A Dangerous Hunger: (The Sentinel Demons) (4 page)

“For a man who doesn’t want a
radiant
, you sound awfully concerned,” Kristoff answered wryly.

Drew tried to explain. “She’s beautiful, intelligent, and gifted. I don’t understand why she’s supposed to be mine.” He honestly didn’t get it, but somewhere deep inside him, she was already his, whether he was worthy of her or not.

Mine! My radiant.

“She has her own insecurities, Drew.”

He knew that. Drew could read Talia’s thoughts and see her memories. Granted, he’d only had a brief glimpse, but what he had seen troubled him. She hadn’t seen much happiness in her twenty-nine years on this earth, and he wanted desperately to change that.

Talia was nearly completely awake now, and Drew could sense her distress. “I’m outta here. She needs me.”

Drew disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving Kristoff alone in his massive living room. Staring at the spot from which Drew had just disappeared, Kristoff mumbled, “That she does, my friend. More than you know. Take care of her.” Kristoff let out a masculine sigh and went to pour himself another drink.

Drew flashed into his bedroom only to find Talia out of his bed and not in the room. His heart skipped a beat, but he didn’t completely panic. He knew she was close, probably still in the house. He could feel her.

Talia!
He sent her a mental message as well as roaring it aloud. He reached out with his senses, waiting until he located her and flashed to her location.

She was in the living room, dashing from one corner to another, obviously looking for something.

“Talia? What are you doing?” She looked panicked and upset, so he tried to keep his voice calm, even though seeing her in any kind of distress made him half crazy.

She whirled around to face him, her desolation showing on her face. “I need a computer, Drew. And my notes. Please.”

It only took an instant for Drew to sense her pain. Her as yet inexplicable desire for knowledge about the demons was tearing her up, and he couldn’t bear to see her suffering this much worry and pain. “Stop, Talia!” he commanded, striding across the room and taking her gently by the shoulders. “I can tell you everything you want to know. I’m better than a computer and your notes.” He scooped her up into his arms. Seating himself on his leather couch, he pulled her head against his chest and gently rocked her. “Calm down now. Tell me what you need to know and I’ll help you.” Her whole body was trembling, her brain darting from question to question. “Sort it all out, Talia. What do you need to know first?”

Talia squirmed on his lap, and then finally let her head slump against his chest with a relieved sigh. “I need to know if what I’ve documented so far is correct,” she mumbled frantically against his chest. “Was it accurate? Is that how the creation really happened? Is everything believed to be mythology actually reality?”

“Yes. It was all correct,” Drew answered. In fact, it was terrifyingly accurate. He was surprised she had been able to piece that much information together. Then again, Talia was brilliant, and her mind functioned in a way that humbled him.

“Are you human or demon when you become a Sentinel?” Talia shot out her next question as soon as Drew answered. “You obviously aren’t one of the ancient Sentinels, so you must have been converted like Hunter.”

“Both, I suppose,” he said thoughtfully. “Although I’m demon, the Sentinels have evolved, living in the human world, developing human traits. Not so hard to believe considering most of us were human at one time and we still appear as we did when we were human. We become demon after we’re recruited as a human and changed, but we’ve developed humanity, so we really have two parts—the man and the demon. Most of the time our humanity can control the demon
,
except in certain circumstances.”

Talia continued to shoot out question after question, and Drew answered every one of them, trying to explain the role of every Sentinel, and the traits of the Evils. He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt her frenzy begin to dissipate and her pain disappearing after he answered what seemed like a million questions.

Finally, she asked hesitantly, “Tell me about
radiants.”

He stroked her silky hair as he answered. “Sentinels have souls, but they’re dark and always remain that way unless they find their
radiant.
And when they find their
radiant
, they have a very hard time controlling their demon side.”

“Why?” she asked curiously, the panic attack gone, replaced by simple curiosity, which Drew knew Talia had in abundance. She was too intelligent not to be incredibly inquisitive.

“Mating behavior is completely elemental, totally demon and incredibly strong. The demon eventually takes control because it’s driven by a basic instinct so dominant that it triumphs over our developed humanity.”

“What about love? Is it just need, or do mates truly love each other?”

Drew hesitated, knowing he was going to have a hard time explaining her question. “
Radiant
matching is mystical, two souls that were meant to be together. I think it goes deeper than human love. It’s magical. But I’ve never seen mates who weren’t madly in love, too.”

“How do you know I’m your
radiant
? Maybe it’s all a mistake—”

“No mistake,” Drew growled, shifting her body slightly to relieve the pressure on his throbbing cock. While Talia had needed him to relieve her pain and distress, he’d been able to control his demon. But he was rapidly losing the battle to keep his demon instincts in check. “You were meant to be mine. I felt it almost immediately when we met. A small light ignited in my soul, and it grows brighter every moment I’m with you.”

“I find it hard to believe you really find me physically attractive. I’m not, you know.” She pulled her head back, tilting it slightly as she looked at him candidly.

