Dark Awakening (3 page)

"But—"

"No buts." Mika made a slashing gesture as if she needed to stop the arguments with more than words. "It's not just her age. You could hurt her."

His temper flared, no doubt making his eyes glow red. He'd never hurt Kimi, and Mika should know that. He started to stalk past her, to leave the room, but she grabbed his arm.

"Not intentionally," she said quickly,  emphatically. "I know you'd never knowingly harm her, but you're a demon and she's human."

This was Nic's first time out of Orcus, and he knew there was much he didn't understand about humanity. "How?" he asked, hoping that Mika was wrong, but fearing that she wasn't. She was half-human and understood this world in a way he did not.

"Demons are stronger than humans—much stronger—and we're not necessarily gentle when we have sex. We bite, we claw and we like hard thrusting—our females as well as our males. But if you mated with a human the way you do with another demon, you'd severely injure her."

Nic stood there, stunned. Were humans so very fragile?

Mika misinterpreted his silence. "If you don't believe me, ask Conor what it was like for him before we met. Ask him about how much self-command he had to exert to have any kind of sexual contact with a human, and he's a lot more controlled than you are. I don't think you could rein yourself in tightly enough, Nic, particularly not with Kimi."

"Because of the bond?"

"Yes." His half-sister nodded. "Even if you managed restraint with other human females, you know what the vishtau does to demons, and if you slipped, even for a moment... Well, I don't want to think about that."

Neither did he. "Why even mention her age then?" Nic asked bitterly. "With our physical differences, it's a moot point."

She squeezed his arm. "Because I don't believe it's hopeless. In five or ten years, when Kimi is old enough to deal with you, you'll have learned how to hold back. I know you, big brother, you'll be working hard to master your nature."

He mulled that over. Could he do it? Demons were emotional and tended to lose themselves in sex. And they did like it rough; Mika was right about that as well. Could he overcome his own genetics and be careful with Kimi?

"I want a promise from you," Mika said.

Nic tensed. Once a demon gave his word, he'd die to keep it, and his half-sister knew this. What was she going to ask of him? Was she going to demand that he—

A playful caress of his arm yanked Nic from his memories. "You were a million miles away, sugar," the waitress drawled. Her voice was sultry, enticing, and he tried again to work up some interest in going home with her. It wasn't there.

He reached for his rucksack and stood, slinging it over a shoulder. That broke her hold, but after he handed Darla a generous tip, she reached for his arm again. "You have incredible eyes," she told him. "I like—"

One instant Darla was stroking the inside of his wrist, the next he was standing in a small room with white walls and battered furniture. He sensed a human standing behind him and it only took a second to realize he'd been summoned. His hands clenched, but Nic didn't turn—he needed to get his rage under control first.

"Nic!"

Though it had been months since he'd last spoken with her, he recognized her voice and forgot his anger. Immediately, he pivoted and his breath caught. Kimi Noguchi was beautiful—more than beautiful. She was only about average height for a human female, but she'd fit against him perfectly; he was certain of that. Her legs were long, her body lithe, and although her curves weren't overly generous, she was sexy. He took in her stubborn chin, imagined kissing her full lips, then began to raise his gaze to the dark brown eyes that haunted his sleep. Something, however, stopped him midway.

Dropping his pack to the floor, Nic closed the distance between them and gently ran the backs of his fingers over the handprint on her cheek. "Who did this to you?" he demanded.

She pulled away from his touch. "My face isn't important."

"Someone caused you pain; nothing is more important."

She stepped nearer, pressed her body against his, and put her arms around his waist, holding him tightly. Nic returned her embrace, hoping this wasn't another dream, that he wouldn't awake again to find himself alone, his body aching for hers. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply, filling his senses with her scent. Everything about Kimi aroused him—the warmth of her skin, the swell of her breasts, even the soft sound of her respiration—and he steeped himself in her, wanting to memorize each sensation.

"Nic," Kimi whispered, her breath tickling his ear, "I'm in trouble. Will you help me?"

