Dark Desires After Dusk (28 page)

“They did not!” Her gaze darted. “What if someone saw? Oh, God—”

“Relax, halfling. Humans will just think it's a trick of the light. If you brazen it out. Now let me see what you've got.”

He raised his brows at her new boots. “Very nice. But you only got two pairs? I was expecting credit card abuse and retaliatory shopping from you.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” He had several bags. “What did you get?”

“I'll show you over dinner.”

“Dinner? Do we have time?”

“I have to nourish my halfling, else she grows irritable. Besides, it'll take us five hours to drive, tops, and it's only six o'clock.”

“What do you expect me to eat in a restaurant? You know I have to have things prepackaged.”

“I've already put in an order. Just trust me.”

F
or fifteen years, Holly had been overdressed for fairly much everything. Now the demon had put her in jeans, then taken her to a posh restaurant.

As they sat waiting for their food, she wondered what he'd ordered for her. A tin of green beans? Maybe fruit cocktail? Or since this was a seafood restaurant, she'd probably get a can of tuna.

“So check out my loot,” Cadeon said as he dug into one of his bags. He'd removed his hat, shaking out his hair to cover his horns, and now looked insufferably gorgeous.

“Here.” He handed her two packages. “I got you a watch. You used to have a nice one.”

He'd noticed even that small detail?

“I got one, too,” he said.

Oh, yes, because he'd pulverized his in his fist earlier. “They're not . . . matching or anything, are they?”

“Holls, I'm a demon; I'm not a tool.”

“Oh, of course.” She accepted the box, raising her brows.
Cartier
.

She'd always steered clear of that brand because many of the watch styles were diamond-intensive. Not so good for her since she'd get entranced with each glance at the time.

When she opened the package, she almost smiled. Not a diamond in sight. Platinum, simple but elegant. Why
was he being so . . . thoughtful? “Cadeon, it's lovely, but really, this is too nice. I can't let you pay—”

“I'll expense it. Now, close your gab, and open the next one.”

She glowered, but did. Inside were . . . her glasses. Smitten Kitten. She blinked at him. “You're giving me my own glasses?”

“I had the lenses changed to clear. You said you couldn't think without them on, and you were getting headaches.”

Her lips parted as she donned them. Who was more supportive? Tim, who verbally encouraged her, or Cadeon, who made her work possible?

Stop comparing them!
Tim also didn't go and doff bar owners of the sexually insatiable demoness variety.

“They feel perfect. But, Cadeon, I'm turning back. My eyesight will go bad again.”

“Then get them changed again later. But for now, you've got work to do,” he said, adding gravely, “Holly, it's not like codes write themselves.” He handed her another bag. “Now, check out the coat I got for you.”

Reaching into the bag, she pulled out a small, formfitting ski jacket. “It's red.”

“It should be. You don't own anything red.” Again, he'd noticed.

She was surprised by his good taste, but still said, “It doesn't look very heavy.”

“New technology, halfling. This will keep you warm when it's twenty below. Just trust me. Besides, you're not feeling the cold as you used to, are you?”

“No, I guess not . . . .”

The server came with their drinks then: a beer for
Cadeon, and for her a chilled bottle of Perrier—unopened per Cadeon's request.

Once the man left to check on their order, she said, “Why are you always concerned about me eating?”

*   *   *

Cade exhaled, hating this part.
Because I'm not a good man, and I'm about to betray you in the cruelest way imaginable . . . .

It seemed to him like every moment of satisfaction with his female cost him another lie, digging himself deeper, ensuring there could be no forgiveness.

Block it out
. “Maybe your transition can be slowed if you held onto some human traits?”

She sighed. “I'm hungry less and less. I could easily see myself forgetting to eat altogether.”

“The change has already taken a foothold in you. I don't think you even realize how much stronger and quicker you're getting.”

She grew quiet for long moments, folding and refolding her napkin with her thin, nimble fingers. The ones that had been wrapped around his shaft mere hours ago. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“Cadeon . . .”

“What's on your mind?”

“I was just wondering . . . what's it like to live forever?”

Wearying.
Without a mate and family, it was so damned wearying. But he answered, “Living forever has it perks. Such as the not dying part. Are you thinking about signing on for immortality?”

