Wicked Burn (Realm Enforcers #3)(4)

She wasn’t the same wide-eyed girl he’d played with before. It had taken years, but she was as tough as they came, and she could handle him. “Let me go.” She leaned up to hiss in his ear while allowing plasma to course along her hands. Creating flames out of oxygen calmed her.

The fire bit into the back of his dark shirt, and smoke rose.

“Dammit, Simone,” he bit back, swerving to avoid a school bus.

She allowed the fire to dissipate. Burning him held little appeal at the moment, with him driving and her life in his hands. But the sight of the perfect handprints burned into his shirt made her smile.

Leaning into him, she allowed herself just one moment to feel. The chill of a Seattle morning, still misty and damp, had no power over the warmth from the demon. Firm lines and smooth muscle filled her palms. It had been over a century since she’d touched him, and if anything, he felt harder than ever. Streamlined and tough.

As a soldier, he was unbeatable . . . but his true strength lay in strategy. Zane Kyllwood now ruled the demon nation because Nicholai Veis had protected, groomed, and then defended him until it was time to take over.

There was a moment, centuries ago, when she had believed that Nick would sacrifice his entire future for her. How wrong she’d been, and there was no going back. Even now, with peace ruling, Nick was one cold bastard.

“You’re out of my life,” Simone whispered, more to herself than to the warrior.

He stiffened and turned his head to the side, deftly driving around a series of potholes. “No, I’m not, and you’d better get used to that fact right now.”

Why the hell was he doing this? She opened her mouth to say something, anything, when a flash of silver caught her eye, and a black SUV careened out of the nearest alley.

The Guard had found her.





Nick hit the brakes, dodged around a honking compact car, and gunned the engine. The bike leaped forward with a growl of power.

His nape tickled, and he focused on the moment.

The SUV veered left behind him, fully visible and making a move.

Not good. Totally not good in a f*cked way. Witches were masterminds at dropping nets on prey, and if they were showing themselves, they’d already created a nice little trap in downtown Seattle.

He’d rushed right into it the second he’d gotten the call that Simone was in danger.

He increased his speed, and a woman with an armful of shopping bags screamed and jumped out of his way. The tension from the woman holding him so tightly ratcheted up his heart rate, so he took a deep breath and allowed his body to relax, banishing all emotion.

Another SUV tore away from the curb, nearly clipping his back tire.

He sped up, and towering buildings blurred together on both sides of the street. Not one of his sources had reported Guard members entering the country, so they’d flown in under the radar. The witch Enforcers were unaware of their presence, and there was no way to interpret that as a good thing, considering the Enforcers and Guard usually worked in tandem.

Nick allowed adrenaline to flood his system, effectively sharpening his reflexes and senses. A whir above him stiffened his shoulders. A Black Hawk? The Guard had gone all out.

The helicopter maneuvered gracefully through the buildings, keeping above him, tracking easily.

Honking cars and screeching brakes pierced the day behind him as the SUVs kept pace.

“Pull over,” Simone hissed into his ear. “We can’t outrun them.”

No, but perhaps they could get to safety of a sort. Even the Guard wouldn’t risk a full immortal fight with human witnesses. So he kept driving, avoiding a wreck, knowing full well the risk he took.

The skyscrapers turned to three-story buildings. Then homes. Finally, trees began lining both sides of the road and filling the air with the scent of pine.

“Where are you going?” Simone whispered against his ear, her breath hot.

A shiver wound through his body to his groin. Jesus. He was about to take on a cadre of witches, and his cock wanted to play? Simone Brightston had always destroyed his system.

It was a relief to know that she still could. In his darkest moments, he’d wondered whether he’d ever find his way back to warmth. “I have a cabin prepared for you.” At least then, they’d have a chance.

The roar of pipes echoed through the trees, and within seconds, men on careening Harleys and dirt bikes surrounded them.

Nick hunched over the bike. “Hold on,” he yelled.

Her thighs tightened on his, and she slipped both arms around his waist to hug tight.

Two men moved in on either side of them, and he smelled shifter. What the hell? Turning, he eyed the closest threat. Lucas Bryant? A grizzly bear lieutenant? What the f*ck?

Lucas narrowed his dark eyes and jerked his head toward the rider on the other side.

Nick glanced the other way to see another man draw a gun from his jeans. The shifter smiled.

Nick shook his head.

The shifter lowered the gun toward Nick’s front tire.

Damn it. Nick leaned to the left and kicked out with his right leg, hitting the guy in the ribs. The male’s eyes widened, and he flew off his bike with an animalistic bellow, his bike dropping and spinning around in his wake.

Nick yanked to the side, swerved to avoid the shifter’s head, and drove straight into the forest.

Simone screamed and tucked her face against his neck, her hold tightening until his ribs protested.