Eternal Flame (4 page)

Those cuffs
.

They’d be easy prey once the drugs kicked in.

“You dumb sonofabitch.”

The icy growl had his gaze flying up.

“You drugged a
demon,”
she snapped. “They don’t react the same way humans do to the tranq. Hell, they never react the same way to
anything.”

Because they were freaks. He licked his lips. The boss held a too-tight grip on her gun. “It’ll just knock him out. He’ll be a dead weight slowing her down.” Then his job would be easy. Kill the demon. Take the woman.

The boss lifted her gun and aimed it right at his chest. “It won’t knock him out. It hasn’t knocked out
any
demon we’ve tried it on.”

How was he supposed to know that? “Wh-what will it do?”

“It will either make him high. It will boost up his power and give him a rush he’s never had. Or …”

He gulped. Her finger was tightening around that trigger. Only, her gun was loaded with real bullets.

“Or it will make the bastard psychotic. He’ll turn on the woman and kill her long before we can get to him.” She stepped closer, her pale blond hair floating around her face. “And if that happens, guess who else will be dying?”

The promise was there, glittering in her dark gaze. His eyes began to dart to her scarred cheek….

“Now let’s get the hell out of here!” she shouted. There were sirens wailing, coming close now. No way could anyone miss the flames. The cops would swarm any minute.

They couldn’t be on the scene then. Everyone scrambled inside the two SUVs. The boss shoved him inside with her.

“Get to Jana Carter’s safe house,” she ordered the driver. “If she’s running, she’s going to try and disappear.”

The guy threw the SUV into reverse, and the vehicle spun back. He shifted gears and drove the SUV down the street, easing right past the line of approaching cop cars.

Jana had to get them off the road. Had to get them someplace safe before the assholes back there came hunting again.

“Are you with me?” she shouted as the engine growled.

Zane’s body was pressed close to hers, and he seemed … heavier.

“Zane?”

His lips were next to her ear. No helmet, not for either of them. If they crashed, even his demon blood wouldn’t save him.

Nothing would save her.

Her fingers tightened around the handlebars. “Zane?” Shouted louder.

“H-hurt… you …”

She tensed, but kept her eyes on the road.
Can’t go back to my place
. Ten-to-one odds said they already knew where she lived.

Can’t go to a hotel
. Not like she could check in with the demon handcuffed to her. Explaining that to the desk clerk would be—

“If …h-hurt you…”

Oh, that just didn’t sound good. What the hell was happening to the guy back there? That left hand of his was holding way too tight to her waist.

“B-burn me…”

Hell
.

They needed a safe place to crash and they needed it
now
.

The instant Baton Rouge Police Captain Antonio “Tony” Young saw the flaming remains of the red Corvette, his gut clenched, and he knew hell had come calling.

Antonio jumped out of his car and rushed forward, grabbing one of the uniforms already on the scene. “Where’s the driver?” Because he
knew
that car.

The young cop spun to look at him, and gulped when he saw Antonio’s face. “D-don’t know, s-sir …”

Those flames were burning so high. Antonio couldn’t see the front seat of the car. The ‘Vette was smashed to hell and back, and all that fire …

“We found ‘em this way. Abandoned rig and the sports car—”

A rig that had smashed right into the driver’s side door.
It takes a lot to kill a demon
.

He released the cop and yanked out his phone. He punched in Zane’s number. Waited, waited …

Customer not available
. The automated message clicked on, and he nearly shattered his phone.

Dammit. Antonio paced away, feeling the heat from the fire singe his skin. If Zane wasn’t answering, there was only one person he could contact.

He called Pak. Nothing happened at Night Watch without that charmer’s approval. Nothing. So it was past three a.m., Pak was probably at home, sleeping, but …

“What do you want, captain?” Pak’s smooth voice asked with no hint of sleep slurring the words.

Antonio cast a fast glance back at the wreckage, hunched his shoulders, and paced around the fire truck. “What kind of case is Zane Wynter working on right now?”

