Ressurrection

SHADOW DESTROYERS

Resurrection By

Sydney Somers Triskelion Publishing www.triskelionpublishing.net

Triskelion Publishing 15327 W. Becker Lane Surprise, AZ 85379 Copyright © 2005 Sydney Somers All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information retrieval and storage system without permission of the publisher except, where permitted by law. ISBN 1-60186-047-1 Publisher’s Note. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and places and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination.Any resemblance to a person or persons, living or dead, business establishments, events

Dedication

To all the people who take time out of their busy lives to read one of my books. This one is for you.

Four thousand years ago… There existed a prosperous land, its people ruled by two brothers, descendants of powerful beings. The eldest brother, Bhalil was the people’s high king, while the younger of the two, Khansoor, was the great city’s protector and adviser. But all was not as peaceful as it appeared. Khansoor coveted not only the king’s powerful position, but also his wife. Bhalil knew of his younger brother’s envy and being the compassionate man he was, he did everything he could to help Khansoor find a wise and wonderful wife, someone who would surely help the younger man appreciate the many good things in his life. All of his older brother’s attempts at finding Khansoor a mate enraged the younger man, further flaming his hatred for not being the firstborn. The great king was soon gifted with a beautiful daughter. As she grew, there was no one who didn’t cherish and adore Bhalil’s beautiful and gentle daughter. No one, save the girl’s only uncle and those whose minds he’d slowly poisoned against the king. The years passed and hatred deepened. When horrendous storms came, storms so powerful they destroyed homes, crops and temples, killing thousands and bringing with them famine and plague, Khansoor believed Bhalil had somehow angered the gods, and insisted a sacrifice was needed to appease them. The great king’s daughter. Bhalil refused, but the brother had such a large following that he took the daughter in secret and slaughtered her, leaving her body on a stone altar for the king and everyone to see. Only the magic that ran through both brothers, an old magic that joined the brothers’ life forces, prevented Bhalil from killing his brother for such a betrayal. Instead, he banished Khansoor and all those involved in the treachery from his land, but not before he cursed them all as demons, condemning them to be shadows of their former selves. From that day forward neither Khansoor, his followers nor any of their descendants would feel another emotion. They would live the rest of their days as empty inside as Bhalil was now without his daughter. But Khansoor was powerful in his own right. While unable to undo the great king’s magic, he gave all those loyal to him the ability to feel the emotions of others. And to further protect them from Bhalil, who would seek to harm them, Khansoor gave his new people great strength and incredible abilities that would help them reclaim the land they were banished from. Land that he had been destined to rule instead of his older brother. And so the war began. Innocents were slaughtered as Khansoor’s obsession consumed him. Years passed and his determination to hurt his brother only grew with every failed attempt to take his brother’s kingdom by force. To save his people, the aging king used the last of his magic, protecting them and future descendants by giving them the ability to absorb the Shadow Demons’ abilities, to adapt and survive. The war raged for centuries. Both the great king and his brother had long since perished, but the legacy of hatred and war continued as descendants of the king fought to

protect their homes from the demons who attacked and murdered in their efforts to reclaim the land. Finally, a descendant of Bhalil was born, a man who held unimaginable power. He finally defeated the Shadow Demons, but being afraid that destroying them completely might mean an end to his own people, he imprisoned them all in a realm where they would have no body to call their own, spending eternity drifting in the fathomless abyss, looking into the human world, but never to be part of it again. But even the purest of magic cannot control that which is purely evil. Because when eternity is involved, evil always finds a way…

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Sydney Somers

Prologue “Jordan, wait.” Jordan McAdam didn’t so much as glance over her shoulder, let alone stop. She damn well would have taken the rear door out of the precinct if she’d known Officer Gage Campbell was going to be hot on her heels. She thought he was tied up with their captain. In fact, she’d been counting on it. Jordan burrowed her chin deeper in her coat to keep warm, annoyed with herself for not realizing Gage would have been watching for her. She should have known better. The man possessed an uncanny-and irritating-ability to track her down no matter how hard she tried to elude him. “Jordan.” Ignoring him, Jordan crossed the street, mindful of the slushy puddles the dark November night might conceal. “Hold up, damn it.” Feeling him within a few feet, she stopped. He would only grab her arm in another second and bring her around to face him. He’d made it a predictable habit in the last three years. On a normal day, his touch usually drove her to distraction. Given her current frame of mind, if he so much as blinked at her the wrong way, she’d take a swing at him. “What?” she bit out. With short, sandy brown hair and playful blue eyes, Gage had driven her crazy since the day they met when he shot his mouth off at her on their first day in the academy. From the beginning, he made it his mission to either push her buttons, or watch her with such blatant hunger burning in his eyes she never knew if she’d rather knock him out, or climb into bed with him. Maybe if he hadn’t been so damn tempting, she wouldn’t have finally let him wear her down and slept with him a few months ago. Since then their relationship drifted from easygoing to down right volcanic, depending on whether they were shooting a game of pool, or tearing each other’s clothes off. Gage crossed his arms. “Still pissed I see.” Jordan arched a brow, the only response that didn’t involve losing control of the anger that still snapped through her bloodstream. “You were out of line today.” “The hell I was.” She clenched her fingers into a fist, her nails biting into her palm. His expression softened. “We’re supposed to be the good guys. The ones people count on.” “Spare me, Gage.” They’d already had this conversation after they made an arrest following a domestic disturbance called in by a neighbor. “Did you take a good look at what he did to her?” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “It was hard to miss.” “Then don’t stand there and act like you didn’t want to hit him as much as I did.” “Maybe. But I wasn’t the one who punched him. And I’m not the one who might have screwed up a conviction because I lost my head.”

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“I did not lose my head. He resisted arrest.” “Bullshit. You took one look at him and all you saw was your father.” “Don’t.” It was the only warning she would give him. Out of everyone he knew not to go there. He pushed a tense breath through his lips. “I just don’t want to see him get off on a technicality.” “He won’t.” “What if the wife only cares about what you did to him? You know the statistics, Jordan. You know how few of them press charges. What if you scared her off?” “The neighbor witnessed it.” Gage took a step towards her. “I need to be able to trust that my partner is going to play by the rules.” “Well maybe you need a new partner,” she snapped without thinking. His eyes narrowed. He closed the distance between them and backed her into the brick wall of a shop front. She put her arm up to hold him back. He plowed right through it, trapping her hands between them, and positioned his leg in front of hers to prevent her from kneeing him should it cross her mind. He knew her too well. “Is this what’s going to happen? We have a rough day and you’ll pull our personal relationship into it?” “What?” She didn’t know what was more frustrating, that he had her pinned to the wall, that he’d brought up her father, or that she didn’t know if she could handle both a professional and a personal relationship with him. “You don’t think it’s written all over your face?” “What the hell are you talking about?” She tired to squirm free and got nowhere. “Complications. You’re thinking things are getting too complicated.” As far as Jordan was concerned they had passed complicated a long time ago. Right around the first time he talked her into going for a beer and ended up kissing her when he dropped her off afterwards. She could have stopped things right there, before she got caught up in the need that raged inside her. A need she’d been so careful to keep locked away where it couldn’t come back to bite her in the ass. But she’d gotten tired of pretending she didn’t want to know what his mouth tasted like, what his hands would feel like slowly peeling her clothes away. What it would feel like to let go and just…fall. Needing space, Jordan shoved at his chest. “Back off.” “No.” “Gage—” “Complications or not, you’re stuck with me.” “Let me go.” Her voice came out softer than she intended. He was starting to get to her and they both knew it. Gage shook his head. “I didn’t spend the last three years trying to get you in my bed so you could walk away at the first rough spot.” “Believe me, it’s not the first.” Hell, most days they spent more time arguing than anything else. “Do you know what I thought today when I saw those kids? I thought of you. Of what

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it must have been like to watch him beat your mother before he came after you and your brother.” Jordan shook her head. She wouldn’t let him feel sorry for her, wouldn’t let him take her back to a time she’d fought hard to put behind her. “I might have taken a swing at that bastard today if you hadn’t, but in that split second, I was too busy thinking about how much I wanted to find your father and hurt him the way he hurt you.” “Gage…” She trailed off at the intensity in his gaze. “Don’t.” He cradled her jaw in his palm. “This…us… Damn it, Jordan, you’re the first truly good thing in my life. Don’t shut me out because I piss you off. Chances are I’m going to do it again anyway. Might as well find a better way to channel your frustrations.” His intentions flickered over his face before he lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers. The slow slide of his mouth melted away the last of her anger. Beneath the gentle coaxing, she felt the fierce possession within him waiting to break loose, but he held back. His determination to comfort rather than conquer tugged at her heart. Jordan pushed aside the hideous doubts, the fears that this wouldn’t work out between them, that the only hopeful part left inside her heart would shrivel and die without him in her life. She drew back slowly. “Any suggestions for helping me channel those frustrations?” “I might have a few.” He slanted his mouth across hers. Hungrier now, he teased her lips apart, swallowing the needy sigh that trembled off her lips. The rich seductive taste of him loosened the tension in her muscles, and she relaxed against him. Silky threads wove through her belly at the first stroke of his tongue. Jordan sank into the kiss, needing it, needing him in a way she had never needed anyone else. Gage slowed the feverish pace and eased away from her. “But they don’t involve taking you against the wall on the sidewalk.” He caught the hand she’d splayed across his chest and had been moving lower. “So you might want to cease and desist.” Jordan grinned. “Whatever you say, Officer.” “We okay?” “At least until you bring it up when we go back to work tomorrow.” His lips spread in a knowing smile. “Well I should take advantage of our truce while I can then, shouldn’t I?” Following along as he led them down the street, Jordan threaded her fingers through his, but stopped herself from resting her head against his shoulder. She might have given up far more of her heart than she planned, but she certainly didn’t have to be all mushy about it. A scream pierced the chilly night air, bringing them both to a full stop. With little more than an exchange of glances, they tensed and automatically moved towards the alley across the street from where the sound came from. Gage unzipped his jacket and retrieved his gun from the holster under his arm. He moved ahead of her while she bent to grab the one she kept tucked next to her ankle. Her off-duty weapon felt reassuring in her hand as adrenaline whooshed through her system. Ahead of her, Gage edged down the narrow passageway. Jordan scanned the shadowed doors and windows facing the alley between the closed flower shop and a jazz club. Mellow music floated on the air, an eerie contrast to the goose bumps crawling over her skin.

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A scraping sound echoed in the dark, the sound of something being dragged. Gage stopped. “We’re police officers. Stop whatever you’re doing and step slowly towards us.” In front of them a shadow moved, a man, Jordan realized as he straightened and faced them. A flash of light glinted off metal. The man was definitely armed. Gage’s deep voice rang out. “Hold it right there. Hands were I can see them.” The man strode towards them. The sword in his hand… Jordan blinked. He was carrying a sword? A lead ball plummeted to the pit of her stomach. The silver metal was already stained with blood. Jesus. Light from a window above flicked on, illuminating the alley just enough to let her get a good look at the man’s face. A junkie. And high as a kite was her first impression. There was a wild look about him, desperate, lips curled in a snarl, pupils dilated until only black pools stared out at them. He stopped moving. Jordan tensed. Something in his expression—something too calculated. He wasn’t high, she realized with an instinctual certainty. He knew exactly what he was doing as he tipped the blade back and forth. “Drop your weapon,” she ordered. The man’s eyes snapped from Gage to her. He grinned. Gage took a step closer to Jordan. “I’m only going to tell you one more time. Put it down.” A low animalistic sound ripped through the distance separating them. Right before he charged them. “Fuck,” Gage snapped. He took a shot. The wound to the man’s leg didn’t slow him down. Gage shot again. He kept coming. The door next to Jordan flew open. “Get back inside,” she shouted to the people crowding the doorway. She didn’t take her eyes off the man headed right at her. “Move.” Gage shoved her to the wall. The impact jarred her shoulder, but she didn’t tear her gaze away from Gage as he jerked to the side, barely dodging the slicing arc of their attacker’s sword. With the man’s back to her as he carried through, Jordan took a shot. The bullet struck his back, but he didn’t acknowledge it with anything more than a look over his shoulder. Evil. The word wrapped its icy arms around her shoulders and slithered down her spine, making her shiver. He turned and stalked towards her. Jordan fired, emptying the clip and the one left in the chamber, all with no affect. Heart in her throat, she sidestepped, tripped on something, and pitched forward to land on her knees. In stunned horror she watched Gage slam a fist into the man’s jaw, then grabbing his wrist, twisted around to snap it back.

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Growling, the man dropped the sword and staggered back a step. Gage shot forward and jerked Jordan to her feet. “Gage!” Her shouted warning was useless as the man threw himself at Gage. His highpitched screech of anger scraped her eardrums. Gage stumbled and a howl of pain broke from his lips. Blood spread across his neck and shoulder, staining his jacket and his white T-shirt a dark red. Cursing, he tossed the guy over his shoulder, then straightened, his hand going to the wound. “The son of a bitch bit me.” Jordan searched the alley. “Where the hell did he go?” Nothing moved. Just shadows, the sound of Gage’s strained breathing, and the frantic rhythm of her own heart filled her senses. She glanced at her feet and noticed the sword was no longer on the ground. A breeze moved past her ear and she whipped around, feeling someone breathing down her neck. No one was there. Had they frightened him off? After one last glance around, she turned back to check Gage’s injury, studying the ripped and bleeding flesh. Her stomach clenched. “You’re going to need stitches.” “Shit.” “Hey, it could have been worse.” The hand at her waist tensed. “No!” Gage thrust her to the side. Jordan slammed into the wall. Unable to prevent her head from striking the brick, she blinked through the pain that radiated across her skull. She turned around in time to see the sword slash through the air as Gage put himself between her and the man attacking from behind. Eyes wide, she heard Gage grunt, watched his face tense. “No.” Jordan launched forward, striking the man’s windpipe with a ruthless blow. His attention off Gage, who slumped into the wall, Jordan turned and brought her leg around and knocked the sword from his grip once more. The man didn’t run this time, but moved much faster than should have been possible. He snagged a fistful of her hair, and dragged her towards him. Her eyes watered under the tearing pain before he threw her to the ground. She tried to roll to her feet, but a foot crushed down on her chest, pinning her in place. Her pulse roaring in her head, terrified for Gage, she stared up at the man looming over her. The edges of his black eyes glowed red. His mouth opened, and the words that emerged were a language she couldn’t understand. She shivered anyway, an unshakable knowledge that whatever he was, he wasn’t human tunneled into her mind even as she shook her head in disbelief. The man’s head snapped back, his howl of pain cracking through the air. He flailed behind him to dig at his back before he dropped to the ground next to her. She jerked her face up. Gage stood with the sword limp at his side, his lower body drenched in blood. His knees buckled. Jordan scrambled towards him, catching most of his upper body before he hit the ground. She didn’t even realize she was yelling for an ambulance until someone from the few

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people huddled at the side door darted back inside. “Gage,” she whispered. Blood soaked his ripped shirt. Carefully, she moved it aside to get a look at the wound. A whimper lodged in her throat. The bastard had torn him wide open. Jerking her arms out of her jacket, she bundled it up and pressed it to his abdomen. Gage watched her, his eyes cloudy and unfocused. “It’s gonna be okay,” she vowed. A sound that once would have passed for a laugh turned into a cough that rattled through his chest. “It’s bad.” “No.” She shook her head. “No. It’s not. Help is coming. They’ll get here in time.” “They won’t be able to help,” he argued, his voice little more than a whisper. “I need you to promise me—” “Don’t you dare be cliché with me now, damn it. You’re not dying on me. Not today.” She couldn’t lose him. His hand tightened over hers, the once playful blue eyes far too serious. “We can’t always have the things we want.” “Don’t,” she pleaded. Hot tears burned down her cheeks. “Gage, please hold on.” “Jordan—” “No. No promises. You wouldn’t let me walk away. You never did. You always came after me. Now I’m the one who holds on. I’m not letting you go.” Her voice cracked and she clamped her lips together to hold in the sob lodged in her throat. A weak smile curved his lips. “I love you.” “Not as much as I love you,” she murmured, brushing her lips over his. “You never could let me have one up on you.” Jordan smiled through the tears that blurred her vision. She blinked to clear them and lifted her head as sirens echoed in the distance. “They’re almost here. I told you they’d get here in time.” She glanced down to find his eyes were closed. “Gage.” Jordan shook him gently. “Open your eyes.” She shook him harder, and when he didn’t respond, she pressed her shaking fingers to the inside of his wrist. No! No! No! “Gage,” she yelled. “Don’t you leave me. Don’t you dare leave me, you son of a bitch.” A choking agony shredded her apart. She dropped her head to his. “Please don’t,” she whispered. “Don’t die.” Her heart pounded in her chest in slow motion, her throat tight and aching as one sob after another made it harder and harder to breath. She didn’t raise her head as footsteps pounded down the alley towards them. In the back of her mind she registered the sirens, but couldn’t move, couldn’t let go of him. Through the pain that constricted her chest and made every part of her body hurt, she knew he was gone, knew it was too late. And through the grief pouring from her so forcefully she could do nothing but cling to him until the paramedics pried him out of her arms, she felt herself being watched, knew that the bastard who killed Gage, watched them. Watched her. Soaked with Gage’s blood, she couldn’t even drag herself to her feet as they rolled the

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stretcher carrying Gage’s dead body towards the ambulance, couldn’t think about anything else but vowing to find whatever it was. And kill it.

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Resurrection

Chapter One

Five Years Later “Feel like grabbing a beer?” Jordan closed her locker, having already changed out of her uniform and into her street clothes for the night. “I can’t tonight. I have some things to take care of.” “Do you ever just relax and have fun? The last four times I’ve mentioned grabbing a drink after our shift, you’ve rain-checked. You gotta man on the side I don’t know about?” Jordan flicked her gaze to her current partner, a woman who resembled a librarian more than a cop. An outer image that often worked to Kate’s advantage. Many perps underestimated the 5’5” woman when they saw her. Jordan had only made the mistake once right after they’d been partnered together. “Definitely no man in the picture.” Kate cocked her head. “I don’t get it. Half the guys in the precinct pant after you, and not only do you not give any of them the time of day, but you even turn down anyone who makes a pass at you the few times we do go out for a beer.” “I’m not looking for a relationship.” But then Kate knew that. They’d had this conversation before. One that often left out the details of Jordan’s past and the memories that still surfaced some nights when she was alone and missing the one person who had known her best. “Who’s talking about a relationship? I’m talking about down and dirty, make you scream for hours sex.” Jordan shrugged. She hadn’t exactly ignored those needs completely, but the couple of guys she had gotten down and dirty with hadn’t even made her scream for a few minutes, let alone hours. “One of these days the right guy is going to come along and knock you right on your ass.” He already had. And then he died. Pushing to her feet before the old hurt could invade her mind, Jordan stood and rolled her shoulders. A sharp twinge that should have been a far more serious injury made her wince. “You sure you don’t need to get that checked. That asshole really rammed you.” “It’s fine.” What she wouldn’t give to go back to a time when that injury would have meant a dislocated shoulder or worse, instead of just a bruise. Although it hurt like hell the moment she struck the wall, it passed quickly. Just like it always did. “Hey, McAdam.” The resident asshole, John Platt popped his head around the corner. “Crazy Brady has left five messages for you.” “Thanks.” Jordan swallowed a sigh. She’d told him not to call here unless it was important. Five times likely meant it was important, and important was never good news. One of these days the unthinkable was going to happen and he would call her just to say things were going well, instead of to tell her to watch her back.

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Kate shuddered. “Crazy Brady gives me the creeps.” “He’s harmless.” To most people anyway. “I don’t know why you talk to him. You know it just makes people think—” “That I really am a head case,” Jordan provided. Kate gave her a pointed look. “You’re not a head case. It’s just that at one time or another all of us have heard about his weird interest in the more bizarre cases, and the way he’s always lurking around crime scenes, the ones that never really get solved.” And not a single person had ever heard the half of it. The cops here were of two minds. Those who realized that there were odd things that happened in their small city, and although they couldn’t explain it, they accepted it was real. Then there were those who chose to believe that everything had a rational explanation and the only people committing crimes were average human criminals. Kate fell somewhere in the middle. While Jordan knew her partner had heard the stories that a of handful cops only shared in muted conversations when they’d had few too many drinks, Kate had never come up against any of the things that Jordan knew were very real. And not at all human. Jordan started away and then stopped, knowing she had to maintain some type of normalcy in her life. “Beer and dinner tomorrow night?” Kate nodded, and a look that showed she knew she was being placated to get off the subject crossed her face. “You’re buying the first round.” One of the few genuine smiles Jordan found within her these days touched her lips. “Deal. Have a good night.” A breath of warm evening air unleashed some of the tension locked in her chest, at least for a few minutes. Relocating farther south to Serenity Falls had been good for her. Warmer weather, enough criminal activity to keep her day shifts from being boring, and a regular Shadow Demon population to keep her evenings interesting. Most people didn’t know that she and Brady had moved into town at the same time. Just as most people didn’t know that Brady was the only one who believed her when she said it wasn’t a strung out junkie that killed Gage. Even with her suspicions that what killed Gage hadn’t been human, she still wasn’t prepared to learn the creature had been a demon who enjoyed nothing better than getting off on intense human emotions. It only took a few more encounters with their kind before she truly started to believe Brady knew what he was talking about when he rambled about a race of demons crossing over from another realm and capable of taking human form. It took her far longer, however, to accept Brady’s insistence that Shadow Demons had once been part of an advanced race of people and cursed by a powerful magic. Then again, at that time he could have told her they were extraterrestrials and she wouldn’t have cared. Hurting them was the best type of grief management. Although extremely skeptical in the beginning, Brady’s crazy talk had at least kept her from believing Gage’s death made something snap inside her mind and she had only imagined things that night. And if not for him, she would have died a few days after Gage. A chill danced down her spine. Jordan closed her eyes and shoved away the images that sometimes felt far too fresh whenever her thoughts turned back to that night. People had told her it would get easier, that she’d eventually be able to think about him without it hurting

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so bad. They were wrong. She could never think about him without remembering the night he died. Died trying to play hero. So many times it went through her head. What if she hadn’t punched the abusive husband that day? She wouldn’t have been avoiding him, would have waited for him that night when their shift was over. They would have gone to dinner, gone back to her apartment or his right away. They wouldn’t have been in front of that alley at the precise moment the demon that killed Gage had sliced another woman from navel to sternum, her last scream just enough to make them go down the alley to investigate. An action that changed her life in so many ways she hardly recognized herself anymore. Instead of finding a purpose in what she now did, it was eating away at her, making her more cynical, more angry. Lately she found herself taking far more risks than she should, no longer caring about the outcome. Jordan nodded to the super as she walked into Brady’s apartment building. Far more upscale than anyone might have expected the skulking “crazy man” to live in, Jordan had refused Brady’s invitation to stay with him, even after they moved down here at Brady’s insistence over three years ago. Her association with him had hurt her reputation at work. Not that she cared. Everyone said she should have been promoted again since her transfer. It was her involvement in those bizarre cases that made most of her superiors a little uneasy around her. More times than she wanted to count, she’d been asked to follow up on some ongoing investigations. Her reputation for being interested in those freaky cases had made detectives with nothing else to go on, seek her out. Unfortunately, she could do little to help them without sharing things that most people were better off not knowing, forget that they would lock her away and make her stare at ink blots in a padded cell for the rest of her life. While the investigating officers might never have closed their cases to their satisfaction, Jordan was often able to track down any demons associated with the case and take care of them herself. “Hey, Jordan. You taking Brady out for a bite to eat?” Miranda, one of Brady’s neighbors, popped her head out her apartment door. “The man looks like death walking. He needs to eat better.” When Miranda wasn’t entertaining one of the dozen men Jordan routinely saw her with, she looked out for Brady. Hardly in need of a woman under his foot, as he gruffly put it whenever Miranda said as much to his face, Jordan knew he liked Miranda and never once returned any food the thirty-something woman often sent over to him. “I’ll see what I can do.” Jordan noticed the knockout navy dress Miranda wore. “Hot date tonight?” “Just business tonight.” She grinned. “I’ll see you around.” Brady’s door was partially open. Jordan rolled her eyes, making sure to close it soundly behind her. How many times had she told him to keep it shut tight? His apartment was loaded with dozens of newspaper clippings, old books, pictures of symbols, some of which Brady enlarged by hand on his own walls. Anyone who poked their head inside would automatically suspect a paranoid conspiracy theorist lived here. Or worse. He didn’t need to give anyone another reason to wonder over his state of mental health. She found him perched on the edge of a stool, elbows propped on what should have

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passed for a dining room table. “You doing a round or two tonight?” Brady didn’t look up from the book he was studying, his nose inches from the old pages. “Hi to you, too.” He frowned at her over the glasses perched on the edge of his nose. With graying brown hair, his unkempt beard in need of a trim, and wearing clothes she was pretty sure he’d slept in, Brady stared up at her. “You doing a round tonight?” he repeated. “Nope.” He arched a brow. “Well, if you already know I am, don’t ask.” She leaned down and gave the words on the page a quick skim. A dead language she decided, frowning over the depiction of a Shadow Demon in its ghostly form in the corner. “What was with the five messages today? One wasn’t enough?” “I wanted to make sure you got them.” “Oh, I got them.” “So I see.” He went back to his book. Arms crossed, Jordan knew he would forget she was there in another ten seconds if she didn’t speak up. “So what’s so important?” “Demons.” “You don’t say.” Brady tipped his head up, his brows crinkling. “Has something happened?” Matching his frown, she shook her head. “Outside the usual run-ins, no.” His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her face. “You’re not sleeping enough.” “Are you going to tell me what has your knickers in a twist or not?” She wasn’t in the mood to listen to him criticize her about her sleeping habits. The man knew she worked during the day and spent at least a few hours each night tracking demons. Lack of regular sleep came with the territory. He shoved the book aside and gestured to a map of the city spread out over the table. She didn’t want to think about what caused the stains that scarred the chipped birch tabletop that peeked out from under his piles of notes. Brady pointed to a number of red dots that covered a ten-block radius. “I’ve been monitoring the sights of your encounters.” “A lot of Jeopardy reruns on lately?” He ignored her sarcasm. “Not only are you seeing more of them, most of your encounters are falling in this vicinity.” Not until she looked at the map did she realize just how much of a pattern there was. When she first relocated to the area she only ran into the various types of Shadow Demons a few times a month. In the past few weeks the instances had become a few a week. She hadn’t really paid that much attention to where it happened, not even when she vaguely filled Brady in later. He on the other hand had obviously been paying attention. “So what does this mean?” “Something not good.” “That’s all you’ve got? Not good?” Another one of those rare smiles tugged at her lips. Mostly because she knew it would annoy him. And Brady was the only person she felt

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remotely comfortable teasing. “Just…be careful. For now I think you should just stick to the outskirts of this area.” “Worried one of them might take a chunk out of me?” One of these days she knew it would happen. She’d gotten plenty banged up, injuries that would have landed a normal person in intensive care, if not six feet under, but none of them had landed a killing blow. Yet. While she was far stronger than she used to be and healed quickly, she wasn’t invincible. Sooner or later, she knew one of them would take her down. Jordan glanced at the clock. It was already getting close to nine. “I’m gonna head out.” “Watch your back.” “I always do.” ***** Jordan knew she was in trouble the second she followed the storm demon down the deserted side street. Instead of listening to Brady, she’d eventually wound up heading straight into the center of the hot spot. She couldn’t explain why she did it, couldn’t even rationalize it with the fact that the odds of encountering demons looking to tag team her were slim. Tell that to the three storm demons stalking her. ***** “The gear isn’t working.” Gage tapped the tracking device. It beeped at him. “Don’t hit it,” the voice echoed in his ear. Wincing, Gage adjusted the transmitter in his ear. “I didn’t hit it.” On the other end, he heard Braxton snort. “The equipment is sensitive, damn it.” “Then maybe it should be a bit more sturdy for the field.” “Or maybe the guy holding the equipment should be less rough.” Gage flipped his middle finger up, but the gesture wasn’t nearly as satisfying without Brax there to see it. Frustrated, he ran his hand through his hair knowing it needed a trim. “Can you fix it from your end?” “I’m trying.” “How long?” Gage tried to bite back his impatience. “Stop yakking in my ear. Sit tight. I’m tapping into its control. Don’t touch the damn thing.” An unusual impatience frayed the edge of his friend’s voice. Gage would have to ask him about that later. The beep in his ear told him Braxton had terminated the connection. Perched on the roof, Gage looked down at the sleeping city. Nearly two a.m. and nothing moved on the streets below but for the odd cab that cruised by or a cat that darted from shadow to shadow below. Still no sign of the hostiles he’d been tracking. Between the three demons, the gateway they opened to cross into this realm generated enough temporal activity to be picked up by their computer sensors. Certainly not the first time three demons crossed over together, but never a good sign. The bastards often congregated when they had sacrifice on their mind. Sacrifices sometimes meant they were looking to open a bigger gateway for one of the head

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honchos to come out to play. And he was in no mood to tangle with a Scion. He should have been back at the main field office for a debriefing instead of here doing what any of the others could have handled. His assignment in South America, although fairly uncomplicated had dragged on far longer than it should have, his prey eluding him for the better part of two weeks before he finally caught up with it. Given the lack of sleep over the last seventy-two hours alone, he’d rather be crashed out on the too-short couch in the field office’s common room than hunting for demons at this time of night. He really wished the damn things didn’t insist on waiting until after dark to come out to play most of the time. Gage paced the rooftop. His plane landed three hours ago. He should’ve had them by now. He hated waiting. Waiting gave him time to think. Lately he’d been thinking far too much, thinking about— “You there?” Brax’s voice exploded in his ear. “No,” Gage snapped. “How the hell do I turn down the volume on this thing?” “I can do it from my end.” “Please do,” he insisted through clenched teeth. Static crackled over the line, then Brax’s voice lowered. “Better?” Gage ignored the question. “Is this thing fixed?” He studied the handheld tracking device with as much enthusiasm as a plumber would a plunger filled with holes. “You tell me.” Once more Gage tapped the display screen. Nothing happened. He raised his hand. “If it’s not working, do not hit it.” Despite his bad mood, Gage grinned. “Then make this thing work. I only have a few hours until sun up.” “Worried about beheading one of them in broad daylight, huh?” “Forget it. I’ll find them on my own.” Gage stood up and gave the street below a final scan. “How?” Doubt trickled into Braxton’s voice. “The same way you would.” Sort of. It wasn’t often he didn’t rely on the tracking equipment to hunt demons since it usually kicked in sooner than his own senses. Brax snorted. “Okay, almost like that. I’ll be in touch.” “Hey, don’t forget you owe me three hundred and fifty bucks for Rae’s birthday gift.” Gage paused. “What the hell did you get her?” “Not me. Quinn. It’s a necklace.” “Rae doesn’t wear that stuff.” In fact Rae had been hinting about a Celtic sword she had her eye on. “Don’t get me started. It was Quinn’s idea. I told her Rae wouldn’t go for it.” “Well do me and favor and give it to her before I get back.” That way he could avoid her being annoyed by it. She tended to insist on sparring matches when she was annoyed about something, and woman or not, there wasn’t an agent working under her she couldn’t take down. Braxton laughed. “If I have to be here, man, so do you.” Gage sighed. “Fine. I’ll let you know when I find them.” “Watch your back.”

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When didn’t he? “You’re the computer geek. Don’t you have a device doing that already?” “Hey, don’t knock it—” “Yeah, yeah.” Gage terminated the call before Braxton launched into one of his predictable speeches on how technology made their job easier. Technology wasn’t what stopped the hostiles from wreaking havoc. Slipping the dysfunctional gear into his bag, he slid it over his shoulders and dropped over the roof ledge. Twenty feet down he landed on the fire escape closest to the ground with little more than a grimace. Gage headed to his right. It had been a while since he played this game, relying on his own senses to find them. It felt good. Lately he seldom felt good about the curse that slid through his blood, the only silver lining from being attacked and almost killed by one of the creatures he made a career out of hunting. There was nothing like waking in a morgue to put your life into perspective. Of course, the panic that rode in his throat at finding himself zipped in a body bag was nothing compared to the world shown to him by the woman waiting to explain things to him. An angel had been his first thought. The blood on his clothes, the only sign he had to tell him he must have been dead. He wasn’t that lucky. All types of Shadow Demons were resistant to injury. He just happened to be attacked by a war demon known for their incredible regenerative capabilities, which had been passed on to Gage thanks to the rare gene he carried. One that allowed the demon’s dakorm, its essence, to mutate Gage’s DNA. The Destroyer gene, as it was called, had been the only thing that allowed him to survive the war demon’s attack that night. But instead of going back to the woman he loved, he had a new responsibility, one he’d hated having thrust upon him. Knowing where this train of thought was going, Gage shut it off and focused on the tingle of awareness that zipped down his spine. He was getting close. Two blocks later and the slight hum thumping through his system pounded with a wicked intensity that kicked his adrenaline into overdrive. The lower-income district showed no signs of anything out of the ordinary, but he knew they were here somewhere. There was a chance he was picking up on a different hostile altogether, but he doubted it. While this area of the country, especially Serenity Falls, had seen an increase in temporal activity triggered by gateway openings that allowed the demons to pass into this realm, it had always been fairly quiet. “Any sign of them?” This time is was Quinn’s voice that came through the transmitter in his ear. “I thought you were still on assignment?” “I’m back.” Gage paused and glanced around, trying to narrow the direction down. “Was there something you needed? I’m sort of in the middle of something.” “Oh, grouchy are you? Haven’t gotten laid in a while, huh?” “No. But then I haven’t tangled with a lust demon lately either.”

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“Don’t start screwing with me again. We both know I didn’t come on to you.” “Whatever you say, Quinn,” he teased, then tensed as it started to rain. Gage glanced up at the quickly forming clouds that thickened above him as the rain came down harder. Some storm demons were obviously up to no good. “Gage…” Hearing the sounds of a fight, he tensed. “I’ll call you back.” Blinking through the rain, he glanced up in search of a vantage point. He used the closest fire escape to climb up another couple stories, letting him see into the next alley. Bingo. He hit the call back button that put him through to their field office just as a fourth figure moved in between his targets. Gage stared as the person engaged the storm demons instead of running from them. He vaulted to the next fire escape, needing to get closer. The downpour made it increasingly hard to see. Quinn’s voice purred over the line. “Call back to apologize?” He followed the sharp movements below as the person dodged one blow after another and then fought back. This was more than just someone who could defend themselves. “Are there any active agents in the area?” he asked Quinn. “Let me check.” Only the fact that the person kept the demons from getting too close kept Gage in his perch, almost directly above them now. “Nope.” The movements were too fluid…too… A woman, Gage realized. “Another Destroyer in play?” Quinn asked. “I don’t know.” “Rogue maybe?” she added, referring to those who knew about demons and engaged them, but hadn’t been trained in the same sense official agents, Shadow Destroyers, had been. “I’ll let you know.” For the last time, he disengaged the connection. One of demons launched themselves at the woman, catching her in the side as she tangled with different one. She stumbled back and slammed into the wall. Gage didn’t wait another moment after he spotted one withdraw a ritual sword. One not unlike the kind he’d driven into the back of the demon who’d snatched his life away from him. Dropping to the ground, this jump, although less distance to the pavement below than the first, actually jarred him more. He wasn’t working out enough these days. Gage didn’t pay much attention to the woman, instead focused on the first storm demon to spot and engage him. This was the only time that what he did made any sense, when he was face to face with one of the hostiles intent on killing an innocent. Humanlooking to anyone they passed on the street, their supernatural strength, speed and reflexes during a fight proved them anything but. The first demon came at him. Fast. But he was ready, waiting until the last moment to withdraw the custom crafted sword from the scabbard strapped to his back. Beheading a demon was the most reliable way of killing the body they manifested to cross into this realm, making his sword the most effective tool of the trade. But being a demon, a predictor of human pattern and behavior, the black-haired hostile

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anticipated Gage’s first move and dodged the blow. Which was fine by Gage. It was never as much fun if it was over too quickly. A howl of pain from behind him told Gage that the woman had hurt one of them, and likely seriously pissed it off in the process. He didn’t let that distract him from the other one staring at him now, a woman dressed in a short belly shirt with a pierced navel and black hair streaked with purple. Her eyes flashed and overhead thunder exploded across the sky. She hissed and then charged at him. Moving to the side, he ducked and spun, catching her across the back of her leg. Her high-pitched screech grated his nerves. He really hated it when they made that sound. Her next attack ended with his sword severing her head. Over her bloodless body he chanted the words that would vanquish her permanently, instead of just returning her aura back to her realm. Straightening, he turned in time to see another storm demon drop at the woman’s feet, blue flames devouring the body. But it gave the remaining one an opening. The last demon took a swing at the woman, catching her under the jaw with her fist. The woman’s head snapped back and she staggered, but remained upright. The long section of pipe she carried came up to deflect the kick that followed. Gage didn’t move. Couldn’t breathe as he watched dumbstruck as the woman glanced his way. Her eyes passed right over him, her attention fixed completely on the demon still at her. His brain cart wheeled to keep up with the swirl of emotions and disbelief that raged through his system. He had to be seeing things. Gage blinked, but even through the rain he recognized the woman in front of him. “Jordan?”

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Chapter Two

The sound of her name captured her attention. Jordan glanced towards the man who had worked himself into the fray only moments ago. She’d been too occupied to pay much attention to him. He wasn’t attacking her and that was all she cared about, or it had been until she heard her name. Striking out at the demon bitch ready to take a chunk out of her with a ceremonial dagger of some kind, the creature scrambled backwards to avoid the swing of the pipe Jordan had snatched out of a dumpster. Jordan used the precious few seconds to look at the man who’d called her name. Gage? Someone might as well have taken a baseball bat to her chest. Blood roared in her ears, her heart ready to punch right through her ribs. She damn near might have fainted if for one second she believed what she saw was real. Still the distraction cost her. A sharp pain cracked across her middle before she was jarred back against the brick wall behind her. The demon growled, cursing her in its own language. She’d spent enough time around them to know they fell back to ancient tongues when they wanted to tell her off. Jordan kicked out and caught it under the chin, bringing the pipe around like she was going to crack a home run. As the last storm demon tripped backwards and landed in an awkward heap, Jordan whirled on the other thing in front of her. She knew some demons purposely manifested bodies of the deceased, at least Brady told her they could. But she’d never seen them do it. Why him? Tears pricked her eyes as anger slashed through her. Only telepath demons had the ability to probe into other’s minds. She didn’t feel it sifting through her thoughts, so how did it know what image would hurt her the most? Or was it a mimic demon? She didn’t care, didn’t care what dark magic it used, only that she would tear it apart for taking his face. He stood perfectly still opposite her. Why didn’t he move? Come at her? Her fingers tightened on the pipe in her hand. Behind her she heard the storm demon stand up, but didn’t move. She couldn’t stop staring at the face she’d spent so many nights aching for. His arms to hold her, his voice to remind her she wasn’t so alone, the cocky grin that was never too far from his lips. But it was the stunned expression on his face that reached in and ripped her apart. One she’d seen so few times, including the first day she’d met Gage at the academy and flipped him, pinning him to the mat beneath her. She felt the rush of air coming and ducked, driving the pipe up. The storm demon screeched, but the blow wasn’t enough to get the job done. She needed her sword. The one a storm demon had already snapped in half like kindling when they first jumped her. The demon landed in a crouch between her and whatever it was that looked like Gage.