“I don't know how to answer. I definitely see advantages to being a Valkyrie. But I don't want to be the Vessel.
I don't want to be
dead or bred
. And I don't know how I'd reconcile my current life with the change. What if I flashed an ear in class?”

“You'd be amazed how many Lorekind live among humans, and they never know it.”

She tilted her head. “Honestly, I'm not certain that I'd want to live forever . . . .” She trailed off when the server returned with their dishes.

For Cade: a twenty-ounce porterhouse. For her: bananas unpeeled and boiled eggs with their shells intact, accompanied by plastic ware, still in the wrapper.

She looked from her meal to his, her expression growing forlorn.

“You want some of my steak, don't you?”

She shook her head hard, clearly wanting some of his steak. “I still have . . . issues.”

“I know, I know. You like things untouched and still packaged.”

She frowned when the server returned with another plate for her, filled with lobster tails and uncracked crab legs.

When they were alone again, Cade said, “Behold, the ultimate in untouched and packaged foods. You can crack the shells yourself without any transference, then eat the meat with the plastic fork.”

She blinked at him. “Do you know how long it's been since I've had fresh seafood?” Then her lips curled into a smile.

Score another one for the demon.

*   *   *

“I'm a good date, aren't I?”

“If only you weren't so modest,” Holly replied outside
the restaurant. In truth, he
had
been a good date, creatively working with her quirks. And the dinner had been phenomenal.

He crossed to a garbage can, throwing the watch boxes away. From that distance, he turned and tossed something to her. “Think fast!” he said.

Was it shining?

A
diamond
ring.

Her wide-eyed gaze locked on it in the air, her hand shooting out to snare it.

She opened her palm, shivering with wonder. “What is this for?” she asked in a daze.

“Aversion training. Now you have to look away from it,” he said at her ear. When had he moved so close to her?

She hastily hooked her finger into the ring so he couldn't snatch it from her, but she couldn't look away.

“Break your stare.”

She shook her head irritably. He'd thrown it at her, but expected her to take her eyes from it?

“Look away, or I'll toss your laptop into that public trash bin over here. Imagine the germs teeming in there. You think the hard drive will even be salvageable?”

Holly started quaking with the effort to look away. “Don't . . . please!”

He covered her hand, then wrenched the ring from her clutching fingers.

The trance broken, she glared at him. “That wasn't funny!”

“Not meant to be. You need to practice with this, ten times a day if you have to. You have a vulnerability, poppet. A big one. You've got to overcome it.”

Though he was brusque and abrasive, he did seem to have her best interests at heart. She nibbled her lip. “The diamond was real, or I wouldn't have seized on it.” When he nodded, she said, “How much do mercenaries like yourself make these days?”

“I've got a fortune in gold. Ah, was that a flicker in your eye? Do you like me better now that you know I'm rich?” He curled his finger under her chin. “Because I'm all right with that.”

He gave her a brief kiss on the lips.

“Stop doing that!”

He kept sneaking kisses, treating her as if she was
his
girlfriend. Which flustered her. It did
not
excite her.

“Now, prepare yourself,” he said. “It's time for you to drive a really fast car.”

I
t's ideal for our purposes,” Cadeon said, gazing down the length of the highway.

It was deserted, looking like an abandoned airstrip through the forest, and was visible all the way to the mountains in the far distance. Old snow lay in clumps off to the side of the road, but the pavement was clear and dry.

“You're really going to let me drive?”

“Whose car is this?”

She answered, “Not ours.”

“Good girl.”

As he pulled over, she surveyed the area. The forest was lit by the waning moon, the sky clear. “I can't believe I'm all the way up in northern Michigan, and there's no real showing of snow.”

“Maybe so, but now you get to see the northern lights.”

“No way! Where? I don't see them—which way are they?”

He pointed to the left, just above the tree line. “There's your Aurora Borealis.”

Her gaze followed, and she gasped. Shimmering violet lights danced against the black sky. As they swirled, they alternately obscured, then highlighted the moon and stars.

Seeing this made her heart sing, and she murmured, “So lovely.”

“Legend held that the Valkyrie created the lights.”