“To me, you’re absolute perfection. I see you through the eyes of your mate, and you’re the most irresistible woman on the planet and always will be to me,” Drew told her honestly, unable to comprehend that she didn’t see her own desirability. “I’ll never want another woman. A Sentinel never feels physical desire for another female after he meets his
radiant
.” Really, Drew wasn’t certain he’d even felt real desire. Sure, he fucked. But he’d never felt this kind of need, a wanting that went way beyond screwing, although his desperation to join with her physically was becoming more and more excruciating. And his need to shield and protect her was overwhelming. Kristoff had been right. Talia’s inquisitive nature and lack of fear terrified the hell out of him. It was dangerous for her, and somehow, his role as the one to safeguard her against anything that would bring her harm was his strongest instinct.

Talia frowned at him. “I’m a freak, Drew. I always have been. There isn’t anything remotely attractive about me. I’m too tall, too plain, too awkward…which adds up to being physically undesirable.” Her tone was matter-of-fact, as though she were just stating research data.

Drew’s demon rose within him in a protective, possessive fury. He remembered a few of her memories that he had seen, all of them leaving Talia feeling as if she were unlovable. Unable to contain the way he felt about her for another second, he let her slide off his lap and onto her back on the couch. He was on her in an instant, his body holding hers prisoner beneath him. “Don’t ever say that again. There’s not a damn thing wrong with you. Not one single flaw. In fact, I have no idea how we were paired. I shouldn’t have a woman like you. But the fact is…you are my
radiant
for a reason, and I think that reason is because you need me to protect you, because God knows I want to keep you safe more than I’ve ever wanted to be a guardian to anyone. And you don’t seem to have any sense of self-preservation.” Drew nearly groaned as she licked her plump, succulent lips nervously as she gazed at him in confusion. “Why are you constantly putting yourself down?” he asked her huskily, mesmerized by the emerald green of her eyes.

“Maybe because I’m used to it, because everyone else except my mother always did,” Talia answered breathlessly. “People don’t take care of me, Drew. People make fun of me.” She turned her head away from him, hiding her expression. “The only person I ever trusted was my mom, but I don’t have a lot of memories of her taking care of me. She was sick for a long time, and I took care of her. I went to college mostly on scholarships, living at home with her until she died. She loved me, but I mostly took care of her.” Talia sighed softly before continuing, “After she died, I moved to Idaho. I mostly just wanted an isolated place where I could work and be alone. And that’s what I did. Every day, I get up and research. I don’t really know a soul in town. But I was okay with that. It was better than being ridiculed. I get up, I work, I go to bed. That’s me. That’s my life. It isn’t that I don’t know fear, but I guess the fact that if I was gone from the earth tomorrow, not a single person would even notice, and that makes dying insignificant to me. Who would care? Who would ever notice except my cat?”

Drew’s heart splintered as he listened to her words, spoken in such a matter-of-fact tone that it made it even harder to bear. Talia wasn’t feeling sorry for herself, or being dramatic. This was really how she felt, what she’d experienced in her short life. “I’d care,
mo stór
,” Drew answered, slipping unconsciously into his native Gaelic terms of endearment. Talia’s sense of aloneness just amplified his protectiveness, his need to make sure she was never vulnerable again.
“
Beidh mé tú a chosaint,
” Drew said adamantly, vowing to protect her.

Talia looked back at him, her brow furrowing in concentration. “I can’t translate Gaelic,” she murmured, obviously annoyed that she couldn’t.

“Ah…a language that you actually can’t translate, Dr. Maris?” Drew smiled down at her, waves of fierce possessiveness pounding at him. “It simply means that I’ll protect you. I think it’s way past time that somebody did. And I doubt I could stop myself anyway. I want to be your champion, Talia, the man you look to when you need anything.”

“I don’t look to anyone,” she admitted softly. “I never really have.”

“You will,” Drew replied stubbornly. Stroking her brow, he tried to erase the confusion from her face. “Can you honestly say that you don’t feel the connection between us?”

Bloody hell. Say you do!
Drew needed her to feel at least a small amount of the elemental desires he was experiencing.

“Your eyes are glowing,” she answered, her voice slightly awed.

“A sign of intense desire for my mate. A demon reaction. Does it frighten you?”

She shook her head. “No,” she whispered softly. “My eyes do that sometimes when I sense or see something otherworldly. But not like yours, not that beautiful, bright amber color. And I do feel the connection, Drew. I just don’t completely understand it. ”

She looked vulnerable and he knew she tasted sweeter than anything he’d ever tasted before. Her words pierced his soul and he claimed her mouth with a savage passion that he couldn’t hold back. She’d said the words he wanted to hear…but he lost it anyway, both his human and demon sighing with relief as she wrapped her arms around him and responded to his rough embrace with an innocent desire that completely tipped him right over the edge of human sanity.

