So said the guy with enough power to fry his enemies from the inside out.

Her temples ached. There was so much to take in. "Niol, you-you really think my brother was one of those with that-power?"

"Can't know for sure. Not now."

Because her brother had been buried in Meadows Ceme tery for so many long years now. She visited him every Christmas, every February seventeenth-the day of his birth-and every August third-the day she'd found his body.

"If he was like that…" And dammit, she was believing that he could have been. "Then why am I different?" Normal.

"You're a hybrid demon."

She knew the term. Someone with the mixed blood of a demon and…something else.

"Maybe a quarter demon, could be even less-I'm not done shaking your family tree."

Ah, okay.

"Power manifests differently for hybrids. Sometimes…" His jaw clenched. "Fucking powerful bastards are born. And sometimes…"

"You get me," she finished. "I don't have any powers, Niol. I can't make fire." She glanced at the candles, all but sputtering out. "Can't read minds. Can't do-"

"You don't know what you can do. Neither do I. Time will show us." He didn't sound particularly concerned. "What I do know about you-you can cloak your powers like no one I've ever seen."

Well, that was something.

"I should have sensed you from the beginning, but the glamour is too strong. I can only see through it when you-"

Climax.

What had Dr. Drake said? Certain powerful instances or stressful situations may trigger the latent powers in you.

Her climaxes with Niol sure fell under the "powerful instances" category.

"If it turns out you're a level-one-" Niol continued.

The weakest of the demons.

"Big deal." His fingers tangled in her hair and he brought her face toward his for a hard, long kiss. "I'll still want you like fucking hell on fire."

Darkness.

The candlelight was gone. A ball of tight need stirred within her again, but she held on to her control, needing to know…"Niol…do you have the Touch?"

Her hand lay on his chest. Touching the flesh so warm it almost seemed to burn her. Feeling the heart beneath her hand-and the hard lurch it gave at her question.

"You don't want to know all that I can do." Said with absolute certainty. "If you knew, you'd be running from me as fast as you could."

She didn't move her hand. Didn't move her body. "I've already seen what you can do-"

"Sweetheart, that was just the start." Light flashed in the room, but not from the candles. Flames hovered in the air, small balls of spinning fire. "What I can do…it'd scare you to death."

"Nice light show." Her hands lifted to his face. Felt the faint sting of a late-night shadow lining his jaw. "I don't scare easily, Niol." She dropped the sheet. Straddled his hips. Let the aroused length of his cock slide against her sex.

Flesh to flesh.

The way it had never been for them.

"I'm on the pill," she told him bluntly. "And I'm clean."

"I can't get any diseases that humans have-"

Her brow furrowed. "But I thought demons-"

"Lower-level demons can, weaker immunity. I'm not like them." He kissed her, hard and deep.

She lifted her hips, rubbing along the length of that swollen flesh.

Inside.

She stared into his eyes. So black. So many secrets. "I don't scare easily," she repeated, and arched her hips.

The tip of his cock slid into her.

Face-to-face. Sex to sex.

Niol's hand eased between their bodies. Parted her folds. Stroked the bud that quivered for him.

Then shoved his cock deeper into her.

"Good," he growled. "Because you're not getting away from me."

She pushed up on her knees. Drove down. Up. Down. The rhythm grew faster, harder.

She wanted, needed the pleasure. The wild rush of release to cover the memories he'd stirred.

Screw it. She wanted him.

His cock was hot inside her. Long. Thick. Strong. Filling her. Stretching. Sliding in and out in deep thrusts that had her straining against him.

Her bed was big and sturdy. No squeaks. No moans from the mattress.

Just the deep slide of his cock.

The clench of her sex.

Deep.

Again and again.

She kissed him when she came.

When he released within her, his climax a long wave of heat that caressed her flesh, he said her name.

The spinning flames died away.

Kim Went crept down the hallway at News Flash Five. She knew the rotation of the guards, knew the exact movements of the anchored security cameras.

She'd studied the layout carefully before making her move.

Her lips were dry, her palms wet-and Holly's office door waited just a few feet away.

Her gaze skated up to the camera. Locked on the lens. The camera swept the hallway, and in five, four, three-

The lens shifted, giving her a perfect opportunity.

She moved in a flash, grabbing the doorknob, shoving open the door and nearly falling inside.

The envelope. Where was it? She had to find it.

Her big break was in that envelope. Her break-and her life.

Kim knew that Holly was sitting on one major story. Everyone at the station did. Holly kept going into private meetings with old Mac, and that guy knew what was hot in the news.

But he wasn't giving her a chance. No, Mac wouldn't let Kim on the air, he just sent her after his coffee.

Jerk.

She'd show him. She'd get this story, before Holly, and she'd get her spot on camera.

Kim hadn't worked her butt off the last four years at Mellrune University in order to be a freaking coffee fetcher. She had student loans that were choking her, and she wasn't going to be a gofer for the rest of her life, dammit!

She fumbled with the desk. Shoved papers out of her way. Where was the envelope?

Kim had seen Holly's face when she opened that delivery. Oh, yeah, pay dirt.

And then, when Holly had been so freaking desperate to find out who'd left the envelope– a dead giveaway.

Sometimes, news smelled like blood. Rich and tantalizing.

Kim loved the smell of blood. Always had. Maybe because her stepdad had been a vampire, a vamp who'd met an unfortunate decapitation end in a car accident. She'd tried to get him to transform her, once, but he'd looked at her like she was crazy.

"Shit." Her whisper was too loud. But she couldn't find the envelope. Kim jerked open another drawer. Then another.

The envelope had to be related to those murders. Demon murders. She knew the truth about those men and that lady the cops had just found.

She'd heard Ben and Holly talking about her, too.

Demons. All of them.