Silence.

Come on!
“Pak, don’t screw with me right now. I’ve got a crew of humans out here on Montgomery Lane, and I need to know what we’re stepping into.” Because he knew the real deal about the world. He knew that all the nightmares people had-those nightmares were
nothing
when compared to reality.

Once upon a time, he’d thought the worst things on the streets were the human killers who sliced and diced their prey. Then he’d met the vampires. They drained their prey, tortured them, made them beg for death, and then wouldn’t let them die.

Humans weren’t the worst predators on the streets. Not even close. If only.

“There’s an Ignitor in town,” Pak finally said.

His gaze darted to the flaming vehicles. “No shit.” He exhaled. “Have you talked to Wynter in the last thirty minutes?”

“No.”

“Then we may have a problem.” May? Who was he kidding? “I’m staring at Zane’s car right now, and the flames burning it are bright enough to light the whole damn block.”

The cabin looked deserted. Jana shoved down the kickstand and steadied the bike. It
looked
deserted. Hopefully, it actually was. She’d scouted out this area before, just in case she needed a place to crash.

And I do. I really, really do
.

The wooden cabin was buried in the swamp. A long, ramshackle pier ran from the side of the cabin and skated out over that murky, green water.

“Okay, demon, we’ve got to move.” She tried to roll her shoulders, but his weight was too heavy. “Zane? Come on, Zane,
move!”

She felt him flinch. Then he eased back and slid off the motorcycle. She followed him, her thighs still trembling a bit. It had been far too long since she’d gone for a wild ride on a cycle.

“The motorcycle should be safe behind these bushes,” she said. “We can go inside”-it looked like no one had been there in months, a very good thing—“and then figure out what the hell we’re going to do next.”

He just stared down at her. Dawn had finally come, lighting up the darkness, and she could see a faint rim of green around the outer edge of his irises, but the black coloring—that demon black—was darkening. The lines on his face were tight and hard.

Jana licked her lips. “Zane?” She tugged her cuffed hand. The metal bit into her wrist.

Alone with a drugged demon. Hello, dream date
.

As she stared up at him, the green in his eyes disappeared, and only the black was left. Just that deep, soulless black.

B-burn me …

She turned away from him. Not like she could
get
away from him, though, not with that freaking fireproof,
Other-
proof metal chaining them together. But when she started moving, he did, too. That was something, right?

It’s okay. He’s one of the good guys
. He worked for Night Watch. He brought down the paranormals who hurt humans. He hunted them, he brought them in, or he took them out.

One of the good guys
. Right, that’s what she had to remember. She risked a fast glance back at him. It was just that he didn’t look particularly
good
right then.

He looked like he wanted to eat her.

Jana grabbed the doorknob. Twisted. Locked, of course. Because who would leave a cabin unlocked for any squatter-
like me
-to come by and enter? Oh, well. She lifted her foot and kicked the door.

That hurt
.

Swearing, she limped back. Zane’s left arm wrapped around her and pulled her to the side.

Okay, he felt
warm,
and she sure needed some warmth right then. After a charge, all of the heat left her body too fast. And it was cold out there in the swamp. The cold cut of air knifed right to the bone.

Not saying a word, Zane lifted his foot and kicked the door. The lock snapped, the door flew open, and—

And he pushed her inside.

Darkness. Dust
. That musty, closed-in smell that a place got after being sealed up for too long.

She exhaled and tried not let her nose twitch. “I need to take a look at your wounds.” Not that it would do much good. The drugs would be in his system now. “I need—”

“You.”
Guttural. That rough word was the only warning she had. His hands caught her arms and he spun her around, pressing her back against the wooden wall of the cabin. He crowded her in and locked his hard, hot body against hers.

The demon was aroused. His cock pushed against the front of his jeans. No mistaking that thick swell. Especially not when his lower body was crushed to hers.

