Demons Like It Hot (Demons Unleashed #2)(30)

He didn’t know which was worse.

“I only touched you, Serah.”

Her gaze burned a hole in his already blackened heart. “Then don’t touch me again.”

“I can’t guarantee that, and you know it. It’s my duty as your bodyguard to protect you—and if it requires touching”—he paused and narrowed his gaze—“then so be it.”

She turned and stormed away from him, hand still firmly clasping the locket. “Well, pray you don’t have to,” she said with an exasperated breath and a dramatic flip of her hair.

Matthias turned to Minerva. Not only was the goddess wise, she was known for her candor. He would get to the bottom of this one way or the other.

“So why is this necklace so important, other than belonging to her grandmother?”

This evening, however, candor was fleeting. Minerva shrugged and twirled a golden lock around her manicured finger. “That is for Serah to find out. When she accepts her destiny, all will be revealed.”

“Destinies are overrated.” Serah grumbled, frustrated by the clasp she was fumbling with.

“A little help?” she asked in a huff.

Minerva shook her head. “Once the locket is in your hands, I cannot touch it. Bad things will happen.”

Serah arched a brow. “What sort of things?”

“Let’s just say a disaster of biblical proportions.” Minerva plopped down into her chair and propped her elbows on the table. “Only the pure and those who have been blessed can touch it now.” Minerva flashed a cryptic smile. “Matthias will have to do the honors.”

Just one touch could be his downfall. Minerva was too wise for her own good. He crossed his arms. “She doesn’t want me to touch her.” And to be honest, he didn’t need the drama that would come from that touch, nor the excitement. But that animal deep inside him wanted it. Badly.

She was a Pure-Blood, and he was a demon. It was a union destined for disaster. He might not have been Infernati, but he wasn’t all that good either. As a mercenary, he straddled the line of good and evil. One wrong move, and he could have chosen the path of his mentor. He restrained his cringe. He would not join Bal—in this life or the next. Even the farce of a blessing he received from a not-so-innocent angel straddled the line of good and evil.

“Damn it!” Serah’s grumble pulled him from his thoughts. Arms twisting behind her neck like a contortionist, she struggled with the necklace. “Fine—please help?” Her reluctant request matched the unease swirling in her gaze. Then again, could he really blame her?

With slow, meticulous steps he came to stand behind her. Far enough away to prevent any discomfort. He flashed a surreptitious glance downwards. Well, discomfort for her, at least.

She turned to meet his gaze and thrust the necklace at him. With just as quick a spin, she turned back around and gathered her mass of curls in her hands, baring that beautiful, porcelain neck. Ahh, hell. This was not going to be easy.

He inched closer. Who knew assisting a woman with a simple bauble could be so difficult? Then again, this bauble was anything but. And this woman—well she wasn’t simple either. Difficult, stubborn, and too sexy for her own damn good.

“I’ll keep the touching minimal,” he whispered in her ear as he quickly swept a stray hair away from her neck.

She stiffened, a tiny gasp escaping her lips. “Just hurry,” she said with a ragged breath. Oh hell. His blood was ready to boil.

“Awkward,” Minerva said, obviously amused at the reaction. Chin perched on her godly hands, she flashed an all-too-knowing smile. Were they pawns in a bizarre game of amusement? Then again, she was a goddess. Humans and demons alike had always been a source of amusement for the gods. They certainly enjoyed their sport. He imagined it would be the same now, even with their fleeting numbers.

“I fail to see the enjoyment in watching such a mundane task as clasping a necklace.”

Minerva shrugged. “You would, Matthias.” She lowered her hands to the table and stretched back in her chair. “We gods could find amusement in watching paint dry if we wanted.”

“That doesn’t surprise me at all.” He turned back to Serah’s neck, the pulse at the base of her throat tempting him to lower his head and trace the contours with his tongue. Like he had several months ago.

Who knew someone so pure could tempt even a demon?

This was becoming an obsession. Even when she wasn’t near, she always managed to seep into his dreams and drive him mad with desire. And in those dreams, he was less than gentlemanly. A Pure-Blood was innocent and deserved better.

And dreams like that were better not to come true.

With an abrupt grunt, he placed the necklace around her neck, and clasped it shut. And just as abruptly he let the chain fall against her neck. “There.” He turned to glance at the clock on the far wall. Nearly ten at night.

The stench of Balthazar still clung to the air. Leave it to Balthazar to still linger. Balthazar was never one to give up when he wanted something. Persistence—one of his better traits. At least that part of him had stayed intact. “Got anything that can get us to Serah’s without running into Balthazar’s wretched claws?”

“I have many tricks up my sleeves.” Minerva fluttered her gauze-draped sleeves and arose. With a smirk, she winked at Serah. “Then again, so do you. Claim your destiny.”