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It took one look at Gage and retreated a few steps. The demons spoke to Gage in its native tongue, one Jordan would never know all the nuances of. Jordan shook her head. She couldn’t think of him like that. Gage was dead. The mimic demon–or whatever the hell is was–shifted his attention from her to the storm demon standing between them. Her suspicions were confirmed when the two exchanged words in a language only demons and the linguistically astute, like Brady, could understand. Giving no warning, Jordan took another swing, aiming for both of them. A fury she hadn’t felt since she wanted to avenge Gage’s death took hold of her and she knew nothing, saw nothing, but the two of them in front of her. With a surprised cry, the storm demon jumped for the fire escape overhead. Jordan knew she should follow it as it raced up to the roof, but she was frozen in place. “Jordan?” She blinked, but didn’t let go of the pipe. She thought that maybe she had imagined her name the first time. That she’d caught a glimpse of his face and heard only what she wanted to. This time she knew she hadn’t misheard. The creature knew her name and his voice sounded just like Gage’s. “What the fuck are you?” She’d only heard of mimic demons and she still wasn’t convinced whatever it was standing in front of her looking as spooked as she felt, was a mimic demon. He took a step towards her, his brows drawn together. “How?” He shook his head. “What are you doing here? And the demons? How do you know about them?” She stared at him, then at the sword he still grasped in his hand. He followed her gaze and quickly sheathed the sword on his back. The gesture did nothing to reassure her. “Jordan, I know what you must be thinking—” “Do. Not. Talk.” She might be able look at him and know it wasn’t really him, but hearing his voice… She couldn’t handle that. “You have to listen to me,” he continued, taking another step towards her. Jordan raised the pipe. “You take one more step and your ass gets vanquished.” It would anyway, just as soon as she found it in her to take a swing at him. His hair wasn’t quite right, a little longer, mussed. A cynical edge gave his eyes a sharpness that Gage never possessed. Sure, he’d been stubborn when he wanted to be, but everyone had liked him. There was nothing trustworthy or reliable-looking about the man in front of her. He looked too hard, too raw. But then that’s where the demon had gone wrong. He wasn’t the same man whose blood had drenched her clothes when he died in her arms. On the heels of that realization came the knowledge that she could kill it. He frowned. “How do you know about demons and realms? What happened to you?” The slightest trace of caring in his voice made her hesitate. “Shut up.” Realization dawned on his face. “You don’t think it’s me.” “Save your bullshit.” Jordan pulled her shirt open just enough to expose the protective talisman dangling around her neck. “I’m immune to any of your sweet talk.” Her lips curled in a snarl. Enough was enough. Every second she looked at him unwound something inside

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her, and she knew if she didn’t make it stop, she’d fall apart right here. She might have been prepared for any number of demons to take her out, but not him. Not one who looked like Gage. “Jordan.” “Stopping calling me that.” “It’s your name. Jordan Dawn McAdam.” She shook her head and gripped the pipe, needing to feel it in her hand. Her only reminder that she just couldn’t stand there. “Bastard,” she snapped and lunged out. He jerked to the side. Jordan whirled around, the pipe coming with her in a wide arc that narrowly missed his head. “I know how it must look…” She rammed the pipe at him. He caught the end and tugged. She didn’t let go. Turning, she jerked it loose. He held his hands up. “Okay, maybe I don’t know how it must look. But believe me when I say I’m as stunned as you are.” She cocked her head, tuning out the voice in her head that said she should listen to him. She had begged the paramedics to save him even when she’d known it was too late and had watched them cart him away with a sheet over him. A sheet soaked through with his blood. Night after night, she had stared at the door, wishing he’d walk back through it. Gage was dead. Something inside her cracked and she swung out with a cry, the pain of his death slashing through her all over again. He dodged the blow, grabbed it and flipped, sending her over his shoulder with the momentum. She landed on her back, but scrambled up having lost her advantage. “I’m not dead,” he said, practically reading her mind. “And I’m not some demon screwing with your mind. It’s really me.” It knew he was hurting her, knew that the more sincere it got, the closer she was to losing it. She led with her fist and drove it up under the creature’s jaw, then swung around to knock it off its feet. He anticipated the move and deflected the kick, shoving her back a step. “Just stop and listen to me.” “No.” Her voice lacked its usual edge. “Damn it.” She kicked out and connected with his chest. He staggered, but remained up right. “I’m done playing nice about this.” He made a move towards her. The determination tightening his face alarmed her. This time he put her on the defensive, but he didn’t pull out the sword they both knew would give him a serious edge over her. She turned away, her attempt to avoid being boxed in not going the way she planned. Her back slammed against the wall and he was on her, crowding her there in a heartbeat. One leg crossed hers, keeping her knee from being any help, his hands bracketing

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her wrists above her head. She knew she could slam her forehead into his, maybe daze him. But damn it, the pleading look in his eyes made her hesitate just long enough to remember that Gage had pinned her the same way the day he died. She closed her eyes. “Jordan, I need you to look at me.” His deep voice rushed over her in the familiar, soothing wave. She couldn’t do this. “Five years ago we were attacked by a war demon. Do you remember that night?” Her eyes snapped open, her fury renewed by the possibility that anyone, even Gage, would think she could forget the night that forever changed her life. “I’ll take that glare to mean a yes.” She tried to squirm loose. “Hold still, damn it. If you know demons, you’re familiar with a war demon, right?” War demons. Even harder to kill because they healed almost instantly. She thought of the aches she felt now from tangling with the storm demons, aches she wouldn’t even feel in another few hours. Yeah, she was familiar with war demons, especially after the same one who killed Gage came looking for and found her less than a week after his death. He nodded. “They heal a hundred times quicker. I didn’t die that night. Not really, but I came damn close. Remember how he bit me? It did something to me. Made me able to come back from injuries that should have killed me.” “Gage?” The name trembled off her lips before she could snatch it back. He relaxed his hold on her. “Yeah.” He wasn’t dead? Jordan shook her head. He couldn’t be really here. She wanted to believe it, but didn’t dare. God, she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t… He didn’t stop her when she pushed him back. Jordan paced away from him. How many times had she wished for him to come back to her? How many times had she begged whoever might be listening for just one more day with him? And now he was here. Right here, within arms reach. Wasn’t he? Her heart pounded viciously in her chest, and she pressed a palm overtop of it, needing it to slow. Approaching cautiously, Gage turned her towards him. In so many ways she had imagined the doctors coming to her, telling her it had been some horrible mistake, that he wasn’t really dead. She had imagined herself going into a hospital room and seeing him there, weak, but alive. She never thought it would be like this. With demons and… She didn’t want to think about her life right now. How much his death had changed it, changed her. “Jordan?” He touched her arm. A whimper that had been building in her chest since a small part of her started to believe it could really be him slid out before she could catch it. He slipped his arms around her. Those bottomless blue eyes of his tunneled into hers. Gage smoothed her hair back from her face, the gesture so achingly familiar she felt tears burn

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behind her eyes. He brushed his thumb back and forth across her cheek. “God, I’ve missed you.” It was really him. She swallowed past the aching lump in her throat. He wasn’t dead. Gage cradled her jaw in his palm and his gaze dropped to her mouth. “I missed you so much.” His confession should have let loose all the swirling emotions trapped in her chest. Instead, it tightened them into a hard, cold ball that plunged straight to the bottom of her stomach. Legs weak, but determined, she backed out of his arms. She silenced all the parts of her that cried out to move back in his embrace with a resolve that had become such a part of her in the last few years she could no sooner shut it off than she could ignore it. A fresh anger pulsed through her and she might have punched him if she wasn’t confident he would easily block it. “Where the hell have you been?” ***** For a moment he thought she was going to deck him. Gage grinned. Her eyes snapped at him and he quickly sandwiched his lips together. He couldn’t stop staring at her, memorizing the details that had changed, like how her long blonde hair was now chin length, and that she looked slimmer now. A combination of not eating great, he suspected, and being more fit than she’d been five years ago. Prepared for her anger, knowing full well he deserved it, he moved closer, needing to touch her again. He traced his finger along her cheekbone down to her mouth. Her lips parted, her breath fast and uneven. So many nights he’d lain awake thinking about her mouth. Her green eyes haunting him until he’d forced himself to accept the fact he could never go back to that life. Couldn’t risk losing her to the demons he stalked and eliminated. To find her fighting them, engaging them, goading them and almost enjoying it... How in the hell had that happened? “I’m waiting.” The anger hummed in her throat and he moved his eyes down the slender column thinking of how she liked to be kissed there. He leaned forward, desperate for some kind of physical connection to the dreams he’d forced himself to be content with for so long now. She shuddered as he drew his thumb down the side of her neck, her eyes nearly drifting shut. An icy tingle darted up his spine. Instantly, he dropped his hand away from her and spun around, keeping her at his back. “Gage?” A thousand questions lay buried under the name that could only be spoken that way by her. He ignored the longing that rose up in him, swift and sharp, to focus on the energy fading from the edges of his mind. “It’s moving.” Damn it. He needed to fix things here, talk to her, but he couldn’t just let the storm demon go. Not when it could hurt someone else. “I need you to stay here.” He barely got the words out before she shook her head sharply. “Hell, no.”

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“You don’t know what you’re up against.” She really couldn’t, could she? Jordan raised her shirt and exposed the large black bruise forming on her lower ribs. “This hurt and I plan to pay the bitch back for it.” “No.” She arched a brow, but it was the glittering in her eyes that made him take a step back. Just to be on the safe side. “If I don’t get moving, I’ll lose it.” The hostile knew what he was, called him a Destroyer when to his knowledge that just wasn’t common knowledge. Until he knew if that meant anything, he needed to catch up with it and have a little chat. “If you’re going, so am I.” “No.” “You never had a right to tell me what to do before, and after playing dead for almost five fucking years, you sure as hell don’t get to say squat about it now.” He saw in her eyes she would go after it with or without his permission. “Fine, but just—” After pausing long enough to remove a gun from her ankle holster, she didn’t wait for him, but started walking in the direction the demon had gone. “Guns aren’t effective against them.” She rolled her eyes at him, but didn’t comment. There were so many things he needed to say, needed to ask. But he knew he couldn’t get into it until the demon was taken care of. It wouldn’t be fair to launch into that kind of discussion, only to stop when they found it. He owed her some kind of explanation and already he feared the only one he had wasn’t good enough. Not for her. Hell, it wasn’t even good enough for him most days. He watched her from the corner of his eye, aware of the confident strides, the way she seemed prepared for anything that might come at her. Whatever she’d been up to for the last few years, it definitely involved training that far surpassed what they got at the academy. The way she fought the demons… He might have been damn near proud of the way she balanced going on the offensive and defending herself from them if he wasn’t so pissed that she’d somehow landed herself in the middle of a life he had been trying to keep her from by not going back to her. Gage stopped, felt the spiky tingle sink into his backbone. He glanced up at the building in front of him. An old gas station and car garage by the look of the boarded up fuel pumps in the front. Jordan took a step forward. Gage grabbed her arm, immediately letting go when she jerked away from him. “I suppose it would be a waste of breath to ask you to wait out here?” She gave him a blank look. “Right,” he said slowly. For a moment he entertained the idea of using the restraints in his bag and locking her to the metal bars over the front windows. Somehow, he knew that wouldn’t go over well. Jordan was already around the side of the building by the time he resigned himself to having her along. She slipped though the opening left by a board barely hanging on its makeshift hinges.

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The darkness within made him pause to let his eyes adjust. He knew without reaching out that Jordan wasn’t near him. He cursed and hissed her name, not caring that he gave his position away to the demon hiding somewhere close by. The pulsing in his blood confirmed that it was. Still, what he wouldn’t have given to have Quinn’s ability to see as well in the dark as the in light. Right now, he could barely see his hand when he held it out in front of himself. The high-pitched screech of a rat had him pivoting towards the sound, his hand automatically going to the sword at his back. He stopped, his hand gripping the handle, but didn’t pull it free. He couldn’t risk Jordan ending up in front of him. Another reason not to be happy she hadn’t listened to him and waited where it was safe. Something moved past his peripheral vision. Jordan. She vanished behind a cement support column. He closed his eyes, trying to zero in on the storm demon with the natural tracking ability war demons possessed, one his mutated genes sometimes got picky with. A grunt and the sounds of a fight broke the abandoned building’s tomb-like silence. Moving towards it, Gage readied himself and cursed Jordan’s stubbornness. At least that was predictable enough. But this time they were playing with her life, and that knowledge left him cold inside. He moved around a corner and a pool of light from a window above lit the space where Jordan turned, staggering as the storm demon launched itself at her back. Gage didn’t wait this time, but shot forward and grabbed it, throwing it off Jordan. The demon screeched at him, following the ear-splitting sound with the same comment about not fearing a Destroyer. Jordan didn’t seem to care what it was saying either way. She fired her gun in front of the demon, regaining its attention. A knowing smile touched Jordan’s lips before it went after her. Cursing the stubborn woman’s death wish, Gage stayed close, waiting for his chance, knowing he could hurt Jordan if he wasn’t careful. Following Jordan’s roundhouse kick, one that struck the demon square in the chest, the demon stumbled to right itself. Gage reached out, twisted its arm behind its back, and slammed it up against the wall. “How do you know about Shadow Destroyers?” he demanded, using the only dialect he knew. It laughed at him, a feminine laugh but for the hissing undercurrent. He pressed it harder to the wall. “Something funny?” “You’ll find out eventually.” “I really hate surprises.” “Then let me assure you this one is to die for.” It cackled again. “What the hell is it saying?” Jordan asked from directly behind him. Damn it, she was too close. The half beat it took to switch his attention to tell Jordan to back up was all the demon needed to fling him off. He avoided hitting the ground and regained his balance just as the demon turned towards him. The crack of a gunshot filled the air and he watched the demon freeze, its gaze sliding to his left where Jordan stood. Without breaking a stride, she snatched the sword from Gage’s back and in a sharp arc,

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severed the head from the demon’s bloodless body. Gage frowned. It hadn’t even tried to defend itself. She crouched over the slain demon and mumbled a chant, different from the one he used, but just as effective since the storm demon burst into cold blue flames that would incinerate the evidence, completely destroying its aura. Head cocked, Jordan handed him back his sword. “I’m guessing that you didn’t know shooting them in the temple stunned them for a minute or so?” Dumbfounded, Gage shook his head. What the hell had happened to the woman he’d left behind?

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Chapter Three

“Are you out of your mind?” Jordan tensed. She was pretty sure if someone picked her up and tossed her against the wall, she’d break into a thousand pieces on impact. Every part of her body vibrated with such relief, hurt, longing, and anger she couldn’t tell where one emotion left off and the other began. They all bled together inside her, tearing at her until she wanted to just walk away to escape them. But she couldn’t. She studied Gage’s face, searching for some reason that could explain why he hadn’t said he was alive all this time. Anything that could hint at why he let her bury him, mourn him, cling to that part of her that refused to let him go and move on. The son of a bitch hadn’t said a word. He’d been alive all this time. No matter how many times that realization spun through her mind, she couldn’t seem to grasp it. All those nights she’d cried for him. Her. Jordan McAdam, who hadn’t shed a tear for anyone since she was eight years old, had cried so hard she wanted someone, anyone, to kill her just to ease the pain his death had brought her. And the bastard had been alive. He must have sensed the anger building inside her, and took a cautious step away from her. Gage always had been too good at reading her. Sirens sounded in the distance, someone obviously having reported the gunshots during the fight. “We need to get out of here.” She took three steps and winced, pressed a hand to her side. “Let me see.” “It’s fine.” “Yeah, I can tell that from the pained look on your face.” He tried to lift up her shirt. She grabbed his hand to shove it away. The warmth that burned into her palm at the contact slid up her arm and down her spine. Their eyes locked, and her heart kicked fiercely against her ribs. Why hadn’t he come back to her? She wanted to ask, but the words wouldn’t move past her lips. Jordan settled for letting go of his hand. “I said it’s fine.” “Don’t be so damn stubborn.” Because she knew he’d follow her, Jordan retreated back through the building the way they’d entered. The sirens were closer now. They needed to move. She drew enough attention to herself on a regular day. Being in the vicinity where gunshots were fired and having nothing to report would only cause more eyebrows to raise. She’d rather avoid more cops, if only for the reason that Brady would have her hide for bringing more attention to the fact that she was out and about most nights. Once they emerged outside, she was aware of Gage watching her, the same way she covertly watched him, as though the other was only a figment of the imagination and would vanish like a mirage when you got too close. “Do you live close by?” His deep voice triggered another rush of sensation that curled

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across the back of her neck. “Not far from here.” “Good. I’ll need more light to get a better look at your side.” Jordan scowled. “I told you not to worry about it.” As it was, the painful stretching that seemed to burn longer and deeper with every breath she took, was only getting worse and required more concentration to try and block it out. There were some days she wished her body had absorbed a little more of that war demon’s essence and could heal as instantly as some of the demons she slayed, instead of it taking hours. She could certainly live with a little relief right now. “Maybe we should go to the hospital.” “Maybe you should stop trying to tell me what to do,” she snapped, quickening her pace up the street. A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “What?” Between the emotional upheaval at finding him alive and the growing agony in her side, she wouldn’t need much of a reason to tell him off. “I’m just thinking that some things never change,” he said softly. The sirens grew close and anticipating a cop car coming around the corner ahead of them, Jordan shoved Gage into the alley. At the last second he turned and pinned her to the wall instead of it being the other way around. In the shadows, her eyes were drawn to the mouth she could feel hovering above hers. All she needed to do was tip her face up like the tightening deep in her belly told her to do. The cop car zipped past. Gage didn’t move. He kept his body pressed against hers, chest to chest, his thighs crowding hers, his… Caught off guard by the erection tucked close to her abdomen, she jerked her head up, catching him under the chin. Gage cursed, stepping back as his hand went to his mouth. “You made me bite my tongue.” She inhaled deeply, and pushed away from the wall past him to hide her wince. “You always were a wimp.” “And you’re still a smart ass,” he countered as he followed her back out onto the street. A dozen times on the walk back to her apartment, Jordan started to ask him where he’d been, but each time it would tangle in her mouth as though if she asked, she’d get an answer she wouldn’t want to hear. Not that it mattered. He didn’t let her get a word in by constantly trying to get a peek at her side. She had to threaten to castrate him with the sword on his back before he backed off. Once in her apartment though, he pounced again. “I’m not going anywhere until you let me see it.” Jordan’s throat grew tight. “Not around me for more than an hour and already planning on taking off again?” Was that why he had vanished, letting her believe he was dead, because he wanted away from there, away from her? “That’s not what I meant.” She cocked her head. “No? Then where have you been living? What have you been doing? Why not a word in five years, Gage?” She nodded to the sword on his back. “I take it you’re no longer a cop wherever you live now.” Brady had told her there were others like her,

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who carried a rare gene that enabled them to survive a demon’s attack. Some even stalked and hunted them like she did. Others continued to lead normal lives after they were attacked. For a while after the attack she’d tried to convince herself nothing had changed. That she could go on just as she had before. Without Gage, all she had left was her job. She had humored Brady in the beginning when he talked of the creatures that came after them, planning to use the knowledge to track down the war demon and kill it. Then she’d be able to move on. Not long after she discovered the changes that absorbing the demon’s essence had triggered inside her, she witnessed a fellow cop die trying to save an innocent pregnant woman from a lust demon. In that moment she realized that most people would never be strong enough or fast enough to protect themselves. She had a rare gift, Brady had told her. An ability to help those people Shadow Demons ruthlessly preyed upon. She would never be able to save everyone, but would she be able to live with herself knowing she could help others, and didn’t? From the beginning Brady knew exactly what to say to sway her when she could have spent the rest of her life in blissful ignorance of the evil that stalked the night. An evil many knew nothing about. Never once had it crossed her mind that Gage could have possessed that gene too, not after he’d been ripped open right in front of her. Gage closed his eyes, and when he opened them a few seconds later she was still there, her heart beating so hard in her chest she wondered if it too would bruise her skin. Every second that ticked off in her mind brought her one step closer to the possibility that bothered her the most. He hadn’t come back because he hadn’t loved her. “It took me two weeks after the night I…” he paused, shrugged, “died before I was strong enough to even think about telling you I was alive.” “Where were you until then?” “In a clinic.” “And someone there couldn’t have gotten in contact with me, with the precinct, hell even your landlord to let someone know you were alive?” “That wasn’t possible. They have regulations.” “Who does?” “The people I work for.” Jordan crossed her arms. “Okay, fine. Two weeks, then you were stronger and yet you didn’t so much as pick up the phone.” “I wanted to.” She merely arched a brow. “Well, that’s practically the same thing.” “That demon gutted me. I shouldn’t have survived at all, but I did.” “I don’t need any reminders of what he did to you. I held you in my arms while you bled out, but maybe you forgot that.” His expression darkened. “I know what that night did to you.” “Do you? I don’t think anyone really knows what your death did to me. The best thing in my life was taken from me that night.” She jabbed a finger at his chest. “Damn it, I grieved for you, I planned your funeral, I called people to tell them—” Her voice started to crack and she slammed her lips shut, cutting it off.

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Gage gripped her shoulders, holding her in place when she started to move away. “You think you were the only person to lose something important that night? I woke up in body bag, Jordan. All I wanted to do was find you and I was too damn weak to even talk, let alone move.” “Then why didn’t you come find me? Where is this clinic? How did you end up there? Why didn’t you tell me you were alive when you recovered?” With every demand for answers her voice grew louder until her chest and throat ached and she couldn’t draw enough air into her lungs. Gage held her face, forcing her to meet his gaze. Tears pricked at the back of her eyes, but she’d be damned if she’d let them fall now. How many tears had she already shed for him, for what they’d lost? Damn him, he hadn’t told her he was alive. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get past that. “I wanted to. So many times I tried to call, to come see you and every time I talked myself out of it at the last second.” She swallowed past the thickening lump in her throat. “Why?” He backed up and unsheathed his sword. “Because of this, because of what I am now.” Jordan shook her head. A vicious throb pulsed between her temples. “You almost died that night, but since you carry the gene, or at least I’m guessing you do, you survived. So whoever found you, took you and trained you?” His eyes widened. “How do you know about the Destroyer gene?” “Destroyer? Someone named it?” Since she made it a habit to avoid seeking medical attention whenever possible, she assumed most people like her did. She had no interest in becoming some scientist’s pet project. She never bothered to press Brady for more details beyond his initial explanation about the gene. Knowing the science behind it wouldn’t change anything, wouldn’t give her back the semi-normal life she had before she learned about Shadow Demons. He nodded. “Who are these people?” Were they like Brady and knew about some of the things that went bump in the night? “They don’t matter right now.” “They damn well do.” Gage shook his head. “No. They don’t. I stayed away to keep you safe and here I find you fighting demons.” “You wanted to keep me safe?” Disbelief dripped from her icy tone. He wanted to keep her safe from the demons she hunted? Jordan jerked up her shirt, exposing the sickening blackish bruise that covered her entire left side. “A girl couldn’t get any safer,” she quipped. “I was trying to keep you from things you wouldn’t have believed were real. Had I known…” He broke off and drilled a hand through his hair. “Known what? That I knew the thing that killed you wasn’t human, that I’ve been hunting demons for nearly five years now, or that your death changed me in so many ways I’m no longer the woman you deserted? Would knowing any of those things really have changed your mind, have made you realize I’m a big girl capable of deciding for myself what I believe is real?”

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“I did not desert you,” he argued, picking only one point to comment on. “No, you just let me believe you were dead for the last five years,” Jordan said quietly. She lowered her head. She felt spent, emotionally drained, and physically exhausted. He turned away, took two steps towards the door. Her insides twisted into a cold, sharp knot. Abruptly he swung back around and retraced his steps until he stood in front of her once more. Turbulent blue eyes poured into hers. “I’m sorry.” He lifted a hand to her face, his thumb brushing her skin. Despite the uncertainty that still lingered and the hundred more questions still running through her mind, she leaned into his palm and closed her eyes. She had missed this so much. Missed him finding any excuse to touch her, to comfort her when her past reared its ugly head or when she just needed him. Or he needed her. The phone rang, jarring Jordan. Her gaze met his and she could read clearly in his eyes, don’t answer it. Because she knew at this hour it could only be Brady, and that if she didn’t pick up he’d come over, she eased away from Gage and snatched up the phone. She didn’t even get the chance to say hello before Brady barked in her ear. “Trudy’s. Fifteen minutes.” “Now’s really not a good time.” She saw Gage raise a brow, his attention firmly fixed on her face. “It’s important.” Brady hung up. Groaning, she disconnected and set the cordless phone back on the table. “I’ve got to go out.” He nodded at her injured side. “No way.” “We really don’t need to go there again. I have to go. Simple as that.” She didn’t bother to tell Gage that meetings at Trudy’s were never to celebrate a demon slaying well done. It meant more bad news. She was really sick of bad news. Jordan massaged the back of her neck and watched the play of emotions run over Gage’s face before it became carefully blank in a way she was beginning to recognize was now the norm for him. “I’m going with you.” Jordan nodded. There were still things that needed to be said, and the thought of him walking out that door without having answers would be like losing him all over again. As hurt and pissed as she was with him for pretending to be dead, she didn’t want him to walk away. At least not until she finished raking him over the coals for doing it the first time. If he still wanted to leave after that, she wouldn’t stop him, even if it killed her to let him go. Shaking off the troublesome thoughts before they could squeeze her heart any tighter, Jordan straightened. “I hope you’re hungry,” she muttered and snatched up her car keys. She was far too sore to walk any more tonight. “After you,” Gage said and shut her apartment door behind them. *****

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Gage eyeballed the older man in front of them. When Jordan said they were going to an all night diner to meet with a friend, he hadn’t expected the surge of jealousy that whipped his insides when she said it was a man. The first comment out of his mouth had been to ask if the man in question was a boyfriend. He’d barely gotten the words out before she stopped him with a don’t even go there look. Watching Brady–as Jordan had introduced him–size up over the rims of scholarly looking glasses left Gage with a strange sense of relief, soothing his earlier rush of possessiveness that five years apart had obviously done little to stem. On top of that, Brady left him wondering how the forty-ish man fit into Jordan’s life. A life they hadn’t gotten a chance to get into before Brady insisted Jordan meet him here. Jordan said little on the short drive over, leaving him only more time to wonder how she ended up hunting the same creatures he did, how she even knew about them to begin with. He guessed it must have started after his death. She’d said she suspected the war demon hadn’t been human. It never crossed his mind she would have questioned that. Had it been a mistake to hide this life from her, thinking it would somehow protect her? Sliding a look at the blonde beside him and noticing another bruise near her temple, he didn’t like the answer that went through his mind. The waitress appeared, and the long moment of inspection was forced to the backburner as they ordered briskly before they sat. Gage nudged Jordan into the booth before she could even think of sitting with the other man. The man whose eyes never wavered from Gage. Brady’s gaze darted to Jordan with a look Gage assumed only she could interpret. “He’s an old friend,” she said carefully, occupying herself with stirring her coffee. Not even when Gage continued to stare at her, did she swing her attention his way. “How did you come across this old friend?” “She needed to borrow my sword,” Gage answered. The same one he thought best to leave at Jordan’s when she mentioned where they were going. It tended to draw too much attention. Dark streets at night were one thing, brightly lit diners in the middle of the night were completely different. Instead, he stuck with a smaller retractable sword at his hip and the daggers strapped next to his ankles. Brady arched a brow, his gaze more intense as he studied Gage. His focus shifted to Gage’s upper arm. Faster than expected the man reached across the table. Gage reacted more quickly and caught the other man’s wrist in his hand. “Your tattoo.” Gage didn’t move. How did the man know he had a tattoo? Brady sighed and straightened back in the booth with a calmness that didn’t match the assessing dark eyes. “Show it to me.” Gage hesitated, feeling Jordan’s eyes on him. Figuring it couldn’t hurt since the man wouldn’t see it as more than a cloaked figure carrying a sword that many assumed to be a Reaper, he tugged his T-shirt up over his shoulder. The older man nodded thoughtfully. “Well that explains quite a bit.” Before Gage could ask him to elaborate, Brady transferred his gaze to Jordan. “Did he find you fighting them, or did you find him?” Jordan didn’t say anything for a long minute. “He found me.”

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Brady watched her face carefully, as though he sensed there was more to it than she was telling him. He shrugged. “Next time you make friends with a Shadow Destroyer, make a point to tell me.” Gage’s, “How do you know about Destroyers?” collided with Jordan’s, “He’s a what?” The older man’s lips twitched, but the beginnings of a smile quickly faded. Brady took a sip of his coffee and then addressed Gage first. “I know the sign on your arm, and what it means. How I know, well that’s a rather long story.” He took another long drink of his coffee and turned to Jordan. “Shadow Destroyers are the more formal equivalent to you. I think they’d call you a Rogue Destroyer technically. Is that term still used?” he asked Gage innocently. Gage wasn’t paying attention to him. He was too preoccupied studying Jordan’s equally surprised face as everything clicked into place. Like how she attacked the demons, knew how to kill them, knew how to vanquish their auras. She had been trained by someone who knew about Shadow Demons. Someone who knew they existed and how to destroy them. But exactly how much did Brady know about them? If he wasn’t an agent, how he could he know so much about the creatures who crossed over into this realm, and how did he know about Shadow Destroyers? Ignoring the silent questions that flashed across Jordan’s stunned expression, Gage leaned forward. “You trained her then?” Brady nodded. “I am sitting right here, you know.” Her deceptively calm voice carried a warning with it Gage easily recognized. She was getting ticked off, a fact made all the more noticeable by the flush creeping up her neck and over her cheeks. “Let’s just back up a second,” she continued. Her eyes were fastened on Brady. “Why is this the first time I’m hearing about this Destroyer stuff?” “There was no point in mentioning it before. I wasn’t even sure how active they were anymore.” His gaze landed on Gage. “They don’t pop up in the quieter areas all that often. But then I’m guessing you’ve probably been picking up on the temporal activity from the gateways?” Gage’s mind rushed to keep up. The effort of it triggered a headache that throbbed at the back of his skull. He’d gone from coming face to face with Jordan to having not only a demon recognize him for what he was, but also the man who was responsible for dragging Jordan into a life he’d wanted to spare her from. And now he found himself sitting in a diner like they were all old friends and all he wanted to do was bury his fist in something to take the edge off the frustration he felt building inside him. “How do you know about Shadow Destroyers?” Gage repeated, ignoring the man’s earlier comment that it was a long story. Brady didn’t answer. “How long are you in town?” “I don’t know,” Gage answered truthfully, all too aware of Jordan’s piercing gaze focused on him. Finding her here changed things. His original plan had been to take care of the three storm demons and scout around for a bit to try and determine why this area had become such a hot zone lately. Now… The waitress returned and deposited a plate piled with pancakes he didn’t remember ordering in front of him. He vaguely recalled having said that whatever Jordan was having

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would be fine with him. Staring at the food now, the last thing he wanted to do was put any of it in his stomach. Beside him, Jordan stared at her food with the same amount of enthusiasm. Brady, on the other hand, dug in. After the few awkward moments that followed his comment about not knowing when he was leaving, he picked up his fork. Jordan had done the same and had taken her first bite when Brady reached into the bag on the seat next to him and tossed a folder onto the tabletop. He and Jordan both reached for it at the same time. Their fingers brushed, and a hot, all too familiar surge of need slammed into his gut. He gently gripped her hand until her gaze darted up to meet his. Not nearly satisfied enough at so brief a contact, Gage took his time releasing her hand, the warmth seeping into his skin before she tugged it free to flip open the folder. Her hand trembled before she clenched it tight, the only indication the contact had affected her as much as it did him. “Damn it, Brady,” Jordan cursed after she opened the folder. “You need to warn me about this stuff.” Tearing his attention from where it had lingered on Jordan’s mouth, Gage scanned the gruesome images depicted in the photos. Brady shrugged and took another bite of his food. “They’re just pictures.” Jordan shoved the plate of barely touched pancakes away from her. “Well, that killed what little appetite I had.” With a snort, Brady pointed to the symbols on the wall in the picture. A slain woman lay in the center of a bare wood floor, her naked body staked down and covered in the same symbols, that although Gage didn’t recognize right off, knew signaled they had a problem. “She’s the fifth victim.” “Fifth?” both Gage and Jordan said in equal tones of disbelief. Brady nodded. “That means whoever they’re trying to get across, he’s powerful.” “A Scion,” Gage responded vaguely, studying the symbols more closely. Nothing in the pictures as far as he could tell gave any indication what kind of master demon the lowlifes were looking to open a gateway for. While lesser demons could open gateways into this realm, Scions were somehow incapable of opening big enough gateways from their side to come across. However, through numerous human sacrifices and rituals, depending on the strength of the Scion they were trying to bring across, lesser demons could pull it off. Only once had Gage ever faced a Scion, not an experience he cared to repeat. And once they came across, they had an annoying tendency to go underground. Judging by the five victims already, that was what the hostiles were trying to accomplish. “I guess I’ll be in town for a while then,” he said finally. He tried and failed to read Jordan’s reaction to that. Nothing on her face showed whether or not she was happy about his decision to stick around for a bit. He couldn’t stop himself from being annoyed by that even though he knew he had no right to feel that way. He’d taken a road that led away from her. He could hardly expect her to throw open her arms and welcome him back into her life, for whatever length of time they were looking at. His decision to let her believe he was dead had ticked her off, and more than that, it hurt her. Jordan was notoriously good at keeping that stuff under wraps, but every time he held her gaze for longer than a few heartbeats, it surfaced in her eyes. Jordan shoved at him. “Let me out.”

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Gage stood and watched her push to her feet, not missing her cringe in the process. He didn’t know how she hadn’t broken something from the blows she took tonight. A lot of his encounters left him a little sore, and he healed almost instantly, so it stunned him to realize that in five years one of them hadn’t killed her. He knew of few Rogue Destroyers who lasted any great length of time when it came to pursing demons. Either they gave it up, or they were killed. That knowledge also pissed him off, and his earlier frustration to hit something wanted to be directed at Brady for dragging her into this. He shouldn’t be risking her life like that, no matter how thoroughly she’d obviously been trained. In the last five years Gage could count on one hand how many non-Shadow Destroyers made a career of hunting demons to begin with, and the fact that she willfully chose to do this, put her life at risk… “Where are you going?” She didn’t so much as glance back at them. “I work in four hours. I need sleep.” Gage started to dig money from his pocket, but Brady shook his head. “I’ve got it.” Nodding, he turned around, only to be stopped by the low warning Brady issued. “You break her heart again and I’ll make sure that what you do to those demons is only a drop in the bucket compared to the pain I’ll inflict on you.” “You coming?” Jordan called out from the door. Feeling the older man’s eyes burning into his back, a more unsettling feeling than being stalked by a dozen demons, he followed her outside. As the door shut, Brady’s words penetrated his brain. Break her heart again? He stared through the glass. Brady knew who he was? “What?” Jordan asked, exhaustion weighing her voice down. Gage shrugged, tucking the information and its implications away for later. “How’s your side?” The question earned him the desired response. She glared at him and strode away, forgetting all about pressing him about what was on his mind. He followed after her and snatched the keys she dug from her pocket, out of her hands. “I don’t think so,” she protested weakly. Gage sidestepped her and opened the passenger door for her. After rolling her eyes at him, she conceded. A definite sign she must be feeling worse than he thought if she gave up so quickly. Jordan leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes. “You know that we still have a lot left to talk about right?” “Yeah.” That had to be the understatement of the year. He let silence fall between them, following her quick directions mumbled at the proper intervals until he got them back to her place. Her eyes were heavy, her strides not as confident as earlier as they made their way up to her apartment. Inside, she headed straight for her bedroom. Gage hesitated in the living room. The room was simple enough with its beige couch, television, and scattering of plants that looked like they needed to be watered. Simple and comfortable. Jordan’s tastes had always run that way. “You can stay here tonight if you don’t have another place you have to be.” He swiveled around, halting in his tracks at the sight of her leaning in the doorway that led to her bedroom. She wore only the torn T-shirt that came to the tops of her thighs. The hot

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burst of lust that stormed through him was quickly tamped down at the sight of the bruise peeking out from the tear in the fabric. Gage walked purposefully towards her, stopping just short of hauling her into his arms. He tipped her chin up. “I’m not going anywhere.” He leaned forward and caught her mouth with his. Her soft lips parted and the first slow, swipe of her tongue nearly undid him. He held her close, torn between not wanting to injure her further and crushing her to him until her skin molded to his. All of the uncertainty that lingered collided inside him in a fiery burst of need that he wanted to satisfy by feeling her naked and beneath him. But knew he couldn’t. Not yet. Gage drew back. “Get some rest. Like you said, we still have a lot to talk about.” He waited until she retreated back into her room and he heard the shower running. As tempted–very tempted–as he was to follow her in there, he hunted for the bag of gear he’d slung over the chair earlier and withdrew his cell phone. “Where the hell have you been?” Quinn snapped in his ear. “You haven’t checked in.” “Don’t you ever go home?” Quinn snorted. Gage smiled as he pictured the black-haired Destroyer sitting at the communications console at the field office, her feet propped up on the desk if no one else was around while she chewed on her thumb nail. She did the same thing anytime either he or Braxton didn’t check in on time when the three of them weren’t on an assignment together. Of course she denied it every time. “You weren’t worried about me, now were you, Quinn?” The pop of bubblegum echoed in his ear. “Get over yourself.” “Braxton still kicking around the office, too?” “No, and it’s a good thing. He’s been more pissy then you lately. So what’s the deal? Did you get them?” Gage glanced towards the open bedroom door. “It’s a bit more complicated than that. Is Rae around, I need to talk to her.” A lot more complicated than that, Gage thought as he waited for his boss to come on the line. He continued to stare at the door as though Jordan would walk through it any second and tell him to come to bed. Being so close to her again, seeing her face, hearing her voice, being able to reach out and actually touch her… How would he ever be able to walk away from her again?