Her hand pushed against him. “Zane, you’re hurt. You’ve got to—”

He jerked her cuffed hand up with his, forcing it above her head. Then his left hand caught hers and lifted it high. He pinned her to the wall. Her eyes had adjusted a bit to the interior of the cabin, and she could see him better now. The stark planes and angles of his face. His eyes …

So dark.

One of the good guys. He came into a burning building to save me, he’s not-

His mouth crashed onto hers. He caught her gasp, and his tongue drove into her mouth.

The kiss was too rough. His lips were too hard. Too demanding. He didn’t ask, didn’t seduce, he just
took
.

His hips thrust against hers, that thick cock sliding against her, letting Jana know exactly what her demon wanted.
Me
.

Her heart slammed into her chest. Her nipples were tight, too sensitive.

And damn but that demon could work his tongue.

No!
This shouldn’t be happening, she knew it.
Drugged
. Hell. The guy probably didn’t even know what he was doing.
Or who I am
.

She tore her mouth away from his, panting. She needed to—

His mouth went to her throat. Licking, sucking, honing in on the spot that always made her knees go weak. Oh, hell,
right there
.

She choked back a moan. He was warming her with his lips and his lust. Warming her, just when she’d started to grow cold from the after-effects of the charge.

Part of her wanted to hold him tight. Wanted to dig her nails into his back and hold on for the wild ride that she knew would come. But …

But the man had taken two tranqs, and she knew what the drugs could do-demons could be so weak.

Her eyes squeezed shut. “Zane … this isn’t
you.”
Yeah, they’d kissed before, but that had been different. A skilled play of tongue and lips. Seduction. A tease.

This was desperate. Wild. Rough.

And, dammit, she
liked
it. Because the charge from the fire had burned off. The need that it left behind-always left behind-had her gut tightening. Adrenaline had filled her blood as she used her power, and without that rush, she was lost, shaken,
needing
.

He freed her left wrist. His hand snaked between them and found her breast. Zane fondled her through her bra, and her nipple pebbled even more for him. Her sex creamed, and she couldn’t help it-she arched her hips against him.

He wrenched open the top of her shirt, sending buttons flying. Then his hand slipped inside. Hot flesh, callused fingertips touched her. He yanked her bra out of the way and strummed her nipple.

Her teeth clenched.
Not right. He was drugged
. This wasn’t…
Jeez, that felt good
. But… “Zane!” The word burst from her.

His hand was sliding down her stomach, heading for the snap of her jeans.

Heat rolled off his body. Delicious, wonderful heat. But his eyes were blank. His touch too fierce, and—

Jana twisted and managed to break away from him. She took two stumbling steps, then the handcuffs yanked her back.

Fuck.

His left hand rose and curled around her throat. Her pulse raced against his fingers.
Demons and drugs …
everyone knew that was one screwed-up combination. So what, the tranqs had been some kind of sexual stimulant for him? Just great.

She turned her head and met his stare. “You’re drugged, Zane. You don’t know what the hell you’re doing.”
But it sure felt good
.

He blinked. Once. Twice. Real slow, and he almost looked like a robot she’d seen on a sci-fi show once, trying to process information.

His gaze dropped to her shirt front, to the gaping neckline and the black bra that was all too visible. “I know exactly what I’m doing.” His voice came out deeper, rougher than ever before. Rough, but no emotion. Too flat. Not
his
voice.

“Wh-what?”
If… hurt… you …
The guy had been trying to warn her before. Such a damn good-guy thing to do.

“I’m fucking you.”

N
eed ate at his gut. A white-hot, burning need that fired Zane’s body from the inside out. He could smell her.
Jana
. Her scent was all around him, the rich scent of her sex tormenting him.

Take
.

His vision had narrowed to her. He could barely hear what she was saying because his heart drummed too loudly in his ears, the blood flowing too fast and hard.

Take
.

She trembled in his grasp. Trembled. Small and weak. Ready for him. Her mouth … red and swollen. He’d kiss her. He’d touch her. He’d fuck her. He’d do anything he wanted.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” she said, her eyes big and wide. “I know you said … but I
don’t
want to.”

