Power.
This guy, whoever he was, could snap his fingers and I’d be dust. I knew that without a doubt.
I also knew that this was the Big Bad.
“Who are you?”
Those eyes never wavered from mine, only narrowed, and he gave a small chuckle. The sound reverberated inside of me, warming and rubbing up against all of my organs at once.
“You come to my club. You accost my customers. And you try to get one of my employees fired. I believe you’re in the wrong position here.” He paused, his eyes becoming even more fierce. “You don’t get to interrogate me.”
That blaze in me sparked again, this time from irritation.
I liked to drink, spend time with my best friend, mostly avoid my family, and every now and then show up at my own job. What I didn’t like was being told what not to do from someone I didn’t know, and especially someone who was wreaking havoc with all of my senses.
I narrowed my eyes right back at him. “You don’t feel like a demon.”
It felt like I had to pull my gaze from cement as I took in the rest of him. He wore a business suit, tie off, top two buttons undone. The ends were pulled out of his pants, and he looked as if he’d raked his hand through his hair a couple times. It was messed up on top. As I was studying him, he took off the suit jacket and tossed it aside.
I watched in slow motion the whole muscle ripple effect that happened across his shoulders and chest.
That freaking frog was back in my throat.
He looked back at me.
I felt his disapproval in the air, almost singeing me, and I stomped down a growl.
I was getting tired of the ping-pong match of emotions and everything happening with this guy. He was too much for me. His power was coming off him in waves, even though he had checked his energy so it wasn’t in the room with him. And how he did that, I had no clue. I’d never met anyone who could control their energy.
The way he was affecting me was overwhelming.
He only smirked. No answer.
“This is a demon bar.”
He raised an eyebrow, his hand going to undo one of his cufflinks.
The other cufflink.
Holy.
I never knew I could be attracted to hands.
But I was. His.
They were man hands. Strong. Masculine. Firm.
“So that would make you a demon.”
I was guessing here, hoping he’d confirm or deny.
Once both cufflinks were undone, he began rolling up the sleeves, showing a good length of masculine arms.
I was dying. Dying!
I’d never reacted like this to anyone.
Someone could roast marshmallows on my skin.
Wait.
Nik!
I forgot about Nik.
“Where’s my friend?”
He paused at my question, his eyes unblinking for a moment before he turned, and now I was getting a bird’s-eye view of the back of him. My mouth dried up all over again. The frog was dead. Evaporated. He was still rolling up those sleeves, causing the shirt to tighten over his back muscles. I was seeing the move and glide of all of those inches of man right before me.
Nik.
I needed to stay on track.
“My friend.” My voice was a lot more authoritarian. “If you’ve harmed her—”
“What?” He turned at that. “What will you do if I’ve harmed your friend?”
I had to think.
The buzzing emanating off him was still so loud and so much of a distraction. I fought through, focusing. What would I do?
My power was energy, and he had none around him.
My Lord. That’s why he didn’t have his energy in here.
I was completely helpless to him.
When I didn’t say anything, he turned back. “That’s what I thought—”
He didn’t finish that statement, and now I was pissed.
I stood, intending to go right for the door. I was looking all around and still hadn’t found the exit, but I was hoping to pull off a miracle somehow when he looked back at me again.
An unseeing force slammed me against the wall.
I was raised in the air and held there, suspended. Helpless.
My arms were splayed out. Even my fingers were spread wide. My legs apart.
I was totally and completely vulnerable.
He asked, his tone mocking again, “What did you say you’d do?”
7
Ribbit!
You’re an asshole.
Yes. I am. His voice came to me in my head, and I jerked at the intruder, shocked.
I mean, I couldn’t jerk far, but my head did move a centimeter to the side.
His head was lowered, and the whole smoldering bedroom effect was happening with his eyes.
He spoke again in my head. I’ve been sensing you, and I can’t discern what you are.
I’m an energy sensor. Duh.
No.
I froze. I mean, I froze more, or I would’ve if I could’ve moved.
What do you mean?
I can taste your fear.
That’s disgusting.
You’re scared of your own power. That intrigues me.
He moved closer to me, his head cocked to the side and his eyes turned almost soft. This was why I was reacting so much to him. He was inside of me, sensing me, studying me, dissecting me.
I felt violated. And not in a good way.
You’re more than just an energy sensor. You have a unique taste that other energist’s don’t.
That blew wide open a whole new level of uncomfortableness. He was tasting me?
There’s an ancient power in you. Maybe you don’t even realize it, but I do.
Abruptly, as if he discovered something he didn’t like, he withdrew. Everything. My insides were no longer cast in a throbbing inferno, and I fell from the wall. Landing, I caught myself, my elbow banging into the wall.
Damn. It was the same elbow I chafed at Nikki’s too.
I felt way more orientated now and not as embarrassed.
I glared at him. “You didn’t have to do all of that.”
He gave me a cocky quirk of his top lip, but his eyes were cold. “You are in a building that is filled with demons on a dissension night where four of the six masters are rising.”
Cold dread started to trickle in, filling the void that had been left by him.
I gulped.
I hadn’t known it was a dissension night. They only happened once every six years.
He kept on, “Your kind has a long history of being taken as personal weapons…or worse. I would be very careful about how many insults you cast my way because your friend is gone. The demon has taken hold of her tonight, and I am the only thing powerful enough to get you out of here. Alive.”
Dissension night was a night where the full moon was directly above us. And he was right. Every single demon lost their humanity, but what was worse was that it was also the night their masters surfaced and were given presents by their servants.
Every single demon had a master. There were six total, and the type of presents given?
There was a reason this place was filled with humans.
RIBBIT!
The frog was back, and the frog was shitting itself.
“Why would you help me?”
He was the Big Bad. That went against all universal and species’ laws.
He gave me another scornful look, and I thought I saw him flick his eyes upwards. Actually, I was sure I did.