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Chapter Four

“I didn’t expect to see you this morning.” Brady held the door open, and Jordan walked past him into the apartment. “I need answers. And aspirin,” she added as an afterthought. She awoke with the same headache she went to sleep with. Finding only a note this morning from Gage saying he’d be back shortly hadn’t helped any. Despite her anger, a sliver of panic had lodged in her chest at the thought of him not coming back. But needing to get to work, she hadn’t been able to wait around for him to reappear, and decided at the last minute to stop here first. Brady led the way to the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of aspirin from the center of the table, dumped two tablets into her palm, and handed her a glass of water last. “What kind of answers?” he asked. Jordan tossed back the pills and followed them with a long gulp of water. Her dry throat appreciated the liquid, but her stomach clenched at the cool intrusion. “I want to know more about these Shadow Destroyers.” “Why not ask your friend?” Something in his tone struck her as odd, and she studied Brady more closely. He averted his eyes, feigning interest in stacking a few dishes in the sink behind him. The truth was, she couldn’t convince herself she’d get a straight answer out of Gage. By talking to Brady first, she might then have an indication if Gage was being completely truthful with her when she questioned him later. “Tell me more about them.” Brady returned to the seat he looked to have vacated to answer the door. A black coffee and half-eaten muffin she doubted was remotely fresh sat in front of him. “Destroyers are highly trained agents who stalk and destroy Shadow Demons.” “Agents? You’re telling me there is an organization of some kind that deals with these things?” Through a mouthful of food Brady murmured, “Yes.” She dropped into the chair opposite him. “I know you mentioned that a few others like me hunted demons, but you mean to tell me there is an organization that actually trains and pays people to do what I do? Why haven’t you ever said anything?” Brady shrugged. “What they do and where they do it has no impact on you.” Jordan snorted. “It just would have been nice to know.” “Yeah, well, having problems with authority figures, you wouldn’t like working for them. They have even more rules than you follow being a cop.” “I do not have problems with people in authority.” Brady choked on his food and had to take a sip of his coffee. “Do you ever listen to me?” “You don’t count.” She grabbed a chunk of the muffin off his plate and popped it into her mouth. “And yes, I do listen to you. Most times.” “When?” They were getting off track, and Jordan had a nagging suspicion he was leading her

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away from the subject on purpose. “How do you know about them?” Brady cleaned up the mess on the table and walked to the sink. He kept his back to her long enough to make her think he wasn’t going to answer. “And old friend of mine, a mentor really, trained agents, people like yourself who were attacked by demons and survived because of your rare gene. He died a few years ago. I hadn’t kept in touch long before then and have no idea where their head field office is even located anymore.” Jordan leaned forward, her elbows on the table. “Gage isn’t just a friend. He was the man I told you about, the one who died that night in the alley.” “I figured as much.” Jordan tensed, her eyes narrowing on Brady. “What?” “Last night I took a guess that he was the one they carted away in the ambulance. It seemed a logical conclusion to draw.” “How is that logical?” she snapped. “How would you think to come to that conclusion unless…” Her heart quickened. “You knew that he could have survived?” Brady shifted in place. She shoved to her feet. “When you found me that night and I told you what had happened, what happened to me, and to Gage… It crossed your mind that there was a chance he might have survived and you didn’t tell me?” “Any time I hear of a demon attack on an innocent where there is an open wound involved that allows for a transfer of demon essence, I wonder. But given what you said about the extent of his injuries I thought it unlikely. Especially after we realized you carried the gene yourself. The odds of both of you having it were slim to none.” “You should have said something.” “And given you false hope? How many others like you have you encountered before tonight?” None. And he knew it. “That’s not the point.” “And what is? When there was no contact from him, I assumed I was right. So instead of being angry with me, maybe you should ask him why he didn’t come looking for you.” Jordan stalked out of the room, a fresh wave of annoyance souring her stomach. Not only had Gage kept his being alive a secret, but the man she’d come to count on to always tell her the truth had been keeping a few secrets of his own. Being a private person herself, she seldom probed into all the things Brady never said or talked about, but she hadn’t expected him to be holding out on her, certainly not about an organization of individuals like her. A long sigh filled the space behind her before she heard, “Jordan, wait a minute.” She ignored him and yanked open the door, nearly colliding with Miranda, who hovered on the other side of the door. “Morning,” Miranda said with just enough chipperness in the early hour to grate on Jordan’s already foul mood. “Hungry? I brought Brady some breakfast, but there is plenty for you too.” “Another time,” Jordan answered as politely as possible. Miranda didn’t deserve her hostility because the other two jackasses somehow thought that what she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her. Feeling another spike of anger, she forced a smile to her lips. “I’m running late.” “Jordan?”

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She turned in the hall. Miranda smiled in understanding. “I hope the rest of the day goes better for you.” “Me too,” she grumbled under her breath. ***** “You want to tell me why you didn’t check in last night?” Rae’s annoyed voice tore through Gage’s eardrum. Cursing the damn transmitter he thought Braxton had adjusted, Gage tried to tug it farther from his ear. “I did check in and talked to Quinn. You were AWOL though.” “You didn’t call in until hours after you engaged the hostiles.” Gage closed his eyes, his fingers gripping the gritty cement railing that bordered the rooftop. “Something came up.” “Such as?” Nothing he wanted to get into right now. “We may have a problem down here.” “Does it have anything to do with the other agent you saw engaging the hostiles?” Damn Quinn and her loose lips. Rae continued. “I followed up with the other field offices. No one has any assigned operatives in the area. Was it a Rogue Destroyer?” “Not exactly.” Gage figured he could only buy himself so much time before he’d have to mention his personal connection to the Rogue Destroyer. With so much still unresolved with Jordan, it wasn’t a subject he wanted to touch on just yet. “We got five sacrificial murders down here.” “Damn.” From the pause over the line, Gage imagined Rae rubbing the back of her neck as she usually did when she got news she didn’t like. “Given the temporal activity I’m not surprised. I knew I should have sent you down there weeks ago when it looked as though it was going to become a regular hot zone.” “I was busy in South America, remember.” “Any indication what type of Scion we’re looking at?” “I should have a lead on that today.” “Good. I’m sending Drew down there.” “Hell, no.” “You have a problem with Agent Reid?” The slightest trace of humor edged Rae’s voice. “I’m operating on no sleep, my tracking device is inoperable and I don’t need you screwing with me right now.” Everyone knew both he and Drew Reid butted heads over ways to get things done more than a married couple bickered over how often they needed to have sex. “You shouldn’t be alone down there.” “I’m not,” he snapped without thinking, then cringed. Damn. The lengthy pause on the other end worried him. “What’s going on Gage?” He swallowed the sigh clinging to the back of his throat. “I can’t get into it now, Rae. I’m still working it out. But don’t send Braxton out on assignment in case I need him down

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here.” When she didn’t respond right away, he expected her to refuse. “Fine. But don’t keep me in the dark too long Gage, or I’ll go looking for answers myself.” “There’s one more thing,” he added. “One of the hostiles, a storm demon, it knew what I was, called me a Destroyer.” “I see.” Gage frowned. “You don’t sound surprised.” It had sure as hell surprised him that the demon knew he was an agent. As far as he knew, slain demons weren’t doing the talking, and he hadn’t come in contact with a demon he didn’t wind up killing. “I’ve heard some things from the other field offices. I guess someone has been doing some digging.” “You’re telling me you think some hostile out there is investigating us somehow?” “It’s too soon to tell how or where they’re getting their information.” As if there wasn’t enough to deal with without having the enemy know about Shadow Destroyers. “Stay in touch,” Rae ordered before disconnecting. Gage removed the earpiece and stared down into the alley where he’d first encountered Jordan fighting the storm demons. He hadn’t slept at all last night. After briefly chatting with Quinn while Jordan showered, he waited until her room was quiet and went in to check on her before forcing himself to return to the couch. If he had his way, he would have been in there with her, her body tucked next to him. Given that she didn’t suggest or even hint at it with so much as a look, he wasn’t interested in hearing another castration threat via his sword if he crossed the threshold into her room without verbal permission. At least when she was awake. After doing little more than laying on the couch with his eyes closed, unable to drift off, he had bolted upright an hour later when Jordan cried out. He found her still asleep on her side, her knees drawn to her chest, her body trembling. She didn’t open her eyes when he sat beside her on the edge of the bed and smoothed her hair back from her face. Her body tensed and she whispered his name, but calmed as her breathing evened out once more. This time he hadn’t been able to make himself leave her side. He stretched out beside her and held her until the remaining tension locked deep in his limbs started to drain away. Or most of it had anyway, right up until she snuggled closer and brushed her bottom against his groin. For three seconds too long, he thought about how good it would feel to slide her panties down and sink into her from behind. Finding some trace of willpower that took hold right before he pushed his hand up her shirt to find her breast, Gage had somehow bit back the urge to get reacquainted with her body. He eventually relaxed after she ceased her own restless rocking against him, and stayed in bed with her as long as he dared, rising before he hoped she would stir enough to realize he was there with her and kick his ass out of bed. Leaving the apartment before she woke was a last minute decision that had everything to do with him wanting to put off any immediate explanations for what he’d been up to until now. Now as he stared down at the alley where any of one of those storm demons could have overtaken her, his gut tightened. His determination to stay away from her, to let her get on

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with her life without him having to worry that one day a demon would kill her if he stayed close, had all been for nothing. She was in the middle of it all anyway. Aware of the fact anyone could be watching, he took the stairs down to street level, instead of vaulting down the few stories as he had last night. It had only taken a few calls to find out what precinct Jordan had transferred to. For the first couple years after he disappeared, he’d kept tabs on her. Every time he checked up on her, the urge to go and explain had been unbearable, until he had forced himself to stop doing it. Maybe if he had paid more attention then, he could have seen this coming and done something to prevent it. Gage shook his head. Who was he kidding? He doubted there was anything he could have done that would have kept her far away from this life, at least not without telling her he was alive. And then he would have put her at risk. Unfortunately, while he could sense other demons in a limited way, other war demons could also sense him. Sometimes they even sought him out, not realizing he wasn’t fully one of their kind until it was too late. Shaking off thoughts of what couldn’t be changed, he strolled into the police station. The place was rather quiet for late Friday afternoon, and since he knew Jordan patrolled, he wasn’t sure if she was around. He decided to check anyway instead of waiting for her back at the apartment. At the moment, the need to see her overrode his concerns she would give him a full interrogation at her first opportunity. The officer at the desk looked him over. His eyes narrowed. “Can I help you?” “I’m looking for Jordan McAdam.” “You her boyfriend?” Gage ignored the question. “Is she around?” “Is she expecting you?” “Yes,” he lied smoothly, already deciding he disliked Officer Platt, as his nametag read. The cop straightened and pasted a sharp smirk on his face, as though someone drove a flagpole up his ass and he didn’t want to show how uncomfortable it was. Platt nodded to a row of seats against the wall, one of which was occupied by a man in his twenties dressed in black pants and shirt, the top buttons left open to expose three thick gold chains dangling around his neck. Tattoos lined each forearm where he’d pushed his shirt sleeves up, and large chunky rings with fake gems glittered on his fingers. He reminded Gage of the type Quinn liked to call pimp-goth. Next to him sat a blonde, possibly a prostitute, with a barbed wire tattoo around her bicep. She seemed rather interested in watching Platt. “I’ll stand, thanks.” Officer Platt looked like he wanted to argue the point, but turned and vanished into the inner offices. A familiar pang of longing struck Gage in the chest, reminding him of the life he’d given up to pursue the hostiles. He’d liked being a cop, had been good at it. He was good at his current job as well, and he’d come to appreciate that while he wasn’t serving others in an upfront way any longer, he’d saved dozens of innocents cornered by demons since Rae had brought him into the Shadow Destroyers network. Crossing his arms, Gage waited for Jordan to appear. ***** “We still on for tonight?”

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Jordan pushed away the report and stood. “About that…” she began. Kate shook her head. “Oh, no. You said you were buying the first round. We’re going.” “McAdam.” Jordan groaned, John Platt’s arrogant voice raking down her nearly restored good mood. “What?” The other officer stopped, rolled a glance down the front of her in that pig way of his that was just this side of sexual harassment. “You two ladies got plans for tonight?” “And how exactly is that any of your business?” Kate interceded a moment before Jordan did. John scowled at Kate and jerked his head at Jordan. “There’s a guy here to see you.” He exchanged annoyed glances with Kate and then stormed away. Kate’s peeved look brightened a second before she pounced. “A guy, huh? Would that be why you were trying to get out of dinner and drinks with me?” Jordan kept silent, letting Kate interpret her lack of response whichever way she wanted. Her friend’s eyes lit up. “About damn time.” “I’m going to get changed,” Jordan said and moved away before Kate could drill her for more information. “Hey, McAdam, you got a second?” Jordan turned to where homicide detective Lance Jensen leaned against the wall. From her subtle inquiries this morning, she discovered he was lead detective on the sacrifice victims. No one was saying much, or only had little information other than they believed they had a potential serial killer on their hands. “Sure.” “I’ll go chat with your friend. Keep him occupied until you’re done.” Kate grinned. Shooting her friend a warning look that Kate only rolled her eyes at, Jordan followed Lance into the room already spread full of details of the murders. Photos, notes, maps of the victims locations that all appeared to occur in the same ten block radius Brady had pointed out the night before. Lance tossed the folder he carried onto the table and turned to face her, arms crossed. He had transferred in only six months before, a favor called in by someone higher up, or so the rumor went. Standing in front of her now, Lance regarded her with no small amount of skepticism. He gestured to one section of the wall decorated in the five symbols that were found at each murder scene, symbols she recognized from the pictures Brady had shown her last night. “These mean anything to you?” This was where being a cop and killing demons intersected in a dangerous way. If she claimed to know too much about them, it set off warning bells in others that she wanted to avoid. The average person just wasn’t able to face the truth that creatures like Shadow Demons existed, let alone that they could pass themselves off as humans. Only those who came in contact with a demon tended to be open-minded that way, and precious few of those people survived to talk about the experience. On the other hand, if Jordan didn’t comment on the symbols, she looked like a liar since it was well known she knew Brady, who in turn was known to take particular interest in the

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strange and unusual crimes that often went unsolved. “I’m not an expert with this kind of stuff.” Jordan took a closer look at the wall of symbols, many of them blown up for easier inspection. Lance moved beside her to stare at the pictures. “People talk, McAdam.” She shot him a sideways glance, seeing right through his friendly tone. “That doesn’t mean they know what they’re talking about.” “I’ve got five victims in three days, Jordan. No prints or anything else we can get DNA off of, and no witnesses. We thought we had one killer in the beginning, but the room set up varies too much, as does the location of the symbols in relation to the body. Our vics are two men, three women and nothing to connect them since we’re having a hell of a time even figuring out who they are, let alone getting any known addresses or tracking down next of kin. So I ask you again, does this stuff mean anything to you?” Jordan met the hard gaze, not flinching under what she guessed was a practiced, don’t fuck with me look. “These are demonic symbols.” Which was fairly accurate even if he just assumed she meant demons as in Satan and Hell. Lance didn’t so much as blink. “So I’m dealing with some kind of cult then?” Jordan shrugged. “Possibly. I’m sure there are other people who could give you a better scenario.” “Like your pal, Brady?” Shoulders tense, Jordan read the suspicion in the detective’s eyes. “Brady is harmless.” It was times like these she really hated how eccentric Brady often let others believe him to be. He thought it far better to put people in a position to underestimate his intelligence. “You can let him know we might want to talk to him.” “Was there anything else?” Lance shrugged. “Nope. Anything else to add?” With an equally innocent, “Nope,” Jordan headed for the door. “We got something.” Lance’s partner Clint strolled through the door, his face buried in the file he carried. “It looks like we’ve got a thread between our vics. They’re all either prostitutes or were with one right before they were killed.” His eyes snapped up and landed on Jordan. Without looking at Lance, Clint said, “I thought we decided McAdam wouldn’t be worth talking to.” While Clint had always been pleasant to her in passing, even going so far as to ask her out for a drink once, he shared the majority’s opinion that she was a bit of a head case. “I changed my mind.” Lance snatched the file out of his partner’s hand. He shifted his gaze to Jordan. “You think of anything else, let me know.” They closed the door behind her, leaving her alone in the hall. Jordan smiled. At least now she had something to go on herself. ***** “Where are we going?” Jordan led the way as they cut across the park, heading into the thicker part of the centennial grounds. “We’re following a lead.” “So you’ve said, but you haven’t given me any other details.” Gage cut her off.

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Forced to stop or run into him, Jordan came to a standstill, arms crossed. After they left the precinct, he insisted on getting a bite to eat where he then spent the next couple of hours steering the conversation away from himself whenever possible. Despite her efforts, he offered no further details on anything relating to Shadow Destroyers other than what Brady had already told her that morning. Between the two of them, she couldn’t decide who she wanted to hit more. Aside from knowing that Gage was alive and that he worked for an organization that slayed the same creatures she did, she still knew virtually nothing. He’d said nothing more on why he hadn’t told her he was alive, and most of his questions this evening had involved the murder case. For a man who last night agreed they still had a lot still to talk about, she’d foolishly assumed he meant them. She’d obviously been wrong, and that on top of lying to her these past five years, he was sticking around primarily for the demons, or more specifically, to stop more sacrifices from taking place that would allow a Scion to cross over. “I already told you about the link to the prostitutes.” His gaze drifted down to her mouth, and Jordan’s heart picked up speed. Gage leaned in closer. “How does that explain where we’re going?” “We’re going to talk to someone who knows both demons and prostitutes. He owns a bar not too far from where those storm demons were last night. Now you’re in the loop. Satisfied?” She shifted her attention from his mouth to his eyes. The flash of heat in the blue depths burned through her. “Not really.” He cocked his head. “Is there a boyfriend I should know about?” Jordan took his abrupt change in subject in stride. “Would you care?” His voiced deepened with a possessive edge she remembered all too well. “Is there?” “Do you have a girlfriend or wife back home, wherever that is?” Her gut knotted at the possibility. He took a purposeful step forward. “You didn’t answer my question.” “You noticed that, huh?” she quipped, then took a step back, the predatory look on his face setting off an internal alarm that hadn’t sounded since the day she pinned him on the gym mat at the academy, a heartbeat before he flipped her, reversing their positions. “I’ll take your silence on the issue as a no.” “You always did make too many assumptions.” A wolfish grin curved his lips. “Like how you wanted me from the first day at the academy?” Jordan snorted, unable to retreat another step as her back came up against a tree trunk. “Or how you still want me now?” He propped a hand against the tree next to her face and edged closer. The silken cords in her belly pulled tight. “You’ve always been too cocky for your own good.” “At least you’re not denying it.” “Denying what?” Breathless even to her own ears, Jordan flattened a palm against his chest, but didn’t push him away. His mouth grazed her jaw. Jordan closed her eyes as the fire pooling in her womb twisted deeper. “Try to keep up. We’re talking about how much you still want me.” He skimmed his

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lips over hers. “How much I still want you.” His palm slid under her shirt, hot against her skin. “You do, don’t you, Jordan? Still want me?” Tipping her chin up, his mouth caressed her throat. Jordan gave him a shaky nod, the best she could do since she couldn’t think much beyond the heat tunneling through her veins, or the slow ache building between her thighs. Gage trailed a finger down her throat to the deep V of her button up shirt. He undid the first button, then the next and the next until he pushed her shirt open, exposing her breasts and simple cotton bra. “Tell me you still crave my touch. Tell me you want me to touch you.” He pushed her shirt down her shoulders, trapping her arms by her sides, and hooked her bra strap around his finger. His mouth hovered above hers. “Tell me you’ve dreamed about this, feeling my hands on you again. That you’ve dreamed about me the way I’ve dreamed about you.” He didn’t wait for her response before he slanted his mouth across hers, his tongue slipping past her lips to stroke inside. The hard sigh trapped in her throat slid out. Jordan sank her nails into his shirt, dragging him closer. His arousal nudged her belly, and the hot threads deep in her sex nearly snapped. He took full possession of her mouth, pleading with her to remember how things used to be between them with every smooth stroke of his tongue. Memories she once fought to keep buried rushed to the surface as he kissed her deeper, coaxing her to let go. Back and forth, he used his lips to claim her all over again, the taste of him more intense, more consuming than any time from their past. “Tell me,” he murmured against her mouth. “Touch me.” Her voice nearly cracked with emotion, desperation tearing through her system in long, scorching waves. “More,” he coaxed, one palm sliding down her front, past her waist. Jordan rocked into his hand when he pushed it against her sex “I want you.” Glittering blue eyes bored into hers. “How much?” His other hand smoothed over her belly, upwards until he caught one aching nipple between his fingers and tugged. With a wicked expression on his face, he bent and clamped his lips over it, wetting the fabric right through until the heat from his mouth shoved her snowballing need even higher. “Well, lookie what we’ve got here, boys.” The unfamiliar voice broke the private world she’d fallen into with Gage. Jordan froze and locked her gaze on the four young men standing ten feet away from them. Gage jerked around, keeping her behind him. One of them took a few steps forward, a knife in his hand. He gave Jordan a long leering glance, before zeroing in on Gage. “I think I’ll have a taste of that my friend.”

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“I’m not big on sharing.” Gage took a step towards the foursome in front of them. “You’ll have to find your orgy someplace else.” Dressed in black, the blonde leader of the group shoved the hood down on his sweatshirt. “I wasn’t asking. I was telling you.” He nodded towards the knife he held. “If you’re nice about this, I’ll even let you watch.” The sound of Jordan’s laughter peeled through the night air, jarring Gage from the anger rising inside him at what the gang leader had on his mind. She took a step forward, putting herself beside him, instead of behind him where Gage wanted her. The vixen smile on her lips perplexed the men in front of them, but not nearly as much as it perplexed Gage. She hadn’t bothered to do up her shirt, leaving her barely covered breasts exposed, much to Gage’s dismay. “I tell you what,” Jordan damn near purred. “You boys pull your pants down and let me get a peek at the equipment, and I’ll let you know if you’re big enough to play.” “Listen, bitch,” the leader snarled. He twirled the knife in his hand. “If you don’t want to get your tongue cut out, you better shut the fuck up.” A startled expression crossed her face before she glanced at Gage. “I think he means it.” The corner of her lips twitched. The three behind the blonde crowded towards them. Jordan shook her head. “I should warn you guys. We do know how to defend ourselves.” The tallest in the back paused, but the rest seemed unconcerned by her announcement. Even though the four in front of them were your standard garden-variety criminals instead of demons, the thought of that knife getting anywhere near Jordan left Gage’s chest tight and cold. “I don’t suppose I could persuade you to wait over there.” She kept her eyes trained on the group widening around them. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.” “If you let one of them get a hit in, I’m going kick your ass myself,” he warned, watching the stocky one wearing a crossbones T-shirt edge closer. “You just worry about your own ass.” Jordan sidestepped as one of them made a grab for her. Turning, she jabbed her elbow into the guy’s back, and kicked out, catching another one in the shin. The one with the knife swung out at Gage. Used to fighting creatures that moved faster, he easily dodged the attack and went on the offensive. The stocky guy slid in between them, keeping Gage from being stabbed, but also preventing him from snatching the knife. “Blake is gonna hurt you, my friend,” the leader taunted, safe behind his bodyguard. For now. “You could have saved yourself some pain.” The sound of something, or someone, hitting the tree behind them, drew everyone’s attention over Gage’s shoulder. The muffled masculine whimper told him Jordan was holding her own, and he took advantage of the distraction and slammed his fist into the meaty jaw closest to him. Crossbones staggered. Dropping into a crouch Gage swung a leg around,

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knocking him off his feet. Someone else dropped to the ground behind him. Gage chanced another glance and found Jordan glaring at the men at her feet. Feeling his eyes on her, she lifted her head and their gazes collided before Gage felt the leader make a move towards him. Standing, Gage stared at the knife that now trembled in the man’s hand. Furious dark eyes darted back and forth between him and Jordan who moved closer to Gage. She shrugged. “I tried to warn you.” The leader launched himself at her. Gage half-turned and caught the guy’s wrist, snapping it back. The kid howled and dropped to his knees, cradling his arm to his chest. Gage rolled his eyes at Jordan. “You shouldn’t have provoked him like that.” “You were the one who just broke his wrist. I’d say that makes you more of a bully than me.” She crouched down. “Should I have mentioned I’m a cop too?” The young man’s eyes widened. Gage choked back a laugh as he watched Jordan give the group leader the same leering look he gave her moments before. “I have a feeling that where you’re going, someone will love getting a taste of you.” She stood and dug her cell phone from her pocket to call it in. While they waited for the closest units to arrive, he watched her make sure not one of the creeps on the ground moved any more than it took them to take a breath. She’d always been the type to look for a fight, but now there was a far more cynical edge to that need that practically hummed on the air around her. More than just an outlet to let off some pent up energy, he suspected she was driven to make sure no one doubted she could handle herself. Her sharp edges when they first met had only intrigued him, made him long to find the softness beneath. If this was the first time he met Jordan, he would have doubted a softness or vulnerability of any kind existed within her. “You’re staring.” Gage grinned, the sight of her mussed hair and hastily buttoned shirt had his thoughts turning back to what the four on the ground had interrupted. He closed the short gap between them and dropped his gaze to the hint of cleavage that still peeked from the top of her shirt. “You missed a button.” A slow smile transformed her face. “I can’t find it. You were a bit too rough with my shirt.” “I’ll have to be more careful next time.” The sound of sirens grew closer and the men looked ready to bolt. Gage shot the tall one a warning glance. “You can try it, but I’ll bet she runs faster than you do.” Jordan laughed and moved more into the open as the officers headed towards them on foot. “Not your usual call, Lance.” Gage noticed the instant chill that entered Jordan’s voice, and watched the only officer not in a uniform approach them. The dark haired man shrugged. “Heard it come over the line and I guess I was just curious.”

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“Well, no one is dead, though that one over there has a broken wrist.” “They get on your bad side?” The smirk on Jordan’s face couldn’t be interpreted as friendly by any stretch of the imagination. “Right around the same time they pulled a knife.” “Assaulting an officer, huh?” “And then some,” she finished. She followed the officers who cuffed and hauled the men to their feet, planning on giving an initial statement, Gage guessed. Lance didn’t follow them, but instead studied Gage. “You a friend of Jordan’s?” Gage nodded. “You from around here, or just visiting?” Crossing his arms, Gage relaxed the tightening between his shoulder blades. “That depends.” “On?” “Whether you’re asking just to make small talk or probing for something else.” Lance cocked his head. “I only dig when I think someone is withholding something important.” “Well, it’s a good thing I don’t have anything to hide.” With a tip of his head, Lance turned around. “Have a good night.” Gage waited another few minutes until Jordan headed back towards him. “All squared away?” “For now. I’ll take care of the rest later.” She glanced at her watch. “We need to get moving. I want to get in there before it gets too crowded.” He fell into step beside her. “Was that the same detective that you chatted with earlier today?” “Yeah.” “He got a thing for you?” Jordan snorted. “No.” She stopped, and her eyes grew wide. “Did he come on to you?” She looked so serious, he almost believed her. “Smart ass.” The sound of her laughter chased away the last of the unease Lance’s few questions had generated. They exited the park and circled around towards the same district they met in last night. He watched her from the corner of his eye. “How long have you been living down here?” “You mean you haven’t run some kind of background check on me yet?” “No.” Though it had crossed his mind. He figured by the time he got Quinn to look into it for him, even if he had been willing to put up with her questions, he figured he’d get answers out of Jordan faster. “Three years.” “And being a cop hasn’t interfered with your…night job?” Jordan shrugged. “Still have to do something to pay the bills. Plus, I don’t sleep much so it works out.” “And Brady trained you, all on his own?” “Don’t underestimate him. I’ve only been able to take him down a few times myself.”

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“Until recently there hasn’t been a lot of gateway activity down here. How many hostiles do you routinely come across?” “Hostiles? You mean demons? It used to be one every couple weeks or so. More than triple that in recent weeks.” Before Gage could get into the thousand reasons pounding in his head for why she shouldn’t be hunting demons to begin with, the first being that she could get killed, Jordan nodded down a side street. “It’s down here.” Being only ten o’clock, Gage was surprised to see there was already a lineup out front. The converted warehouse had been recently painted a dark red and bursts of light flashed through the tinted windows. A red carpet covered the front sidewalk where people chatted, some tapping their feet to the loud music pouring out the open front doors. Jordan bypassed the front entrance and headed around back. Another bouncer was perched on a stool at the backdoor. He smiled as they approached, his gaze fastened on Jordan. The big man, of obvious Scandinavian heritage, grinned. “Where have you been hiding?” “You know how it is, Carl. Never enough time in the day.” Carl flicked his eyes over Gage. “You looking for a beer or Colin?” Who the hell was Colin, Gage wanted to ask, but remained silent. Jordan smiled. “Both. Is he around tonight?” “He was a while ago, and if he left he didn’t come out the back way.” He held the door open for them, his light colored eyes narrowing fractionally on Gage. Sticking close to Jordan, Gage followed her down the narrow hallway that spilled out into a wide room already crammed with bodies. Music pulsed from the speakers, and a strobe light blinked through the darkness, giving the inside of the club a surreal feeling. It took them a couple minutes to make their way to one of the club’s two bars, another minute still for Jordan to wedge herself against the counter. Not wanting to miss anything, he set his hands on her waist and leaned close. Jordan tensed, then with a subtle motion, one he could have imagined, she brushed against his groin, bringing his semi-aroused cock fully awake. A balding bartender with a red goatee deposited a shot in front of Jordan. He smiled. “To start you off.” He jerked his head at Gage. “Something for your friend?” “Just a beer. Anything.” Jordan turned around, the shot glass in her hand. Gage didn’t release the hold he had on her. Her green eyes met his, a hint of desire swimming in the sultry depths that flashed the same way when he trapped her against the tree earlier. The memory replayed itself in his head, cranking his insides into a hot tangle of lust that burrowed through his blood and straight to his erection. Eyes locked on his, she tipped her head back and downed the shot. A smile touched the corner of her mouth. Gage leaned forward to kiss her. A sharp tingle slithered around his spine, and he tensed, turning around to scan the dance floor behind him. He searched the faces until he homed in on the one that set off the

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alarm in his head. In the middle of a group of women, a tiny redhead glanced his way, her smile diminishing under his continued scrutiny. A stealth demon. ***** Jordan followed his gaze, tensing as she felt the stealth demon’s presence a moment before the creature froze under their combined stare. She put her hand on Gage’s shoulder. “Easy, tough guy. She’s not the only one in here.” And even if she was, she wouldn’t be for long. Jordan often passed by the club when she was scouting around, watching for any one of the demons that tended to pop up in the club to make a move towards an innocent. Often she didn’t need that kind of provocation to engage them. As soon as they knew she was there and aware of them, they tended to come after her the second she stepped outside. Gage searched the room. “They won’t be doing anything to anyone while they’re in here. Too many eyes. They’re not all stupid. Plus you have some human sympathizers in here who don’t like their pals targeted the way you’re targeting that stealth demon.” His head whipped around. “Sympathizers? For a woman awfully keen on taking these things on, you’re rather passive in here.” “That’s because I have a deal with Colin. I don’t cause trouble in his club and he passes information onto me as he comes across it.” “And this Colin knows what you do in your spare time?” “Sort of.” She and Colin had come to an understanding not to ask each other too many questions. That way they wouldn’t have to lie to each other. Colin might cater to a more unnatural crowd than she liked, but at the end of the day, she knew she could count on him if she needed his help. While they weren’t what anyone could call friends, they had a mutual respect for one another and a shared dislike for demons. But with Colin, business was still business, no matter who paid the tab. The bartender returned with Gage’s beer. Jordan raised her voice to be heard over the music. “Hey, Dave, is Colin around?” “He’s here somewhere. If I see him, I’ll tell him you’re looking for him.” “Thanks.” Grabbing Gage’s beer off the counter, Jordan took his hand and led him towards the dance floor. It took everything inside her to turn her back on the stealth demon who likely wouldn’t hesitate to drive a knife into her back if given an opportunity. In here though, there were rules, and anyone who brought attention to the club, and the more unusual cliental, was dealt with. Colin had earned himself a solid reputation as someone not to be screwed with. Only those demons with severe bloodlust on their minds would risk attacking her or Gage in here. The few seconds she had studied the stealth demon, Jordan decided to go with her gut instinct and assumed that one wouldn’t make a move on them unless they cornered it. Around them bodies moved and gyrated, their motions guided by the metal beat drumming through the room. Jordan took a swig of the beer and handed it to Gage. He took a

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drink, one hand remaining at her waist. She turned and leaned against him, her bottom tucked close to his groin. It was a natural action, one she had done countless times before when they had been out somewhere off-duty. Despite the time they’d been apart, it was almost too easy to slip into his arms and find some measure of comfort with him so close. Jordan wasn’t all that surprised to feel how aroused he was, but she tensed anyway, unsure of what to do with the growing need for him smoldering inside her. In another time and place she would have dragged him somewhere they could be alone. But now… Gage locked his arms around her, keeping her back pressed against him when she squirmed. His erection dug into her behind and she closed her eyes. Warmth flooded her stomach. She rocked into him, the music drowning her moan as his hand slid up to cup her breast. Red and blue lights pulsed across the dance floor. The air around her grew more humid as the crowd around them thickened with more bodies seeking a place to dance. She didn’t resist when he tugged her towards the wall, making room for them, not caring about the looks he drew when he planted her between him and the wall. She vaguely wondered where his beer vanished to before he caught her chin in his palm and brought his mouth down to hers. The man kissed like a god. Gage was the only man capable of making her knees turn to water when he kissed her as though he had been destined to kiss her, and only her. Not even the notion of such childish romanticism could cool the fire burning her from the inside out. Gage was alive and here, holding her, kissing her. And all she could think about was how much she didn’t want him to stop. He wasted no time moving under her shirt, hiking it up as he caressed her breast. He rubbed his thumb over her nipple until the hard tip ached for more than just his hand. Forcing herself to forget why they had come there in the first place–for just a few minutes–Jordan locked her arms around his neck. She groaned against his lips when he slipped a hand between her legs and cupped her sex. Faster, and more thorough, Gage kissed her, his tongue smooth and hot as it glided deeper, tasting her, making her hunger for more. Her heart pounded in her ears, nearly in time with the fiery pulse that thrummed through her. He pressed his palm against her and drew back enough she could see the same hunger glittering in his eyes. “Do you remember the time I dragged you into the bathroom at the movie theater?” She squeezed her thighs around his hand, biting her lip as his fingers stroked her through her pants. Jordan leaned forward. Her mouth grazed his ear. “I seem to recall that I was the one who dragged you in there.” Gage slid his mouth down her throat. Both hands moved down to her behind before he lifted her off the floor. She wrapped her legs around his waist, wishing there was nothing separating them. Already she could feel how damp she was, feel the hot clenching inside that wanted nothing more than for Gage to sink into her right here. For him to take her against the wall with the same fierceness he had during the time he mentioned, when need had overridden common sense, and hadn’t let go until he’d driven himself into her over and over. “Jordan?” Amusement edged the deep voice raised to be heard over the music. Torn between cursing Colin or just ignoring him completely, Jordan squirmed until Gage released his hold on her.

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His mouth brushed her neck. “Just so you know, I plan to pick up right,” he brushed his cock against her, “here. Very soon.” Ordering the heat swimming through her veins to cool, she followed Colin as he led them through the crowd towards his office. Music could still be heard inside the large room that was both a workspace and a private entertainment area, complete with a pool table and a big screen television. With a smile playing over his lips, Colin gestured to the chairs opposite his desk, then sank into his plush black leather one. “Business good tonight?” She might have cringed at how ridiculous the question was, but then she’d have to think about the fact that she was still equal parts turned on from Gage, and embarrassed about being caught with him all but down her pants. Made worse by the fact that she had been so wrapped up in Gage, she wouldn’t have cared what he did to her or who saw them. Could have been worse. Could have been Brady instead of Colin that came across her the moment she decided to throw common sense right out the window. Colin arched a brow. “I’m pretty sure you didn’t stop by to observe how many people are doing body shots tonight.” He studied Gage closely. “I didn’t believe Dave when he said Jordan had a guy with her. Congratulations. You’ve got to be the first one I’ve ever seen her damn near screwing in my place.” A smug look flitted across Gage’s face before it vanished into his favored neutral expression. Jordan bristled. Between Colin pointing out the obvious, and the cocky jerk next to her, she didn’t know precisely who to thank for bringing her feet back to the ground. Gage had nothing to be pleased about as far as she was concerned. So he still made her hot—okay, very hot. And although her hormones shifted into high gear anytime he got within a foot of her, hell, ten feet of her, she hadn’t forgotten the fact that he pretended to be dead for the last five years. No amount of pleasure his touch was capable of generating would be able to push it fully out of her mind, even though she almost wished it could. Determined to get back to the reason she had come, Jordan met Colin’s no-nonsense gaze, studying the flawless olive complexion and sharp dark eyes that captured many a woman’s attention. “What have you heard about the sacrifices, Colin?” Colin frowned as he held her gaze, nothing in his expression giving any indication whether or not this was the first time he’d heard of them. “How many?” “Five so far.” “What’s the MO?” “Full deal. Lots of symbols.” Five victims, all murdered in a full ceremonial setting, meant a demon far more powerful than Jordan had ever encountered wanted to crossover, and that didn’t sit well with her. She’d do whatever it took to stop it before more innocents died and a gateway was opened. The few stories Brady had told her about Scions crossing over made every horror movie look PG-13. Much like his nonchalance about dumping pictures of murder scenes in her lap over breakfast, he didn’t spare any of gruesome details when he talked about Scions either. The violent bloodlust of lesser demons didn’t hold a candle to how much intense emotion it took to satisfy Scions. And the real problem was, once they attracted attention with a mass

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murder spree that left authorities baffled, they tended to vanish for long periods of time. Colin tapped his pen on the edge of his desk. “I need to look into a couple things, but I’ll be in touch as soon as I hear something.” Nodding, Jordan stood up with Gage right on her heels. At the door she glanced back over her shoulder, wondering at the frown drawing Colin’s brows together. “I’ll be waiting for your call.” Outside the club, Jordan took a deep breath of the cleansing air. Gage jerked his head towards the converted warehouse. “So this guy runs a club that sometimes caters to demons and he knows it?” Heading back towards the street, she was surprised that this was the first time Gage had encountered such a thing. “Don’t you big, bad Shadow Destroyers have contacts like Colin?” Gage shrugged. “Not me, but it’s likely some do I guess. I just don’t personally come across hostiles in a place where it’s obvious other non-demons are aware of them.” “And you end up killing them all anyway, so you’ve never had to deal with a middle man?” “Pretty much.” Gage glanced at her, then studied the ground as they walked. “What?” He only shook his head. Jordan let it go, lapsing into a silence that was as close to comfortable as they’d been able to manage since his reappearance. Outside her apartment, she caught him watching her again, the same look on his face as when he asked her if Lance had a thing for her. She dug her apartment key out of her pocket. “You’re not wondering if I had a thing with Colin too are you?” “No,” he snapped. Jordan smiled sweetly. “Is it past someone’s bedtime?” “Don’t provoke me, Jordan.” Holding her hands up, she wondered at the abrupt change in his mood. He’d certainly been tense when they were in the club, with the exception of the short time he pleasantly distracted them both. Now though, he looked ready to lash out at something. “You gonna tell me what bug crawled up your ass?” He glared at her. “Fine. I’m going to bed. You can have your snit all by yourself.” She wasn’t close to being tired yet, but she wasn’t going to stand there and let him stare at her like she’d done something wrong. Gage snaked a hand out and swung her back around. “You didn’t answer me before.” “About what?” If he was looking for a game of twenty questions, she wasn’t in the mood. “A boyfriend. Is there a guy in your life?” Jordan jerked her arm free. “And if there is, are you going to go kick his ass?” “Could you just cool it with the smart ass remarks?” She crossed her arms. “I will as soon as you stop acting like it matters.” “It does.” “Really? If it mattered that much you wouldn’t have let another man come into my life.