Hurt him? Nothing could hurt him. No one.

“I don’t want to, but I will. And you’ll probably even thank me for this tomorrow.” Her chin tilted back. “Take your hand off me or—”

He laughed at her. Laughed, picked her up, and tossed her onto the old bed in the corner. Dust billowed in the air.

“I warned you,” she said, then bit her lip as fire crackled in the air. A hot, thick circle of orange flame.

He waved his hand and the fire vanished.

“Wh—” She shook her head, sending that black mane flying over her shoulders. Her eyes narrowed, and the fire flared again.

With barely a thought, he put out the fire. The power of the demon burned wild and free in him, pulsing, just beneath the skin.

His knees hit the mattress, and then he covered her body. “That the best you got?” Wouldn’t be good enough. Nothing would.

A thick, choking darkness pressed against him, and she was the only damn light he could see. Her … and her flames. Already flickering again.

His face hovered over hers. “You can’t hurt me.” His temples throbbed. And her smell…
fucking driving me crazy
. There was nothing like the scent of a woman’s arousal. And Jana was aroused. He smelled her cream, and he had felt the tight buds of her nipples. “Nothing can hurt me.”

“Really? Sorry to do this but …” Then her knee drove into his groin. A vicious, fast drive that sent pain radiating through his body. “But our first time together
isn’t
going to be while you’re flying on tranqs.”

Fuck
. His hand locked around her hip. The light around her face began to fade, even as the flames flew higher, burned brighter. His fingers clamped onto her flesh.

Burn, let the fucking fire burn, can’t touch me, can’t hurt me
.

“Zane?” A breath of sound, a gasp, lost. Her gaze caught his. There was fear in her eyes. Fear lurking in that river of blue.
Afraid… of me
. Monster.

He had her on the bed. His body shoved hard against hers. What the hell was he doing?

His back teeth clenched, and he fought through the waves of lust, through the darkness tangling his mind and the need that stole his breath.

“Something’s wrong with you … your eyes. …”

He squeezed his eyes shut and fought to pull back the beast. But he was slipping off the leash.
Slipping
. Her breath whispered over his face.

“It’s okay,” he lied, and he forced his hand off her hip.
Her scent
. “I’m in control now.” His fingers gripped the old, dirty covers. Ripped them. His lashes lifted, slowly. Her eyes were on him and she instantly trapped his gaze.

Bed. Jana. Sweet flesh. Hot fire
.

“It’s okay,” he said again, growling the words and hoping like hell that he could stay in control.
Focus
.

What was happening to him? His body was so tight. Ready to explode. And he wanted her more than he wanted breath. Wanted her, open and ready, with the heat blazing around them. No,
from them
.

His head was going to explode. A hard, fierce pounding thundered at both temples, and a flicker of light danced in the air.

“Jana, it’s going to be all … right.” Her breath sighed out.

He could hold on to his control. He could keep the devil inside. He could—

Jana shouted his name, and Zane blacked out.

“Zane?
Zane!”

He’d crashed on top of her. His eyes had flickered in those last few moments, shooting back and forth from green to black, and she’d thought, really thought for a moment there, that he was coming back. Him, Zane, not the demon inside him.

Then his eyes had flashed pitch black.

And he’d slammed into her. No,
onto
her.

She tried to suck in a deep breath. Tried and failed. Oh, the guy weighed a ton.
Of course
. And he had her smashed into the lumpy mattress. “Uh, Zane?” She tried tapping his shoulder.

Nothing.

His head was nestled in the crook of her neck. He breathed softly now, the light puffs of air sending a shiver over her each time they touched her sensitive flesh.

Alive, just passed out
.

She shifted a bit as she tried to maneuver from underneath him, but the guy was pure muscle. Thick muscle.

Her breath rasped out, and she stared up at the ceiling. “Great. Just great.”

Trapped beneath a demon. Talk about one hell of an ending to her already screwed-up night.

