gritted his teeth. This was way too much sharing for him. “Mostly just on my head.”

She laughed again, clearly pleased with this new side of him. “Hmm, are we close to a full moon now? Does that explain the shaggy hair?”

“Yes.” They were less than a week away. He was always aware of the phases of the moon. Since meeting Ellina, he was very aware.

She giggled again.

“I’m glad you find my oddities so amusing,” Jude muttered roughly.

“They are fascinating.”

“Is that so? And what about your oddities?” he asked, wanting her line of questioning of him. “What sort of quirks does a half human/half demon have?”

Her smile faded.

“None that are interesting.”

She busied herself with her meal, fastidiously loading up her fork. Then she dropped the fork on her plate and rose.

“You know, I think I’ll go give Maksim a call and check on Jo. Dinner was delicious.

Thank you.”

She hurried out of the room before Jude could even respond.

He filled his fork and took another bite of his food, watching the empty doorway. It seemed that both he and his client had some interesting traits of their preternatural nature.

Traits that neither wanted to talk about.

He definitely found that interesting. Very interesting.

Chapter 8

Well, that would teach her to keep her damned nosiness to herself. Ellina should have guessed that they’d get back around to her and her demon side. Her bizarre, embarrassing demon side.

She should just learn to keep her mouth shut. She’d get into a lot less trouble that way.

Hastening her steps, she placed her dirty dishes in the sink and headed to her office.

She did not want to get cornered in that small kitchen and asked more questions about her freakish quirks. One freakish quirk. A big one.

Disregarding Jude’s request, she closed her office doors. Albeit quietly. She did not want him to hear and come to reprimand her. She needed some time to gather herself.

What would he think if she’d revealed her strange little secret?

Oh, my oddity? Well, it’s nothing, really. I just happen to turn into a full-fledged, red, horned, scaly demon when I’m turned on. Yep, forked tongue, tail, and all. No biggie.

Yeah, right.

He was paranormal too, but somehow she didn’t think he’d encountered anything like that before. That was too much information of the highest order.

Damn, she wished she remembered to grab her wineglass when she’d dashed out of the living room. She could really use a little more liquid courage. Or, in this case, liquid calm.

She glanced at the door and didn’t see any shift in the shadows in the hallway. Not that that meant anything. She hadn’t been aware of him standing in the hallway earlier.

Since she’d claimed her quick exit had to do with calling Maksim, she supposed that was what she should do. It had been hours. And while she knew labor could take a long time, she was worried. She’d expected Maksim to call when they got to the hospital just to let her know they were there safely.

She opened the top drawer of her desk, thankful that when Andrey pulled his little insta-tornado act, her cell phone had been in her desk where she often kept it.

She scrolled through her phone book to Maksim’s name and pressed the button to dial him. As the phone rang, Ellina fought to get her mind off Jude’s question.

He wouldn’t pursue it further. He wasn’t a “sharing” kind of guy. Of course, that probably meant she couldn’t ask anything more about him either.

That was disappointing.

She frowned at her train of thought. Blast her and her nosiness. Why did she need to know anything more about him anyway?

Let it lie, Ellina Barrett Kostova.

Just then, Maksim’s voice sounded on the other end of the line, snapping her out of her mental conversation with herself.

“Maksim?”

“I’m not available. So leave a message…or don’t.”

Ellina rolled her eyes at herself. His voice mail. She was trying to converse with her brother’s voice mail. She really did need to calm down.

“Hey there,” she said after the beep. “I just wanted to see if there was any news about my new niece or nephew. But since you’re not picking up…”

Ellina paused as she saw a shift of shadows from the corner of her eye that seemed to change the whole feeling of the room. She glanced toward the French doors leading to the hallway, then the doors leading to the courtyard.

She sensed something. That odd, vague feeling of being watched. Funny how something so intangible could feel so real.

Still eyeing the doors, she remembered she was leaving a message for her brother.

“Sorry Maksim…um…since you aren’t picking up…”

That watched feeling intensified, prickling the back of her neck.

Jude? Or someone else?