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You would have been here yourself.” Where he belonged. Jordan closed her eyes, erasing that last thought from her mind. “I was trying to keep you safe.” “So you’ve said.” She wondered who he was really trying to convince of that. Her, or himself? “I meant it. Damn it, you’re taking risks and are going to wind up hurt.” Jordan snorted. “I wish it was that easy. Maybe then I’d have a reason to walk away from it.” Though, that was a bit of a stretch. There was no point in walking away from this life when there wasn’t another one waiting for her on the greener side of the pasture. Gage frowned, confusion scrunching his forehead. “You can walk away. There is nothing tying you to this life except Brady.” “Leave him out of it.” He shoved a hand through his hair, frustration edging into his voice. “How can I? He dragged you into it.” “No, he didn’t. He saved my life. He was the only one who thought I wasn’t crazy, the only one who believed me when I said something not fully human killed you.” “He should have left you out of it,” Gage snapped. “The way you did?” “I was doing the right thing.” “Were you? It was the right thing leaving me alone to face that war demon when it came after me, tracked me down when you had only been in the ground a week?” Jordan snapped her fingers. “Oh, that’s right, you weren’t really dead. What was in the urn anyway, sand?” Gage gripped her arms almost to the point it was painful. “What the hell are you talking about?” “Which part?” Jordan growled. “The war demon. It came after you?” Anger warred with frustration. “As if you didn’t know.” How could he not know? Did he think she could fight the demons and heal as quickly as she did by some fluke? His hands fell away from her, and he scrubbed them over his face. “This isn’t making sense. A demon couldn’t have attacked you.” I beg to differ hovered on the edge of her lips. Gage whipped around and jerked her shirt up. He studied her side, noting the lack of bruising that had been there last night. His eyes snapped to hers as realization dawned on his face. “It really came after you.” Jordan nodded slowly, relieved he was finally catching on. “Brady had been watching me since you died. If he hadn’t been there, it would have killed me.” A range of emotions flashed across his face before Gage shook his head. “So he saved you, that didn’t mean that just because you obviously carry the gene that you have to hunt them.” Was he even listening to himself? “Stop blaming Brady.” “I need to blame someone!” “Get over it.” His furious blue eyes flashed. “I will not get over it. I thought I’d made the right

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decision.” Jordan cocked her head. “Imagine that.” “Don’t,” he warned. “Don’t what?” She stood toe to toe with him now. “Do you expect me to act as if it’s okay you vanished from my life, that I’m different now because of it, because of what that thing did to me? You may have been just fine off living your new life, with your new job. But things were not just fine with me. Not for a long time. And then five years later you breeze back into my life, and I’m just supposed to let that all go like it meant nothing?” The half-grin that didn’t reach his eyes mocked her. “Didn’t you just tell me to get over it?” Jordan whirled around and stormed to the door. “Go.” She held the door open. “It’s what you’re good at.” He stared at her, his expression cold. Then without a word, he stalked past her. She slammed the door shut behind him and braced her palms against it. She drew in one uneven breath after another until the tears that burned the backs of her eyes retreated. And then the events of the last few minutes sank in. Jordan squeezed her eyes tight. She’d told him to get out and he’d gone. What if he didn’t come back? She told herself she didn’t care, that it didn’t matter. He’d lied to her for too long, left too much hurt inside her. She was better off the way her life was now. Better off without him confusing her. None of that stopped her hand from tightening over the knob and wrenching the door open. Jordan paused. Eyes glittering dangerously, Gage stood motionless on the opposite side of the door.

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Her heart drummed in her chest at the fierceness in Gage’s expression. Jordan took a step back. Gage countered with a step forward. For a moment she saw exactly what the demons he hunted saw; a dominant predator sizing up its prey right before it attacked. Not once before had he ever looked at her with such intensity, such…hunger. Gage snared her waist and hauled her into his arms. With a crushing force, he devoured her mouth. The first hot sweep of his tongue unleashed a blazing firestorm inside her. Jordan clutched his shoulders, groaning against his lips as he turned them, and her back hit the now closed door. He pressed every hard muscled inch against her, then broke from her mouth, dropping one molten kiss after another down her throat. She buried her hands in his hair and sucked in a sharp breath when he rubbed his erection against her. Gage yanked her shirt over her head and tossed it over his shoulder, raking his gaze down the front of her. Every place his eyes touched, burned. Warm hands gripped her waist, the heat from his fingers sinking deep under her skin. His gaze didn’t waver from hers as he inched his hands higher. The leisurely exploration, as though he needed to reacquaint himself with every freckle, every flushed inch of skin between her hips and her throat, made her tremble. Bottomless blue eyes held her captive with each tender caress, every half-starved stroke. Only the tension she felt radiate along his arms and shoulders told her he was holding back. He boldly cupped her breasts and brushed his thumbs back and forth over the hard peaks. Jordan arched into his touch, and cried out when he gently grasped them and tugged. The ache deep in her core heated and clenched, becoming a desperate throb that needed to feel his cock sliding into her. Once more Gage crowded her, undoing her bra as he feasted on her mouth. With one feverish swirl of his tongue after another, he consumed her. She couldn’t drag in air fast enough, and her pulse pounded in her ears to a purely primal rhythm. He ruthlessly tasted and devoured, flooding her system with need until every nerve ending sizzled. Groaning against her mouth, Gage deepened the kiss and caressed her breasts, circling her nipples in wide teasing arcs, but not touching them. He left her mouth to trail down the side of her neck. “I need to taste every inch of you.” He continued to nip, scraping her sensitive flesh with his teeth before sweeping his greedy tongue over the same spots and sucking the skin between his lips. Jordan squeezed her eyes shut. Everything ached and hummed, wanting him so much she wanted to scream in frustration when he continued to trace some invisible pattern on her skin with ruthless precision. He gave her a lazy grin that was at odds with the yearning that smoldered in his eyes. She drew in a shaky breath. “Part of me is scared this is a dream.” “If it is, I’m not letting either of us wake up until you scream my name,” he vowed darkly. He bent his head and clamped his lips over her nipple.

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Jordan cried out and sank her nails into his shoulders as he laved the tip with hard strokes of his tongue. Moving from her waist to her back, Gage slid his hands lower to knead her bottom. She felt his thick arousal nudge her belly and couldn’t focus on anything but wanting to free it and guide it deep inside her, feel it glide in and out. Rocking against him, she smiled in satisfaction at the growl that hummed in the back of his throat. Jordan reached between them and gripped his erection through his pants. He jerked against her palm. She faintly registered the buttons on her jeans being undone before Gage pushed them over her hips. He didn’t even give her time to step out of them before he worked a finger beneath the edge of her panties and thrust deep. Jordan wanted to press her thighs together to hold him there, but didn’t want to give him any reason to slow down. The next silky caress as he parted her with his finger ripped a trembling moan from her lips. Gage continued to lick and suck on her nipple. He blew a hot breath over the wet skin. “Thoughts of this, of touching you, tortured me so many nights.” He pumped a finger inside her. Jordan bumped against his hand, wanting more. “I thought I’d go crazy if I couldn’t sink so deep inside you…” Gage added, his voice raw and possessive. He thrust harder into her sex. Over and over he worked deeper inside her, pumping fast, then slow and fast again until her body shook. Hovering on the edge of release, she was ready to demand he stop teasing her when he swirled his thumb over her clit. Gage swallowed her surprised cry with his mouth as the already swollen nub pulsed for more. More that he willingly gave. He circled the damp knot with soft sweeping strokes at first, then more pressure, thumbing her clit until she bounced her hips eagerly against his hand. He drove his fingers into her core, and Jordan’s muffled scream filled their mouths as a lightning hot orgasm rippled through her. ***** Jordan’s panted breaths filled Gage’s senses as she leaned into him. He bent down long enough to fully release her from the jeans and panties pooled at her feet, then lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and slid her tongue into his mouth, pulling back just long enough to rip his shirt over his head. Turning, he headed down the hall, her bed his final destination. Or it was until her warm, full breasts continued to rub his chest. Bracing her against the wall, he lowered his head once more and tugged one hard nipple deep into his mouth. Her whimper only made him suck harder until she arched her sex against his cock. Twin spears of lust shot down his spine and pooled in his gut. All he wanted to do was sink into her heat, long and hard. But he owed her more than that. It had been so long. She deserved more than to be taken against her hallway wall. And yet with every purposeful rub, every lust filled glance, every breathless moan, he moved closer and closer to the edge of losing control.

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Jordan kissed his neck as she raked his back with her nails. Unable to help himself, he followed the crease in her ass down to the silky flesh parted for him. He slid in from behind and she shuddered in his arms. He managed to get her as far as the living room before the blood surging through his veins was ready to ignite. “We’re never going to make it to the bedroom.” “I don’t care.” “Good.” He lowered her to the couch, thankful for the extra width that gave him enough room. She hooked a hand around his neck and dragged him down to her mouth. Her body burned beneath his, surfacing every memory he’d been forced to be content with for the last five years. And everything else paled next to this moment. He stood up just long enough to shuck the pants she’d somehow unbuttoned already. Gage planted one knee between her thighs before she sat up. The sultry expression on her face rattled every cell in his throbbing body. She leaned forward and wrapped one hand around his cock, gently tugging him closer. Jordan held his gaze as she bent and flicked her tongue across the tip. He squeezed his eyes closed and groaned. She tightened the grip on his erection. Gage stared down at her. Jordan shook her head. “Don’t take your eyes off me. I want you to watch me.” Nothing could have stopped him. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her as she licked and then sucked him greedily into her mouth. At the base of his shaft, she shuttled her hand up and down to match the rhythm of her mouth. Unable to hold back completely, he pushed deeper into her mouth. With slow, carnal digs, he thrust between her soft lips until he knew he was too close to coming and drew back. Her green eyes flashed as she laid back and guided his hand between her legs. “Don’t make me wait any longer, Gage.” With a growl, he covered her body and slammed into her, burying himself deep. Jordan arched her back and cried out. Catching her mouth in a kiss that fused his insides together, Gage kissed her deeper, faster, the way his steel hard length withdrew and drove back inside her. “Damn.” He lengthened each thrust, reveling in the hot walls that clenched around him. “You feel so much hotter, tighter than I remember.” He cupped her ass and lifted her higher until he felt her heels dig into his lower back, imprisoning him between her thighs. Feeling release take hold at the edges of his senses, he pounded fast and hard until it stormed through him. Gage groaned, taking possession of her mouth one last time as everything within exploded outwards in a blinding rush that stole his breath. Jordan rolled to her side, making room to let him collapse next to her. Holding her close, Gage waited for his heart to ease its frantic pulse. The sound of Jordan’s shallow breaths somehow lessened the ache that had seized his chest when he found her the other night. He brushed her hair back from her face and studied the sleepy green eyes. Jordan slid her palm up his chest, settling it over his heart. “I’m glad you didn’t leave.” “I couldn’t. Not like that. Not after…” She leaned forward and brushed her lips over his. She drew back slowly, her mouth

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parting, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she propped her head up on her elbow, her expression drifting from sated to curious. “What’s on your mind?” She chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip. “What happened after the ambulance took you away that night?” For only a second did Gage let himself relive the anger, fear and hurt he’d felt that night when she had held him close, refusing to listen to him as her tears dripped from her cheeks onto his face. He took a slow breath. “I don’t know exactly. I woke up, hours later I guess, in a body bag. I was so damn weak and I remember thinking that I must have gone to hell when I opened my eyes to blackness, finding it impossible to breathe, and everything hurt.” Gage shifted on the couch, the old familiar panic creeping in as it did whenever he recalled how it felt to wake that way. “And then the ground beneath me was moving and when the zipper was pulled down, I realized I was in a body bag in a drawer in some morgue. I saw a woman. I thought it must have been you, but it wasn’t. I had never seen her before.” “She was one of them.” “My boss actually. She was close by that night, helping to hunt the war demon that came after us. He killed one of her agents that night, a very well trained Shadow Destroyer who had always held her own with the demons she hunted.” Jordan tensed in his arms. “Rae heard about what happened and went to the morgue to see if I had survived. She made arrangements for me to be covertly moved from there to a private clinic.” “And when you came to?” “All I wanted to do was call you. Rae convinced me to hold off for a bit, make sure I was back to full strength. By then I knew I was different. I waited like she wanted me to, figured I owed her that much for her looking after me that way. It pissed her off when I said I wasn’t walking away from you. She wasn’t happy about it, but let me go.” “What happened?” “I came back.” She frowned. “When?” “Three weeks after that night in the alley. I went by your apartment first, but you weren’t there. So I went to see my cousin.” The lines between her eyes deepened. He lifted a hand and softly brushed his thumb across her forehead, smoothing the tension there. Jordan had the most stunning eyes, her right one a slightly darker shade of green, which he noticed the first day they met. “But Luke was murdered in his apartment shortly after you died.” Gage closed his eyes, the familiar mix of guilt and grief eating away at him until he forced it back. “He died the night I went to see him. He was shocked to see me, but happy. We had a beer and then I left because I had to find you. I made it about two blocks away when I felt it... I moved fast, but I was too late. Luke was already dead. Another war demon had sensed me nearby and tracked me as far as Luke’s.” Understanding reflected in her gaze. “It’s happened to me a few times before.” “Yeah well, I knew it was my fault it killed him. I wasn’t about to lead another one to you.”

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“So you left,” Jordan said quietly. “Yeah.” Gage swallowed past the tightness in his throat. He cradled her face against his palm. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there when that demon came after you.” “It doesn’t matter anymore.” “It does to me. I should have made sure somehow, had Rae make sure you were protected.” “You couldn’t have known.” “Did it hurt you badly?” Jordan glanced away. “Just banged me around a little. Brady had been watching my place and saw it come in on the balcony. It must have had a biting fetish because the bastard bit me too. That stung a little.” The half-smile that touched her lips felt too forced to give him any comfort in the fact she sought to make the encounter out to be less than it must have been. “I’m glad Brady was there for you.” Jordan shifted uneasily, but didn’t say anything. “Something wrong?” A fresh pain lingered at the edges of her expression. “Brady never told me there was a reason to believe you might not have died that night. Even after what happened to me, it never crossed my mind that…” “But you’ve talked about it since then.” Gage took her lack of response as a yes. “You’re ticked off at him,” he said reading the hurt in her eyes. A hint of the earlier tension rose between them as she sat up. Not wanting her to think she was going to put any distance between them just yet, he draped his arm around her waist, keeping her close. Intimacy had never been easy for Jordan. Before she’d come into his life, he hadn’t been interested in being that close to anyone for any length of time either. She had changed that for him, and he had enjoyed watching her become more comfortable around him. Right now he would kill to have that closeness they’d once shared. So much stood between them now. He slipped his fingers under her chin and coaxed her mouth down to his. His blood ignited under the soft part of her lips, the warm stroke of her tongue against his. How had he gone so long without feeling this? Gage took his time drawing back. “I think a shower would be a good idea, don’t you?” She relaxed against him, a playful smile brightening her face. “As long as you’re going to scrub my back.” “I was planning on a whole lot more than that.” Jordan stood up, her mussed blonde hair brushing her jaw line in a soft wave. She took his hand and hauled him after her. “Come on then.” Gage leaned back just long enough to appreciate the sight of her sexy, naked behind. Knock, knock. The words intruded on Gage’s thoughts. He cursed under his breath. Jordan’s brows came together. “What?” Damn perfect timing. “We’ve got company.” He reached down and jerked on his pants. “You might want to put something on.” “Company?” She glanced down the hall at the same moment the actual knock came.

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“How did you—” He watched her spine stiffen and caught her elbow before she charged for the door. “It’s a friend of mine. Braxton.” “But he feels like a—” “Demon?” Gage cut in. He studied her face more closely wondering why he could sense hostiles, and even his own team members who carried demon essence, but he couldn’t seem to pick her up on that particular built-in radar. Jordan gave him a reluctant nod and vanished into her bedroom as he turned and headed down the short hall towards the door. At the last second, he scooped up Jordan’s discarded clothing and dumped them on the chair in the corner. You can open the door anytime now. Gage rolled his eyes and opened it, annoyed, but not altogether surprised to see Braxton in the hallway. “What are you doing here? I told Rae I had this under control.” The dark-haired man shrugged, a little too much humor edging into Brax’s normally passive expression. “You know how Scions tend to get her all worked up.” Gage curbed the urge to throw him back out into the hall. “Don’t hold back on my account,” Braxton said with a quick glance over his shoulder as he passed Gage. With a warning glare, Gage shut the door. “Stay out of my head.” “Then don’t make it so easy to get in.” The piercing amber eyes narrowed. “You tired or something? I’m picking up some weird vibes from you.” “Well, lower your damn antenna then,” Gage snapped. “I mentioned that Rae should keep you from going on assignment, not for you to hop on the next plane.” Braxton shrugged. “I’m just following orders.” “You could have warned me.” Gage’s friend came to a standstill as Jordan stood at the end of the short hall, arms crossed. She’d pulled on a plain black T-shirt that perfectly molded to her breasts, along with a pair of dark jeans Gage guessed were a snug fit over her ass. Her feet were still bare, making her vulnerable even though she looked undecided about whether or not she should reach for a weapon. “That explains those vibes.” The smugness in Braxton’s voice drove Gage’s mild annoyance up a few notches. “So you’re another Shadow Destroyer?” Braxton arched a brow at Gage, then stared intently at Jordan. Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t,” she warned him. She switched her gaze to Gage. “A little heads up next time that your friend here tangled with a telepath demon would be nice.” “Sorry.” Braxton didn’t take his eyes off Jordan, and Gage couldn’t decide whether or not to tell him to back off or just wait until Jordan slugged him. His friend cocked his head. “Who trained you?” A hint of a smile touched Jordan’s lips. “No one you know.” “Whoever he is, he did a good job.” Braxton glanced at Gage. “This one’s mental shields put yours to shame.”

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“I’m heartbroken.” Gage pinched the bridge of his nose. “So what exactly did Rae send you down here for?” “To cover your ass.” Jordan smirked. Gage felt the last little bit of his patience slipping away. “Since when do I need you covering my ass?” Braxton held his hands up. “It was either me or Drew. Besides, have you forgotten Beijing?” “Oh, you mean the time I was almost a sacrificial dinner for two dozen stealth demons who felt like ringing in the Chinese New Year in a let’s gut the Destroyer kind of way?” “It wasn’t my fault you decided to ignore the feedback from the tracking device and walked right into their hands.” “The tracking device was malfunctioning. Kind of like it did the other night.” Braxton studied the seascape portrait on the wall, the only piece of art Gage had known Jordan to possess. “You survived, didn’t you?” Gage snorted, not the least bit interested in reliving that particular night. The first time around had been plenty. He grabbed Braxton’s shoulder and steered him back towards the door. “How about you find yourself someplace to stay and I’ll be in touch in the morning.” “Is your transmitter working properly?” Braxton turned around. “Maybe I should look at it before I go.” “It’s fine. And I have my cell so I’ll call you in the morning.” Gage stopped and stared at the door. “Oh, hell no.” At the knock, Braxton grinned. “That’ll be Quinn.”

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Jordan watched Braxton frown as he took a cautious step back from Gage. “Talk to Rae. I could have done without her tagging along.” “I can hear you, you ass,” came the annoyed mutter from the other side of the door. Gage glowered at the dark haired man crowding the hall next to him. “This is just great.” Both men ignored Jordan, leaving her free to study Gage’s friend. Braxton was almost the same height as Gage, putting him at least five inches taller than she was. She was glad she wasn’t standing directly between them, partly because of the tension radiating off Gage, and because she was more than happy to keep her distance from anyone with telepathic abilities. The first time she’d crossed paths with a telepath demon, she’d been shaken by how easily it had sifted through her thoughts. Since then she’d made it a point to never let one live long enough to poke around in her head. Braxton glanced at her. A ghost of smile caught the corner of his mouth before it vanished. She wondered if the bored intellectual look was the norm for him. Gage yanked open the door, but kept his arm blocking the door. “I’m not in the mood to play mediator for you two, so you’ll both be leaving if you can’t get along.” Jordan cocked her head to see past Gage to get a look at the other Shadow Destroyer. A woman with long, wavy black hair and bright turquoise eyes that had to be tinted contacts stared curiously at her. Dressed in a red T-shirt with a grim reaper grasping a sickle on it and black pants, daggers strapped to each thigh, the black handles blending into the dark fabric, Jordan put the young woman somewhere in her early twenties. Gage stepped back. “I mean it.” When the woman passed in front of him, he closed the door and the four of them stood staring at each other. Feeling the demon essence radiate off the others left Jordan edgy and wanting to slay something. She wasn’t used to feeling it in any other creatures than full-blown demons. She studied Gage and wondered why she hadn’t felt that uneasy vibe from him. “This is Jordan.” Gage nodded to the other two. “Braxton and Quinn.” Quinn smiled widely at her, then winked at Gage. “So this is what you’ve been up to.” She strolled past both men and Jordan. Jordan tensed, unable to fully ignore the instinctual urge to go on the offensive. Her grin widening, Quinn nodded towards the kitchen. “Please tell me you have beer.” She glared at Braxton. “He refused to stop and let me have one earlier.” “We’re on assignment.” “He never leaves the damn rule book at home,” she confided to Jordan. Torn between surprise at coming face to face with others besides Gage that were like her, and uncertainty at how to handle having not one, but two strangers in her home when she never had anyone but Brady over until Gage, Jordan tried to relax against the wall. She had definitely filled her quota for facing the unexpected for at least the next five years. She blinked as Quinn moved around the corner into the kitchen at an impossible speed. Just like a stealth demon.

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Jordan stared after her, mentally reminding herself of a stealth demon’s speed, reflexes and extraordinary senses. As if Braxton’s telepathic abilities weren’t enough to deal with. “Yes.” She heard Quinn sigh before the raven-haired woman poked her head around the corner. “You don’t mind if I have a beer do you?” “Quinn,” Gage warned, his tone that of a teacher forced to reprimand a favorite student. Jordan felt herself smiling. The whole situation was beginning to border on bizarre, and given her life, that was saying something. “Help yourself.” Quinn winked. “Thanks.” “Maybe Rae can find another assignment for Quinn if you call in,” Braxton suggested, sounding a little too hopeful. “Keep bitching and I’ll really start giving you a hard time,” Quinn threatened from the kitchen. The two men followed along behind Jordan. Braxton propped a shoulder against the wall just inside the kitchen. “You already did that when you insisted on sharing all your favorite moments from your new Dawson’s Creek DVD set on the way to and from the airport.” “Is it my fault you don’t have good taste in television shows?” “I don’t watch television,” Braxton added in a bland tone. Quinn rolled her eyes and handed Jordan a beer as though she dug through Jordan’s fridge on a regular basis. She clinked her bottle to Jordan’s, and tipped it back for a drink. “I hate drinking alone.” Jordan took a long sip and tried not to laugh at the disapproving look on Braxton’s face. Gage on the other hand looked amused, in an annoyed sort of way. “Besides,” Quinn continued, her gaze fixed on Braxton. “I offered to go back to South America for Gage and Rae said no, that she wanted me here.” Gage tensed. “I thought things were fine down there.” Quinn shrugged. “Guess not. Rae said she’s sending you back when things are looked after here.” Jordan’s throat squeezed tight, the last sip of beer trickling through the ache that followed Quinn’s words. Gage swung his blue eyes in her direction, the earlier tenderness now clouded with a grim resignation. “I need to worry about this first.” He answered Quinn without taking his eyes off Jordan, leaving her to wonder exactly what that meant. Her? Or their potential Scion problem? No matter how much she wanted him, how much she willingly gave in to the bonedeep hunger to be with him again, she knew one intimate act wouldn’t heal the mile wide rift his absence and a dozen other things, had sprouted between them. She wasn’t even convinced he wanted to close that gap, if he cared enough to. Given the way he’d looked at her, held her before his friends arrived, Jordan wanted to believe he did. On the other hand, she never would have believed him capable of walking away from her five years ago either. And he did exactly that. She wouldn’t presume to know what he was feeling this time around. The subtle probe into her mind, like someone feeling around in the dark, hunting for a light switch, made her tense. Jordan arched a brow at Braxton.

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“Knock it off.” Gage took the beer from Jordan’s hand as he stared at his friend. He took a long swig and handed it back to her. Gradually becoming more accustomed to the non-threatening hum that pulsed down her spine, Jordan took a seat at the table. Quinn turned one of the chairs around backward, and dropped onto it, folding her arms across the top of it. She leaned forward, lowering her voice. “So is Gage good in bed?” Jordan nearly spewed her mouthful of beer across the table. “That’s it.” Gage pushed Quinn’s beer into her hand. “Time to go, but feel free to take it with you.” He reached into the fridge. “And hell, why not one for the road too?” Quinn arched one sleek black brow, but didn’t move. “You can’t blame me for being a little curious after catching you in the shower that time.” Braxton sighed. “Now why doesn’t that surprise me?” “Could you get anymore uptight?” Quinn asked the intense-looking agent as she propped her chin on her palm. “Maybe if you tried to be a little less impulsive.” Quinn snorted, then glanced at the cordless phone on the table. A microsecond later it rang. Frowning, Jordan picked it up. “Hello?” “It’s Colin. I have some information for you. Can you meet me back at the club in an hour?” She glanced at the clock and saw it was just after eleven. “Sure.” “See you then.” The other end went dead, leaving Jordan to wonder at the edge she’d heard in Colin’s voice. An uncertainty she’d never picked up on before. “Club?” Quinn perked up. “As in music, hot men and a bar?” “Do you ever think about anything else besides drinking and sex?” Braxton snapped. “You forgot slaying demons,” Quinn purred. Gage ignored the two of them. “Was that Colin?” Jordan stood up, ignoring the simmering hostility that hummed in the air between Braxton and Quinn. While Braxton didn’t keep his annoyance a secret, Quinn appeared to prefer to mask hers with a playfulness that seemed to grate on Braxton’s nerves. “Yeah. He says he’s got something for me.” “It can’t be good news.” Quinn cocked her head. “Is he afraid of you, Jordan?” “Not that he’s ever shown.” “He was definitely afraid of something. His voice trembled with it.” Only having faced stealth demons long enough to engage and behead them, Jordan studied the other woman more closely. “Exactly how good is your hearing?” Spying a bag of potato chips on the counter, Quinn stood to snag it and dug in. She closed her eyes as she popped the first one into her mouth. “Well, there’s a man watching Jeopardy across the hall. Below you, a woman is on the phone complaining about her wild daughter who just came home drunk, and above and two apartments over a couple is breaking in their brand new bed.” She grinned. “And using padded handcuffs I think.” Braxton snorted. “Ignore him,” Quinn advised. “He’s gets cranky because he can’t get anything out of here.” She tapped her temple.

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Crossing his arms, Braxton frowned. “There isn’t anything in there of interest to me to begin with.” Quinn headed down the hall, nodding to Gage as she went. “He sounds like you did last time we talked.” Braxton took the bait, and Jordan watched in amused disbelief as he stalked after the black-haired woman Jordan was still trying to get a grasp on. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” “Wouldn’t you like to know,” Quinn taunted, her and Braxton’s voices fading as they left to wait for them outside. “That was…unexpected,” Jordan settled on. Which was a definite understatement. Gage rubbed a hand over his face. “You get used to them.” “How long have the three of you worked together?” “Braxton and I have been part of the same team for four years. Quinn joined us two years ago.” “How does it work? Your Shadow Destroyers thing? You just get shipped off wherever by this Rae person?” “Sort of. There are a lot more active agents out there than anyone would notice, double that if you count the possible Rogues unaccounted for. Most active agents are assigned a fixed location around the more active hot spots. Then there are those of us who are more freelance. We take care of those hostiles that pop up in different places with no particular pattern or desire other than wanting to immerse themselves in as much intense human emotions as they can, usually through sex or violence, most times both.” “And before this you were in South America somewhere. Another Scion?” “No, just some very nasty mimic demons. Slippery bastards, hard to track.” Jordan smiled. “What?” “I thought maybe you were a mimic demon the other night. It was the only explanation that made sense at the time for how a dead man ended up three feet away from me.” The cocky grin that curved his lips tugged at her heart. “Lucky for you I was the real thing, huh?” She arched a brow. “You’re just lucky I didn’t remove your head with that pipe.” He crossed his arms. “Funny, I seem to recall you trying, but not succeeding.” “I would have if you had stopped talking long enough for me to concentrate.” “Ah. So the sound of my voice got to you.” He slipped his arm around her waist, tugging her close. His unshaven jaw rasped across her cheek. Jordan let her eyes drift shut. She could feel his lips hovering above hers. “You could say that.” Cursing, Gage drew back. “He’s going to lose an arm if he doesn’t quit talking in my head.” “Braxton?” she guessed. “Yeah.” Gage strapped his sword to his back and slid on a black, lightweight trench coat to hide it. “Ready?” *****

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Gage stayed close to Jordan as they headed back towards the club. Getting close to midnight now, the streets were fairly quiet. Ahead of them, Braxton and Quinn continued to bicker before he saw Quinn shove Braxton into a wall and keep right on going. Gage sighed. He must have really ticked Rae off. That was the only reason he could figure she would send both of them down here to drive him insane when he told her he had it covered. Their timing left a hell of a lot to be desired. For the first time in five years he had Jordan in his arms and he’d been looking forward to keeping her there for the rest of the night. “Do they always get along like that?” Jordan jerked her head at the other two agents. “Most of the time.” “Maybe they need to sleep with each other and get it over with.” Gage came to a standstill. “What?” He was pretty sure he sputtered it. “Like you don’t notice the tension between them.” “I do, but it’s not the sexual kind.” He frowned. He would have noticed that, wouldn’t he? Jordan shrugged, but didn’t appear convinced. Another time he might feel like giving the subject more thought. Right now he didn’t want to think about the other two anymore than he had to. He could feel the events of the last couple of days catching up to him, along with the throbbing that continued to echo deep inside of him. The one that reminded him with every uncomfortable twitch against the seam of his pants just how much he still wanted to lose himself in Jordan. As they neared the club, Jordan closed the distance between them, Quinn and Braxton, reminding the others that if they caused trouble in Colin’s club she wouldn’t care who they worked for, she’d kick their ass. With their predictable responses–Braxton looking bored by the threat while Quinn looked amused–each agreed not to go on the offensive once inside. Quinn tensed at the same moment Gage felt a telltale tingle sweep up his spine. Jordan stiffened and immediately shot forward. Gage snagged her elbow, halting her. He doubted she even remembered she wasn’t the only one present capable of dealing with any demon threat. “When they’re outside the club, they’re still ours right?” Quinn cocked her head, staring down the street. Braxton stepped forward. “I’ve got this one.” Quinn planted herself in front of the other agent. “Rock, paper, scissors.” His eyes darkened. “No.” “If you don’t, I’ll just beat you to him, we both know I can. At least this way you get a shot.” Gage rolled his eyes, ready to step in when Braxton gave in. A rare smile curved his lips when his palm covered Quinn’s fist in victory. “I guess I’ll see you all inside.” Jordan nodded in the opposite direction. “Come around the back way.” Gage heard the uncertainty in her voice, as though she wondered if she could really trust Braxton to get the job done. “Just tell Carl you’re with me.”

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Braxton nodded and headed off away from them. They stood staring after him for a few seconds before Quinn started after him. Gage cut her off. “What happened to rock, paper, scissors?” “Are you kidding? He can’t have all the fun. Besides it’ll piss him off when I still get there first.” Grinning, Quinn darted across the street, vaulted over a high fence as easily as a cat and vanished into the shadows. Jordan led the way down the alley, towards the same rear entrance they used earlier that night. Around front, the line to get in had been three times longer than before. “You certainly can’t be bored very often.” “You mean with those two?” She nodded, her blonde hair catching in the late night breeze as she paused, her attention drawn once more to the direction they’d sensed the demon in. Gage trusted his teammates to do what they’d been trained to. Jordan didn’t know them, didn’t know that no matter how much they argued and pissed each other off, he could count on them to watch his and each other’s back under any circumstance. A vague memory of being trussed up like a thanksgiving turkey for a demon New Year’s celebration made him want to amend that thought just a little. Gage snared Jordan’s hand and brought her to a stop. One smooth golden brow winged upward over those captivating green eyes of hers. “What?” His dropped his gaze to her lips. Too easily he recalled their tempting softness and how eagerly they’d parted under his, how she let herself be conquered before she sought to dominate him, the same way she had dominated his thoughts far too often over the last few years. Jordan took a step closer and reached up, sliding her mouth over his. The slow feverish glide of her lips whipped through his veins like a wave storming the beach. He roped his arms around her waist, feeling her every curve warm him through his clothes. His pulse drummed in his head and his lower half roared to life until he was hard and aching. He sank his fingers into her hair and tipped her chin up, deepening the kiss. A heartbeat before he would have backed her against the wall and lifted her shirt to find the warm breasts underneath, she pulled back. “We should go inside.” She didn’t sound very convincing, but he knew she was right. Reluctantly, he let his hands fall away from her, and stepped back. “After you.” Carl was still seated on a stool just inside the open doorway. He nodded at Jordan as though he’d been expecting her. “He’s not back yet, but he said to tell you he shouldn’t be long.” “Thanks, Carl. There are two more people with me. They should be right behind us in another couple minutes.” Carl nodded. “No problem.” Gage kept one hand on Jordan’s waist as they headed down the hall and weaved their way through the crowd. Close to the bar, they managed to find an open area along the wall to wait. Keeping his attention divided between the crowd and the few demons he could feel in

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the place, the rest of him was focused on the woman leaning against his chest, her bottom positioned a little too snugly against his groin. Given the occasional rocking of her hips, he was pretty sure she knew it and purposely teased him with one slow arch of her tempting ass after another. He leaned forward. “Keep it up,” he growled against her ear, “and we’ll be finishing what we started in here earlier, and I won’t care who watches.” Gage felt more than heard her soft laugh. She turned in his arms and slid one hand up his chest. Her hungry gaze devoured his mouth. “Don’t make me promises you don’t intent to keep.” “See. I told you.” Resting his head against Jordan’s as Quinn reached them, he cursed their arrival for the thousandth time. He lifted his eyes to see a thoughtful look on Braxton’s face that fell somewhere between confusion and curiosity. “Your lip is bleeding,” Jordan said to Quinn. Quinn dabbed at her lip. “Bastard clipped me.” “You weren’t paying attention.” Braxton crossed his arms. Anger flashed in her turquoise eyes. “That’s because I was too busy trying to keep him from driving your knife into your back.” “Quit your damn bickering.” Gage shouted the warning to make sure they heard him over the music. He couldn’t figure out what the hell was with the two of them. They always argued, but tonight he could see the tension all but smothering the air between them. And rarely did Quinn become openly angry with Braxton. “I’m going to the bathroom.” Quinn weaved through the crowd away from them. He watched her tense as she stopped in front of two men, her hand slipping under the sweater she’d wrapped around her waist earlier to hide the daggers. One was definitely a lust demon, the other human. Gage watched her say something to them and they both scrambled back a step, one of them knocking into the shooter girl who dumped her tray of shots on the floor. Braxton turned his back to the small scene gathering onlookers. “She can’t go anywhere without drawing attention to herself.” “She’s fine.” Gage released a small sigh of relief as Quinn vanished down a small hallway without hitting either of the men. “I still think you should call Rae.” “What is your problem?” The narrowed amber eyes cooled. “I don’t have one.” “Then let it go. Rae obviously has her reasons for wanting Quinn here.” Although Gage wondered if they all had to do with the potential Scion problem, or if she’d had another reason in sending her with Braxton. Jordan rolled her eyes at the two of them. “I’m going to go use the phone behind the bar to try Colin’s cell phone and see where he is.” Reluctantly, Gage let her go and continued to scan the crowd around him. “That one.” Braxton nodded to a lanky red head near the end of the bar. Gage cocked his head. “He’s all human.” “And has very bad things on his mind. He’s got a couple Roofies in his pocket and

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plans on using one on the brunette next to him.” “So go relieve him of them then.” From the corner of his eye, he watched Braxton accidentally bump into the man at the bar, causing him to spill his drink down the front of his shirt. Braxton then followed him to the men’s room. Jordan returned, worry creasing her brow. “Something’s not right. Colin should have been here by now and he’s not answering his cell. He doesn’t live too far from here. I’m going to head over there.” “Not by yourself, you’re not.” Her lips twitched. “That didn’t even cross my mind.” Gage resisted the urge to snort. They passed Quinn as they threaded their way through the throng of warm, sweaty bodies. “We’re going to check Colin’s place. You two hang here for a bit.” For a moment Quinn looked ready to protest, then changed her mind. “Whatever.” She turned away from them and disappeared into the crowd. Outside, Gage dragged in a breath of cool fresh air, the heavy bass from the music inside still echoing in his head. He and Jordan fell into a comfortable silence as they headed away from the club. Less than five blocks away they saw the flashing lights. Two cop cars and an ambulance were parked in front of a two-story townhouse. “That’s Colin’s place, isn’t it?” Gage guessed. Jordan didn’t get the chance to answer before a car pulled along side of them. The same detective from the park stepped out. “What are the odds of running into you twice in once night, McAdam?” “Pretty good it seems.” Jordan nodded at the cop cars. “What’s going on?” Lance shoved his hands in his pockets, a gesture Gage immediately decided was supposed to make them relax. “Looks like our cult killers struck again, but the vic wasn’t dead long before the murder was reported.” Gage’s gut tightened. “Who is the victim?” Jordan asked. Lance cocked his head. “Colin Edison.”