Antonio stared at the fax he’d just received. The woman in the grainy photo didn’t look particularly dangerous. Delicate features, wide eyes. Sexy mouth.

But if he’d learned anything in this business … well, it was that the surface lied.

“Put out an APB for Jana Carter,” he told Officer Penton. The fresh-faced kid stood next to him, watching with narrowed eyes and nervous hands. “This woman is wanted in connection with a series of arsons in New Orleans,”
and probably a few in Baton Rouge
. “We’ve got intel to suggest that she’s in the area.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Tell the cops out there to be careful. This one is
extremely
dangerous.”

“She’s armed?”

Didn’t have to be armed to be dangerous. “Yes,” he lied. He seemed to spend most of his days lying. “She’s not to be approached. If she’s spotted, I want to be contacted ASAP.” He held Penton’s stare, driving the point home. “No
one is to approach or try to apprehend her without me.”
Because if the cops went up against someone like her—

He’d be cleaning up the ashes.

Penton nodded quickly and hurried off to spread the news. Antonio looked down at his watch. Almost noon. It had sure taken Pak a long time to play ball and send that fax. The guy must have been holding out, hoping for word from Zane. Word that hadn’t come.

Where was the demon? Was he alive? No bodies had been found in the Corvette, but that didn’t mean Zane was still breathing. Not with an Ignitor out there. If she’d been letting her fire free, the poor bastard could be surrounded by the flames.

Zane awoke to find himself surrounded. Soft, silken flesh cradled him. A sweet, feminine scent flooded his nostrils. When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring at Jana’s sleeping face.

What the hell?

Her eyes were closed, and her lashes cast dark shadows on her cheeks. Her skin looked even paler today, and he noticed a small, dark mole near the corner of her left eye. Her hair spread on the old pillow behind her, a tangled darkness.

Carefully, slowly, he eased up. Her body was wrapped around his, not under it. One of her arms was around him, while one of his held her waist. Her leg was between his, and her head tilted close to his.

And her shirt was open, revealing black lace and the upper curves of her round breasts. A line of red scratches marred her smooth flesh.

He sucked in a sharp breath and wondered what was going on. Had he done that? Had he hurt—

“Are you with me?” she asked, her voice a husky whisper.

Hell, yeah
. He cleared his throat. How had they gotten in bed? Just what had they done? Her jeans were still on, so were his, so … no sex.

That was a good thing, right? His temples ached like a bitch, and he swallowed, tasting copper on his tongue.

Jana’s lashes lifted, nice and slow, revealing those sexy eyes. Sleepy and dark blue. “Do you even know who I am?”

He licked dry lips. “Trust me, baby, you’re pretty unforgettable.”

Her gaze searched his. “Then what’s my name?”

He let his brows rise as he studied her. “You mean the name you seem to be using again this time? It’s Jana. Jana

Carter.”

She exhaled.

“Now,
Jana,
why don’t you tell me just what happened.”
And why we’re in bed together
. Sure, he’d thought about fucking her, but then he’d found out about her little tendency to burn on contact.

“What do you remember?”

“A big rig slamming into us.”
My car
. Someone would pay. “Some assholes shooting….” He frowned, struggling to recall and shove past the thick fog in his mind. “I got hit.”

“You were hit
twice.”
She eased her arm away from him and tried to slide her leg from between his thighs.

A bright, hard, painful memory flashed through his mind.

“Ah, remember that, do you?” She stilled, and her lips quirked just a bit. Not enough to make her dimple flash.

Images flew through his mind.
Jana-her mouth red and open. Pinned against the wall. Her arms over her head. Her breath panting out
.

Her shirt open, gaping, his hands on her flesh. Tight nipples. Pebble hard. He’d want to taste her
.

Fire. Surrounding him
.

Jana … on the bed
.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”
The memory of her words filled his mind.

He jumped from the bed, moving fast, only to have her yell as she tumbled after him.

The cuffs
.