Old Mac probably thought she didn't know jack about the real world. She knew enough that she could probably give him nightmares.

Hell, yeah, this story was her big break…and it really was her life, too.

Because she wasn't about to let the killer come after-

The office door squeaked open.

Kim froze, crouched just over the desk.

A security guard? No, the patrol should have been on the other side and-

"Hello, bitch."

Terror rose, choking her.

That voice-a low, sinister whisper. Evil.

Kim knew evil.

Knew when she was staring straight at it, even when it wore such a simple disguise.

She reached for the lamp-

And evil attacked.

CHAPTER 11

"I want to talk with Carl's friends."

Her voice was quiet. Her hands moved lazily across his chest.

Niol opened his eyes and turned his head.

Fuck. She was so beautiful.

Not a quick screw.

An addiction.

Her nails bit lightly into his flesh. "Did you hear me, Niol? I said-"

He caught her hand. Kissed her fingertips. Tasted her with his tongue. "I heard, love."

"He mentioned two names to me, Sean and Ted. Said they were close. If he was scared of someone, if somebody was after him, they'd know."

Yes, he rather thought they would.

"I think they're demons."

They were.

"You can set up the meeting with those guys. I know you can find them and-"

Ah, no rest for the wicked. "Meeting's in…" He glanced over at the gleaming clock on her nightstand. "Forty minutes."

"What?"

He rose, stealing one last glance at the lady's gorgeous breasts. "The meeting's in forty minutes." Holly was right. The two demons might know something about the bastard who'd been after Carl. After a bit of tracking, he'd found the two guys and arranged a little get-together of sorts.

They hadn't exactly been eager to accept his initial invitation.

But they'd changed their minds, eventually.

"You weren't going to tell me about this?"

Niol jerked on his jeans. Rolled his shoulders. "If you asked, I was."

He heard a growl behind him, then a small palm curled around his shoulder and attempted to swing him around. He turned because he rather liked to see her flushed with anger.

"We're partners on this case. You're supposed to be my demon guide here! We're supposed to be working together-"

"I just told you about the meeting." A thank-you would have been nice.

Another growl.

He couldn't help it. Niol kissed her. Damn, but her lips were sweet. He savored the kiss for a moment, enjoying the soft press of her mouth against his, then…"Hurry, love, don't want to keep the young demons waiting."

Her teeth snapped together.

People were crammed into Paradise Found. As usual. So closely packed that walking a few feet was a serious effort. Niol sighed, swept his hand ahead of him, and nodded when a light breeze seemed to sweep the dancers back.

Business was good, and that was just fucking dandy, but the people got on his nerves some nights.

"Nice trick," Holly murmured from behind him.

Niol gave a nod and led the way to the far side of the bar. Two guards stood in front of the door, arms crossed over their chests. Demons. He'd always found it best to give these particular…types of jobs to his brethren.

When they saw him, they stepped to the side, clearing the access to the door. "They're waitin' on you, boss."

"Good." He jerked his thumb to the crowd. "Make sure no one disturbs us."

"Damn straight." From the guy on the left. Max. He'd been with Niol for about five years now, ever since the demon had gotten out of jail. The charge had been manslaughter, but Niol knew the asshole he'd killed had deserved to die.

He'd raped and killed Max's mother. It had just taken Max a few years to track the asshole. Niol had gotten Max a good lawyer, and he'd ended up only doing three years.

Easy time for a demon.

"Come on." He tugged Holly's hand. Saw the quick glance exchanged by the demons.

They knew to guard Holly just as carefully as they guarded him. All of his staff understood that now.

He'd made a point of educating every one of them earlier that night.

The door slammed closed behind them, muting the sounds of the bar. "Watch your step." The stairs were old, rickety, and the last thing he wanted was for her to take a header in those sexy shoes he loved.

But Holly's steps were sure, and in moments, they were at the foot of the stairs where-

"Oh, damn." Holly froze beside him.

He glanced at the two waiting men.

"Niol, why the hell are they bound and gagged?"

"Huh." The men stared at him with wide eyes, their arms bound to the chairs behind them.

"Guess the guards were a little…overzealous."

"Overzealous, my ass." She flew across the room in seconds, snatching out the gags and fumbling with the ropes. "Jesus, Niol, this is kidnapping! Do you know how much trouble you could get into for something like this-"

Not much. The demons weren't going to rat him out. They were free now, but neither of the guys, who looked like they were about twenty-one or maybe twenty-two, were moving so much as an inch.

Smart fellows.

"Uh, are you guys okay?" Holly asked.

Their eyes were still on him.

Niol crossed his arms over his chest and waited. He could be patient when necessary.

It was the smaller guy who broke. The one with pale skin, a mop of blond hair, and a chin that looked a little weak. "You gonna kill us?"

Niol sighed. Why did he always get the drama queens? So the guys had been escorted in…maybe a little roughly, but seriously…"If I wanted you dead, you'd be ash by now."

The guy on the right-a big guy, long and lanky-gave a moan.

"Not. Helpful." A growl from Holly. She waved her hand in front of their faces. "Hi, there. I'm Holly. I, um, knew Carl."

Drama queen's gaze shot to her. "The reporter." He licked his lips. "Carl-he mentioned you."

"He mentioned you, too. Sean, right?"

A nod.

"And you're…"

"Ted." At least the guy wasn't moaning anymore.

"Right." Niol caught the flash of Holly's smile. Pretty smile, that. One he'd seen her use on camera to reassure dozens of witnesses.

Sean's shoulders began to relax.

Maybe it was a good thing he'd brought her along.

"I don't know what happened tonight-" She began.

"I do." Okay, now little Sean was starting to get an attitude. " He-" His bony index finger pointed right at Niol. "Sent his goons after us. We just wanted to get out of town, but he wouldn't let us leave. He made us come-"