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“He’s dead?” Jordan felt Gage stiffen beside her, but kept her eyes on Lance. His attitude during their encounter at the precinct left no question in her mind that he suspected she had been holding something back. Hearing she’d called in the altercation at the park had brought him running. And finding her within a few hundred meters of a murder victim’s house had no doubt really put her on his radar. She needed that kind of attention like she needed a war demon to rip her head from her shoulders. Given the intensity of Lance’s stare, she knew she had to tread carefully. She flicked her gaze to the scene ahead of them. The coroner had just arrived. “So it’s the same MO as the others?” “Seems that way. Like I said, he hasn’t been dead very long. Colin had a cat apparently, and when it got out a neighbor spotted it, went to return it and found the body.” Jordan released a tense breath. “Less than an hour.” Lance’s sharp eyes narrowed. “And you know that how exactly?” There was no way around telling him Colin called her. She’d been seen in his club twice tonight, and once they went through Colin’s phone records, Lance would know Colin had called her. That wouldn’t look good at all, leaving her no choice but to be open about it now before she made him any more suspicious. “Colin was supposed to meet me at his club.” “Why?” Lance straightened, his stance switching from casual, to investigative. Gage turned, bringing him slightly closer to her, making it easier to put himself between her and Lance should she need saving. Partly annoyed that he thought she would need him to step in and partly taken aback by the protective gesture, Jordan tried to focus on Lance. Later she could let her insides warm at the fact it had been too long since anyone besides Brady showed any interest in looking out for her. “I was by his club earlier tonight. He mentioned hearing something about the murders.” Jordan didn’t feel the least bit guilty stretching the truth. If Lance knew she was looking into the murders on her own, it wouldn’t go over well. Better to let him think Colin had come to her with information. “What did he know?” The question did nothing to convince her he was about to forget that she’d overstepped her bounds. “He was going to get back to me. He called me at home just after eleven and asked me to meet him back at his club.” “Last time I checked, you weren’t a homicide detective, Jordan. You want to tell me why you didn’t call me?” Jordan shrugged. “For all I knew Colin didn’t have anything at all.” “That wasn’t your call to make.” He glanced at Gage. “And for the last two hours you two have been where?” “Together,” Gage answered smoothly. “At Jordan’s and then we went to the club. Jordan wondered why your victim didn’t show up so we decided to check on him.” “So here you are.”

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Gage tipped his head forward. “Here we are.” Lance crossed his arms. “And exactly who are you?” “Gage Landon. I think we already covered how I know Jordan.” Jordan shot a look between the two of them, wondering how much more of the conversation she had missed when she’d left them alone in the park earlier. “And where are you staying in town? In case I have anymore questions,” Lance added. “With me.” Jordan figured it was the safest answer. At this point she didn’t want Lance looking any closer into Gage’s life than he had to. She hadn’t missed the phony last name Gage gave Lance, and hoped that he had some kind of legit ID in the system under that name in case Lance felt compelled to check him out. She could deal without the detective wondering if it was purely a coincidence that her dead partner and the man next to her shared the same name. After a quick look over his shoulder at Colin’s house, Lance started to turn away, then stopped. “You come by any more information, do me a favor and pass it along and not go investigating on your own. Or,” he glanced pointedly at Gage, “involve anyone else in an ongoing murder investigation. There are people higher up the chain who would be a lot more pissed than I am about that.” With a slight tilt of her head, she acknowledged Lance’s parting advice. Gage waited until Lance got back in his car and pulled away from the curb. “Someone knew Colin was going to talk to you.” “Maybe.” It was possible Colin was already on some kind of hit list and whatever demons were behind the sacrifices simply made their move tonight. That hinted at a little too much organization on a demon’s part, she could do without the added headache of knowing their random attacks, and sacrifice victims might not be so random after all. “Either way that still leaves us without a solid lead.” Gage started down the street. “We just might have to find a hostile or two to interrogate.” Jordan fell into step beside him. “You think if you just corner a demon, he’s going to start spouting about a master plan that he may or may not have any knowledge of?” “You got a better idea?” Her better ideas usually involved consulting Brady, but seeing as how she was still annoyed with him, she wasn’t in any rush to head over to see him, at least not tonight. Jordan sighed. “Where do you want to start?” Gage shrugged. “This is your town. You tell me.” He put a hand to the ear he’d slipped his transmitter in. “If you’re bugging me again already, it better be good.” Jordan wondered whether it was Braxton or Quinn who contacted him. The lines between his eyes grew tight as his gaze collided with Jordan’s. “We’ll be there soon.” Tension pinched the muscles between her shoulder blades. “I really wish the damn things would stay in their realm.” They turned down another street, heading farther away from Colin’s club. “Where are they?” “A few blocks from here. They followed that lust demon Quinn ran into. Seems he and his human buddy must not have been all that tight since he was next on the sacrifice list.” “Because they didn’t get to complete the ceremony with Colin if they were interrupted by the neighbor?” “Could be. They got the guy out alive anyway.”

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Jordan wondered if Colin’s club would remain open with its owner now deceased. A fresh wave of anger rose up within her. For too long she had watched lesser demons take one life after another, some innocents, some not. They didn’t care who they killed, only hungered for the human emotions they could no longer feel. Humans were a means to an end, a way to pass the time, to bring pleasure, excitement. She hated them for it. Hated knowing they existed, hated that too often there was nothing out there to stop nice, average people from falling victim to them. She couldn’t be in more than one place at a time. Neither could Gage and the rest of the Destroyers out there. How many innocent people slipped through the cracks because of these creatures? How many people like Colin lived with knowledge of both realms and wound up dead because of it? “Even if we’d gone straight to Colin’s, we might have been too late,” Gage reminded her, seeming to read the next direction her thoughts had been about to take. Jordan rolled her shoulders to unlock the tight muscles. Weary, she nodded. “I know.” Gage arched a brow. Jordan shook her head at the familiar flicker in his eyes, and stabbed a finger at his chest. “Don’t.” He didn’t say anything as he crossed his arms, his chin tilting upwards in that arrogant way Jordan would bet he had mastered by the time he was at least twelve. “I’m not going home so don’t even suggest it.” Gage sighed. “You looked wrecked, Jordan.” “And you think you look much better?” Aside from the tired lines around his eyes, he actually looked pretty good, too good. Telling him that wouldn’t get her anywhere though. “It wouldn’t kill you to take a night off. Maybe you should take advantage of having others who can handle the hostiles for once.” She shouldered past him. “I’m not going home so just knock it off.” Gage moved at her so quick she didn’t have enough time to evade him before he pinned her between him and a parked SUV. “Why do you have to be so damn stubborn?” “Why do you always crowd me when I say something you don’t like?” A sexy smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I think you have crowding confused with my wanting to be close to you.” “You can’t try to bully me every time we disagree.” “Try? I think I’m succeeding. Besides, I like to stick with what works.” “Gage—” He lowered his head and ran his gaze over her face before pausing on her mouth. Jordan planted a hand on his chest. “You’re trying to distract me now.” Her voice came out sounding too close to a whisper to be the least bit threatening. His breath teased her cheek. “And that would be bad because…” He traced her bottom lip with his thumb. Her eyes nearly slid shut. “Braxton and Quinn are waiting for us.” “Surely you’re creative enough to come up with a better excuse than that to get me to back off.” His lips teased the corner of her mouth. “I learned a long time ago that you rarely back down.” “Then maybe you should stop fighting me on everything and just go with it.” Jordan tensed. “Fight you? You’re the one who refuses—”

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Like a predator about to ensnare its prey before it could slip through its fingers, Gage slanted his mouth over hers, taking complete possession. Slow and soft, he edged past her lips to sweep inside. Jordan moaned against his lips. Her body hummed with every silky caress of his tongue and gentle nip of his teeth. Gage took his time, savoring her with one long sweep after another. The fierce pounding of his heart under her palm assured Jordan that the same hunger she felt, a hunger for more than just a kiss, also rippled through his veins. He cupped her face and tipped her head back. The change in angle allowed him to delve deeper as he pressed her more firmly against the vehicle at her back. She felt the thick length of his erection against her belly. An answering ache throbbed between her legs, heat weaving through her in long hot streams. Gage slipped a hand under her shirt. He skimmed greedy fingers over her breast, teasing her nipple to a hard point. A warm shiver curled up her spine, and she rocked her hips forward. She needed more contact, more of him. A sharp sensation pierced Jordan’s brain at the same moment Gage straightened. A second later he was thrown from her. Jordan didn’t hesitate before she struck out at the lust demon in front of her. Shaggy black hair partially hid his face, but not the eyes that blazed red around the edges. The creature was capable of presenting a completely human front, but not when it wanted to play. The evil inside always came roaring to the surface then. The lust demon licked his lips as he dodged the first blow. He countered with a snap of his wrist that caught her across the face. “Oh, I like wild ones,” it taunted. Jordan didn’t so much as stumble back, vaguely aware of Gage pushing to his feet. She advanced on the demon, delivering a hard kick to its chest. The damn thing just grinned at her, and Jordan realized the demon considered this its foreplay. Her next kick missed its mark as the demon turned, and catching her ankle, he jerked her forward. He slammed her into the SUV and pressed against her from behind. She could feel its all too human cock dig into her bottom, and her stomach heaved. The demon laughed in her ear a second before she ground her booted heel into his foot. Its grip on her loosened just enough. Jordan swung around as the lust demon jerked to the side to avoid the first cold slash of Gage’s sword. Dark eyes blazed as he realized he’d made a mistake in choosing his victims this night. The demon hesitated, his expression morphing from the hunter to the hunted as he followed the next deadly arc of Gage’s sword. At the last moment, it dove to the side, catching Jordan around the legs and taking her with it. Something raked her arm and Jordan cursed, rolling away from the demon as Gage’s sword hit its mark. ***** Gage recited the chant and watched as the blue flames devoured the body in front of them. Jordan was back on her feet by the time Gage turned to face her. He lowered his sword. “You okay?”

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She nodded. “I swear these things are popping up all over the place. This keeps up and I’ll never be able to hold down the day job.” It was more the day job he’d rather she keep, but he doubted she’d appreciate that kind of opinion right now. She’d been ready to chew a strip off him earlier for saying she should call it a night. Gage gave her another once-over until he was satisfied the hostile hadn’t hurt her. “We should get moving before Braxton calls again.” In agreement, they continued in the same direction before they were sidetracked. He watched her from the corner of his eye, noting her long, determined strides. At this point he knew she wouldn’t willingly give him a reason to tell her again that she should go home. Unfortunately, if she was feeling cocky enough, she might do something reckless just to prove she could handle herself. He’d like to think she had overcome that particular tendency, but while so much of her now seemed even tougher, harder, than before, he’d bet that was still the same. But what about the rest of her? Gage closed the slight distance between them and took her hand. Her fingers tensed before relaxing in his grip. The physical connection soothed him a little. Seeing that demon go at her, Gage wanted to tear the hostile’s head off with his bare hands. For that one moment the demon had her pinned, fury filled him. It wasn’t an emotion he felt when he slayed demons. They had all been trained to be detached, severing emotions during a fight that would weaken them, make them vulnerable. He was accustomed to that, excelled at it. However, in the last two days he’d blown that all to hell by letting anger hum far too close to the surface whenever he thought of one of them getting near Jordan. He damn well had to get that under control. He knew Jordan could defend herself, knew that she was good at it. Better than good. But none of that mattered when he saw her engage them. And that wasn’t good. A strand of hair caught at the corner of Jordan’s mouth. Gage started to brush it away, then stopped himself. In the same heartbeat he casually released her hand. He couldn’t let himself fall too deep. Not now. When this assignment was done he would be heading back to South America to tie up some loose ends. It was his job. His life. For the last five years, being a Destroyer was all he knew and he had been content with that. Already the brief time with Jordan was making him ache for something more. A future, which had been denied him when the war demon buried his sword in Gage’s gut. He wasn’t fully human anymore, wasn’t entitled to the same future he once craved. A lot had changed since then. As much as part of him still longed for the past, he couldn’t go back, couldn’t pretend this life didn’t exist or ignore the fact that he was a Shadow Destroyer now. There was no room for more than that. Not with hostiles capable of snatching away anything he became too attached to. Like Jordan. He wouldn’t be naïve and lie to himself that he wasn’t already attached. But he had given her up once. He could do it again as long as he didn’t let himself get any closer. Once he was gone and the Scion threat was taken care of, there wouldn’t be demons crossing over here for her to fight. She’d be safe.

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He’d seen dozens of places like this before, temporary hot spots that became overrun with demon activity for short bursts. But it wasn’t permanent. Things would settle down and when he left, he’d do it knowing she could stick with just being a cop. Quinn dropped to the ground directly in front of them, jumpstarting Gage’s heart. Equally surprised, Jordan swung only to stop at the last second, realizing in the same moment as Gage who was in front of them. Quinn arched a brow. “A little jumpy aren’t you guys?” A frown creased her brow as she looked at Gage. “You should have known I was close even before I jumped.” Like he needed the reminder. Gage didn’t bother responding. He knew she was right. He was letting his emotions interfere with being attuned to his surroundings. The lust demon should never have gotten that close to them earlier either. He was getting too caught up in what he was feeling for Jordan, and it was costing him. His slower reaction time put him at a serious disadvantage and he couldn’t afford to let that happen. Quinn’s eyes shifted between the two of them, then flared. “Did you slay it, or did it get away?” Quinn’s superior senses never failed to amaze him. “Lust demon, right? she added. Gage smirked. “Brings back memories, huh?” In typical Quinn style she merely rolled her eyes at him. He could use the distraction of pissing her off, even if it would be counterproductive. If she wasn’t such a hard shell to crack, he’d give it a serious effort. Anything to take his mind off the blonde next to him. “Memories?” Jordan asked. Gage couldn’t help himself. “She almost had her way with me a couple weeks ago when one of them infected her.” Quinn snorted. “Keep dreaming.” “I’ve still got the scars to prove it.” “Except you don’t scar,” Quinn pointed out. Gage crossed his arms. “So you’ve finally decided to stop denying it.” “Are two going to quit yammering about the time Quinn was hot for everyone and get up here, or should I just call it a night?” They all looked up to see Braxton with his head stuck out the window. “Exactly what is his problem?” Quinn shook her head and led the way around the side of the apartment building. Jordan followed after her. “A lust demon infected you? How?” “Just a little scratch. It was nothing.” “Except you had to be restrained before you attacked every male agent back at the field office.” Himself included. He’d been on assignment with her when it happened. But she hadn’t really noticed the slight scratch, and her symptoms of an extremely heightened sexual desire hadn’t presented until nearly eight hours later when they returned home. “He’s exaggerating,” Quinn said. “You don’t even remember.” The few times Gage had come across anyone temporarily infected by a lust demon, they seldom remembered the details of what they did when they’re symptoms peaked. For that reason, any agent suspected of being infected, was confined until it passed.

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“I remember plenty.” The door to a second floor apartment opened and Braxton filled the narrow space. “I doubt that.” Something in his voice caught Gage’s attention. He shot his gaze back to Quinn, who, for the first time Gage could ever remember, looked confused. Braxton stepped back and waited until they all filed in ahead of him. Quinn remained unusually quiet, but Gage couldn’t figure out if it was because of the symbols scattered around the room and the traces of blood from damage inflicted to the intended sacrifice victim before Braxton and Quinn busted in, or if it had to do with the odd look Braxton sent her before gesturing to the rest of the room. “I was a little confused at first. A lot of these symbols are linked to lust demons.” Jordan sighed. “There’s no escaping those damn things tonight, is there?” “So where does the confused part come in?” Gage asked, surveying the bare wall where a large symbol that resembled a pentacle had been painted. “Here.” Braxton pointed to a charcoal drawing on the floor. “This is a lust demon, but this one here, the big guy, definitely a war demon.” “So…” “The Scion is definitely a war demon, I just haven’t figured out how the lust demons fit in to this.” “Prostitutes,” Jordan added vaguely. “The detectives working the murder cases said they had linked their vics to prostitution. Either the victim was a prostitute or had been with one recently.” She shook her head. “Is it normal for demons to team up like that?” Gage nodded to Braxton. “I assume you have access to our databases to research that a bit.” “Knowing him, he probably already has it all memorized.” Quinn’s dig lacked its usual humorous edge. “I’ll look into it. But with this being a war Scion, that would explain why the sacrifice count is high. They need a lot more bloodshed to make the crossing.” Gage rubbed absently at the back of his neck. Just what he wanted to hear. More sacrifices on the menu and one hell of a master demon to have to slay if they couldn’t find the source of the sacrifices. This many definitely meant organization, and where there was organization there was someone giving orders. And whoever it was had likely been present at every sacrifice. Take them out and it would undo the dark magics at work that would release the Scion. Jordan crouched down to get a closer look at the charcoal drawing. Her shirt hiked up in the process, exposing a pale section of her back and side. Gage’s attention was immediately drawn to the two-inch scratch that already looked like it was healing. Damn it. Jordan stood up just as he reached her. He spared half a thought for how ticked off she would be at him later, then moved quickly, striking the pressure point in the back of the skull that was an Achilles heel in all Shadow Destroyers. Braxton and Quinn both stared open mouthed at him as Jordan slumped soundlessly into his arms. “Don’t,” he warned, before either of them could say a word. Quinn looked ready to

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come to Jordan’s defense and she’d known the woman for less than a couple of hours. “I’m going to get an earful from her when she comes to and I don’t have long to get her back to her apartment before that happens.”

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She was cold. It was the first thought that drifted through Jordan’s mind. She tried to burrow deeper in bed, too tired to even bother opening her eyes. Until she tried to reach for a blanket and found she couldn’t move her arm. Either of them. Her eyes snapped open. Initial surprise gave way to relief finding herself in her own bed, then to confusion as she twisted her head back to see her wrists latched to her headboard. And just how in the hell had that happened? Jordan tried to piece together the last things she could remember. Fighting with the lust demon. Gage holding her hand and then withdrawing in a way that had left her cold inside. Right after that Quinn had appeared and they had gone up to the apartment and then… What? She searched her memory and came up empty. Why couldn’t she remember? And how had she wound up back in her own bed? Whoever thought it would be funny to tie her down was going to get his ass kicked. “Gage!” No answer. Nothing moved in the living room, at least not that she could easily see or hear from her vantage point. She didn’t need to concentrate very hard to know Quinn and Braxton weren’t around. There was no way she would have missed sensing them. “Gage, you better be in this apartment and have a damn good explanation for this.” She tugged on the restraints. Whatever they were made of kept her from snapping free of them. Even regular handcuffs couldn’t have held her, which meant that these had to be designed to restrain a demon, but to what purpose she couldn’t guess. She certainly never made it a habit of wanting to keep the things alive for any longer than it took to vanquish them. “You’re awake.” Jordan didn’t have to try very hard to ignore the fact that he looked good leaning in the doorway, arms crossed, his feet bare. She was too busy burning him to a cinder with her gaze. “Spare me the small talk.” She jerked on the restraints. “What’s with these? And if you try to be a smart ass and say something kinky, I will hurt you. Very badly,” she promised. “When you get up you mean?” The corner of his mouth twitched. He strolled into the room. “But that kinky talk does give me a few ideas now that you brought it up.” “Do not screw with me, Gage. I’m not the submissive type. Take. These. Off. Now.” “No.” Frustration chewed away at her insides. “Why not?” She was about three seconds away from screaming the place down, even if the only thing it got her was duct tape across the mouth. She felt far too helpless like this, the same way she had felt when the war demon had cornered her in her apartment the week after Gage died. “I think that lust demon infected you.” Jordan snorted. “Not possible.” “You have a scratch on your side.” “So. I got a scratch from fighting it. Doesn’t mean he did it to me.” She continued to squirm, seeking any leverage that might help her get free.

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“I’m not taking the chance.” “You don’t have to. I’m fine.” She felt fine. She’d know if something was wrong. She’d been injured in dozens of fights with lust demons before and hadn’t been “infected” like he seemed to think she was. “We’ll see.” “Oh, no. You are not leaving me like this.” Gage cocked his head. “I don’t think you’re in a position to do much about it.” “You son of a bitch,” Jordan growled. “Tsk. Tsk. I see you still have no problem shooting your mouth off.” “Come a little closer and I’ll show you what else I have no problem doing.” Instead of moving closer, Gage took a step back. The small measure of satisfaction his retreat gave her was short lived. Mostly because she was still latched to her bed. She dragged in what she hoped was a calming breath, relaxing the muscles that had locked up the moment she discovered she couldn’t move. “There is no reason to keep me like this. I’d know if I felt differently.” “There’s no way to tell for another few hours.” “Are you crazy? In case you’ve forgotten, people keep dying because some powertripping demon wants to cross over. For all we know a gateway could be opening right now.” Gage shook his head. “Braxton is monitoring all temporal activity in this area. He’ll let us know the second something looks unusual.” “Let me put it this way. When I say I couldn’t have been infected, I mean I really couldn’t have been. My talisman protects me from all things demon spell related.” “We’re not talking spells, we’re talking about it getting into your blood.” “In one sense or another all demon powers originate in spells. Trust me, I’m immune.” He didn’t look convinced. “Call Brady. He’ll tell you. He was the one who gave it to me.” His brows drew together. “And you’re wearing it now? The same one you showed me the night we ran into each other.” “Old friends run into each other, Gage. Like people who went to high school together and haven’t seen each other since graduation. Not two people fighting the same abnormally strong creatures, one of whom has played dead for the last five years.” “Do you think you could stop reminding me about that every thirty seconds?” “Maybe I wouldn’t have to if you had dropped a post card in the mail. Christmas time would have been good.” “Damn it, Jordan. I couldn’t.” “Is this about that whole keep me safe thing again? I think we’ve talked that to death, don’t you?” They hadn’t really, but she didn’t want to go there right now. She wanted to get up. Maybe find a demon to slay. Preferably a whole legion of them. Anything so she wouldn’t have to feel vulnerable laying here, especially when he was looking at her like he actually cared what she thought. She didn’t want him to care. Not if he wasn’t sticking around. It would be much easier to let him go when the time came. Gage leaned over her. His gaze dipped to the plunging V neckline. “What are you doing?” The question didn’t snap liked she intended it to. He followed the leather strap down to the top of her breasts and withdrew the talisman.

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His fingers brushed her skin, and her stomach tightened. “So you think this thing somehow protects you?” From this angle she couldn’t tell if he was looking at the talisman or her cleavage. “According to Brady, yeah. I haven’t had any problems before.” Gage replaced it, his fingers once more sliding over her skin, whisper soft. Definitely on purpose this time. Jordan searched his face, but he turned away. He made it as far as the door before she opened her mouth to demand he release her. Gage shut off the light and came back to the bed. He stretched out on the bed next to her, dragging a blanket up to cover both of them. “You expect me to sleep like this?” “It’s after three in the morning, Jordan. Just…go to sleep.” “Call Brady.” Gage rolled over, his face hovering above hers. He’d forgotten to fully close the blinds and slivers of light from the streetlamp outside allowed her to clearly see his face. “I’m not calling anyone, so go to sleep.” “Exactly what are you worried about? That you’re wrong, or that you wouldn’t be able to resist me if I was infected?” “One, I hope I am wrong. I’d rather you not have to go through that. And two, who says I’d want to resist you?” His voice deepened on the last sentence, his burning gaze falling to her mouth. “Gage…” He sighed. “You really need to stop talking, Jordan.” “Why?” “You’re making it hard for me to roll over and go to sleep.” “So you are trying to resist me,” she teased, her earlier frustration fading to the back of her mind as her body warmed from head to toe under his simmering blue eyes. “Not very well.” He covered her mouth with his, caging her jaw in his hand as he proved just how much he couldn’t fight the pull that crackled in the air between them. Arguing had always led to the most incredible sex between them and it seemed that the time apart hadn’t changed that. His lips slid back and forth across hers hungrily. Each hot pass made her tug at her restraints, wanting to wrap her arms around him and pull him closer. The first damp, sweep of his tongue filled her senses. She moaned, already knowing the kiss would never be enough to satisfy the craving heating her limbs until she could have dissolved into the mattress. No matter how much she wanted to strangle the man at any given moment, in bed he never failed to make her forget about everything but how good he made her feel. How good she wanted to feel right now. Gage drew back. His ragged breath teased her neck. “If you’re about to tell me to go to sleep—” “If you threaten me one more time today, Jordan, I’m going to leave you like this for at least a week.” He captured her mouth again. This time the kiss wasn’t slow or teasing. He consumed her.

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One hand skimmed over her midsection and up to her breast. Her nipples hardened instantly, and she arched into his touch. Gage broke from her mouth long enough to push her shirt up over her breasts. He bent and trapped one puckered tip between his lips, wetting her bra straight through. Each soft tug drew her insides tight until her sex ached. Jordan shifted beneath him to get more comfortable, to feel more of him on top of her. Gage freed her breasts, shoving the bra aside before he dragged his thumb back and forth. His burning gaze collided with hers before he bent and lashed the rock hard peaks with his tongue, pulling first one then the other deep into his greedy mouth. The hot walls closed around her, sucking hard. Jordan cried out, and he responded by swallowing her moans with his mouth, his attention shifting lower as he traced an invisible path down to her navel, stopping at the snap of her jeans. A few seconds later, he undid the zipper and worked her pants down. Once more, she pulled on the restraints. “Gage, please take these off my wrists.” He ignored her, and her next plea tumbled off her lips as he tunneled through the curls and found her clit. With a practiced stroke, he swirled his finger over the sensitive knot until she shuddered. Every muscle in her body hungered for release. Gage traced the seam of her sex and then sank two fingers deep inside her. Jordan rolled her hips upwards, panting. She wanted him inside her, thrusting hard. He ignored her when she said as much aloud. With her arms locked above her head, there was little she could do but cry out when he moved back and forth between her pulsing clit and the throbbing ache deep in her core. First a slow circle over the slippery flesh, then he pushed his fingers back into her, harder, faster. He repeated the motions, stroking and pumping until she hovered on the brink. Pushing her legs apart, she waited for him to drive his cock straight into her. Instead, he slid down her body, and took her in his mouth. With little more than a few slow strokes of his tongue as he buried his fingers in her core, Jordan came in a hard rush, her nerve endings exploding from the erotic sensation. She sagged against the mattress, her arms burning from the constant tugging she’d done to be free. Gage covered her body with his, and the hard feel of his arousal against her hip shot her internal temperature even higher. He fumbled with his pants and she could already imagine his steel hard length sliding into her. Someone knocked at the door. Gage tensed above her, the tip of his cock poised at the entrance of her sex. She lifted her hips, not caring that someone was about to interrupt them. She wanted him so much she didn’t care that they would never be able to finish what they’d started. He pushed the head of his erection inside the edge of her heat, then lowered his forehead to hers. “I’m getting rid of whoever it is.” She wanted to curse when he stood, and after adjusting his pants, he tugged the blanket over her. “I’ll be right back.” “You better be.” For more than one reason. Whatever it took, she was getting him to take the restraints off and then she planned to make him lie there while she played for a bit.

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Right before she rode him. Hard. Her insides heated and clenched. She raised and then dropped her head against her pillow fully realizing that those kinds of thoughts were doing nothing to cool the fire that sizzled through her veins. Jordan blinked as the light was snapped on. An exhausted looking Brady hovered in the doorway as though he suspected what he had interrupted. His gaze landed on the restraints. “Are those really necessary?” Gage eased past him into the room. “Can you be absolutely certain that thing you gave her makes her immune to lust demons?” Brady studied her face. “No.” Jordan could tell by his slightly upturned mouth that the man was lying. “Brady,” she warned. If this was his way of getting back at her because she’d stormed out on him that morning… He didn’t pay any attention to her and turned towards Gage. “You were right to restrain her.” “The hell he was.” “How did you manage that anyway?” By his tone one would think they were discussing steak-grilling techniques over cold beers on a hot sunny day. “Pressure point in the back of the skull.” “Ah.” Jordan pinned him with her best furious glare. “He goes all Spock on me and all you can say is, ‘Ah’?” Brady shrugged. “And how come you never taught me this pressure point thing?” It would come in handy when payback came ‘round. “You didn’t ask.” If it wasn’t for the fact she was practically naked beneath the blanket and didn’t even have the use of her hands to keep it secured around her, Jordan would have kicked him. Judging by the knowing look on Brady’s face, he guessed as much. “Besides it doesn’t work on demons, just people who have their essence flowing through them.” “And here I thought a girl couldn’t get any luckier. Now stop messing around and tell him I’m fine to be released.” Brady headed for the door. “I’m sure if she shows no signs by morning, she’ll be fine.” “No. Not morning.” The two men left the room. “Brady! Gage!” Jordan seethed. “Fine. But I won’t be getting any sleep like this. I hope you guys are both prepared to deal with a very cranky woman in the morning. The only thing worse than a woman with PMS and a gun, is a sword carrying demon slayer operating on no sleep.” The sound of their hushed voices only aggravated her further. She wasn’t a child and there was nothing to shield her from. They’d both been doing more than enough of that. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Brady.” She thought about tacking Gage onto the end of that sentence too, but as annoyed as she was again about the restraints, she’d rather he be there all night if he insisted on keeping her this way. Jordan inched up higher in the bed to let her arms relax as much as possible. She heard

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the door close and waited for Gage to reappear. Only the sound of him moving around in the kitchen reassured her he hadn’t left along with Brady. Her eyes grew heavy as she waited for him to come back, and she drifted off before she even realized her eyes had fully shut. ***** Gage followed Brady to the door. His earlier desperation to sink deep inside Jordan fizzled out the second Brady gave him a disapproving look. Gage was half-surprised Brady didn’t pull out a shotgun and threaten to shoot him if he didn’t keep his pecker in his pants. The older man settled on cool silence instead, making it perfectly clear he wasn’t thrilled. “I heard about Colin.” “Already?” Brady shrugged. “I know people. I heard Jordan was on her way to see him.” Gage figured Brady had been by the club, or had talked to someone who worked there to come by that information. “We were. He called and said he had some information. I think it’s safe to say whatever he knew likely got him killed.” “Then someone is worried about Jordan finding the source.” “Is there anyone who might know about Jordan?” “I’d like to say no, but anything is possible.” Brady turned to go. “And her talisman would have kept her immune as long as she was wearing it.” “And you told her otherwise just to piss her off?” Even Gage wasn’t that dumb. “I’m already on her bad side at the moment. At least this way she’s forced to slow down and rest, even if it’s just for a few hours.” “She’s not going to be happy about this in the morning, you know.” “What else is new?” Brady shoved his hands in his pockets. “Lately she’s been taking more risks. I’m worried that if things continue like this—” “One of them will take her down,” Gage finished Brady nodded grudgingly, almost as though he regretted bringing it up. “Jordan is good. One of the best I’ve ever come across. But if she doesn’t keep her head in the game…” “Once the Scion is taken care of, things will calm down around here.” “Maybe. Maybe not.” “It will.” It had to. Gage was banking on it. “And if it doesn’t?” Gage frowned. “What are you getting at?” “Take Jordan to Rae.” If Brady had taken a swing at him, Gage wouldn’t have been more surprised. “How do you know about Rae?” At Brady’s vacant look, Gage shook his head. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?” “No.” “What about the talisman? Where did that come from?” Again Brady said nothing. Gage cursed. “You’re a wealth of knowledge, you know that?” The older man grinned. He glanced past Gage’s shoulder, looking wistful. “Maybe she just needs a change. Talk to Rae and see what she thinks.”

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Gage didn’t hesitate. “No.” Brady arched a brow. “She’s better off here. When things settle down around here—” “If they do,” Brady corrected. Gage sighed. “Things weren’t supposed to have worked out this way.” “Did you really think Jordan was going to get married, have two-point-four kids and live in a house with a picket fence?” “She deserves more than this.” A hell of a lot more. “And maybe that’s her call to make,” Brady said quietly. “When that hostile changed her, you didn’t have to introduce her to this life.” “When that hostile changed her, she was alone and scared.” Gage snorted. “Jordan has never been scared of anything in her life.” “Well, you weren’t around to see what your death did to her, were you? You weren’t there to see just how hard she hit rock bottom before she found that demon who went after both of you. She wasn’t even fully trained when she cornered it and killed it. The damn thing nearly ripped her apart in the process, but she refused to let it win.” Something inside Gage snapped, and he shoved Brady into the wall. “And you let her go after it?” Brady scoffed. “I wasn’t there to see what happened, but I found her. I had told her she wasn’t ready, but she obviously didn’t listen to me. She wanted to make that thing pay for taking you from her, so if you want to blame someone for the way things turned out, start by looking in the damn mirror.” Brady shoved him back. “Tell Jordan to come by my place in the morning.” He let himself out and closed the door quietly behind him. Gage’s head pounded and he couldn’t drag enough air in to slow his racing heart. He drilled a hand through his hair before clenching his hands into tight fists. Gage glanced at the door. He wanted to go, wanted away from this, away from the guilt and complications coming back into Jordan’s life had caused. But walking out the door would do nothing to ease the pain inside him, or erase the hurt he glimpsed in Jordan’s eyes every time she thought he wasn’t watching her. Releasing another tense breath, he shut off the lights and headed back to the bedroom. He hesitated in the doorway, not surprised to find her asleep. With plans to sleep on the couch, he crossed the room to take the restraints off her. She’d sleep better without them. Gently, he slid the custom designed key into the restraints and removed them. Jordan sighed, still asleep as she rolled toward him. Gage closed his eyes. How in the hell had he managed to stay away from her for years only to find it so difficult to leave her side long enough to sleep? Cursing himself for not being stronger, he settled down beside her, drawing her close enough he could wrap his arms around her. He fell asleep to the strong steady beat of her heart pounding under his palm.

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Chapter Ten

“I still can’t believe I slept until after one this afternoon. Or that you let me.” Gage smiled. “I didn’t move a muscle myself until after lunch.” He hadn’t slept so soundly in a really long time. Waking up to find her tucked against him, her face blissfully angelic in sleep, had made his chest ache. The urge to stay in bed with her for the whole day, holding her, making love to her was so damn tempting he had to force himself to get up before she opened her eyes. The rest of the day had been much harder to get through. More than a dozen times he caught himself looking for a reason to be near her, to touch her. Half the time he managed to curb that need, and he might not have been able to accomplish that much if not for his brief chat with Rae while Jordan slept that morning. After Rae asked for an update on the Scion situation, she forwarded info on the individual the last mimic demon in South America was now impersonating. The conversation had been a wake up call, a reminder not to let himself get too attached. His only worry now was if it was too late for that. He wasn’t staying here, and he’d be damned if he’d let Jordan become an agent when she still had a regular life she could lead when all this was over. How she managed to work as a cop during the day and hunt demons at night, baffled him. While he worked long hours, Gage couldn’t imagine the strain of leading that double life so completely. Outside other agents, he didn’t interact with that many people, and certainly no one he needed to regularly hide his job from. No wonder Brady was worried Jordan would burn out. Not that he could blame her for it. He knew how easy it was to be consumed by work, by responsibilities, even to the point it was welcome. Anything that took your mind off the things you needed to forget. Following a quick shower that afternoon, he’d gone along with her to Brady’s. Aside from Brady saying he was looking into Colin’s death, he had nothing new to report. The only upside to the day had been not hearing about any new murders. Talk of a serial killer linked to devil worship now circulated in the media. At the very least that would make people extra cautious on the streets at night. Or so it seemed since the streets were rather quiet tonight. Even the areas where Jordan normally found hostiles causing trouble turned up nothing. Touching base with Braxton and Quinn hadn’t revealed any new developments either. Not even a trace of temporal activity that they could investigate. It reminded him of the calm before the storm, which only left Gage more edgy than usual. As they headed up the sidewalk leading to her apartment building, he studied her face, taking note of the lingering fatigue beneath her eyes. He wished she would take one night and do nothing but sleep. Together, they had both managed to catch almost nine hours last night, but he knew she could likely use more than that. Hell, he could too, but he was used to functioning on little sleep. He couldn’t help but wonder how long Jordan had been going full out. In front of her apartment door, Jordan tensed. Unease pricked Gage’s spine. He stared at the closed door. The unmistakable presence

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within unleashed a rush of adrenaline through his system. A stealth demon. Jordan released the hold on her key and let him unlock the door before he gently pushed it open. The tracking device in his pocket started beeping like a malfunctioning pager with its volume set on high. Gage cursed. First chance he got, he was tossing the damn thing off the roof. He shut if off and shoved it into his pocket, knowing the stealth demon would have already heard them coming to begin with. His hesitation cost him however, allowing Jordan to slip in ahead of him while he played with the faulty device. Right on her heels, he forced himself not to shove her behind him, to think about how well she had fought off the other demons. It did little to ease the tight clench of his gut. He didn’t like feeling this way, nor did he need the distraction of needlessly worrying about her. They checked the kitchen first then moved back down the short hall to the living room. Beside him, Jordan searched the darkest corners. She cocked her head. “Did it go out a window?” Concentrating on the slow trickle of awareness that swam through his veins, Gage tried to focus. Jordan switched on the lamp closest to her. A shadow launched itself at her. She staggered back, bringing her arm up to block the demon’s attack. Moving impossibly fast, the blonde-haired stealth demon slashed a wicked looking dagger at Jordan, then turned and took a swing at Gage. Gage jerked to the side to avoid the punch, always stunned by how quickly they moved, especially when they were on the offensive. Jordan landed a sharp kick to the hostile’s back. It pitched forward, compensating immediately to regain its balance. It whirled around, and its fist connected with Jordan’s jaw. Her head snapped back and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. A murderous glint flashed in Jordan’s eyes before she retaliated. The demon’s eyes widened marginally. Gage didn’t give it a chance to strike. Cold fury burned in his gut as he snatched his sword from his back and arced it high above his head. One step ahead of him, the stealth demon grabbed Jordan and jerked her forward. Gage came within a breath of slicing into Jordan’s back, and that realization ricocheted through his mind like a cannon, freezing his movements. The stealth demon took advantage, slashing out with its dagger. Gage turned to the side to dodge the weapon, but not fast enough. The dagger tore into his thigh, ripping a growl from his throat. From the corner of his eye, Gage saw the hostile whip around for another strike. Jordan darted behind it. With her sword in hand, she severed the demon’s head from its body in one flawless stroke. Sucking in a sharp breath, Gage dropped back on the chair, taking the weight off his injured leg as she chanted over the body until it the icy blue flames devoured it. Jordan set her sword aside, her expression serious. “It got you, didn’t it?” “It’ll be fine.” Already he could feel his skin coming together to seal the gash in his leg

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layer by layer, but he knew it would hurt like someone had shoved a hot poker into his thigh for another few minutes. “Let me see,” Jordan pleaded, ignoring his continued insistence it was fine, and studying the wound through the tear in his pants. Her brows rose in amazement. “Does it always heal that quickly for you?” “Sometimes faster. But you don’t heal as fast,” he guessed. It was common for Destroyers to have varying degrees of essence running through them. It all depended on how the transference happened in the first place, how long they were exposed to it and the demon. “It would probably take me a few hours to heal a gash like that. I guess that war demon bit you harder than me.” A cynical smile curved her lips. “Don’t joke, Jordan. A stealth demon was in your home. I doubt it was coincidence.” She rocked back on her heels. “And what would you have me do? Should I have screamed and waited for someone to call nine-one-one?” “Of course not,” he snapped. “Then what kind of a response are you looking for? I don’t know why it was here, but it’s gone now and that’s all I care about.” “And what if you had come home alone?” The ridiculous comment was out before he could take it back. She wasn’t an innocent. Hell, she could even feel them coming, could defend herself. None of that stopped him from stupidly shooting his mouth off. Jordan glared at him. “What is it going to take to get you to understand that I can take care of myself? Is it because I wasn’t trained to be one of your Destroyers?” He searched the hard lines of her face, willing Jordan to understand. “I just don’t want to see you ripped open beyond your healing capabilities.” He caught her hand. “I don’t want you to die in my arms.” “The way you did mine?” Hurt surfaced in her green eyes. Gage shook his head. “Except I didn’t die. How I survived that much blood loss even with the war demon’s essence inside me, mutating my genes, I’ll never know. But you, you’re already as resistant as you’re going to get and there is nothing that will save you from being severed in two with a sacrificial sword.” “Is that supposed to scare me? And the same thing could happen to you, damn it. Don’t you think I know the risks, that at any time one of them might best me?” “Jordan,” he began. He didn’t know what to say, if there was anything that could make her understand that if anything happened to her… “Don’t.” Jordan’s voice shook. “You came here for your assignment. And when this one is done, you’re leaving, right? So let’s just agree to disagree on how I spend my spare time, all right?” He cupped her face. A sadness he’d done his best to bury clawed through his chest. “I don’t want this life for you.” She shook her head sadly. “You walked away, remember? What you want doesn’t matter.” Her comment knifed through him. “So when this is over and I’m gone, you’ll what, keep doing this?” “Yes.” “Why?” He already feared he knew the answer, but he needed to hear it for himself.