He froze, staring at her wrist. Still bound. He took a breath and tasted her. “What did I
do
?”

She blinked and seemed to
see
him. “Ah. Guess you are back now.” Jana pushed herself up, stretching a bit, and the few remaining buttons on her top strained with the movement. He leaned forward, trying to give her more room to move. Where were the cuff keys? His left hand dove into his pockets. Nothing. Figured.

Jana just sat there, staring up at him, with no expression on her pretty face.

How was she so calm?
“What did I do to you?”
He remembered need. A white-hot lust that had thundered through his body and driven all sanity from his mind.
Take
. The hunger had been too much. He’d wanted her. Planned to have her, then-He swallowed. “Did I hurt you?”
No, please, shit, he didn’t want to-

She laughed at that. A light, quick chuckle, and she swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I’m not easy to hurt.”

Lie
. She was human. Human with some strong psychic powers, but human nonetheless. “I shouldn’t have-I don’t know why I—”

Jana rolled her eyes. “You were drugged, dude. You took two hits of the tranq. You got handsy, and then you collapsed, that’s all.”

All? His back teeth were clenched so hard his jaw ached. “I don’t … do particularly well with drugs.”

“What demon does?”

So she knew.

But she wouldn’t realize just how dangerous he could be when the drugs were in his system. She didn’t understand just how lucky she was to still be breathing.

He stiffened his shoulders. “I’m sorry.” The words were stark. “I shouldn’t have touched you.” He sucked in a quick breath and just caught more of her scent.

Her head cocked toward him.

“Whatever I did to you”-he held her stare, because the shame was his—“I’m sorry.”

Her face softened, just for a moment, and he heard her mutter something that sounded like, “Being a good guy again …", but then she rose and turned her back on him.

His lips pressed together.

“You stopped.” She glanced back over her shoulder. “Yeah, the drug had you wired for a bit, but you pulled back. You got your control.” A little shrug. “But then you passed out before you could get off the bed.”

The drumming of his heart echoed in his ears. “You’re telling the truth?”

Now she did smile. A big, wide grin that, oh, hell, flashed the dimple in her cheek. “Would I lie?”

Yes. “What about the marks on your chest?”

She glanced down at herself, and the smile faded. “These aren’t from you. They’re courtesy of the vampire who caught me in the alley.”

The one she’d torched. The bastard
had
attacked her.

“I’ve seen other demons on the drug.” Her voice pulled his eyes back to her face. A flicker of sadness appeared in her gaze. “Even with one dose, they don’t know what the hell is going on.” A considering pause as her stare measured him. “You must be pretty strong.”

He wasn’t going to touch that one.

But she, apparently, was. Jana faced him fully, one brow up. “What are you on the power scale? An eight? Maybe pushing nine?”

The demon power scale. A scale that ran from one to ten. One being the low end, the demons who barely had any power above a human’s latent psychic talents. And ten being the demons who could bring hell to earth.

“I’m strong enough,” was all he said.

“Hmmm.” She lifted her wrist, raising the cuffs and his hand. “Then get these things off, demon. Get them off, and we can just walk away from all this.”

If only. “A witch I know put an enchantment on ‘em.” Standard protocol for Night Watch containment gear and weaponry. A little bonus Pak had always insisted on throwing in. “I can’t break them.” She deserved the full truth. “And even if I could, I couldn’t let you walk away.”

Her lips parted. Soft lips. So soft.

“You’re damn well kidding me,” she snapped.

“No, baby, I’m not.” He straightened his shoulders. The hunt hadn’t gone down at all like he planned, but he was sticking to the rules. He’d been an ass, and he’d regret last night for years to come-
drugs or no drugs, I shouldn’t have scared her
. But he had a job to do. “There’s a bounty on you. You’ve got to pay for what you did.”

Her lips formed an outraged “O.”

“I’m taking you in.”

“
Someone save me from good guys.”
She punched her index finger into his chest. Hard. “I could have
killed
you while you slept.”