Demons (Darkness #4)(26)

“What are you doing here all alone?” His lust-filled notice raked down my body, blossoming fear and a crawling sensation where they lingered. “Don’t you know there are bad things that go bump in the night?”

Another man, slightly larger and twenty pounds heavier, stepped out beside him.

“Well, that’s lucky,” the second man said, his gaze traveling the same path. It lingered on my crotch. “I thought we would have to smoke a joint alone. Looks like we have a party.”

A sneer worked up the first man’s face. “Yes we do, and plenty to go around.”

My breath started to come out in fast pants. My fingers itched for my rape whistle. My warning butt pucker said run!

Once again, logic was late to the party.

Sasha, you moron, you have magic, remember?

I also had huge guys within screaming distance. Not to mention a mountain lion with a terrible sense of humor about being hit on. Yeah, I was safe. These guys, however…

I tried to quell the rising tide of panic, but a lifetime of knowing, with certainty, what happened when a woman got caught in the middle of the night, in a remote location, with two thugs that probably had arrest warrants, battered at my rational mind. With a thumping heart, I thought about what to do first—blast them with magic, or just call for Dominicous.

Before I could settle on a course of action, though, a third giant man stepped into the clearing. This one came with corded muscle running the length of his body, was coated with silver lines of battle scars, and had eyes brimming with undelivered death. Jonas. My butt puckered for an entirely different reason.

Jonas had just found a target for his building bad mood.

“Look, guys, this is a bad spot for you,” I warned.

“Is that right?” the nearest guy asked, stepping closer. I could see his body tightening, ready to make a grab for me. Waiting for me to run.

“No, seriously…” I pointed at Jonas.

The larger guy in back glanced back quickly, did a sweep right past Jonas with his gaze, and came back to me with a smirk. “I fell for it. But you didn’t run... Feeling lonely tonight? We can help with that…”

Damn logic and its constant dilly-dallying. Of course they couldn’t see Jonas. I’d spent a lifetime hiding the fact that I could.

“Right, okay, you guys—”

The guy in the front stepped forward, cutting me off. Immediately a spell found its way to my lips—I had no idea which one, but I was pretty sure it would be awful. My reflexes were fast, but never pretty.

As the words formed, the thug’s hand reaching for me, Jonas rushed into the clearing. However fast I was, he was lightning.

He snatched the thug’s hand out of the air and whipped it around. He grabbed the man’s throat and held him still while he bashed a fist into the thug’s face, all his force behind it. The man’s nose burst, blood gushing down his face.

“Ease up, Jonas. Let the cops have him,” I bleated.

His face a terrifying mask of rage, Jonas reached back to let another punch fly…but hesitated. His elbow, in the air, ground to a halt. He was defending one of his own, for his Boss, and every instinct in his body said kill. But I’d said stop.

“Ease up,” I said again, injecting a whip crack of command into my words.

Like cement drying, Jonas’ arm quivered where it had stopped. He exhaled slowly, shaking, holding his temper at bay. Following my command.

With a roar of frustration and awesome show of strength, he picked the guy up by his neck and nuts, and bodily threw him to the side. A splash of limbs landed and tumbled within the leaves, their owner long since knocked out.

Charles stepped into the clearing, watching the last remnants of limbs tumbling. Dominicous stepped in next to me, eyes surveying the magical site.

I had just witnessed Jonas taking it easy on someone. Picking them up and throwing them ten feet was him doing the right thing… His being on my side was a blessing and a curse at the same time. I had to remember to ask Stefan if he felt the same way.

A manic grin spread across Jonas’ face as his crazed gaze fell on the other stranger, currently standing with eyes so round they looked like golf balls. “This is your lucky day. Mage says I can’t kill you.”

Jonas heaved a sigh, letting the last of his rage simmer down. “Well, f**k it.”

He stepped forward. The man cowered down, throwing up his hands. I could just see his face peeping out, staring up at Jonas with wide, fear-filled eyes until a dreamy haze settled over his features. As Jonas reached him, the man had a pleasant, lust-filled smile.

“You’re not going to—”

Even as I said it, Jonas put a hand on the man’s shoulder and pushed. The man fell to his knees, eagerly reaching for Jonas’ zipper.

“I either need to beat someone to shit, or get a load off,” Jonas growled, the anger still lurking at the base of his words.

“Okay, no, I don’t care that he was going to do that to me—that’s not what we’re about—” A light touch on my shoulder stopped me.

“Your human sentimentalities between right and wrong as regards to sexual endeavors are different than ours,” Dominicous said softly. “To lead this clan, you have to understand this clan. You stopped your protector from killing, even though it was his right since his mage was assaulted. And you could stop him now, but denying him his every instinct will make him revolt. And this male, in particular, needs no pushing on that score.”