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“Because it’s who I am now.” ***** Jordan turned her face to hide the tears she felt burning behind her eyes. Closing them, she drew in a sharp breath before meeting his gaze head on. “This is my life, Gage. Maybe it’s not the one I imagined for myself when we were younger, but I’ll be damned if I let you feel disappointed or sorry for me.” “I don’t.” “Then stop trying to change what is. I’m not yours to keep safe. I make my own decisions. You didn’t tell me how to run my life before, and you can’t just waltz back in here temporarily and try to do it now because this isn’t what you ever expected to find.” Gage scrubbed a hand over his face. On her knees, she stared into his eyes. “Take a good look at me Gage. I’m not the same woman you used to know and I need you to stop doubting me and what I’m capable of. You might not be happy that I slay these things. Some days I’m not happy about it either, but it won’t change anything. When this is done you’ll be leaving and I don’t want to spend what little time you’re here fighting about this. Okay?” She’d already resigned herself to the fact that he wasn’t staying. Part of her wanted to lock her heart away, thinking she would have been better off not knowing he was alive if he couldn’t stay with her. The other part wouldn’t take back even a second of it and knew that this short time with him was the best she was going to get. The foolishly naïve voice in her mind that had always wished for him to come back, screamed out for her to hold on and not let him go, but she knew things never worked out that way for her. No amount of pining or wishing for things she’d never have would change that. So many nights as a child had she wished for something more. A mom who would stand up for herself, a dad who wouldn’t beat them, an older brother who hadn’t died when he left home after promising to come back for her, a person, a friend, anyone to step in and stop it, to make things better. Nothing had changed until she was old enough to walk away from it all on her own. Her life had never been a fairytale and she had accepted that…until she met Gage. For a short time he almost made her believe… Losing him proved that she wasn’t meant to have the life she longed for growing up. A home, a place where someone loved and cared about her above all others. When he died, so did the dream she’d so foolishly begun to cling to whenever he would hold her tight when she slept. She knew his reappearance was fate’s way of reminding her of what would never be. And she would not let herself hope for anything more than that. Never looking beyond tomorrow, living only in the present. That outlook had gotten her through Gage’s death when she finally snapped out of her grief, and it would get her through his leaving this time. Gage’s grip on her hand tightened, but he didn’t say anything. Jordan took that as a sign he either didn’t want to argue about it anymore either, or he just didn’t have another point to make at the moment. Before getting up, she took another look at his leg, surprised to see the gash almost completely healed. “Still hurt?” Something in the deep blue eyes darkened, and when he answered, “Yeah,” she knew

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he wasn’t talking about his leg. He slid his hand around to the back of her neck and drew her forward. His mouth covered hers. The slow, thorough kiss seeped under her skin until she sighed against his lips. Between the thumb that caressed the side of her neck, and one heated pass of his mouth after another, Jordan began to think her knees might have buckled were she not already on the floor. She wanted to ask him how he did it, how he could make her ache for him with nothing but a kiss. None of the few men she’d bothered with had come anywhere close to making her feel like this and it only confirmed that no one else ever would. She didn’t know whether to be thankful for that or incredibly saddened by it. Gage pulled back slowly. “I don’t think we should stay here tonight.” “This is my home.” “And until we figure out how he knew to find you here, I’d rather stick with the belief that there’s safety in numbers.” “If this is about you not trusting me to—” He kissed her again, this one faster and laced with impatience. “I trust you. I know you can take care of yourself. I’ve always known it even when we were partnered together, and you drove me nuts with the risks you took. I just need some time to get used to this. And I’d rather go to sleep tonight knowing Quinn and Braxton have our backs if anything comes hunting for us.” “Okay.” She’d rather sleep in her own apartment, but she knew she’d be too preoccupied with wondering how a stealth demon knew where she lived to get much sleep. It would have been one thing if it had followed them here. Seeing as it was already inside when they got here ruled that out. Only war demons could track her without physically seeing her, so this one had to have known from the beginning where to find her. Gage blinked. “That’s it? I don’t have to try hard to convince you?” Skepticism rolled off his tongue. Jordan smiled. “Keep it up and I’ll change my mind.” He stood up, only a slight wince crossing his face as he put weight on his leg. “Well, let’s get going before you do.” ***** “One more word and I will drop you where you stand.” The corner of Gage’s mouth continued to twitch. Jordan narrowed her gaze on him. “Forget it. You bunk with Braxton. I’ll stay with Quinn.” “You barely know her.” Water continued to drip from her soaked clothing onto the hotel’s carpeted hallway. Jordan propped a fist on her hip. “Considering the fact that I’m now drenched, thanks to you, and you haven’t stopped laughing about it for the last ten minutes, I think I’d prefer Quinn’s company even if she snored like a freight train.” “Lucky for you I don’t.” Jordan turned to face the raven-haired woman standing in the door to her hotel room,

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arms crossed. The woman even opened the door soundlessly. Quinn arched a brow. “Lover’s quarrel?” “The rest of the hotel is booked solid. I’ve already had my fill of demons for the night, a stupid taxi soaked me after a freak shower that was caused by a storm demon Gage pissed off on our way over here. Can I stay with you?” Quinn opened the door wider. “Come on in. We’ll raid the mini bar together.” Ignoring Gage, Jordan went inside. Gage tried to follow her. Quinn shook her head. “No boys allowed.” She closed the door on Gage’s face, his expression falling somewhere between disbelief and annoyance. “You look like crap.” Quinn flopped back on one of the room’s two beds and snapped up the remote control. “A shower will take the edge off and then we’ll see who wakes up more often through the night.” She winked then reached over the side of the bed and tossed a T-shirt at Jordan. “This has got to be more comfortable than wet clothes.” “Thanks.” Quinn smiled then returned her attention to the television. Inside the bathroom, Jordan eyeballed the deep tub with longing. If she wasn’t so bone tired, she would love to soak in it to ease the tension buried between her shoulder blades. Instead, she turned on the shower and peeled off her clothes before stepping in. The hot water sluiced down her skin and she was relieved to see a bottle of shampoo that belonged to Quinn instead of just the small bottles the hospital provided. After lathering her hair up, she turned her face up into the spray, letting it warm her face as the water rinsed her hair. A soft click echoed in the small bathroom. Jordan tensed and jerked back the curtain. No one was there. “Quinn?” When no answer came, she shut off the water and slipped out of the shower. She snagged a towel from the shelf, wrapped it around her middle and opened the door. She stopped short at the sight of Gage sprawled across the bed. Shirtless, mussed hair and a sleepy expression, he looked good. Too good. Too tempting. And she was annoyed with him, wasn’t she? His attention shifted from the television to her, back to the T.V, then snapped back to her as he slowly sat up. Ignoring the way her pulse kicked up at the flash of interest in Gage’s eyes, she surveyed the rest of the room. “Where’s Quinn?” “I talked her into staying with Braxton.” “Talked?” “Okay, bribed.” He ran his gaze over her, heating her from the inside out. “Come here.” Jordan arched a brow. “Please.” The raw edge to his voice rolled a shiver up her spine. She closed the short distance between them with an unhurried pace, shutting off the T.V in passing. “I think you’re sitting on my bed.” “I’m going to be doing a lot more than sitting,” he vowed darkly. “Is that so?” She was careful to stay just out of reach.

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“If you want to play games, I have a few in mind.” “I seem to recall the games you like to play, and I think we’ve already established I’m not one for being tied down.” “No?” A seductive grin hugged his lips. He reached out and tugged her closer. “I seem to recall you enjoying it the last time.” “Like I had a choice.” Gage skimmed his hands up under the towel. Inch by tantalizing inch, he massaged higher. He cupped her behind, drawing her between his parted thighs. “Are you cold?” Jordan shook her head. “Good. Then you don’t need this.” He loosened the towel, slowly peeling it away as though he was unwrapping a long awaited gift. The towel hit the floor and air rushed over her, cooling her naked skin. Gage leaned forward and flicked his tongue over one rose tipped peak. Her nipple hardened instantly before he closed his mouth over it completely. Jordan’s breath hissed out as her inner muscles heated and contracted. His tongue traced a hot path across her breast as he moved his hands from her waist to her back, kneading her skin as he went. One nerve ending after another fired, making her both weak from his touch and empowered by it at the same time. She sank her nails into his bare shoulders, refusing to let him move any more than an inch away from her. Gage cupped her ass, his fingers trailing between the cheeks. Jordan pressed her thighs together and arched back into his touch. “Soon,” he whispered. He leaned forward and brushed his lips over her stomach. Once more he explored her abdomen, traveling higher to outline the contours of her breasts with a feather-light touch. He slipped his palm under them, his thumb rubbing the hard tips before tugging gently. Jordan moaned softly, her next breath lost between her lungs and her mouth as he nudged her thighs apart. He trailed through the curls hiding her sex, and parted the damp flesh. Eyes locked on hers, Gage pushed two fingers against the hot opening. She tensed in bone-melting anticipation, but Gage shook his head, a conniving smile played across his lips. “I don’t think you’re ready yet.” Wrapping an arm around her waist, he dragged her down to the bed, rolling to pin her beneath him. He caught her jaw in his hand and kissed her hard and deep. His tongue swirled over hers with one wicked stroke after another and another. Jordan locked her arms around his neck, holding him close, his naked chest burning into hers. This made sense, they made sense. She never doubted it when he touched her, kissed her, made love to her. Gage worked his way down her throat, licking, nibbling. Devouring. She lifted her hips and rocked into his erection as her sex flared with a rush of warmth. She needed him inside her. He gently bit, then sucked at her nipple before moving lower. Gage pressed his palm

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between her thighs. “Are you ready yet?” He stroked down her cleft, swirling a finger across her clit with slow teasing flicks. “Much better.” He thrust his fingers deep inside her. ***** Gage groaned. She was so wet and tight, and unbelievably hot. Jordan’s soft cry became a breathless plea as he slowly pumped his fingers in and out. With every roll of her hips, he wanted to strip down and sink into her. He found the sensitive knot and rolled his thumb over it until she writhed beneath him. “Gage,” she pleaded. He grinned and trapped her mouth in a fierce kiss as he plunged his fingers back into her wet heat just as she came. Flipping her over, Gage jerked his pants off and tossed them to the floor. He gripped her hips, drawing her up so her ass was higher, her sex swollen and ready for him. He drove into her. Jordan cried out, her stunned moan of pleasure melding with his own harsh groan for more. Her muscles tightened, clenching around his shaft as he withdrew and slammed into her again and again. He pumped faster, burying his cock as deep as he could. Jordan arched back, changing the angle. A growl lodged in his chest. His fingers bit into her hips, pulling her back to meet each hard thrust. Hard and mind-blowing, a wicked spiral of release detonated inside Gage, and he lost himself inside her.

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Chapter Eleven

He was an idiot. That thought came three seconds too late. Three seconds after Jordan snapped his head back with a surprising upper cut punch to be precise. Gage shook it off and watched the predatory way she circled him, her movements easy and sure. The expression on her face, right down to the determined glitter in her green eyes, promised he would beg for mercy before she was done with him. Yeah right. Gage circled wide, careful to keep a calculated distance between them. He’d made the mistake of letting her get too close twice now, and it wouldn’t happen again. He ran his gaze over her body looking for the small signs that signaled she was about to attack. Jordan wasn’t a patient person, not by any stretch of the imagination. He’d wait her out. It shouldn’t take more than— She darted away from him. Gage frowned and tried to figure out what she was up to when she snatched up two staffs suspended on pegs on the training room wall. He hadn’t expected her to drag him out of bed this morning and certainly not for a little workout, she’d called it. The studio apartment was in need of a lot of work, work Jordan said she planned to tackle so she could eventually both train and live in the same area, but hadn’t had time yet. At first Gage thought she just meant to give him a tour of the place. It was way too early for any sane person to be as energetic as she was, let alone ready to be tackled to the large gym mat. In fact, if he hadn’t been a bit too preoccupied thinking about how nicely the borrowed black T-shirt from Quinn fit against her breasts he might have seen her coming. But he’d been too busy thinking that the blood red wording on the shirt, and you think you’ve had a bad day, fit Jordan’s personality perfectly. He barely had time to react before she had knocked him off his feet the first time. The smug look on her face had been as big a blow to his ego as finding himself staring at the ceiling from his sprawled position on the mat. Assuming she was done screwing around, he had calmly got to his feet. Seeing the challenge in her gaze he’d done what any man who was trying to save a shred of his pride would do. He laughed. That was when she nailed him with the upper cut. Jordan tossed him a staff. “Don’t be a pussy.” The corner of her mouth kicked up as she twirled her staff in her hands. “The worst thing that can happen is I’ll have you on the ground in less than two minutes.” “No, the worst thing that could happen is someone winds up hurt.” She sighed in disgust, assuming he meant her. “From where I’m standing, the only one of us bleeding so far is you.” Gage stroked his tongue over his bottom lip, which he bit when she had punched him. He’d have her pinned to the floor by the time it healed. He pointed his staff at her. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

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Jordan rolled her eyes. “Scarier words have never been uttered.” Gage swung the staff above her head, more of a warning that he didn’t appreciate her sarcasm than anything else. Their staffs struck as she raised hers to block. “Fine, but just because you want to play gentle, doesn’t mean I’m going to.” She whirled around, attempting to knock his feet out from under him. Gage jumped and landed in a crouch, reaching back to catch her ankle with his staff. She tripped but regained her balance quickly. “Fine. You want rough, you get rough.” Gage went on the offensive. Jordan backed up a step, blocking each powerful strike with a sharp ease he had to admire. “What I want is a chance for you to realize that I’m good at this.” Gage snorted. “Knowing you can fight off any demon that crosses your path still isn’t going to make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.” He caught her staff just below her hand and spun his around, wrenching the weapon from her grip. Gage grinned when she stood motionless. He used his staff to gently lift up the bottom of her T-shirt, exposing her abs. “Who cares if you’re warm and fuzzy inside?” She snapped the staff right out of his hand and came at him. “Do you think I was all warm and fuzzy when that demon played target practice with your leg last night?” He ducked the swing and rolled to where her staff lay on the mat. Gage had it firmly in his grip, but didn’t make it upright before she was on him. She tackled him, taking him down at the knees. His back hit the mat, and she straddled him. Furious green eyes bored into his. “It was the same when we were both cops. You thought you were invincible, the one who should take all the risks.” With her eyes focused so intently on his face, he took advantage and tipped her. Her back hadn’t even hit the mat before he had her pinned, her arms above her head and held in place by her own staff. Gage grinned down at her. “I think you’re confused. You were the reckless one.” “No.” “Yes.” His eyes dropped to her mouth. “And stubborn.” She glared up at him. “And sarcastic.” She rocked her hips to fling him off but the gesture only made his gut tighten. He leaned down until his mouth was only an inch from hers. “And beautiful.” Jordan’s eyes flared a moment before he took possession of her mouth. He skimmed his tongue over her bottom lip and dipped inside. Gage yelped, pain shooting up the inside of his leg as Jordan kneed him. She rolled, reversing their positions once more, and placed her knee strategically against his groin. “Do you pull this shit with Quinn?” “What?”

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“Do you act like she shouldn’t be a Destroyer?” “No.” But then he hadn’t ever been in love with Quinn. Gage closed his eyes, his chest tight. He knew she was right, had been over and over it in his head since their talk last night. Things weren’t going to change just because he wished they would. The best he could hope for was that a hostile didn’t take her out. “I’m going to talk to Rae.” The words were out even before he realized he was actually considering it. The pressure on his groin eased. Jordan sat back, puzzled. “What?” “Maybe Brady was right. It makes sense. You’re…good at slaying them,” he added reluctantly. “Brady was right about what?” Confusion tightened Jordan’s face to the point it looked almost painful. It was then he realized Brady couldn’t have mentioned his suggestion of her becoming an active agent to Jordan. Knowing her, she wouldn’t appreciate them talking about her future with her not even present. Gage tried to sit up. “Uh-uh.” She shifted her knee back to his groin. “Jordan,” he warned. “Tell me what he said.” “Get off me.” This was not the place to be when she was pissed off. Hearing that Brady approached him about her becoming a Destroyer, and worse, him saying no, would not go over well. “Not until you tell me what Brady said about Rae. How does he even know her?” “Your guess would be as good as mine. You should ask him.” His attempt to deflect the conversation away from himself was met with an even more annoyed frown. “Tell me the truth.” Her gaze softened. “Please.” Gage sighed. “He asked me to talk to Rae about you becoming a Shadow Destroyer.” Surprise registered on her face, followed by what he could only interpret as hurt before she schooled her features. “When?” “Two nights ago.” “When I was cuffed to the bed?” “Yeah,” he studied her closely. He had been prepared for her anger, but not the slight catch he heard in her voice. “And what was your response?” He closed his eyes, contemplated lying, then decided against it. She’d see right through him anyway. “I said no.” “Right.” Jordan started to stand up. Gage hooked his arms around her knees, holding her in place. He expected her to take a swing at him, not move away. “Let go, Gage.” He didn’t so much as relax his hold by half an inch. “So now you want to get up?” he teased. His plan to lighten the mood bombed the second she fixed him with a stony glare. “I’m going to talk to Brady.” “You don’t believe me?”

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She shook her head sadly. “I didn’t say that.” “Well, you’re not going anywhere until you admit defeat.” He couldn’t let her walk away mad. He rolled, dragging her beneath him. Jordan closed her eyes. “Fine. You win.” ***** “Jordan,” he began. “Please let me up.” The demand didn’t come out as sharp as she planned. “Look at me.” She wouldn’t. Not until there was some space between them, some distance. Jordan rocked sideways, pushing against him. “You’re mad.” “Now why would I be angry?” she snapped. Inside she clung to the simmering anger that he and Brady had discussed what she should be doing as though she didn’t have a say in the matter. Holding onto the anger was much better than letting the hurt sink in. She knew if she did, an all-out pity party would start and that was something she could do without. Her parents had lacked a lot of things. Her mom had tried for a while, and then gave up on it all. Her older brother had tried and fate snatched him away far too soon. Gage had vanished from her life on a lie, and now Brady, who had become the closest thing to family she had in years, was trying to pawn her off on a group he had already told her she would never like working for to begin with. Fuck it. She shoved Gage off and stood up. Screw what everyone else wanted. Jordan didn’t look at him as she snapped up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. “Where are you going?” She heard him follow after her, but didn’t stop walking. “I don’t answer to you, Gage.” “No, you don’t,” he said quietly, surprising her. He stepped in front of her, cutting her off. “Aren’t you going to ask me why I said no?” “I don’t care.” She wouldn’t let herself. She was done caring, tired of winding up disappointed when she foolishly thought it wasn’t possible for her to get her hopes up over anything anymore. It didn’t surprise her that Gage told Brady no, not after he let her think he was dead all this time. She didn’t want to hear some glossed over explanation because if he dared say another word about protecting her, she’d happily bury her fist in his face. She moved around him and headed for the door. Behind her she heard Gage’s cell phone ring. “Yeah?” Gage said. Jordan had her hand on the door when he called out. “Brady’s been taken in for questioning.” She froze, then turned around slowly. “There was another murder last night.” *****

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Where the hell was he? Jordan headed through the main door of Brady’s apartment building. She’d gotten nowhere down at the precinct. Lance had both avoided and ignored her. Aside from knowing that victim number six met an untimely end last night around two am, no one told her a thing. And Brady, in typical fashion, disappeared the moment he was free to go and slipped right past her somehow. She’d already been by his place once and hadn’t found him. After spending the entire afternoon and evening looking for him, she figured she’d try his place once more before she actually started to worry. Brady made it a habit of popping up at unexpected times, but she always knew where to find him when she needed him. Which made it sting all the more that he wanted her to go with Gage and work for this Rae person who she still knew nothing about. It was pathetic to think that there had never been anyone who willingly stayed in her life, so she shut off that train of thought before it could take hold. She was a big girl. If Brady didn’t want her around, then that was just fine, but he was going to have to give her an explanation at the very least as to why he had gone ahead and discussed it with Gage before her. “Jordan?” Jordan stopped in the hallway and turned to see Miranda standing in her doorway. “Have you seen him?” Miranda asked. “Not since yesterday.” Miranda frowned. “I haven’t seen him since our date last night.” “Date, huh?” About damn time. “Well, I made him dinner over here. But I haven’t seen him today and…” Miranda cast her gaze downwards. “Do you think I could have scared him off?” Jordan snorted. “I highly doubt that. Besides, you’re not the only one he’s been hiding from today.” “Do you think he’s okay?” “I’m sure he’s fine,” Jordan reassured her. “When you see him, could you…tell him to call me?” “I will.” Right after Jordan choked the life out of him for avoiding her. He would have known she’d be looking for him after hearing about another murder. The bigger question was how much time did they have before a Scion crossed into this realm? Using the spare key Jordan dug out of her pocket, she unlocked Brady’s door. Still not home, she guessed, but figured another look around wouldn’t hurt. If he had been back here since her last visit, he may have left a sign of it. Jordan closed the door and moved into the dark kitchen, fumbling along the wall for the light switch as she went. Air left Jordan’s lung in a stunned rush as she was thrown up against the fridge. Heart hammering against her ribs, she tensed at the cold press of a knife against her throat. “Come back to finish the job?” She frowned at the man in front of her. “Brady?” “Jesus.” He stepped back and reached over and flicked the light on.

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Jordan gaped at the bruises on the older man’s face. “What happened to you? And why are you skulking around in the dark?” “It’s my place. I can skulk all I want.” He set the knife on the counter. “What are you doing here?” Jordan thought that much was pretty damn obvious. “Looking for you. What happened?” she repeated. “A stealth demon came a knockin’ last night.” “What did it look like?” His tired eyes narrowed speculatively. “Male. Blonde hair. Carried a nice dagger.” “It’s dead.” “Good.” Brady sank into the closest chair. “It was waiting for me in here last night. But it didn’t stay too long,” he added wryly. “It had someplace else to be,” Jordan mumbled. She studied Brady more closely, noting the blood leaking through the bandage on his forehead. “Did you get checked out?” “I’ll live.” Knowing it was useless to get Brady to do anything he didn’t want to do, she let it go. And people thought she was stubborn. “I heard they brought you in.” “Mmmm. They were just thrilled to see me with a messed up face too.” “What reason did they have to question you?” “Someone at the scene said they saw someone matching my description flee the scene. The witness couldn’t pick me out of a line up and with nothing else they had to let me go.” Brady leaned back and crossed his arms. “So. Spill already.” When she hesitated, he added. “I know you well enough to recognize when you’ve got something to say. So say it.” “Why did you talk to Gage?” Indecision blinked across his face, and she waited, half-expecting him to pretend he didn’t know what she was talking about. He surprised her by simply stating, “It was the right thing to do.” “You think I should be a Shadow Destroyer? Why?” He leaned forward, his elbows propped on his knees. “They could use someone like you.” “That’s not what you said the other night.” Brady sighed. “I was being selfish.” “You were?” Now Jordan really was confused. “I like having you around, even when you give me a hard time about the mess this place is in most of the time. And you never let up when I wear the same clothes two days in a row, worse than a goddamn wife. But…” Brady stood and paced to the sink as he trailed off. “You could help more people working for them.” He glanced over his shoulder at her. “You really think I should do it.” The truth of it was clearly written in his eyes, but she had to say it aloud anyway. Brady nodded. “Has Gage changed his mind then?” “About talking to his boss? I guess so.” Her head ached with all the changes in the last few days. Could she really stop being a cop to be an agent full time? And if she did, what would that mean for her and Gage?

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“What’s with the frown?” She shrugged. “I guess I’m wondering why he changed his mind.” “He loves you.” Jordan shook her head. “Maybe once he did. He let me believe he was dead,” she reminded him. “Well, you’ve got two choices. You can keep letting yourself get hung up on that. Or you can move on, make a change, see where it takes you.” “Who are you and where is the real Brady?” Aside from training, Brady wasn’t one for giving advice, certainly not of a personal nature. But he’d said much the same thing right after she thought Gage was dead. She could let Gage’s death drag her under until there was nothing left, or try to find a way to move past it, to make things right. And she had. She’d moved on. Was he right? Was it time for a change, a new direction? But was it one that included Gage? She had been forcing herself to accept the fact that he would be leaving and now… Before she made any decisions about that, she needed to talk to Gage. But not tonight. Tonight she needed some time alone to work through it all and try to figure out what the hell she wanted. ***** “I’m going to have to meet this Brady.” Quinn snagged another fry from Gage’s plate, smeared it in ketchup and popped it into her mouth. Gage’s reflection stared back at him off Quinn’s sunglasses. “So what did you do to piss her off that she spent the night over there instead of with you?” “I’m an idiot.” It was becoming his personal mantra lately. Braxton leaned back in his chair, head cocked. Too late Gage felt the subtle push of Brax sifting through his thoughts. “Stop.” Quinn snatched another fry. “That’s not nice,” she said to Braxton, a smile playing about her lips. Braxton didn’t return the smile. “Maybe I’m not a nice guy. Besides he wouldn’t have told us on his own.” “Still doesn’t make it right,” Quinn added, her good mood fading to match Braxton’s. Gage stared at the two of them wondering what had gotten into the two of them. For the last couple days they’d been even crankier with each other than usual. Braxton took a drink of his water. “He told Jordan he was going to talk to Rae about her becoming a Destroyer.” Quinn straightened. “Really?” “And Jordan wasn’t happy about it,” Brax added before falling silent under Gage’s glare. “I like her.” Quinn popped another fry into her mouth. “She would be a great addition to the team.” “You’ve spent a grand total of a few hours in her presence. Tops.”

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With a lift of her shoulder, Quinn met Braxton’s skeptical look. “I’ve got good instincts.” Braxton snorted. Turning away from him, Quinn focused her attention on Gage. “So exactly what wasn’t she happy about?” Gage stared down at his half-eaten lunch. “The fact that the first conversation about it didn’t include her, and that I said no.” Quinn frowned. “You didn’t want to talk to Rae about it?” Gage scrubbed his hand over his face. “No.” This time Quinn made a grab for his Coke. “How come?” Gage didn’t respond. “Because he doesn’t want to see her end up hurt,” Braxton said. But whether it was just a guess or because he had picked up on it in his head, Gage didn’t know. “That’s the chance we all take.” Quinn leaned back in her chair. Gage sighed. “I know. It’s just taken a bit of wrapping my mind around that. Which is why I changed my mind and said I’d talk to Rae.” A satisfied silence settled, and Gage stupidly thought that might be the end of the conversation. Quinn propped her chin in her palm, grinning. “So you and Jordan gonna be a thing?” “How many Destroyers do you know who settle down and play house together?” he bit out. Why couldn’t they stop talking about it? He needed to be more like Rae and keep things less personal with the people he worked with. “A few. Kelsey and Jace did.” “One couple.” Braxton twirled his finger in the air. “It’s sad if that’s what stopping you from telling her how you feel,” Quinn added gently. Gage pushed his chair back. “We’re done talking about this.” “Look, I get why you probably walked away—” “What?” Gage snapped, cutting a look to Braxton. He held his hands up. “Not me.” Quinn propped her chin in her palm. “It’s obvious you two know each other and things didn’t work out the first time around.” Gage stood up. Quinn reached out and grabbed his hand before he could walk away. Only the incredible speed and strength she was capable of made it difficult to break her grip without drawing attention to them. “Be pissed at me for bringing it up all you want, but tell her how you feel.” “If she’s still ticked, I don’t see what difference I’ll make.” “You don’t know women very well. Besides, it’s been a while, right? Maybe you don’t know her as well as you think you do.” Gage had no response for that so he only nodded and left them to finish their late lunch, wishing the subject hadn’t come up at all. Having put off seeing Jordan for most of the day, he headed for the city’s central precinct. He was less than a block way when he passed a scantily clad woman dressed in all

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black, heavy dark makeup, black painted nails and a barbed wire tattoo that pulled at his memory. Gage came to a stop recognizing her as a prostitute he had seen at the police station the day after he arrived. Equal parts curious and suspicious, Gage started to follow her when a blue pickup truck pulled up along side the curb next to her. It took less than a second for Gage to realize he recognized the driver. He worked with Jordan. Officer John Platt.

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Chapter Twelve

“Earth to Jordan.” Jordan glanced from the precinct’s parking lot, up to her partner’s concerned face. Kate chewed thoughtfully on her lip. “You’ve been quiet today. Things not go too hot with your mystery man on the weekend?” That was a matter of perspective, Jordan thought. She seemed to bounce back and forth between being hot for him and so damn angry her blood simmered. And they were still no closer to… What? Getting back together? To going their separate ways when this was over? Jordan didn’t know where they stood. There wasn’t enough time to figure it out. They hadn’t had enough time together before he died and they hadn’t had enough time since he came back from the dead. With the Scion’s potential arrival imminent and talk of him heading off to South America when the gateway was kept shut, it seemed they only had enough time to argue or fall into bed. She couldn’t remember being so confused. On the one hand she was so grateful he wasn’t dead she just wanted to lock the rest of the world away and just be with him. On the other hand she couldn’t let go of the anger at him for lying to her all these years. After talking to Brady last night she tried to think through that, tried to understand why Gage really did what he did. But the bottom line was that even if he thought he was doing what was best for her, it didn’t erase all those nights when she had longed for nothing more than to hear his voice. She saw the regret in his eyes, had heard it when he tried to make her understand. Maybe she didn’t want to let go of the anger because then he’d be off the hook. And if she was being completely honest with herself, she was still angry enough to want him to feel guilty, wanted him to be hurt by his decision to vanish from her life, the same way his absence had hurt her. Jordan closed her eyes. Things were such a mess. She felt Kate watching her. “Things are complicated,” Jordan said. And she’d once thought working together and sleeping together was complicated. What was happening between her and Gage now far surpassed complicated. Why did it have to be that way? Why couldn’t she just give in and trust him, go with him? Why couldn’t she let go? “Complicated can be good.” Kate said. And demons were a girl’s best friend, Jordan thought. “Just don’t start planning a bachelorette party.” Kate scoffed. “I think that would be a tad premature. I was thinking more along the lines of an engagement party.” Jordan rolled her eyes. Kate laughed. “At least tell me you’ve gotten laid.” “Maybe I should start keeping a diary. Then you can read all the gory details yourself, anytime you want.”

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“Gory, huh? Now you’ve really piqued my curiosity. So you think the two of you might be up for some dinner next weekend?” “Actually I’m not sure how long he’s going to be around.” Jordan’s throat tightened at the thought of him heading for South America. Kate studied her closely. “You really like this one, don’t you?” Love this one, she wanted to say. But admitting it out loud would make it even more real, and leave her more vulnerable. Loving him and losing him had been hard. So hard. Loving him and watching him walk away… Jordan turned towards the precinct, steering her thoughts away from Gage. “So you and Michael are getting serious, huh?” Kate only arched a brow at the obvious change in subject. Jordan listened with half an ear as Kate talked about the last two weeks of their whirlwind romance. In the back of her mind she helplessly continued to think about Gage, wondering why she hadn’t heard from him today. She half-expected him to be staking out her apartment this morning, or at the very least to show up at work, looking for her. “McAdam.” Jordan turned to find Lance’s partner, Clint, standing just inside the room that had been designated for their task force. She left Kate at their desks and followed Clint inside. He shut the door behind them. Jordan glanced between the closed door, curious as to why he thought they’d need the privacy, to the thirty-something cop with a thickening middle and receding hairline. “I was hoping we could talk.” “Where’s Lance?” “At home for a few hours.” Clint tossed his file down on the desk. Jordan didn’t miss the calculated gleam in Clint’s eyes. “What did you want to talk about?” “I don’t see the point in playing games, so I’ll just come right to the point. I know you know more about the murders than you’re letting on.” “I do?” Clearly Clint had already made up his mind. “I know you’re better friends with Brady Feehann than you let on. I know you’re protecting him.” Jordan laughed. She didn’t know what was crazier, that they continued to believe Brady had something to do with the murders, or that he needed her protection. “I’m not sure where you’re getting your information—” “People are dying, Jordan,” Clint snapped. She crossed her arms. “I’m not sure what you’re looking for.” He normally wasn’t the confrontational type, and the nervous edge to his expression made her wary. “Answers.” “I don’t have any.” “Like hell. We both know you’re into this crap.” He waved his arms around at the pictures and diagrams. “The couple of witnesses we have are telling some odd stories. Stuff I know you believe.” “I thought you guys didn’t have any witnesses?” At least that was what Lance had said

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the first time he brought her in here. Or was he talking about the one who supposedly placed Brady at the scene of the last murder? Had that witness seen anything odd, or was Clint just fishing to see what she would say? “Tell me something, anything.” “There’s isn’t anything to tell.” Unfortunately, that was fairly close to the truth. All her attempts, not to mention Brady, Gage, Braxton and Quinn’s, had gotten them no closer to pinpointing the source of the sacrifices. Clint took three menacing steps towards her. Jordan didn’t back down an inch, staring at him head on. “What’s going on in here?” Jordan flicked her gaze to the door where Lance stood, rumpled and tired-looking. “Ask your partner,” Jordan said coldly. Clint didn’t take his eyes off her. He lowered his voice. “Sooner or later, you’ll tell me what I want to know.” He stormed out of the room. Lance’s face gave no indication he overheard Clint’s vague threat. “He giving you a hard time?” The detective pushed away from the door, scanning the covered walls before fastening his intense frown on her. Jordan gave him a blank stare. “I didn’t ask him to talk to you.” Uh-huh, perched on the edge of her tongue. “But since we’re on the subject—” She cut him off. “I don’t know anything else.” Lance hitched a hip on the corner of the closest table. “You sure you’re not just pissed I left you in the dark after questioning your pal, Brady?” When she didn’t respond with anything other than a bored look, he sighed. “Don’t let me keep you, Jordan.” She strode past him. His parting comment stopped her at the door. “I hope for both our sakes, you’re being honest with me.” As honest as she could be. ***** For the dozenth time in the last two hours, Jordan wondered where Gage had disappeared to. First Brady, and now Gage. She had managed to get a hold of Quinn, but she hadn’t seen Gage since early afternoon. Jordan suspected his vanishing had to do with the murders, but knowing that didn’t silence the small voice that whispered, what if he left? He had once before. When Jordan let herself into her apartment, she was greeted by the unexpected scent of spaghetti sauce. Smiling for the first time that day, she found Gage in the kitchen stirring the contents of a large pot. “Smells good.” Gage grinned at her and she felt the devastating effect of it echo through her. He dipped the spoon into the sauce and then held it out to her. “Try it.”

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A few times before, Gage had cooked for her and today the sauce tasted as good as it had back then. “I had to pick up a few things. Your cupboards are pretty bare.” He nodded to the sauce. “So what do you think?” “I think… This isn’t exactly what I expected to come home to.” Never had she stopped to let herself think about coming home to find any man cooking for her, let alone Gage. The feeling warmed her. “Disappointed?” “Not as long as I don’t have to do the dishes.” “Ungrateful wench,” Gage teased, setting the spoon aside. He pulled her towards him. “I was thinking that maybe we could have a nice, quiet dinner in tonight. Braxton and Quinn will let us know if anything develops.” Leaning forward, he brushed his mouth down the curve of her neck. Warmth tunneled through her, thick and hot. “So we just hang out here a while and…” He teased his lips over hers. “Relax.” Fiery blue eyes held her captive as he tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. “Think you can handle that, or are you still mad at me?” “Not at the moment.” It was hard to stay mad when he so easily knocked her senses into a sizzling tailspin with that mouth of his. “Should we call a truce then, while the waters are still calm?” He searched her face, opened his mouth, then shut it. Jordan guessed he was contemplating asking her about becoming an active Destroyer. She didn’t know what to say, or what she wanted for that matter. She couldn’t imagine leaving here, not seeing Brady everyday. For the last few years he had been the closest thing she had to family. If anything, her run-in with Lance and Clint proved she would never be fully accepted and trusted here. Those cases she did help with were obsolete when they thought she was holding out on them. Would becoming an agent make any difference? She’d be lying if she didn’t admit to thinking how nice it would be to work with other people like her, people she wouldn’t have to lie to or keep secrets from. But when it came right down to it, would she be able to trust the Destroyer network anymore than the cops who hadn’t believed her story when Gage died, or the ones who questioned her now? Gage touched his forehead to hers, tightening his grip. “Tell me you’re at least thinking about it.” Jordan opened her mouth to respond, then paused, unsure of what to stay. He shook his head. “Don’t say anything yet, just think it over. Please.” “I am.” “Good.” Relief laced his words. “And you’ll ask me any questions that come to mind?” She nodded. A playful smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You know, we never got to finish our tussle yesterday.” “Tussle? Is that what you call getting your butt kicked?” “You didn’t even come close.” “I beg to differ.”