He suspected that the summoning wouldn't offer him a choice, but it didn't matter; Nic would willingly give his life to protect this woman. "Of course," he said simply.

"You don't know what the problem is yet." Kimi leaned back far enough to meet his eyes, but she didn't release him.

"No doubt it has something to do with the man who left his mark on your skin. Or werewolf. Or vampire." And Nic would gladly kill any such bastard for daring to cause Kimi even a moment of pain.

"Not a man. A demon. A Dark One."

His blood turned to ice at the thought of his woman facing a Dark One on her own. The Bak-Faru scared all other demons, most of whom refused to even use the name of that branch for fear of catching their notice. A human would be wholly at their mercy. "What happened?"

Kimi told him, the words tripping out. Her story was nearly incoherent, but Nic didn't interrupt with questions. She was shaken and he let her talk, allowing her to share what she wanted in her own way. Her chin wobbled a couple of times, but her eyes remained dry, and when she finished, she buried her face against his throat again and clasped him firmly.

He let the silence stand, content at this point to offer comfort. Stroking his hand over her hair, Nic felt an odd sense of satisfaction—though he'd gone to great lengths to keep his distance from her, Kimi had called him when she needed help. She must sense the connection between them even though she was human.

"I'm glad you came to me instead of Mika," Nic said.

"I couldn't go to her for help; she and Conor are halfway around the world and would never get here in time."

Nic smirked at himself. He'd asked for that one. Of course Kimi would think of Mika first; the two women were close. That was why his half-sister had faced him down and demanded he keep his distance from her cousin. Proximity made the ties strengthen, and Mika knew that.

He sighed silently. Kimi Noguchi was his vishtau mate. Humans would call her his soul mate, but that was inaccurate because this bond went far beyond. It encompassed every level of being for demons, involved an overwhelming sexual desire, and it was only with such a mate that they could conceive children. Kimi wouldn't feel it as strongly as he did because she was human, but it would affect her to some degree as well. That was what Mika had pushed to avoid for a few years longer.

Nic's hand went still. His promise to his sister had been that he'd do his best to stay away from Kimi, and he'd kept his word; it was she who'd summoned him to her side. Which meant all bets were off. The circumstances were lousy and Nic hated the thought of his woman in danger, but the die was cast.

The time had come to claim his vishtau mate.

*** *** ***

Kimi couldn't believe Nic was holding her. She'd half expected him to push her away or walk out before she could tell him that she needed him, yet he'd done neither of those things.

"You're really going to help me?" she asked.

"Of course. Why would you doubt it?"

She levered herself away from his chest so she could glare into his eyes. "Maybe because of the way you've treated me. How many times did you disappear when you saw me coming?"

To her surprise, Nic laughed. The sound was deep, melodic, and made her tingle. He was gorgeous. Nicodemus no-last-name-because-demons-didn't-have-them was the best looking man—make that male—she'd ever seen. He was just over six feet: tall, but not too tall for her. The close-fitting jeans and black T-shirt he wore showed off his killer muscles, and Kimi wanted to run her hands over them. His dark hair was cut short enough that it stood up in places, and his eyes were laser blue—darker than most demons', but lighter than normal for a human and they were so piercing she could swear they saw deep inside her to places she'd never shown anyone.

It was his face, though, she found most appealing. His features were rugged, and while he wasn't as pretty as the dark demon she'd fought tonight, Kimi preferred Nic's rougher looks. The slight depression in his chin made her want to lean forward and press a kiss to that spot. It wasn't a cleft—it wasn't deep enough for that—but it added character. His cheekbones were high and sharp, his eyelashes were long, and with his dark brows, his eyes stood out more. Without thinking, Kimi stroked his stubbled jaw.

She thought she saw a flash of red in his eyes, but when she looked closer, she detected nothing out of the ordinary. Kimi lowered her hand and cleared her throat.

"Why did you go out of your way to avoid me? You even disappeared after your mom's wedding party and no one would let me know where you were."

Tension came into his body: she felt it, and she knew Nic wasn't going to tell her the truth—at least not all of it.