She rose carefully, making sure her office chair didn’t make any noise, then carefully stepped across the room. “I’m assuming you’re a busy guy.”

She peered at the office door, still trying to see any subtle movement of shadows through the small rectangular panes. “I hope things are going well. Call me.”

She gently placed a hand on the handle. Holding her breath, she jerked the door open and rushed into the hallway, only to see Jude’s backside disappearing into the kitchen.

It had been him. He had been there. Watching.

A loud beep echoed in her ear, making her jump. Then she realized she still held her cell phone to her ear, and apparently Maksim’s cell got impatient with her inattention and broken message.

She hung up, then paused, still watching for the change of shadows from the kitchen doorway as Jude worked. Her heart thumped a rapid tattoo against her rib cage.

Why was she scared? So unsettled? She should have known it was Jude skulking around, checking on her.

But that realization didn’t calm her, it angered her.

Ellina stormed to the kitchen.

“I really don’t appreciate you lurking around,” she stated to his broad back.

Jude turned around from the sink, a sponge and plate in his hand. “I don’t lurk…”

“I know, I know. You guard. Well, don’t do it like that. If you are going to check on me, just come to the door. I mean, how am I going to work with you creeping around? And you knew I was going to make a phone call.”

He set down the item he was washing and reached for a dry dish towel on the counter. Wiping his hands, he regarded her, unruffled by her sudden tirade.

“I mean it,” she said, feeling the need to repeat herself even though he gave every indication that he heard her and understood.

“Okay,” he said, his tone calm, even.

And it managed to steal the air right out of her outburst. She frowned, feeling foolish, debating what she should do now. Now that, yet again, she’d reacted rather than staying composed. Like him.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I just had this feeling of being—watched and—”

“It scared you.”

She didn’t want to admit that was the truth of it. She’d already told him over and over today that she thought Maksim’s decision to have him here was ridiculous. That she didn’t need anyone here. Yet a nebulous, undefined sensation had her acting like a frightened, little ninny.

“I-I should get back to work.”

Jude didn’t try to stop her, but something in his eyes kept her from moving away.

“I’m sorry.” He spoke in that same soothing tone. Ellina felt herself relax. “I’m here to make you feel safer, not scare you.”

She didn’t know what to say about that. She didn’t even understand why she’d gotten spooked. But she couldn’t deny she found having him close and so controlled eased her.

“Want to stay and help me?” He gestured to the dishes.

She nodded. She did want to stay with him. Just until her overactive imagination was in check. She entered the kitchen, again reminded of how tiny this room was with his large body taking up a goodly portion of it. But this time she felt no desire to put space between them.

“You wash? I dry?”

“Sounds good.” He picked up the sponge and started right in.

Ellina reached into the drawer and pulled out a dish towel and waited.

He should be laughing, watching Ellina from the courtyard. Tiptoeing across her office, nervous as a helpless, little mouse, casting wide-eyed looks around her. She even peered toward the courtyard windows. But she couldn’t see him, hidden in the shadows.

She’d sensed him, but he wasn’t worried. Her awareness wasn’t much of an accomplishment. The little nitwit could only sense exactly what a perceptive human could.

The same as him.

Humorous, really.

But he wasn’t laughing.

There was a guy staying with her. When he’d first seen the large man enter her house, he’d just assumed he was there to do some work for her. A repairman. Something mundane—and temporary—like that.

But the guy hadn’t left all day. Then he’d had brought in a couple bags. Bags that didn’t appear to contain tools or other work supplies. Bags that looked very much like he was planning to stay for a while.

Who was he?

Whoever he was, the dude was certainly fucking up his plans. Plans he’d so carefully laid out. Plans he’d intended to carry out tonight. Now he’d have to wait—yet longer.

He moved carefully, clinging to the shadows, then using thick vines to lever himself up and over the fence.

He glanced up and down the side alley. No one was around to see him. He started toward the street, walking as if he was doing nothing more than taking an evening stroll.

Patience. He had to remain patient. So now there was another factor. He’d figure out a way around it. The guy couldn’t stay near her forever.

He turned right out of the alley, heading toward a small bar a block or so away.

Nothing would stop his plan.

