Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 109033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
“Iain held out against me and Belial, but that was more to stubbornly get across that he believed himself to be right in all he claimed. His entity may have more success with him. He doesn’t want to die; he will if his demon takes over. I can’t allow a rogue to live unless I keep them permanently in my vault.”
“Which is no life.”
“Exactly. The demon wouldn’t wish for such an existence anyway.”
She sighed. “It must really be pissed at Iain to pull this move.” A person’s inner entity wouldn’t easily do something that would upset them.
“Oh, it is. It’s very sure he’s fooling himself, and it doesn’t like that vein of weakness in him.” Luka draped an arm over the back of the sofa. “Has no other man taken so long to snap out of their obsession with you?”
She shook her head. “My song affected Iain on a level that it didn’t others. I keep wondering if maybe I should have reported the problem to Jolene sooner; if he would have shaken it off by now if you’d intervened at an earlier point.”
“Either way, you still hold no blame here.”
“It sucks that sirens have no way to unravel the metaphorical spells we unintentionally weave over people. It doesn’t seem fair that we don’t have that inborn power.”
“Ella did attempt to find a literal spell that would release Iain from your song’s thrall. Unfortunately, none exists.”
Kind of curious about his relationship with his anchor, she asked, “How did you first meet Ella?”
“I needed new wards for Infernal—the others were suffering from wear and tear. I heard she was the best at constructing them. I wanted the best. While she was outside the club building wards, I telepathed her from inside to ask how long she’d be. As soon as our psyches touched, I knew she was my anchor.” He paused. “What about you and Tobe?”
“I’ve known him since we were kids, but we never had cause to touch minds until one day eight years ago. He’d telepathically reached out to tell me to be careful; that I was being followed.”
Luka tensed, squinted slightly. “Followed?”
“It was an ex. I dealt with it. Haven’t seen him since.” Naomi paused. “Has Tobe contacted you at all?”
“No. Why?”
She gave a stiff shrug. “No reason.”
“Let me guess . . . he isn’t pleased that you’re in my bed, and you’re worried that he’ll eventually come to me about it?”
“It’s not a jealousy thing, if that’s what you’re wondering. He’s just hyper-protective, and you’re a man with a whole lot of enemies.”
“He thinks you’d be safer away from me and that you can do better?”
“Yes, pretty much. Why are you half smiling?”
“I said similar things to Ella regarding Viper.” Luka thought it ironic that he’d now be hearing the same said of him. “I didn’t want Viper in the picture. He and I had some unpleasant conversations in the beginning.” As such, Luka really wouldn’t be able to judge Tobe if he did choose to make his reservations clear in person. “Ella’s mother and aunt weren’t crazy about her involvement with him either. Are your family on the same page as Tobe regarding me?”
“My mom isn’t bothered by it. My stepfather has his reservations but only spoke of them once.”
Luka twined a strand of her hair around his finger. “He runs the pizzeria where you work, right?”
“Right.”
“You live an unusually quiet life for an imp.” Even he had heard the note of suspicion in his voice, so it was no surprise that she stiffened. “Why do you only work part-time?”
Her casual shrug seemed a little forced. “Alfie doesn’t need me full-time.”
“Hmm,” Luka responded. “Is that the only reason?”
“Why? What’s with all the questions?”
He blinked at her defensive tone. “I want to know you.” He almost smiled at how she eyed him, wary and uncertain. That was Naomi, he’d come to learn. Always cautious of people’s motivations.
“Why?”
“Because,” he replied simply.
He couldn’t pinpoint why curiosity clawed at him often around this she-demon. He’d known many women. Bedded many women. Until her, none had intrigued him beyond a surface level. He found himself wanting to pierce the guardedness she wore like a layer of perfume.
It was really no wonder that his defenses had steadily grown to read her as a threat. She was . . . not quite under his skin, but scratching at it, demanding entry. An uncomfortable feeling. “I didn’t anticipate that you would matter to me, but you do.”
She swallowed. “Maybe you’re just caught up in the siren spell.”
“You know that isn’t true. You’d be able to tell if I was.” It would be a lie to say that her song hadn’t impacted him. The pull she gave off was pure sexual magnetism, so it had of course contributed to his attraction to her. But she was so beautiful, sensual, and compellingly self-assured that she would have snatched his attention with or without it.