Bound By Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #8)(7)

“Then what do you need from me?” she snapped.

“I’m a Sylvermyst.”

“Yeah, I got the memo.”

His brow arched at her foul temper. “Did the memo also include the fact that I’m not the most popular demon on the block?”

“I figured that out all on my own.” She bared her fangs. “Did you want me to kill you and put you out of your misery?”

He prowled back toward her, halting just out of reach.

Clever fairy.

“Actually, poppet, I want you to keep me alive.”

Ariyal watched as Jaelyn narrowed her eyes in genuine confusion.

“You said nothing could find us here,” she reminded him, her eyes closing as she no doubt used her Hunter senses to search through the vast, broken palace and across the large island. She muttered a curse, wrenching open her eyes, and Ariyal easily guessed that the swirling mists were screwing with her powers. They were a genuine pain in the ass. “Is there an enemy on the island?”

He sucked in a deep breath, his body instantly hardening at the biting scent of female power. A shudder raced through him. What was it about this female?

She had the tongue of a viper, the temper of a pregnant harpy, and worst of all, she was a damned leech.

But there was no denying that she set him on fire.

“No, we’re completely alone,” he said, reluctantly shoving aside the vivid fantasies that threatened to derail his plans for the day. “But as much as I might like to stay here and play, I have to find Tearloch before he can resurrect the Dark Lord. Once I leave the mists I’m going to be the target of every damned demon who wants to mount my head on their trophy wall.”

“I’m a Hunter, not a magician,” she mocked. “I can’t perform miracles.”

He heaved a sigh. Hell, he should have bargained for the sex.

“There’s only a handful of demons who would dare to try and challenge me, and most I can defeat even if I’m outnumbered.”

She made a sound of disgust. “Arrogant.”

“No, it’s the simple truth.” He met her gaze squarely. “And I’m willing to admit that I’m not invulnerable. I won’t allow pride to stop me from bartering for someone to guard my back while I’m busy stopping the apocalypse.”

“What makes you think I won’t plant a knife in your back instead of protecting it?”

Excellent question.

Not quite as excellent as questioning why the hell he had offered the dumb-ass bargain to begin with.

Granted, he was the equivalent of Kim Jong-il among the demon world, but he possessed the skill to travel without attracting unwanted attention. And he hadn’t boasted of his power to overcome all but a rare few enemies. With any luck at all he could retrieve Tearloch and the babe before anyone realized what was happening.

The last thing he needed was to drag along a feral vampire who distracted him on a cellular level.

But the thought of leaving without her, or worse, allowing her to simply walk away, was unacceptable.

“Because the good guys are so disgustingly concerned with their honor.” A self-derisive smile twisted his lips. “Once you give your word you won’t be able to break it.”

Her beautiful face was unreadable as she stood with that eerie stillness that only a vampire could achieve.

“You’ve forgotten one important point.”

“And that is?”

“I’ve already given my word to the Oracles and more importantly, the Addonexus has already been paid for my services. They own my loyalty.” The indigo eyes had frosted over, hiding the passion that burned beneath. That was fine. He knew it was there, just waiting for him. “At least until the job is done.”

He shook off the warning. The reason the rulers of the demon world had contributed the money and effort to hiring a Hunter to capture him was yet another thing he wasn’t going to burn any brain cells on.

If he didn’t intend to get caught, then what did it matter?

“The job ended the moment I pulled you through the portal,” he informed her, reaching to wrap a strand of her black hair around his finger. “I won and now you’re in my power.”

She jerked her head back, and Ariyal swallowed a groan at the feel of the cool silk of her hair moving against his skin. Just the thought of being naked with Jaelyn saddling his hips and that ebony mane brushing his chest was enough to make him painfully hard.

“You haven’t won until I’m dead,” she hissed.

“Now that would be a waste.” His brooding gaze lowered to the full lips that could send a man to paradise. “Accept my bargain, Jaelyn, and make both of us happy.”

If he hadn’t possessed the heightened senses of a powerful fey, he wouldn’t have caught the dilation of her eyes, or the faint flare of her nostrils as she reacted to the scent of his desire.

“ No.”

“Then you will remain my prisoner.”

“You can’t hold me captive forever.”

He couldn’t help but smile at her unmitigated arrogance. Typical leech.

No, not typical, a voice whispered in the back of his head.

Even among vampires she was ... astonishing. Special.

“You might manage to free yourself from the chains, but you can’t escape Avalon.” He nodded his head to the thick mists that were visible through the heavily shaded window. “And there’s something else you should know.”