"No one knew where I was," he said. "I'd told Mika and her father that I was going back to Orcus, but I changed my mind and decided to explore the human world."

"And you dodged me because...?"

Nic shook his head, as if amazed she had to ask. "Because of your age. You were too young when we met. You're still too young."

"I'm twenty. Not that much younger than you are."

He grinned and stepped away. "How old do you think
I
am?"

Kimi almost moved back into his arms, drawn by something she couldn't explain, but stopped herself and considered his question. He was Mika's older half-brother, so that gave her a frame of reference to work with, but she took a moment to study him. "Twenty-eight? Twenty-nine?"

Nic shook his head.

"You can't be thirty yet!"

He laughed again, and it was only then that Kimi realized she'd said that as if it were ancient. She blushed at her rudeness. Maybe he was thirty, but that was only ten years older than she was. "Sorry."

"No need." Nic sobered, and eyes locked with hers, he said, "I'm forty-six."

"No way!" He was lying or teasing her or something. Her uncle David was that age, and her dad only a few years older. Nic didn't look anywhere near as old as either of them.

"Yes way," he said with a grin. "Demons age differently than humans, and we're much longer-lived. Our average lifespan is a few hundred years."

Kimi mulled that over. It had to be true. Nic's mother didn't look old enough to have grown kids. She'd chalked that up to plastic surgery, but it made sense that demons aged more slowly. She hadn't thought about it. "I guess that means
I'm
too old for
you
, since I'll be dead a couple hundred years before you."

Nic looked startled, and then his lips curved. "An interesting perspective, but not entirely accurate."

She nodded. From watching her cousin, Kimi knew demon children grew to adulthood at about the same rate as human kids did, so what he meant was that he had more life experience. A lot more. But even if he were closer to her in age, they wouldn't have a common frame of reference anyway, since he'd lived in Orcus almost his entire life. As far as she was concerned, that meant the gap between them wasn't really an issue.

No, she had a different problem. She'd just learned she had power, that she was a kijo, and having sex with a demon would give him her magic. Kimi wasn't ready to lose what she'd barely begun to explore. Not that Nic had indicated he wanted to take her to bed, but there was something in his eyes that made her think he was done keeping his distance. Be careful what you wish for!

Taking a deep breath, Kimi reached up and ran both hands through her hair, pushing it behind her shoulders and out of her way. Nic's growl had her jerking to attention. His eyes were definitely glowing red. She backed up until she hit the wall.

Kimi fought the urge to flee as he stalked toward her, but she fought it. Nic wouldn't hurt her—Mika would kill him if he did—but he looked inhuman with his eyes that color. She almost squeaked when he reached for her, but all he did was lightly touch the mark on her shoulder.

"He bit you."

"Yes."

"Bastard," he said coldly. Nic lowered his hand. "Demons bite when they're sexually aroused."

"Are you warning me or informing me?"

"Both." As if sensing her unease, he moved away and Kimi drew a deep breath. "Are you up to answering some questions about the Dark One for me?"

"I told you what happened."

Nic dragged a hand through the top of his hair, making more of it stand on end. "Let me ask you something else. Have you been allowed free entry into Mika's home?"

"Do you mean, did she give me a key? No, she didn't." Kimi smiled. "I don't think she wanted to chance me walking in on her and Conor. They
are
newlyweds."

He didn't return her smile. "When I said entry, I meant does Mika invite you in or can you enter on your own?"

"They invite me in. Why?"

That answer didn't appear to make him happy. "Because McCabe has some damn formidable protection around his home and no one can enter without an invitation. I was hoping, though, that you had permanent permission. If you did, you could hole up there while I hunt the dark demon and I wouldn't have to worry about protecting you."

Kimi wasn't sure how she felt about his desire to get rid of her. Part of her never wanted to see the Dark One again: that side wanted to allow Nic to make it all better. Another part of her, however, rebelled at the idea of letting him fight her battle on his own. She belonged at Nic's side no matter what.

"I won't be a liability," Kimi said.

"You're human."

And human equaled hindrance in Nic's mind. "I put him on his ass once—don't underestimate me."