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“You always were difficult.” His fingers massaged the back of her neck. He drew her forward, and with a painstaking slowness, slanted his mouth over hers. He walked her back until she came up against the counter. Jordan moaned against his mouth, both at the warm sweep of his tongue and the erection burning into her abdomen. Without warning he gripped her waist and lifted her, setting her on the countertop and moved between her parted thighs. One hand splayed across her back, holding her close. He broke from her mouth at the same moment an uneasy tingle swept up her spine. “I don’t believe this,” he grumbled. Jordan cocked her head, trying to identify the stealth demon or Destroyer close by. “Quinn?” “I wish.” ***** Gage stared at the ceiling. What the hell had he’d done to earn this? First Braxton and Quinn. And now Drew. He must have really pissed Fate off. Jordan followed him to the door. If he didn’t know for a fact Drew’s highly tuned senses had picked them up inside, he would have been perfectly happy not to answer the door. He took a deep breath and called on the patience he already felt slipping away. The same thing happened whenever he and Drew shared the same space. “A different Destroyer?” Jordan asked. “Unfortunately.” He moved to open the door, but Jordan beat him to it. “This is my apartment,” she said sweetly. She opened the door and Gage’s scowl deepened at the sight of the cocky agent opposite him. Dressed in faded blue jeans and a navy T-shirt, Drew’s expression morphed from amused to pleasantly surprised. He scrolled his gaze up and down Jordan. “And here I thought there weren’t any perks to this job.” Jordan arched a brow and glanced over her shoulder to Gage. “Am I going to like him?” Gage shrugged. “He drives me insane.” Drew strolled inside, stopping opposite Gage. “What, no hug?” Gage glowered at him. The blonde agent nodded towards Jordan. “So she’s a Rogue, huh? Rae told me,” Drew added when Gage frowned. He gave Jordan another flirtatious grin. “I knew I should have taken this assignment when Rae asked me the come down here the first time.” Gage sighed. “What are you doing here, Drew?” “Looking for Braxton. Have you seen him?” The other agent didn’t take his eyes off Jordan. Jordan, thankfully, gave Drew a warning look before she turned and headed back to the kitchen. “Nope. Thanks for stopping by.” Drew cocked his head. “What is that heavenly smell?” Gage moved to grab Drew, but the other man’s stealth abilities gave him the edge he

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needed to slip past Gage and disappear into the kitchen. If he didn’t know for a fact that Drew and Quinn weren’t related, he’d think they were siblings. Drew faced Jordan. “Kicks demon ass and cooks too. My kind of woman.” He jerked his thumb at Gage. “You’re not serious about him, are you?” He leaned over and sniffed at the pot’s contents. “It seems like a waste of culinary skills to cook for him.” Jordan’s lips twitched. “Actually Gage made it.” Crestfallen, Drew recovered quickly and gave Jordan his trademark conquest grin. Gage wanted to slug him. The other man didn’t know when to back off. Gage had lost track of the number of stories he’d heard about Drew and his determination to charm the panties off nearly every woman he crossed paths with. Tension snaked down his spine, and Gage lifted his gaze to find Jordan watching him. He could swear a smile hovered on her lips. “I’m sure there is plenty. You should stay,” Jordan offered a little too nicely. “Great.” “No,” Gage answered at the same time, shooting an incredulous look at her. Drew crossed his arms. “The lady invited me.” “And I’m uninviting you.” He turned to Jordan. “He can’t stay.” “Oh?” Jordan said innocently. The woman was goading him. And he’d make her pay for it later. “You need to check in with the others,” Gage added. The corner of Drew’s mouth quirked up. “You just said you didn’t know where Braxton is—” “So go find him.” “And Quinn is looking into that cop,” Drew continued. Jordan snapped her gaze back to Gage. “What cop?” Gage winced. “What. Cop,” she repeated, punctuating each word with a short stab of her finger in Gage’s direction. Drew conveniently backtracked towards the door. “Well, you look like you have your hands full. I’ll see you later tonight.” He smiled at Jordan. “Nice meeting you.” Jordan ignored the other agent. “What haven’t you told me?” Drew, the bastard, actually had the gall to laugh as he let himself out. “Gage?” “Platt. I saw him with a prostitute this afternoon.” “Okay,” she said slowly. “I also saw him talking to the same one at your precinct a few days ago.” “Why didn’t you tell me?” “Quinn’s been following up and it might mean nothing. But I knew if I mentioned it before you’d want to go talk to him yourself.” Jordan sighed. “Has she learned anything yet?” “He’s meeting someone at a small bar a few blocks from where Colin’s club is. He hangs out there a lot apparently.”

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Crossing her arms, she took another step towards him. “Tell me you were planning on sharing that much before tomorrow.” “Do I look like I want to get castrated?” He tugged her closer despite her rigid stance. “Of course I was going to tell you. I just wanted to enjoy dinner and relax a little before you cornered him.” He kneaded the back of her neck. “And some people say romance is dead.” “Very funny.” Gage tipped her chin up. “So are you going to try and forget about Platt for a little bit, or am I going to have to restrain you?” “I don’t recommend it.” “So you’ll put it out of your head, just for a little bit?” Considering it could turn out to mean nothing or be the break they needed, he knew he was asking a lot of her. Her golden brows slanted in a considering frown. Gage swung her up and set her back on the edge of the counter. “I think you need something to take your mind off it.” He brushed his lips over hers. Jordan leaned into him, her mouth opening for him. Their tongues met, one whisper soft pass, then she pulled back. “I don’t know. I’m pretty distracted.” He kissed her again, his body straining to have her naked and beneath him. “How’s that?” Her eyes remained closed this time. “I’m not sure,” she breathed. This time Gage deepened the kiss until she locked her arms around his neck and didn’t let go. ***** “So what’s the verdict?” Braxton took his next shot, his pool cue gently tapping the white ball and sending the seven into the corner pocket. Rock music drifted from the speakers mounted around the dim lit bar, and a ball game played on each of the two television screens. Half a dozen men perched on stools at the bar nursing beers, a couple of them gesturing wildly at the screen when a call was made they didn’t agree with. Gage turned and watched Jordan and Quinn at the pool table near the back, more out of sight so Platt didn’t spot Jordan as soon as he arrived. He was half-surprised she hadn’t insisted on talking with Platt alone. Either she wanted to give the other cop the benefit of the doubt no matter how much of an asshole she said she thought he was, or she knew she’d get more out of him if she waited to see who he planned on meeting here tonight. “Gage?” He swiveled back around to Braxton. “Yeah?” “Is she in?” “In what?” Drew asked. Gage ignored the other agent. Sending Braxton and Quinn down here, Gage understood. They were on the same team. But when he asked Rae earlier what Drew was doing here, she’d been her cryptic self, saying only that Drew was a temporary addition to their team. She wanted all the bases covered in case they couldn’t stop the gateway before it

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was opened and the Scion crossed over. Picking up his beer, Gage took a long drink. “She didn’t give you an answer, did she?” “No.” Which he told himself he was fine with. He wanted her to think about it, wanted her to be sure, but the wait was eating away at him. Earlier in her kitchen her face had been so guarded when he brought it up. He couldn’t get a feel for what she was thinking one way or another. What if she said yes? Worse, what if she said no? “Gage asked her about becoming an agent,” he heard Braxton explain to Drew. As baffling as it was, Drew didn’t seem to butt heads with Braxton the way he did Gage. In fact no one really got under Brax’s skin. Except Quinn. Jordan’s laughter carried above both the ball game and the music. Captivated by the sight of her tempting behind as she leaned over to take a shot, Gage was only vaguely aware of Drew stepping up beside him. “You serious about her?” He glanced pointedly at the other agent’s empty bottle. “Don’t you need a beer?” “I’m just asking.” “She’s definitely off limits,” Braxton chimed in, taking his next shot after calling the eight ball. “That’s all I wanted to know.” Tearing his gaze from Jordan, Gage surveyed Drew with a heavy dose of curiosity. “Why?” Drew shrugged, then bent to retrieve the triangle to rack the balls. “I don’t poach on another man’s territory.” “Since when?” Braxton arched a brow. “Sounds like someone is a little jealous.” “You know,” Gage said to Drew, “I don’t think Quinn is seeing anyone. Is she Brax?” “How would I know?” Braxton snapped. Gage stared at his friend. Maybe Jordan was right about there being something more between him and Quinn after all. Before he could push Braxton’s buttons a little more, a telling tingle curled across the back of his neck. Lust demons. Two of them. Gage and the others continued to play pool, ignoring the two hostiles who entered the bar and took a small table near the bar. Better to avoid drawing attention to themselves prematurely. If the demons felt threatened they might bolt. Gage doubted their arrival was a coincidence, and it certainly fit with Platt’s meeting, if he was involved in the sacrifices. Drew watched them from the corner of his eye, an eager grin haunting his mouth. The cocky agent seemed to find a lot of pleasure in being a Shadow Destroyer. Across the room Quinn set her pool cue down. Both she and Jordan had taken immediate notice of the hostiles as well. Digging some change out of her pocket, Quinn headed for the jukebox, keeping her back to most of the bar. The transmitter in his ear clicked before Quinn’s voice came over the line. They had all agreed it would be wise to use them tonight incase things got out of control, easier to stay in

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contact with one another. “Platt should have been here by now. And Jordan is getting antsy.” “That’s it, I’m through letting you win,” was Jordan’s response as she took her next shot. Even from where Gage was, he saw her sink the eight ball by mistake. Gage. Braxton’s voice penetrated his thoughts. The other agent preferred to communicate telepathically whenever possible, especially when he didn’t want the rest of the team to hear him. Gage watched the two demons survey the bar. Alarm crept up his backbone as the two of them focused their combined attention on one person. Jordan. They know her name, where she lives. Gage, they know who Jordan is.

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Chapter Thirteen

“What are they up to?” Jordan paused, watching as Drew strolled up to the lust demons. The two demons remained at ease, obviously not knowing an enemy stood right in front of them. “What’s he saying?” she asked, knowing Quinn could easily hear the conversation. “He’s trying to buy drugs from them.” “And…” What was he trying to do? Quinn chalked the end of her cue. “They said they might have something to interest him outside.” Either the two lust demons were very good actors–something few demons she’d crossed paths were–or they were happy to escort him outside looking for some fun. Drew preceded the two demons out the door. Jordan felt their eyes drift in her direction before they too left the bar. “Stay here and keep an eye open for Platt.” Gage’s voice came through the transmitter they had fitted into her ear. Seeing as how they were all going to the same place, she hadn’t really seen the point, but for the rest it seemed a normal precaution. Quinn sighed as she watched Gage and Braxton follow behind the others. “I should have been born with a penis.” Jordan choked on the first sip of her beer. “What?” Quinn studied the table, planning her next shot. “It doesn’t matter that I’m as strong or as fast or as smart. I’ll never be a part of the boys club.” Having spent a lot of time in a predominately male field, Jordan could sympathize. “I think it’s highly overrated anyway.” “Maybe.” She took her shot, the white ball slamming two more balls into the right corner pocket. “I hate it when they pin me out. I’m just as capable damn it.” “You won’t get any arguments from me there.” Quinn took aim again. “I’ll bet it was Braxton’s idea. I don’t know what the hell his problem is lately, but if he doesn’t quit it—” She missed and cursed. Straightening up, she leaned her cue against the small counter that ran along the back wall. “So what’s the story with you and Gage?” “I don’t know what you mean.” Jordan took her turn, peering for the tenth time towards the door and wondering where Platt was. Quinn caught Jordan’s cue as she stepped back from the table. “I’ve worked with Gage for just over two years. He’s been sort of a big brother for me and I don’t want to see him get his heart broken.” Jordan snorted. “I doubt you have to worry about that.” “I think I do.” She eyed the other woman speculatively. “I know last week wasn’t the first time you two met.” Was she asking, or stating a fact? “No, it wasn’t.” She didn’t know why she bothered to respond at all. Maybe it was the protectiveness Jordan picked up on, or maybe it was

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because Quinn was the first woman who she could be fully honest with about who she was, what she did. “How long have you known each other?” “We started in the police academy together.” Quinn nodded thoughtfully. “We’re talking years here, aren’t we? Did you guys used to be a couple, or is this new ground?” “We were together once upon a time.” “What happened?” Jordan didn’t say anything right away. “Look, prying isn’t usually my thing, but the guy is crazy about you—” For some reason hearing Quinn rush to his defense got Jordan’s back up. “You want to know what happened…he died.” “You mean he was attacked by a Shadow Demon?” “No, I mean he died in my arms, and when he actually survived his attack, he decided to stay dead.” Quinn’s mouth fell open. “What?” “He thought he was protecting me.” Quinn snorted. “Were you already rogue by then?” “No. The same war demon who came very close to actually killing Gage wanted to finish us both off.” “Did you kill it?” Quinn asked after a long moment. “Eventually.” Quinn nodded in approval. “That’s where the tension between you two comes from, because he lied to you.” She picked up her cue and made her last shot. “Braxton told me Gage said he’d talk to Rae. Are you considering it?” “I haven’t said no.” “You’re still mad at him.” “Wouldn’t you be?” Quinn mulled it over. “I would have put him in the hospital already if it was me.” “It crossed my mind, but he’d be healed by the time the ambulance arrived.” They shared a look of understanding and then promptly burst out laughing. It was the first time talking about it didn’t lock her chest up so completely. Brady would consider that progress. She had tried calling him to let him know about Platt’s possible involvement, but he hadn’t picked up. Instead, she left him a message, and told him she’d get back to him with more details when she had them. Jordan glanced around the bar. “Where is Platt?” He should have been there by now. “And what are they doing out there?” After draining her beer, Quinn set the empty bottle aside. “Drew is probably taunting them. Gage would be playing it cool and Brax…he’d be staring them to death.” “So what’s the story with you and Braxton?” Quinn shifted uncomfortably in place. “We work together.” “That’s it? Things seem kind of tense between you two,” Jordan said, turning the conversation around on her newest friend. She didn’t have many of those, and yet she felt like she and Quinn had enough in common they just might be able to talk sometimes when Quinn

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went back to wherever it was she lived when she wasn’t tearing across the country and globe, slaying demons. Quinn shot her a bland look, then set her cue down. An obvious dismissal of the subject if Jordan ever saw one. “I think they’ve had enough playtime, don’t you?” ***** “Son of a bitch.” Gage massaged his jaw. “I thought you had him.” Drew didn’t even bother to hide his grin. “I did have him. You just weren’t paying attention.” Braxton laughed. Gage glared at him. The other agent sobered, tightening his grip on the lust demon he had pinned to the ground. Gage turned back to the one Drew was supposed to be restraining. “How do you know the woman inside?” The lust demon sneered at him. Not in the mood to play games with one of the demons who knew far more about Jordan than it should, Gage punched him. “How do you know her?” The demon cursed him in a colorful variation of its ancient language. “Fine.” Gage nodded to Drew. “Release him.” Drew and Braxton exchanged glances. “What?” “Let him go.” “Fine, but if it hits you again, don’t yell at me.” Drew released his hold on the demon, and it instantly tried to scramble to its feet. Gage had his sword in his hand even before the lust demon firmly planted its feet on the ground. With one smooth harsh stroke, the demon was done. Leaving Drew to do the actual vanquishing, Gage crouched in front of the one on the ground. Without glancing up he asked Braxton, “Anything?” “I think they’re supposed to be keeping track of her.” “They followed us here?” He grabbed the second demon by the throat. “Why were you spying on her? Who the hell are you reporting to? In English,” Gage snapped when it started to answer in its native tongue. Braxton frowned, cutting off the demon. “What’s at 418 Sedgeway Street?” The lust demon’s eyes widened. Drew crossed his arms. “I don’t think he wanted us to know about that.” Gage increased the pressure on the hostile’s neck. The gesture wasn’t cutting off air since the demon didn’t require it, but it kept Gage from ripping the creature’s head off completely. “Is that where you’re reporting back to? More friends there?” Braxton shook his head. “Another sacrifice.” Now why wasn’t that surprising? “Anything about Platt in this demon’s head?” Again the hostile looked taken aback. A look of concentration tightened Brax’s face. He raised his gaze to Gage’s. “Platt is the sacrifice.” Fuck. “We need to get there. Now.”

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“Where?” Jordan and Quinn appeared at the edge of the alley. He met Jordan’s unreadable expression and a fresh wave of fury filled him thinking of the hostiles keeping track of her, watching her. For how long? Is that how the stealth demon ended up in her apartment? Gage headed towards them. “Platt is about to be the next victim, if he’s not already dead.” He glanced at Braxton. “Anything else?” “I think he’s done talking.” “Then lets get moving.” Braxton wasted no time vanquishing the second lust demon. Snapping blue flames lit up the alley before plunging them back to the dim lighting. Gage glanced at Jordan. “How far away is Sedgeway street?” “Five blocks north of here.” He gestured toward Quinn and Drew. “You two get a head start, you move faster, but don’t make a move without us unless absolutely necessary.” Drew started away from them, but Quinn planted herself right in front of Gage. “Wha—?” He started to ask, but the last syllable never made it past his lips. Quinn slugged him in the arm. Hard. “What the hell was that for?” he bit out. “For playing dead.” With that she turned and vanished down the alley. Jordan sandwiched her lips together, concealing what Gage thought to be an appreciative smile. “I don’t want to know what you guys talked about in there, do I?” “Nothing you don’t already know.” Jordan fell into step with him and Braxton as they started after the others, their quick steps eating up the ground. It took Gage a few seconds to process that he hadn’t heard anger in Jordan’s comment. Either she was distracted by Platt’s involvement with the demons, or she wasn’t as furious with him for lying to her. Maybe it was wishful thinking to hope she could forgive him for letting her believe he died that night. “If Platt is involved, why is he on the sacrifice menu?” Brax asked, pulling Gage’s thoughts back to the present. “For the same reason as Colin. Maybe he knew too much.” Gage resisted the urge to rub at the shoulder Quinn struck. The woman had fists made of cast iron. “That’s not all,” Gage added hesitantly. “Those lust demons knew you, Jordan.” “How?” “I don’t know. But they knew a lot about you. And they were here tonight to keep an eye on you.” “It’s nice to be loved,” she quipped, taking the new development in stride. Braxton choked out a laugh. Gage glared his friend into silence. The other agent didn’t look the least bit apologetic. “Well, she meant it.” Did she? Or was it just easier for her to be amused by the fact that demons were possibly stalking her? They fell silent, but Gage continued to watch Jordan. Her face was a hard mask of determination. The smattering of freckles on the other hand gave her a youthful, less deadly

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look. He wondered how many demons had attacked her, never realizing they wouldn’t survive the fight. A beep in his ear signaled the transmitter line was open. Drew’s low voice crackled through some minor interference. “I think the sacrifice is about to get underway. No visual, but the hostiles are congregating on the first floor.” Gage pushed the button in his ear. “How many?” “At least five. Maybe a couple more.” Which was unusual all in itself. Since demons tended to avoid each other much of the time when they crossed over, it would have taken some doing to get them all to participate. “Isn’t either of them caring a tracking device?” Braxton grumbled. Gage ignored him. “We’re almost there.” In less than a minute they rounded the corner and the three-story brownstone came into view. Quinn slid out of the darkness to meet them. “We need to go in now.” Drew already had the main door open and had taken out the demon just inside the door. “Wait,” Braxton snapped at the last moment, but Drew and Quinn had already thrown open the door they suspected led to the main room. Gage didn’t know who was more surprised. Them. Or the twenty or so demons inside. ***** “Five to twenty. I’ve had worse odds.” Jordan heard Drew’s words but didn’t acknowledge his comment. She was too busy staring at the mix of lust and war demons surrounding Platt’s body. From the vacant expression on the prone man’s face, she knew he was already dead. Damn it. “If you gave me half a second I could have warned you,” Braxton growled to no one in particular, tucking his tracking device away. The room was quieter than a crypt. No one moved. Then the closest demon let out an ear bleeding war cry and charged. The rest of the demons followed suit. Moving quickly, the five of them automatically spread out. Jordan withdrew the pair of Sai strapped at her lower back just as a lust demon dove for her. She spun and buried a Sai in its back as it tripped past her. Another one was on her instantly. Jordan ducked and buried the next blade in a war demon’s stomach and ripped hard, knowing it would heal quickly. If the room had been full of just lust demons, it wouldn’t have be as worrisome. Out of the five of them, only she and Gage healed quickly. Although the others, being Destroyers, were more resistant than the average human to injury, they were still at a disadvantage with so many war demons in place. If not for Quinn’s and Drew’s incredible speed, and Braxton’s ability to use his opponents mind against them, they’d be screwed.

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In front of Jordan, Braxton beheaded the demon still howling from the Sai injury, then pivoted to engage another one at his back. “Pinpoint the source, Brax,” Gage yelled. Jordan had only a heartbeat to scan the surrounding demons before another one was on her. This war demon moved fast, catching her under the chin in a punch that knocked her teeth together. She stumbled back, and right into Quinn. The bastard grabbed her shirt and hauled her to her feet, its sharp nails biting into her skin. She winced, tried to jerk free, but couldn’t manage it before he picked her up and threw her. Jordan tucked into a roll as she hit the floor to absorb as much of the impact as she could. It took a second to catch her breath, her heart thumping madly in her chest. A blackhaired lust demon tried to take advantage of her prone position and stalked towards her, a sacrificial dagger clasped tight in his hand. He was two feet away, his expression completely oblivious to anything but her when Gage attacked from behind, taking him out. Gage held out a hand and hauled her to her feet. “I don’t know if I mentioned this or not, but if you want to be an agent, it’s not a good idea to be laying down on the job.” He winked, then whirled on two more lust demons. Jordan tensed, sensing a war demon behind her. She clenched her hands, immediately realizing she had lost a Sai. She spun around and scanned the area where she landed. Braxton snagged her arm and jerked her to the side as Drew slashed out with his sword, beheading the demon closest to her. “There’s too many. I need to concentrate.” Brax handed her his sword and closed his eyes. Jordan’s mouth would have fell open if another demon didn’t come at her. “You can’t kill her,” she thought she heard another one mumble before she was shoved from behind and into them, leaving Braxton vulnerable. She jerked free, severing two hands in the process. “Anytime now,” she said to Braxton as he remained motionless. Across the room, a large war demon tackled Gage to the floor. She started towards him, only to see him shove the demon off him. There was no time to permanently vanquish many of them. With no body their auras would have no choice but to return to their realm, where they would wait for their next chance to escape. “There.” Braxton pointed towards a demon who hovered at the edge of the fighting. “He’s been at every sacrifice—” He broke off to engage one of the few remaining demons. Feeling itself at the center of their attention, the demon straightened up. And bolted. Being the closest, Jordan tossed Brax’s sword back to him and went after it. Another demon tried to intercept her, but Drew took him down. She slowed her pace as it disappeared around a corner. Breathing hard, she edged around the next corner, and peered up a dark staircase that turned a corner halfway up. Footsteps, and what sounded like voices, echoed above her. She was halfway up the stairs when something moved behind her. Jordan whirled around, her Sai ready at her side. “Easy,” Gage whispered, handing her the missing Sai. Their gazes connected and she half-expected him to tell her to go back down and wait for him. He nodded upwards, surprising her, and together they silently ascended, emerging into

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the dark hall above. Only the sheer curtain covering an ajar window at the end of the hall stirred. But the demon hadn’t gone out that way. No. It was still close. She could feel it. Gage nodded to the first door. They started towards it, then stopped, a muffled thump coming from farther down the hall. Beside her, Gage touched his transmitter. “Brax?” “Yeah?” The other agents’ voices echoed in Jordan’s ears. “Cover the exits on the south side.” “I’m on it. Quinn took a hit.” Jordan tensed at the news. “How bad?” Gage asked. “She’ll survive, but her ego is another matter.” Jordan tuned out the rest of the exchange, focusing on the prickle that ran down her spine, telling her the war demon was close. Gage followed as they edged down the hall. Jordan passed the second door and moved straight on to the last one. She put her hand on the door handle. The door burst open. The war demon filled the space, crowding her before a hard punch to her jaw slammed her back against the wall. Gritting her teeth, Jordan straightened up. Gage positioned himself between them, and the past seemed to flash in front of her eyes as she too clearly recalled what happened the last time Gage put himself between her and a demon. But this time Gage wasn’t unarmed. Tonight, he was the one with the sword. Eyes glittering, Gage slashed his sword down. The demon anticipated it, and dodged to the side, snapping around its fist and nailing Gage in the jaw. Jordan went on the offensive, burying the tip of her Sai in the demon’s leg. It howled. Red-rimmed eyes raked over her. “Bitch,” he snarled. “Undoubtedly,” she returned, then knocked the demon off its feet with a sharp kick. The demon rolled and caught Gage’s leg as he tried to immobilize the war demon. He stumbled back against the wall. The second her attention darted to Gage, the demon whipped around. Meaty hands grabbed her and shoved her at Gage. Air left Jordan’s body in a rush as they collided and hit the floor in a jarring pile. Her left side throbbed and she could feel her shirt sticking to her back. Blood, she guessed, but couldn’t remember taking an injury there. Didn’t matter. There wasn’t time to focus on anything except the demon in front of them. They were both back on their feet before the war demon took more than a step in their direction. Gage eased to the demon’s right. Instead of attacking head on this time, Jordan moved to the left, and threw her Sai at him, embedding it the same leg as before. The war demon hissed and yanked it out, but Gage sprang forward, bringing his sword down in a hard arc. The demon’s body jerked, then pitched forward, its headless body collapsing at Jordan’s feet. A moment later blue flames consumed the manifested body until nothing was left.

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Jordan sagged against the wall, tired and hurting. It was a good thing she didn’t come across as many as she fought tonight on a regular basis. As the adrenaline slowed, she became more aware of her aching limbs. That throw to the floor certainly hadn’t helped any. Catching her breath, she slid down the wall at her back and sat staring at the spot the war demon had been seconds ago. Gage crouched down next to her. His lip was bleeding and a bruise darkened his face. “Think it’s over?” she asked. “If he was the source…then yeah. The Scion will start over somewhere else if he wants out bad enough.” Jordan leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “And how often do you guys have to deal with these things?” “It used to be one a year or so, or so I’m told. Demons have barely had any type of allegiance to their own kind, so persuading them to help a Scion open a gateway doesn’t happen very often.” “But now?” “This is the third I’ve heard of in the last six months. Two have crossed over in the last nine months and vanished.” “And you haven’t been able to pick up their trail?” He shook his head. “That can’t be good.” Gage grimaced and finally released the death grip he had on his sword. “Anything to do with Shadow Demons never is.” He passed a critical gaze over her face. “What?” No doubt she sported a less than flattering bruise on her cheek or jaw after being nailed there more than once tonight. He leaned in and gently brushed his lips across hers. For a heartbeat, the aches and adrenaline rush were forgotten. She knew only the slow, tender sweep of his mouth. “I’m bleeding and they’re making out. How fair is that?” Quinn’s good-natured comment echoed in the hallway, and they eased apart to see the other agent leaning against the wall, one hand holding a makeshift bandage to her side. Gage stood up. “Where’s Drew?” “Making sure the place is empty.” “And Braxton?” “Right here.” He stared at Quinn in disbelief. “I told you to wait by the door.” “And I told you it’s not that bad. It’s shallow.” She took three steps towards them and weaved in place. Braxton was at her side immediately. “Not that bad, huh?” Quinn frowned. “Maybe I lost a little more blood than I thought, but really, I’m fine.” She took another two steps, and her knees buckled. Braxton scooped her into his arms. “I’m taking her to the hospital. Let Rae know in case she needs to have things taken care of.” He started away from them, and then turned back. “I think there might have been another one. By the time I got outside I heard someone running away.” Well, that explained the second voice Jordan thought she heard. They followed the other agents downstairs, and left by the rear door. Once they were a

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safe distance from the house, Drew called in an anonymous tip so Platt’s body could be found. If Jordan wasn’t convinced they’d take her in for questioning, she would have called it in herself. Things had gotten complicated enough in that area without her being found at the scene of another murder. “Let’s go back to your place,” Gage said. “I’m beat.” ***** She wasn’t ready to say goodbye. Jordan stood opposite Gage at the airport. Her insides in cold, sharp knots. Braxton was entertaining Quinn at the hospital since she had been compelled to spend last night there, and the doctor still hadn’t given his go ahead for release despite her insistence that she felt great. “I would stay if I could…” Gage began. “I know.” He brushed her hair back. “I won’t be in South America long.” She nodded, her throat tight. She couldn’t talk about it. She hadn’t been able to talk about it last night after Rae called and said she needed him in South America. Drew shifted awkwardly and then mumbled something about going to get a coffee before his flight. Braxton and Quinn would be staying around another few days to make sure things stayed quiet. “You haven’t made up your mind have you?” Jordan opened her mouth, but couldn’t get a sound to emerge. So much had happened in the last week. She knew she needed more time to process it all before she could make a decision like that. She wanted to tell him yes, that she would go back with him, but she had to know, needed to know that he’d be back for her first. She wouldn’t kid herself into thinking her decision to become an agent didn’t involve her feelings for him, but she wasn’t about to go traipsing across the country and world without knowing he wouldn’t up and disappear like he had before if he somehow thought it would keep her safe. Maybe circumstances were different now, maybe they weren’t. She was just afraid to hope. Gage hauled her into his arms, and she buried her face against his throat. “Stay out of trouble.” He tipped her chin back and caught her mouth in a soft, feverish kiss that swam through her veins and straight to her heart. She couldn’t watch him go. She already knew that and had made up some excuse about needing to get back to the precinct to follow up on the murder investigation. A flash of pain had flirted about his eyes before he said he understood. “I’ll call you when I can,” he promised. Why did it feel like something just said to fill up the space between them? Space that felt thick with all the things they hadn’t said in five years. “Okay. Safe trip.” Jordan turned away first and kept her steps purposeful and strong as she made her way out of the airport. But that didn’t stop one tear from escaping and trailing down her cheek.

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***** “I’m an idiot, aren’t I?” “Is that a rhetorical question?” Gage was too busy telling himself how stupid he was to even glare at Drew. “You know, there’s no reason why I can’t be the one to go to South America.” “Rae wants me to go.” Drew dug out his cell phone. “So call and talk to her about it.” Gage glanced at the phone, wanting to. He didn’t want to leave her, hadn’t wanted to leave her before. But he had because he thought it had been the right thing to do. Just as he thought it was the right thing this time. He didn’t want his presence influencing her decision about whether or not to become an agent. That was something she needed to be certain about on her own. “Personally, I don’t give a rat’s ass if you get the girl or not, but that woman who just walked away from here, she’s hurting. And for some weird reason I think you’re the only person who can heal her.” Gage stared at Drew, wondering who had taken over the other agent’s body. In the last twenty-four hours Gage had actually seen another side to Drew–albeit a small one–but one nonetheless. Drew shrugged as though he read Gage’s mind. “I get a bit philosophical right after the first few sips of morning coffee.” “Right.” “Make the call, Gage.” ***** “McAdam.” Jordan paused as she climbed out of her car in her building’s parking lot. Lance pushed away from his parked car. “I was hoping I’d catch you.” “Staking out my place now are you?” She didn’t stop to talk to him. He could follow her inside if he thought it necessary. “Not exactly. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you.” “I’ve been busy.” She unlocked the apartment’s main door. Lance nodded towards his car. “I need to show you something. I need your input.” She cocked her head, but found herself backtracking to the parking lot along side him. “I think we’ve been over this before.” He held open his car door. “This is different. Please.” She slid into the seat, wondering at the quick flash of regret that filled Lance’s eyes before he shut the door. As they headed back towards the nightlife district, she guessed he was taking her to Platt’s murder scene. “I’m sure you heard about Platt.” “Yeah. When I called in this morning to talk to Kate.” She knew his next question would have been to ask who told her. It seemed better to address it right up front. She and

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Kate had talked about the murder before she took Gage to the airport, so that base was already covered. Lance turned a corner, taking them in the opposite direction of the location on Sedgeway Street. “You might not have heard, but there was another murder close to the same time.” Close? As in before or after, she wondered with a sinking stomach. What if they hadn’t killed the true source last night? What if there was another one, one who had eluded Braxton last night? He parked the car that led to a rundown building. A few more cop cars were outside and the coroner van was still there. She followed him under the yellow crime scene tape and inside. The lights were dim and a few of the candles lit for the sacrifice, still burned. “Here,” Lance said, leading her towards the center of the room. She scanned the same drawings and symbols. Definitely the same demons. Lance stepped to the side, giving her a clear view of the body on the makeshift altar. Jordan froze. She couldn’t breathe as the room felt like it was closing in on her. Brady?

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Chapter Fourteen

The world spun and Jordan couldn’t seem to right it, no matter how hard she tried. Her eyes slid closed and she could feel tears burn behind them. He couldn’t be dead. Not Brady. It was just someone who looked like him. He was home. Safe. Alive. He couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t be dead. She repeated it over and over in her mind, needing to convince herself. She couldn’t lose him too. Not Brady. Not Brady. Jordan opened her eyes and forced herself to look at the naked body staked down, a sacrificial dagger buried in its chest. And blood. So much blood. Her eyes moved to the victim’s face and her body jerked, every cell screaming out as she recognized him. No! No! No! She whirled around, slamming her eyes shut. But it was too late. Too late to save him, to late to tell him how much he’d come to mean to her, too late to erase the image of him spread out and left that way for everyone to see. Her throat pinched closed and her ears rang. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. Brady was dead. “Where were you last night, Jordan?” The cool detached tone was like a slap to the face. Jordan snapped her eyes open, fury rushing in, pushing back the grief that wanted her to sink to the floor and cry. She should have been there for him. He had trained her, counted on her. She could have saved him. She had wondered why he hadn’t called her back last night. She should have gone to check on him then, should have… “You brought her here?” Clint swaggered up to them. “Where were you?” Lance repeated carefully. “You son of a bitch,” she snapped, stalking towards him. “You think I did this.” To his credit–or his stupidity–Lance didn’t back away from her. “I’m just trying to cover all my bases.” “If you thought I killed him,” her voice cracked. She pressed her lips together until she reigned in the emotions ready to spin beyond her control. “If you thought I killed him, why bring me here?” “I had to be sure,” Lance said softly. Jordan glared at him. “Cover him up.” “This isn’t your case,” Clint interrupted. She ignored Clint. If she didn’t, she would really hurt the man, and that would accomplish nothing but getting her charged when she couldn’t afford to be in custody. Not when the one who killed Brady could still be out there. Despite the calm voice in her head that told her to stay focused, her eyes were drawn back to Brady’s lifeless body.

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Jordan shook her head, steadying herself. She couldn’t lose it. Not here. Determined, she focused on Lance. “If he was only left like that for dramatic effect to test my reaction, then cover him up or I will.” “This isn’t your case,” Clint growled again. Jordan stabbed a finger at the center of the room. “He doesn’t deserve for everyone and their fucking mother to see him this way.” “Or maybe you just can’t face what you did to him.” Jordan lunged at him, embracing the anger coursing through her. Lance put himself between them, stopping her from pounding the arrogant look off Clint’s face. “Back off man,” Lance warned his partner. “She did it and you know it.” “No, I don’t.” She turned away from them, her eyes drifting back to Brady. Despite her better judgment she walked closer until she stood next to him. His eyes were closed, she was thankful for that, but what they had done to him… Her knees trembled and she crouched next to him before they could give out on her. Tears blurred her vision. She should have been there, should have gone over to see him last night. Before she could stop herself, she reached a hand out to touch his cold face. He was really gone. Her chest ached, each breath a slice of ice that tore her open from her lungs to her throat. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Jordan closed her eyes to hold everything in. Not here. Not now. With a grim resolve, she hadn’t felt since that night in the alley five years ago, she pushed to her feet and strode towards the door. “Jordan.” She didn’t even slow down. “If you think you’ve got something on me, take me in, otherwise I’m leaving.” “Where are you going?” “To track down who did this.” “That’s not your job, McAdam.” She paused at the door and glanced back to be sure he understood her perfectly. “It is now.” ***** Gage pulled his ringing cell phone out of his pocket and answered it. “Yeah?” “When you touch down, you might want to get on the next plane back here.” Brax said over the line. “I’m still in town. Just got back to Jordan’s. Drew went in my place.” “Jordan’s guy, Brady, he’s dead.” Gage closed his eyes. “When?” “Last night. It isn’t clear whether or not it happened before or after the one we busted

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in on.” “Have you talked to Jordan?” Gage glanced around her apartment, fearing why she wasn’t here. He’d stopped by the precinct already to track her down, but no one had seen her there today. “No. I tried her cell, but she’s not answering.” Gage spotted Jordan’s phone sitting on the kitchen table. “She left it here. I’m at her place. I was already by the precinct but they hadn’t seen her. I don’t know where she is.” And that worried him. Did she already know what had happened? “If you hear anything else, let me know. You and Quinn still at the hotel?” “Yeah.” “I’ll be in touch.” Gage ended the call and dropped into the closest chair. Brady was dead. Jordan was going to be crushed. He had to find her. But she wasn’t here and wasn’t at work, where she said she was headed when they parted ways at the airport. Had she gone to Brady’s? It seemed the most reasonable place to start. Gage scrawled a quick note for her and left it on the table. If they missed each other, she’d at least see the note and would know to call him. He opened the door, pausing when he saw Jordan on the opposite side. She didn’t move. Her eyes filled with tears before she squeezed them shut to keep them from falling. His gut clenched. She knew. Jordan drew in a shaky breath and glanced down. “Brady is dead.” “I know,” he said softly. “Is that why you’re here?” When she lifted her gaze to his, all the pain reflected in the green depths reached in and ripped him open. He shook his head. She nodded, glancing down the hall. For the first time he could remember, Jordan looked vulnerable. Is this how she had looked when he died? Gage took her hand and led her inside the apartment where she continued to stand just inside the door, her feet planted to the floor. “I’m glad you’re here,” she whispered. “Me too.” He didn’t know what to say or what to do. He wanted to pull her close, but he was afraid if he moved too quick she’d close herself off to him. No sooner had that thought crossed his mind and her spine straightened. “I need you to help me find it.” She strode away from him, the strong woman back in control. He didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. Gage followed her to the spare room unsure of which was worse, the fragile side he was so unfamiliar with, or the strong side that tried so hard to stay distant. Jordan stopped in front of the open closet. She didn’t look at him as she pushed aside the clothes hanging there, exposing shelves behind that held weapons. “Wait,” he crossed the room to stand next to her. “I can’t.”

