Threats might not, but what if those demons got ahold of her? What if they caught her when he wasn’t around, when he couldn’t protect her?
But she burned out a demon once, he reminded himself. She burned out the guy who’d tried to attack her-
And nearly wound up in a coma.
No, the doc wasn’t cut out for fighting demons or shifters.
But she was in this thing now. The demons knew about her involvement.
"It’s only going to get rougher from now on," he warned. The closer they got to the killer, the more dangerous the situation would become.
"I know." Simple, clear words. No hint of fear.
He held out his hand to her, palm up. She glanced down at his offered hand for a moment, her brows wrinkling. Then slowly, very slowly, she placed her palm against his.
His fingers instantly curled around hers. "You ready for everything that’s going to happen?" And he wasn’t just talking about the case. About the danger. He was talking about them. About the hot tension he felt every second he was with her.
Emily gave a brief nod. "You’re going to need me, every step of the way."
Oh, he didn’t doubt that. His body was already hard with need for her. The leftover battle-ready tension still coursed through him.
But she was right about the case too. Whether he liked it or not-and he most definitely did not-he needed her special gift to unmask the killer.
Together, they’d keep hunting the Night Butcher. Be partners, of a sort.
He’d make absolutely certain he watched her back. At all times.
The uniforms were talking quietly behind them. The siren no longer blared into the night, but the blue and white lights still lit the alley with a swirl of color.
He wanted to get the doc alone. Wanted to get her out of that damn smelly alley. Wanted to get her home, where she’d be safe.
Where he could hold her, strip her. Take her.
He’d leashed the beast when the uniforms arrived. Managed to stop the shift. But the adrenaline in his body was running thick and hard through his veins, and it was feeding the monster. Making it stronger. Making it want, making it need…
Emily.
His fingers tightened around hers. It was definitely time to call it a night. While he still could. "Come on," he muttered, "let’s get the hell out of here." They could talk to the cops more later.
Emily glanced back along the alley. A small shiver worked its way over her body. Colin fought the urge to pull her against him, to warm her, to hold her.
Don’t want the uniforms to see me do that. Gossip spreads in the PD like wildfire.
"The other person I sensed-" Emily bit her lip for a moment. "He was strong, Colin. Very strong."
"Was he a demon?" She’d mentioned Niol before. Had it been him? Had he been angry that they’d invaded his precious club? Had he sent his errand boys to try and give them a scare?
"Yes. A level ten, at least."
Again with the levels. He still wasn’t sure what that meant, but he figured there was no way being a level-ten demon could be a good thing.
He needed to learn more about the demon world, and he needed to learn fast.
Colin started walking toward his Jeep, pulling Emily along with him. He couldn’t see his vehicle, and he sure hoped the demons hadn’t trashed his ride.
"Hey, Detective Gyth, wait, we need to-"
Colin threw a hard look over his shoulder. "I’ll call the station," he snapped, cutting across the uniform’s words. They’d been out in the open long enough. He wanted to get the doc to safety, and he wanted to get some answers from her.
"We need your statements, you just can’t-"
"Yeah, I can." He kept walking. Giving a statement wasn’t exactly his top priority right then. He needed to be careful what he revealed to the other cops. It wasn’t like he could just say that a couple of demons had roughed him up.
The last time he’d tried talking about the Other, his partner hadn’t taken it well.
No, Mike hadn’t taken the situation at all well.
And when Colin had shifted, hoping to prove to his partner that his words were true, well, then things had truly gone to hell.
Because Mike, the guy who’d watched his back on the street, the guy who’d graduated by his side at the academy, had pulled his gun and tried to kill him.
Sometimes folks just didn’t take well to the truth.
So lying was the only option.
It was a pity that a cop had to lie. But, well, lying was better than dying.
It was a philosophy that worked for him.
They rounded the street corner. The Jeep was waiting, not a scratch on it.
Colin exhaled a rough sigh of relief. He opened the passenger door for Emily, ushering her inside. He wanted to get out of that neighborhood, fast.
But he’d be back. He planned to come back and have a nice, long chat with Niol.
He didn’t trust the demon, not for a minute.
Colin hurried around the Jeep and jumped inside. A patrol car cruised past him. Good. At least backup had arrived and they were searching for the perps.
Though it was doubtful they’d find the bastards.
He drove quickly through the night. Traffic was slim, the streets dark. Emily sat quietly beside him, but he could practically feel the hum of her thoughts.
He turned off the interstate, took a left at the stoplight.
"What the hell are you doing?" Emily had finally snapped out of her reverie. "This isn’t the way to my house!"
No, it wasn’t. Colin shifted easily and kept driving. "I’m not taking you home tonight." It’d be too dangerous. Those demons could be waiting for her.
Definitely not a risk he was willing to take.
Besides, he wanted her with him, wanted-
"Then where are you taking me?" From the corner of his eye, he saw her fingers clenching around the door handle.
"Relax, Doc."
"Where. Are. You. Taking. Me."
"My place."
"The hell you are!" He heard the faint scrape of her nails digging into the upholstery. "Turn this Jeep around and take me home."
"Sorry, Doc, no can do." Not that he wanted to, anyway. "In case you’ve forgotten, there are demons after us."
"I haven’t forgotten-"
"And as an officer on the Atlanta PD, it’s my responsibility to keep you safe." Oh, that sounded good. And it was true, mostly.
He did want to keep her safe.
He also wanted her.
So whether the doc liked it or not, she was going home with him.
And once they got to his place, well, what happened next would be entirely up to her.
Chapter 6
"You’re playing He-man again," Emily muttered as she paced in front of the fireplace. She would not admit, would not, that she actually liked his place. Liked the homey, relaxed feel of the wooden house.
Colin had gone all king-of-the-jungle on her again. Hadn’t asked if she wanted to spend the night at his place. No, he’d done the whole I’m-a-man-I’ll-keep-you-safe routine on her. It made her want to scream.
"In case you’ve forgotten," she snapped, "I saved your ass tonight."
"And I saved yours." He was leaning against the fireplace mantel, his arms crossed over his chest. "Guess that makes us even."
"Even?" Not in her book. She hadn’t kidnapped him.
"Relax, Doc. You can go back to your nice house tomorrow. But I can’t let you leave tonight. It’s too dangerous."
"And it won’t be dangerous tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow those bastards might not be on the street. The uniforms could pick them up tonight." He stared at her, his blue gaze hard and determined. "Get used to the idea, Doc; you’re staying here."
If she wanted, she could leave. She could stomp out of the house, use her cell phone, and call for a taxi to take her home. She didn’t have to listen to Colin, but…dammit, he was right. It was safer for her to stay at his place for the night. Until they found out who’d sent those goons after them, it made sense to stick together, but she didn’t have to like the situation.