Ellina Kostova would be dead. And soon.

“So how did you learn to cook?”

Jude didn’t look at Ellina as he rinsed out a pan.

“I like to eat. And I tend to have a large appetite. So it made sense to learn to cook.”

“Well, you are good at it. If you ever decide to give up your current line of work, you could probably make a great living as a chef.”

She shot him a teasing smile, but he didn’t manage one in return.

If he ever got out of his current line of work…She had no idea how close her comment came to his hopes.

“How did you get into this business anyway? You know, protecting paranormals from paranormals?”

He scrubbed at some cooked on chicken. “I just sort of fell into it.”

She nodded, accepting his explanation readily enough.

“Because of what you are? Being vampire and werewolf must make you very strong.

And you must have amazing—senses.”

“Yes.” That’s why he’d become what he was. To be the strongest, the most wily.

Invincible.

Ellina finished drying the plate she held, then turned away from him. Jude slipped a look at her as she stretched up to place the dish in the cupboard. Her T-shirt pulled away from her jeans, giving him a glimpse of her slender back. And the jeans tugged against her perfectly rounded ass as if some invisible hands were molding to her. He’d known he’d been right about that ass. Perfect.

He imagined his hands there, shaping to her, moving slowly up to slide under her top.

The pan slipped from his hands, clattering against the stainless-steel sink.

Ellina smiled over her shoulder. “Soapy fingers?”

His eyes snapped up to meet hers.

“Yeah,” he managed, although his voice sounded low and rough with hunger. Even to his own ears. He certainly wasn’t feeling invincible at the moment.

But she was oblivious to his reaction. She turned back to the dish drainer and began wiping the flatware, placing it in a drawer beside the sink. That task brought her closer to him.

He could feel her energy snapping toward him, so strong that he was surprised the air didn’t crack with static electricity. And while shocking, the vibe he was receiving wasn’t uncomfortable like an electric jolt.

Well, only a little bit uncomfortable, he corrected, shifting slightly to accommodate the erection that pressed like a lightning rod against the unforgiving material of his jeans.

“So what are your notes about?”

“What?” He was so lost in his body’s reaction to a mere glimpse of skin that he didn’t follow her new direction in conversation.

“Your notes? What are you researching? Me?”

At the moment, more than she knew.

“Yeah. No. Sort of.” How could he be so damned muddled? “I’ve been researching your—family.”

Ellina made a noise that indicated she wasn’t too pleased with that information, even if she wasn’t surprised. She moved slightly, reaching for another recently washed spoon.

Her shoulder brushed again his. His cock leapt as if it took the unintentional touch as a green light.

“And what are you thinking about them?”

He cleared his throat, trying to gather his thoughts into something remotely comprehensible. He placed the pan he’d been washing in the drainer, then leaned a hip against the counter, giving himself a little room away from her.

This was good. Focus on your reason for being here.

He watched her as she sorted the forks and spoons in the proper compartments.

Control, buddy. Control.

When he didn’t answer, she paused, looking at him questioningly.

“You have an interesting family,” he said.

She laughed slightly, even though he wouldn’t describe the sound as truly amused.

“You can say that again.”

She continued to sort. But something in her expression pulled his thoughts away from lust. Toward another emotion. And not one that made him all that more comfortable.

“Are you sure you want to talk about this tonight?”

She’d been nervous earlier, and while she seemed to have calmed down now, he didn’t think his opinions on her family would do much to keep her in that state.

She frowned. “Sure. I think we probably should talk about it. It’s why you are here, right?”

He nodded, partially in response to her and partially in reminder to himself. The job was why he was here. Protecting her was why he was here.

Not to lust after her.

“So what do you think about my family?” Ellina asked again, still not looking at him.

Jude regarded her a moment longer, then said, “I think that there are several members who could want…”

She stopped putting away utensils and met his gaze, her pale eyes widened, prompting him silently to answer. There was an innocence to those eyes somewhere between the lightest blue and the faintest gray.

“Want what?”

He gritted his teeth. He wished he didn’t feel this way. But he did. And she needed to know.

“Want to kill you.”