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“Jordan.” Gage tried to coax her away from the closet, but she resisted. “No. Don’t. I can’t do that now. Not yet. I need to find it. I need to hurt what did this to him.” “Would Brady have wanted you to go off half-cocked?” “Brady would have understood,” she snapped with complete conviction. “I doubt that.” She whirled on him, furious. “He would have. He understood what I needed to do when I lost you. He’d understand this.” “We need to figure this out.” Gage couldn’t let her tear out of here. “There’s nothing to figure out.” He blocked the door. “Let’s at least talk to Brax and Quinn.” “About what?” She shoved past his arm and headed for her own room. “Has it occurred to you that if we killed the source, and the source had already killed him, then there is no one for you to find?” “I have to be sure.” He caught up to her and jerked her around. “And how will you be sure?” “I just will damn it.” She wrenched her arm free, reaching into her own closet to grab a black shirt. The rest of the pile fell to the floor. Jordan froze, a haunted expression transforming her face as she bent down and picked up the teddy bear that had fallen to her feet. She didn’t say anything for a long minute, just stared at the bear. She backed up and sat on the edge of the bed, tracing the faded red ribbon around the stuffed animal’s neck. “Do you remember this?” Gage gave the teddy bear a longer look. He nodded. “From the fair. Our second official date.” “Yeah. After you…went away, I found him tucked in the back of my closet.” She stroked the bear’s nose. “I slept with him every night. I think Brady knew that his big bad Rogue Destroyer was sleeping with a stuffed bear night after night, but he never said anything.” She tucked the bear close to her and inhaled gently. A soft sob escaped. Gage sat beside her and pulled her into his arms. This time she didn’t resist. “I wasn’t there,” she whispered brokenly. “He needed me and I wasn’t there. He saved me, but I couldn’t save him.” Her sobs deepened and tears streamed down her cheeks before she buried her face in his chest. “I should have been there,” she repeated over and over. Gage held her tight, wishing he could take away the pain eating her up inside. Knowing he had once done this to her, made him ache inside. He would never be able to go back and fix that or make it right. Gently, he laid them back on the bed, not loosening his hold in case she closed up on him. Trembling, she curled her face into his neck and held on. ***** Gage came awake slowly. It took less than a few seconds to realize that Jordan wasn’t beside him. Sitting up, he glanced at the clock. He’d been out for close to three hours.

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He got up and checked first the bathroom, then the kitchen. With a sinking feeling, he quickly searched the rest of the apartment. Damn it. He snapped up his cell phone and quickly dialed Brax’s number. “Have you heard from Jordan?” he demanded before the other man even got hello out. “No. What’s up?” He sighed as he surveyed the empty apartment. “I think she’s gone hunting.” ***** She was drenched, but she didn’t care. Through the pouring rain, she watched them. With her sword tight in her hand, Jordan swung out and connected with the stealth demon in front of her. It hissed as she sliced through the arm it put up to deflect her attack. The other one beside it, kicked out, knocking her off her feet. She skidded across the wet pavement. Jarred by the impact, she stared at the two demons stalking towards her. Jordan pushed herself to her feet, ready for more. These two were the third pair of demons she’d found so far after hunting the streets for hours. She didn’t care who they were, whether or not they had anything to do with the sacrifices. They were the same creatures, the same evil that would prey on the next innocent they came across without even thinking twice. One minute the stealth demons were ten feet away, and the next right in front of her. Blood filled her mouth as one of them cracked a fist against her jaw, and splitting pain erupted up the side of her face. It only pissed her off more. Something moved behind her and she turned to see a third stealth demon block the end of the alley leading to the street. She curled her lips. They really didn’t have to worry about her trying to run. Jordan lashed out, attacking the closest one first and getting in three solid strikes, but narrowly missed its neck before the other kicked her in the back. Clenching her jaw, she dropped to her hands and knees, then rolled as the foot came down to stomp her to the ground. But she wasn’t fast enough. They kicked her sword out of her hand. She made it to her feet but had only the dagger she had tucked into her boot to defend herself with now. The bastards laughed. Then they rushed her. Jordan only managed to strike out at one before they threw her against a wall. Pain exploded across the back of her skull. Hurting and out of breath, she slid to the ground, landing in the muddy puddle at her feet. She didn’t move right away, letting them think she was hurt worse than she was. As far as she was concerned, if she could still hold the dagger, she was doing okay. One hung back as the other moved closer. She remained limp until it lifted her to her feet, then buried the dagger in the demon’s throat and tore. He collapsed to the ground, but she didn’t have time to vanquish it before the two remaining retaliated. Her head snapped sideways from the impact of the hard fist that came out of nowhere.

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One grabbed her from behind, and imprisoned her arms at her sides. In front of her, the other approached slowly, like a snake about to strike. When he was close enough, she buried the blade of her dagger in the demon’s leg holding her, and at the same time kicked out with both feet at the one in front of her. Using the momentum, she carried up and over the one who held her, landing behind him. She didn’t pause, but snatched her sword from where they stupidly left it on the ground. When she brought it down, taking out another one, the only stealth demon left backed away slowly. “Real brave now, aren’t you?” she taunted. White hot pain seared up her side. Jordan inhaled sharply, staggering back from the unexpected blow. Another demon loomed beside her, a jagged piece of piping clasped in his hand. She brought her sword up to deflect the demon’s next strike, but he was quick and nicked her arm. She flinched and dodged to the side. The other one who had been about to retreat, knocked her legs out from under her. Jordan scrambled to keep upright, couldn’t recover her balance fast enough. She swung out wildly, slicing one’s leg before the other caught her wrist, wrenching her sword out of one hand, the dagger out of the other. They grabbed a fistful of her hair and jerked her up. She bit her lip, tasting blood as spots danced through her vision at the fresh wave of pain. The demons stared at her like a rabbit stuck in a hunters trap while the wolves circled. One pressed the sharp piece of pipe to her throat, slicing shallow. Jordan winced, just wanting it over already if they were going to do it. She wanted the pain inside her to stop, wanted it all to go away. She had failed Brady when he needed her the most. If she couldn’t even save him, then what the hell was she really doing every night? “I think I like this one,” the redhead taunted, his breath hot against her face. “Wonder what she looks like on the inside.” “Well I’m rather fond of that one,” came another voice behind them. She closed her eyes, relief whispering through her. Gage. They released her and she dropped to the ground, her legs unsteady. They both went after him, ignoring her. Everything ached, her healing capabilities not keeping up with the abuse her body had taken tonight. She pushed her hands into the pavement for leverage, dragging herself to her feet. Gage circled around the demons, and attacked. Muscles screamed in protest as she bent and snatched up her dagger. One of the demons still held her sword and she planned on taking it back. Gage didn’t give her the chance. Stealth demons or not, they were nothing but blue flames by the time she could have been any real help. The rain came down harder, making it difficult to see, like it the night she found him alive. He’d had come to her aide that night too. Jordan blinked through wet lashes, her heart galloping in her chest. Gage strode towards her. He dropped his sword, and then she was in his arms, his mouth hot and furious as it came down on hers.

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She clung to him, a torrent of emotions whipping through her. Relief. Frustration. Sadness. Fear. Love. “Don’t you ever run off on me like that again.” She didn’t say anything, didn’t trust herself to speak for fear the raging emotions that coursed through her hard and fast would come pouring out. “I’m sorry, Jordan. For Brady. For almost getting on the plane. For letting you believe I was dead.” He kissed her softly this time, tenderly, then cradled her face in his palms. “I love you, and I don’t want to lose you.” Again his mouth slid over hers, and in it she felt the longing and regret, and it nearly brought her to her knees. “I love you, too.” Her voice cracked, but she didn’t care. Just wanted to stay this way. It didn’t matter that she was drenched and bleeding, she was in his arms. Where she felt safe. Where she belonged. She didn’t speak as he led her back to the street and down a couple blocks to where he had parked her car. The drive back to her place was short. They didn’t talk about her taking off as she expected while he peeled her soaked clothes off and tended to her injuries. Jordan couldn’t remember being so soothed or cared for as she did when Gage went about looking after her, helping her put on a dry shirt and pants. She waited for him to tell her how stupid she’d been, or to see some sign in his eyes he was disappointed in her. But each time she met his tender gaze, all she felt was how much she loved the man in front of her, how much she had since the first day they met. Gage didn’t keep quiet forever, unfortunately. “You move a muscle out of this bed without my knowledge, and so help me Jordan, I will restrain you here for a week.” She couldn’t even bring herself to roll her eyes. The events of the day caught up with her quickly and she gave herself over to sleep as he stretched out behind her. ***** Jordan stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She hadn’t bothered to turn on the light, but welcomed the predawn darkness and sliver of fading moonlight that gave her enough illumination to see by. She lifted her shirt and peeled away the bandages, pleased to see the injuries had healed, but they were still a little tender. Straightening, Jordan caught sight of some dried blood near her temple. She turned on the water and dampened a cloth. A hand closed over hers. “Let me.” She looked up at Gage. Worry edged his deep blue eyes. Without argument, Jordan handed the cloth over and let him wipe it away. His movements gentle, he found another spot of blood and caked mud under her ear, and slowly smoothed it away. When he was done, his hand lingered on her cheek, and she leaned her face into his palm, closing her eyes. Gage leaned down and slid his mouth over hers. The soft connection jolted her insides, quickly soothing her troubled soul. Strong arms enveloped her tight and drew her up against his bare chest. The kiss deepened, and Jordan moaned. Moving as though she might break, Gage lifted her into his arms and carried her back to

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bed, then knelt on the floor in front of her. With a painstaking slowness he tugged off her shirt. Warm and intense, Gage ran his gaze over her before his hand skated down her shoulder and arm, lingering at her waist. He untied the drawstring on her pants. Jordan lifted her hips enough for him to slide them off. She never broke eye contact as he moved back up her calves, his palms like warm silk sliding over her skin as he moved higher and higher. Gage pressed his lips to her bare stomach, and Jordan shuddered. He cupped her breast, and inched closer, finding her throat with his mouth as he brushed his thumb back and forth across her nipple until she moaned. A soft smile played over his lips before he cupped the back of her neck and tilted her face down to meet his mouth. His tongue slid thick and hot across hers, then he drew back to grasp a nipple between his lips. Sparks shot through her veins as Gage pressed her back to the mattress and hovered over her. He nudged her thighs apart, returning his attention to her breasts. With every smooth caress and wet lash of his tongue, Jordan whimpered, the quiet sound echoing in the room. One hand glided over her stomach, then lower as Gage kissed her shoulder, her neck, her mouth. He gently dragged a finger through the curls and parted her cleft, easing a finger inside her. The slow, easy thrust made her limbs melt into the mattress, until he withdrew and added another finger, pushing deeper, a little harder. He traced the edge of her clit in lazy figure-eights that knotted her nerve endings together. With one slow, aching stroke after another, each pump of his fingers left her trembling. One more scorching kiss, one more flick of his fingertips over her clit, one more hard slide deep in her sex, and Jordan came in an exquisite rush of bone deep pleasure. ***** Gage stared down at the woman who shuddered in his arms. He was so hard, he ached to possess her. To make her his and make sure she knew it, and that she wanted it as much as he did. Moving over her completely, Gage tipped her face up. He held her gaze and thrust inside her. The hot walls clenched around him, and he groaned. Jordan closed her eyes and rolled her hips upward, letting him sink deeper. His cock wanted to plunge hard and fast inside her, but not this time. He wouldn’t rush, he wanted to feel all of her, let her feel all of him. And how much he loved her. Slowly at first, he glided in and out, groaning each time her inner muscles squeezed around him. Wanting more, taking more. Jordan rocked upwards to meet him every time. Gage skimmed a hand up the thigh that cradled him close, to her hip and down to her ass. Angling her bottom higher, he growled against her mouth, helpless to stop the harder thrusts as his body raced towards release. Jordan’s deep moan vibrated through him, triggering an orgasm that shot through him like a riptide, dragging him under.

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***** “You sure you’ll be fine?” Jordan arched a brow. Gage was glad the morning had brought around her usual self. It was selfish to want that, but he knew how to handle this Jordan. The vulnerable one from yesterday was harder to read, harder to figure out how to make things better for. “No more taking off looking for demons?” he pressed. “What did I say the last dozen times you asked me?” He nodded sheepishly. “Forget I said anything. I won’t be gone long, just meeting Braxton. You sure you don’t want to come along?” “I have a few things…” she trailed off at a knock at the door. Frowning, Jordan crossed to it, Gage on heels. She opened it and stood back to let a familiar blonde-haired woman inside. Miranda, Gage recalled, Brady’s neighbor. She nodded politely at Gage and then focused her attention on Jordan. Tears filled her eyes. “They already told you, didn’t they?” “Yeah.” Jordan reached back and squeezed his hand. Miranda dropped her gaze to the floor. “We had a date last night. He came over for dinner. We had a good time.” She drew a deep breath. “You’ll find out who did it, won’t you, Jordan?” “I will,” Jordan vowed. “I should have gone over there after he left. Maybe if I had… I heard voices, angry ones, but just for a minute. I didn’t want to be nosey so I didn’t go check on him. I should have…” the other woman broke off. Just when Gage thought Jordan looked ready to reach out to the other woman, Miranda steeled her shoulders. “You’ll let me know if you find out anything?” When Jordan nodded, she left with nothing more than a solemn nod. Gage closed the door behind her and turned back to Jordan. “Why don’t you come with me, then I can help you with the other stuff.” Like Brady’s funeral arrangements, which he knew Jordan would have to look after now that the police had released his body. “I’ll be fine. Like you said, you won’t be gone long. I’m going to take a long hot shower and just… I’ll be okay,” she insisted. He kissed her forehead. “Okay. I’ll be quick.” He let himself out of the apartment and headed off to meet Braxton to get the meeting over with as quickly as possible. An hour later, Gage’s stomach rumbled. He dialed Jordan’s number to see if she wanted him to bring her anything home. There hadn’t been much in the way of food in her fridge this morning, and he doubted she’d eaten yet. He would definitely be the one doing the cooking. All he had to do now was convince her to move in with him, whether she chose to be an agent or not. Gage thought at first he dialed a wrong number when there was no answer. He tried again. Still no answer. Where the hell was she?

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Chapter Fifteen

Jordan dug the key to Brady’s apartment out of her pocket and slid it into the lock. It turned with an eerie click. She eased the door open and walked inside, half-expecting to see Brady seated at the table. Instead, the apartment felt cold and dark without him there. Pushing back the ache in her heart, Jordan scanned the inside for any sign that might tell her where to find his killer. She had to know if it had been the source already taken out. It hadn’t been her plan to come over here this morning. Hearing Miranda mention voices and arguing made her wonder what had happened. He surely wouldn’t have been arguing with a demon. They hardly made time for chitchat. She had thought about waiting for Gage to come back first, but after her shower, her own apartment had seemed so empty. Although she was more than used to it, the thought of being alone there another minute had gotten to her. Looking around Brady’s apartment and knowing he’d never be sitting at the table, spilling crumbs over the old texts he was always reading, Jordan couldn’t figure how coming here had been any better of an idea. “What are you doing here, Jordan?” Jordan tensed at the familiar voice and turned to find Lance standing in the doorway. “I had a key.” She really hated him appearing out of nowhere on her like this. “You two were closer than I thought.” Jordan nodded, figuring it really didn’t matter what he knew at this point. He couldn’t tie her to Brady’s death and they both knew it. She couldn’t even make herself care anymore if he believed she was actually involved in the murders or not. “Any thoughts on who did it?” She didn’t say anything, but kept her focus on Lance. The room and everything in it reminded her of Brady. And she wasn’t going to see him again. Ever. Lance gestured to the surrounding mess of files, drawings and old books that made up Brady’s apartment. “How do you know he wasn’t involved in the other murders?” “He wasn’t,” she snapped, quick to come to Brady’s defense. “None of this looks good, Jordan.” “I don’t care how it looks.” She really didn’t. She couldn’t do it anymore. Couldn’t live two separate lives, couldn’t be a cop anymore. Jordan tensed, expecting disappointment to settle in at that realization. She had wanted to be a cop for so long, be someone who could stand up for those people who couldn’t do it themselves. Instead of feeling empty at the thought, it felt like another door opened for her. One that led to people like her, who fought a fight so many would never be able to. Lance paced around the room, oblivious to the fact Jordan just had a breakthrough moment, one that came to a heart-wrenching halt as she realized she couldn’t even tell Brady about it. Jordan shook her head, needing to stop that train of thought, needing to stay focused. “Then what’s with all this stuff? If he wasn’t a part of it, why does he have all this? Some of these symbols I recognize from the murder scenes.”

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“You wouldn’t believe me.” “Try me.” Jordan sighed. “Forget I said that.” “No. I won’t forget it. I need to understand what’s going on, and I think you know a whole lot more than you’re letting on.” He really wanted to know? Fine. What the hell? She was tired of lying, tired of Brady being implicated in this, especially when he wasn’t here to defend himself. Jordan crossed her arms. “Do you believe in things that go bump in the night?” Lance smirked. “You’ll need to be a little more specific.” She could already tell she wasn’t going to get anywhere. It didn’t stop her from continuing though. “Demons.” “As in Lucifer?” His face remained passive, but the hint of amusement in his voice wasn’t promising. “No. I haven’t met him so I couldn’t say if he exists either way.” Lance arched a brow. “But you’ve come across other demons?” “Shadow Demons to be specific. On a daily basis lately.” “I don’t need to tell you how crazy that sounds, right?” Jordan shrugged. She had thought the whole damn thing was crazy too, once upon a time. “So you’re saying a demon killed your friend.” “Pretty much.” Lance shook his head. “Look, I know you’ve been under a lot of stress lately…” Jordan would have laughed if not for everything that happened in the last week. A lot of stress didn’t even begin to cover it. “Maybe you need to talk to someone.” “Now why didn’t I think of that? Maybe because they’d look at me the same way you are.” “And you wonder why?” “How else do you explain why you don’t have one damn piece of evidence, not even a trace of DNA, when it’s clear there were a handful of people other than the victim at every scene? One person could be that careful, but more than that? Surely there would be trace evidence of some kind, but there wasn’t, was there?” Lance didn’t respond. Jordan continued. “You’re always asking me what I know, well what I know is that what killed Brady and all your other vics wasn’t human. They were once a race of people that were punished and imprisoned for the evil things they did. And sometime in the last fifty years or so they’ve figured out how to get out of their prison and they have a thing for killing people.” Lance studied her as though he was trying to judge what size straitjacket she would need. “You asked,” she shot back at his incredulous look. “And somehow I thought I would get a slightly more reasonable explanation.” “Such as?” He shoved a hand through his hair. “The hell if I know, but come on, Jordan. You

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really believe all that?” His tone dared her to confirm it. “Look around. This,” she pointed to an ancient text that still lay open on the table, “is their language.” She picked up another one. “This is an old text that talks about the different types.” “There’s more than one kind?” “Bad things take on many forms. Being a detective, I’m sure you’ve noticed that.” He picked up one of the books, still skeptical. “So how do you know about them?” “One of them tried to kill me,” she said matter-of-factly. “And yet you survived.” Jordan sighed. Why did this have to be so pointless? “Because of Brady, and because I have a rare gene that enabled my body to adapt to the evil that thrives inside the demons.” Why she kept talking, she didn’t know. He didn’t believe her and yet the need to tell someone in that instant, maybe because she was surrounded by Brady’s stuff, someone who thought Brady could be capable of murdering anyone. She needed Lance to see, to believe. “Evil, huh?” “For lack of a better word, yes.” Now where was a demon when she needed one? “Jordan I really think—” “Is there any news?” Miranda said tentatively from the doorway. “No,” Jordan said softly, wondering how much of the conversation the other woman had overhead. “Oh.” Lance’s cell phone rang. He checked the number and said, “I have to take this. I’ll be right outside and then we’ll finish our talk.” Jordan could hardly wait. Alone Miranda ventured a little farther into the room, her eyes widening as she took in the eccentric surroundings. “I guess I now know why he never let me in his place.” She touched the corner of a book and replaced it so quickly she knocked a small stack of them off the table. Jordan bent to retrieve the books. Her hand froze on a framed picture of her and Brady, one of the few he’d snapped when he got a new digital camera to photograph crime scenes that were demon related. Her heart squeezed. He had the goofiest look on his face, a half-smile even, and Brady had rarely smiled. “You’re white as a ghost, Jordan. Please sit down before your legs give out.” Jordan started to say she was fine, but allowed herself to be nudged into the chair behind her. “I’ll be right back.” Miranda vanished towards the kitchen. A moment later she returned with a glass of water. “I’m fine.” “I’m not, and you look ready to drop.” Eyes still on the photo she took a drink, the cold liquid easing the tightness in her throat. “You meant a lot to him,” Miranda said. “I remember being jealous of you at first.” “You thought Brady and I were involved?” She wanted to laugh at that.

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“Brady was an attractive man, and you weren’t that much younger than him.” Miranda glanced towards the door. “Hold on a second.” “What?” “I thought I heard…” She turned down the hall out of sight. “Miranda?” Jordan stood up too quick and weaved in place. Her vision blurred. “Miranda?” Her ears started to buzz. She heard something in the hall hit the ground. Jordan opened her mouth to call out again, but nothing came out. Her legs trembled and her knees buckled, dumping her to the floor. Her last fuzzy thought as the ground rushed up to meet her, was that she’d been drugged. Then everything went black. ***** Gage burst into Jordan’s apartment. Heart pounding he searched every room, his gut wrenching tight every time he came up with nothing. No sign of her. He dialed Braxton. “I can’t find her,” he snapped into the phone the second his friend picked up. “Who?” For a telepath, sometimes Brax was damn slow. “Jordan.” Braxton sighed. “That woman needs restraints.” “As soon as I find her, I’ll tell her you said that.” “And I’ll deny everything. Do you think she went slaying?” Gage wanted to say no, but he wasn’t sure. She had told him a dozen times she wouldn’t take off like she had last night, but maybe that had just been to soothe him. “She give you an answer yet about joining the team?” Braxton asked. “No.” But then she’d been through a lot in the last twenty-four hours alone. Gage wasn’t about to press her more on whether or not she had decided to become an official agent. Braxton paused, his next words coming slow, as though he didn’t really want to voice them. “Do you think she took off?” “As in left for good? No.” But Gage didn’t feel nearly as confident as he sounded. And if she had taken off, to get away, where would she have gone? Turning, his pulse skipped as he spotted a note she’d left for him. She’d gone to Brady’s to look around. Gage didn’t see her cell phone, which meant it should be on her. So if she was only at Brady’s, then why hadn’t she answered her cell? “Do you know where Brady lives?” Gage asked. He heard Brax muffle something on the other end of the phone before he answered, “Quinn does.” “Meet me there. I just want all the bases covered,” he added. “We’re going to look stupid if she’s fine.” “Let me worry about that.” “See you in a few then.” Gage hung up and wasted no time heading over to Brady’s. Brax and Quinn were just pulling up when he arrived. Quinn got out of the car and followed Braxton.

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Gage shook his head. “You’re still off-duty.” She rolled her eyes and headed up the walk in front of them, ignoring him. He exchanged looks with Braxton. His friend held up his hands. “I’m not about to tell her to go wait in the car. She nearly snapped my wrist when I even thought about telling her she should wait at the hotel.” Inside, Brady’s apartment door was closed, but unlocked. Gage hoped that meant Jordan was inside. “Jordan?” Gage slipped inside and came up short at the sight of the knocked over stack of books. That alone could have meant nothing. The framed picture and overturned glass of water next to it, water that was still cold, he realized as he bent to touch it, meant something wasn’t right. His gut tightened. He should have made her come with him earlier. Miranda coming over had obviously got her curious about what the other woman had said about hearing Brady argue with someone. Gage stood up and scanned the room. “Check next door. Last night the neighbor thought she heard something. Maybe she heard something this morning, too.” He glanced at Quinn. “See if anyone down front saw Jordan come or go in the last hour.” The other two left him to quickly check the rest of the apartment, but he was already certain she wasn’t there. Gage. Gage concentrated hard to make it easy for Brax to clearly read his thoughts. Yeah? There’s something you need to see. He headed for the door. You’re still next door? Gage found the other apartment door open. “Don’t tell me you broke in?” he said moving into an apartment that had the same layout as the one next door. “It was unlocked,” Braxton said from one of the bedrooms. Two doors unlocked? Definitely not good. Gage headed down the hall, and froze in the doorway of a small storage room. The four by six room mirrored Brady’s apartment with its diagrams and symbols, lines of text written in the Shadow Demon language scrawled everywhere. But this room had something Brady’s place didn’t. Pictures of Jordan. Dozens of them. “Guys,” Quinn called out. “The super saw Jordan arrive, but didn’t notice her leave. Maybe she…” She stopped in the doorway. “Whoa.” He glanced at Quinn. “I want to know everything about the woman who lives here.” “My laptop is in the car. I’ll uplink to Rae and get her to help.” “Are these what I think they are?” Gage glanced at the pictures Braxton gestured to. Pictures of the sacrifice victims. All of them. Shit. The source they had taken out the other night had definitely not been the only one present at all the sacrifices. Which meant they had another serious problem. The gateway for the Scion hadn’t been dissolved. Gage and Braxton went to work searching through the desk for anything that might

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give them a clue as to where the woman might have taken Jordan. He hoped that wasn’t the case, but without Jordan able to say she was fine, he was operating under the assumption she wasn’t. Fifteen minutes of searching turned up nothing. Quinn came through the door. “Miranda Chase owns three properties in the business district. One is a business, legit looking, another an upscale escort service.” “Escort service? That could explain the protestation link. And the third?” “An unoccupied building listed as up for sale.” “We’ll start there.” “She’ll be okay,” Quinn said as they left the apartment. Gage nodded. She had to be. He couldn’t lose her now. ***** Her head pounded like someone had taken a jackhammer to her skull. Jordan tried to open her eyes, but they felt heavy, glued down. She forced them open, blinking to adjust to the room’s flickering light. She tried to move her hands and realized they were bound in front of her. Her vision was still blurry and her head thick as she sat up. Her mind ran through the last things she remembered. Brady’s apartment and… She’d been drugged. “Awake, are you?” Jordan snapped her head up at the familiar voice. Miranda? The stylish blonde was dressed in a blood red gown that dripped off her shoulders and all but exposed her breasts. Around her shoulders she wore a loose-fitting cloak, similar to the ones a few of the demons wore during the sacrifice the other night. Fury burned through her gut. “Bitch,” Jordan snarled, and threw herself out of the chair she’d been left in. All along Miranda had been the one. A human source, when they’d been looking for a demon. She had done it, had killed Brady. Jordan wasn’t prepared for the after effects of the drug, her movements still sluggish. Miranda evaded her kick with a skill Jordan hadn’t anticipated. Seems the other woman had been keeping quite a few secrets. From the corner of her eye, Jordan spotted three lust demons move towards her. She took another swing at Miranda, more in control this time. Miranda dodged her once again and snapped back. Her palm connected with Jordan’s cheek. Jordan hadn’t even tried to avoid it. She was used to a demon hitting her, and Miranda’s harmless tap didn’t faze her in the least. “Why did you kill him?” “To get to you. I would have thought that was obvious.” Jordan blinked, not expecting that. “Why me?” Miranda lifted her hand, the familiar sacrificial dagger clasped in her grip. Jordan jerked away, backing into a lust demon hovering behind her. Unable to avoid the coming blow, Jordan tried not to wince when Miranda sliced her

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arm. The other woman grinned. “For your blood. I’d heard of your kind, but never came across one, not until I met you through Brady.” “So you plan to sacrifice me?” “Well, that was the plan.” Miranda shrugged. “Or it was until I got a peek at your new man. He’s like you ,too, isn’t he? Only stronger.” Gage. “If it was just about you,” Miranda continued. “I would have sliced you open much sooner.” “So you’re working with them?” Jordan nodded to the handful of demons in the room, all robed and watching their exchange. She knew they could feel the anger radiating off her, knew it excited them. Twisted bastards. Miranda eyes narrowed to tiny slits. “I work for myself. But there are times when a girl has to cover all the bases.” She turned away, giving Jordan a clear view of the makeshift altar she had presumed was being readied for her. Instead, she realized someone was already strapped in place. Lance. And he was still alive. For now. Miranda followed her gaze. “He’ll be the last one and then you and Gage should be enough to finally open the gateway.” “And you think you can just snatch Gage? Good luck with that,” Jordan quipped. “No.” The cold slash of teeth chilled Jordan. “I plan to use you as bait. Shortly, he’ll be told where he can find you and then…” she trailed off meaningfully. The chanting began. “Shhhhh.” Miranda said, when Jordan started to tell her Gage would never be that stupid. “I like this part.” A knife flashed above Lance, poised over his heart. Suddenly, one of the demons jerked back from the formation. By the subtle probe into her mind as it turned in their direction, Jordan knew it to be a telepath demon. In short, clipped strides it crossed the room and stopped next to Miranda. A loud crash erupted in another part of the house. Jordan grinned. “Let me guess. Gage is a little early?” Miranda whirled on her, her dagger slashing through the air. Driving her elbow in to the demon’s gut behind her gave Jordan enough leeway to jerk out of its arms, but she overcompensated and tripped sideways to the floor. She rolled, feeling Miranda move to stab her in the back. Miranda missed, the dagger striking the cement floor. The doors at the far end of the large room burst open. Gage came through first, his eyes immediately seeking Jordan out. Relief pushed through Jordan’s veins as their gazes connected. She couldn’t tell if he looked relieved or ready to throttle her for winding up in her current situation. Furious at the unexpected interruption, Miranda whirled around and came at Jordan again. Instinct took over and Jordan, scrambled to her feet, away from a flailing slash of the dagger. She pushed to her feet and ran for Lance who lay vulnerable in his pinned position as

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the other demons went at Gage and the others. A war demon lunged for her, his twisted grin spreading his thin lips in an unnatural curve. With her arms bound, all she could do was kick out at it. Too easily it evaded her, and shoved her. Jordan toppled backwards. She hit the floor hard, her head cracking against the cement. Pain radiated down the back of her skull, and nausea curdled her stomach. Blinking through the pain, she snapped her leg out and caught the demon in the groin. It dropped to its knees. That was the nice thing about the bodies they manifested being anatomically correct. She went for his head next. Two strong arms yanked her back, stopping her. Invisible fingers sifted through her thoughts. Not caring that the telepath demon knew she was going to take a chunk of him before she vanquished it, she didn’t bother to shield her thoughts. Jordan twisted to get free and heard a satisfying grunt of pain as she smashed her elbow into its throat. In front of her, Gage reached the closest demon, slaying it at her feet. The deadly intensity that burned in his eyes as he took a menacing steps towards the one who held her, curled a shiver up her spine. Not a good day to be a demon. The telepath demon released her instantly and bolted. Jordan didn’t know whether to think it incredibly stupid, or very smart. “Hold still.” Gage removed her restraints and handed her a sword. “Free the cop.” Lance stared up at her as she reached his side. A wry smile touched his lips. “I would rather that you were just crazy, you know that?” Jordan grinned, severing the two ties that locked his arms above his head. She moved to untie his feet, felt the sharp hum of one of them directly behind her. Jordan whipped around but her aim was off. A solid kick to her chest stole her breath, but she managed to remain upright this time. Dagger still in hand, Miranda stepped in front of her, her hand raised to strike Jordan again. This time she caught the bitch’s hand. “It’s never nice to hit the woman with a sword,” Jordan snapped before she brought her sword up to attack. Miranda used her dagger to deflect the first strike, surprising Jordan. Taking a far too direct approach, Miranda sneered and tried to move in close. Jordan had to do little more than sidestep the other woman’s less practiced motions. She buried her elbow in Miranda’s back, causing her to pitch forward. In slow motion, Jordan watched the other woman’s body drop onto a wrought iron candleholder. The pointed metal speared through her body. No! It couldn’t be that easy, couldn’t be over that quickly. The woman had killed so many. Had killed Brady. She didn’t deserve for it to be over like that. Jordan stared at her, willing the still woman to get up and finish the fight she’d started. Jordan couldn’t let it end like that, Miranda needed to suffer, needed to… Gage was by her side. He took her hand and drew her back from Miranda’s lifeless body. “It’s over,” he said, taking the sword from her hand as though he understood she still

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wanted to use it on a woman already beyond feeling the pain that Jordan wanted to inflict. She felt the others watching her, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Miranda’s dead body. For the first time in her life she had wanted to kill something that wasn’t a demon. Part of her wanted to be worried about that. Had she become so accustomed to slaying that it didn’t matter what she killed anymore? “You only wanted what any one of us would have,” Braxton said quietly from beside her. She hadn’t even noticed he read her thoughts. “She killed Brady.” “And now she’s dead. She won’t be hurting anyone else.” Braxton headed for the front door, Quinn and Lance in tow. Gage reached out and took her hand. The warmth of his touch eased the dark place inside her that demanded Miranda should suffer so much more for what she’d done. She lifted her gaze to his. “What if this isn’t enough?” Gage frowned. “When I thought that war demon took me from you, I hunted it down. I had to kill it. Had to make it pay for taking you away.” Her throat pinched tight. “I let Brady down by not being there for him, and I couldn’t even manage to take out his killer.” “You think he would be disappointed in you?” “I’m disappointed in me.” He cupped her cheek. “You are everything Brady wanted you to be. And don’t for a second think he would tolerate the incredibly strong woman in front of me beating herself up over this.” Tears burned behind her eyes. “God, I miss him.” “I know.” He let her stand there another minute, then gently tugged on her hand. She numbly followed him to where the others waited outside, vaguely aware of Lance continuing to glance back over his shoulder, looking as though he mentally questioned if any of that actually just happened. Warm sunshine caressed her face, and she leaned into Gage, needing a minute to stand in his arms and feel him hold her tight. No Scion would be crossing over today, but the price had come so high. Jordan locked her arms around Gage’s neck and drew in a long, steadying breath. Brady had been her rock, and as her heart ached for the loss, his words from years ago echoed in her mind. One day at a time. ***** Jordan laid the roses across the grave. “He wasn’t a flower guy, but he liked red.” Gage didn’t say anything as he watched her stand there for several long silent moments, staring out at nothing in particular. For the last few days he’d watched her drift from quiet and solemn, to looking for a good fight. She still hadn’t given him an answer about becoming a Destroyer, but he didn’t push. The time alone had given them a chance to get to know each other all over again, and he wasn’t about to talk about work when there were more important things they could do.

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Like spend an afternoon stretched out on the couch, his head in her lap as she read to him. He’d forgotten how much she liked to read Treasure Island until he found a copy in her bedside table and begged her to read to him. It’d been the most peaceful afternoon he’d spent in a long time. He wanted more afternoons like that. Lots more. “Brady gave me far more than I ever realized,” Jordan whispered. She had told him she hadn’t wanted to come here, that seeing it would make it real all over again. But he knew she needed the closure, one last time to let go of anger, the unfairness of his death that still lingered inside her. “I’m glad I came,” she said finally, a soft smile touching her lips. Gage took her hand as they headed back towards the car. He was the first to spot Rae, her long red hair pulled back from her face as she stood next to Jordan’s car. She wore a charcoal suit and carried a file tucked under her arm. Now was not the time to talk about the next assignment, and if that’s why she’d come… Rae smiled at Jordan. “Nice to finally meet you. I only wish it was under more pleasant circumstances. I always liked Brady.” “You knew him?” Jordan asked. “Very well. He trained me.” Gage recovered enough to attempt a more formal introduction. “Jordan, this is Rae.” “I kind of figured that out.” She kept her gaze on Rae. “How did Brady know about all of you, about Destroyers?” “His wife was a Shadow Destroyer.” Gage could tell by the surprised look on Jordan’s face she hadn’t known Brady had been married. “His wife died almost fifteen years ago,” Rae added before handing the file she held out to Jordan. “This is for you.” Jordan frowned at the file, but didn’t make a move to open it. “Brady had me look into this for him just before he died,” Rae added. Feeling as curious and confused as Jordan looked, Gage watched her flip open the file. Next to him, her face paled, then she snapped her gaze back to Rae’s. “I don’t understand.” Gage peered down at the contents and studied the black and white print of a man not much older than he or Jordan. “Who is it?” “That’s my brother.” Jordan’s voice trembled. “But he died when he was seventeen.” Rae shook his head. “No.” Understanding dawned on her face at the same time Gage nodded. “He’s family, so he had the gene, too.” “He’s alive?” Jordan shook her head. “Why hasn’t he contacted me if he was attacked and survived?” For the first time since Gage had known her, Rae looked troubled. “The gene mutation changed him. It happens sometimes. Brady started digging into it a while ago and forwarded me the information right after he met Gage. He didn’t want you to be alone.” Rae glanced at Gage. “But I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.” She brought her gaze back to Jordan. “But if there is a part of him the demon essence didn’t corrupt, then I don’t know of anyone else who might be able to reach him more than his

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own sister.” Jordan let out a breath, her fingers grasping the file tighter. “Thank you.” Rae turned away, then paused, glancing back over her shoulder. “So should I start the paperwork for you joining us?” Gage stared at Jordan, both nervous and thankful Rae had asked the question he couldn’t bring himself to ask. “I think so.” Rae nodded. “You’re sure about this?” He needed her to be sure and not regret walking away from being a cop. “Hey, Rae?” Jordan jerked her head at Gage. “I don’t have to work with him, do I?” His boss smiled. “Not, if you don’t want to.” “One more thing,” Jordan added. “Exactly who funds the Destroyers?” Rae just grinned and walked away. Jordan sighed. “It’s like talking to Brady.” “Tell me about it.” Gage tugged her closer. “So you’re really sure about this?” “The only thing you need to be worried about at this point is how much I’m going to kick your ass when we start training together.” Gage snorted. “That’s quite the ego you have there.” “I have it on good authority it’s required to be a Shadow Destroyer.” The teasing grin drew his attention to her mouth. He leaned in closer. “Have I mentioned one of the other definite requirements?” “You mean, besides not laying down on the job?” Gage roped his arms around her waist and hauled her to him. “You know there is only one way to settle this, right?” “Oh, yeah?” “You got the key to your training loft on you?” Jordan arched a playful brow. “You’re a glutton for punishment, aren’t you?” “Don’t worry,” he countered, “the worst that can happen is I’ll have you on the ground in two minutes.” Her soft laugh teased his senses. She slid her hand up his chest, lowering her voice to a mock whisper. “I’m trembling on the inside.” The next comeback was forgotten as Gage slanted his mouth across hers, in part to silence her smart-ass mouth, and because if he didn’t kiss her right then, he’d go out of his mind. Gage drew back slowly, brushing his thumb over her bottom lip. “I love you.” Jordan smiled up at him, the kind of breath stealing smile he could easily spend the rest of his life waking up to. “Not as much as I love you.” He shook his head. “You just can’t let me have one up on you, can you?” Jordan leaned up, and right before sweeping her mouth over his, she mumbled, “Keep dreaming.”

The End