T
alia had only been intimate with one man in her entire life; a boy, really—an eighteen-year-old immature asshole in college—and having sex with her had been part of his fraternity initiation.
Have sex with an ugly virgin and bring us proof.
That had been the initiation challenge, and Talia, being young and still aching for acceptance at the time, had fallen right into the seduction. It had been an awkward coupling that her left her wondering why women even had sex. The humiliation that followed when she found out about the boy’s motives and the scorn he showed her afterward completely killed her desire to have sex ever again.

Now, Talia realized that she’d never really known desire. As she let herself become lost in Drew, his tongue explored her mouth like he had to touch and possess every inch of it. His rough claiming left her moaning against his lips and desperate for more.

This is longing. This is what it feels like when a man truly wants a woman.

And definitely how it should be when a woman wanted a man.

Drew pulled his mouth from hers, his chest heaving as he commanded, “Don’t think about
him
. Never think about
him
. You’re mine to take care of now, Talia.”

The possessiveness in his low, desperate voice had Talia squirming beneath him, his hard cock pressing against her core so tightly that she had no doubt that he desired her. “I don’t think about him anymore. Not usually,” she answered breathlessly, staring at the ferocity of his expression, and the glowing amber eyes that, rather than frightening her, inflamed her even more because she knew she was the cause of the reaction. Drew really did want to be her protector, her lover. And feeling wanted in those ways was heady and delicious.

“He hurt you,” Drew answered furiously.

“A long time ago. It doesn’t matter,” she answered, tightening her arms around his neck and squeezing her legs around his hips. Truly, her past sexual humiliation really didn’t matter. Drew, and her agonizing craving for him, wiped every other rational thought from her brain.

His vow to protect her had shattered some of the protective ice around her heart, breaking through to the woman who really had been lonely for so very long.

“I’ll do nothing except pleasure you until that bad experience is completely gone from your mind,” he told her huskily, arrogantly, but with a touch of vulnerability as well.

Oh hell, it was already gone. At that moment, Talia couldn’t care less about some silly boy who had tried to take away her dignity along with her virginity when she was barely an adult. Right now, all she cared about was being possessed by this big, fierce, angry man/demon who was holding her body captive with his, and who wanted her more than anyone ever had. “I’ve forgotten about him already,” she murmured softly, stroking the thick, coarse hair at Drew’s nape. The corded muscles in his neck were tight and tense, just like his every other muscle she could feel. White-hot desire was smoldering from his body, and it was being absorbed by hers, the heat nearly incinerating her alive. “Please, Drew,” she pleaded. Her gaze locked with his as her entire being pulsated with yearning for his touch, his possession.

“Christ! Do you two mind doing this later? I’m about to go blind here,” another male voice grumbled irritably.

The sound of someone else in the room was enough to pull Talia from her haze of lust, her head jerking to the side to see an angry Hunter standing across the room. He was bruised, his face full of lacerations in various states of healing, and his expression looked completely disgusted.

He hadn’t changed a bit. Hunter looked exactly like he had the last time she’d seen him.

Talia looked back and forth from Drew to Hunter, Drew’s eyes never leaving her. “Drew…let me up. Hunter’s here,” she told him desperately, pushing against his chest frantically.

“Leave,” Drew snarled, his eyes glowing even brighter as he looked briefly at Hunter and then back at Talia. “My mate.”

“Oh, shit.” Hunter rolled his eyes. “Not again.” He flopped into a chair, not looking at all ready to leave. “Get off her, Irish.” His eyes narrowed as they focused on Talia. “Hey, I know you.”

Talia pushed harder on Drew’s chest, trying to move what seemed like an unyielding mountain on top of her, embarrassed by Hunter’s eagle-eyed stare. “Yes. We’ve met. You rescued me when I stupidly almost made the mistake of agreeing to an Evil bargain to save my mother.”

Talia finally gave up trying to get Drew to move and rolled out from under him, landing on her ass in an awkward heap on the carpet. Drew’s arm shot out and pulled her up beside him, his steely arm wrapped around her waist. Sitting up, he pulled her beside him and drilled Hunter with a furious glare.

“Leave,” Drew demanded again, his voice dripping with hostility.

“Take it easy. I’m not taking her from you. I acknowledge that she’s yours,” Hunter answered, looking exasperated.

Talia felt Drew’s body slowly relax beside her as she asked shakily, “You remember me?” At that moment, Pumpkin came into the living room and leaped up onto Talia’s lap, as if sensing that her presence was needed to defuse the moment. Talia petted her cat with a shaky hand. “I can’t believe you’re Drew’s brother.”

“I remember all of my rescues,” Hunter rumbled. “And he
is
my brother.”

“And mine,” another voice echoed as Zachary Winston appeared in the room, only feet away from the couch. He approached slowly and held his hand out to Talia. “Zach Winston,” he introduced himself. “The third Winston brother.”

Zach’s smile was calm and polite, a welcome change from Hunter’s brittle, mocking smirk. Talia shook his hand briefly, and Zach moved back to sit in a recliner next to Hunter.

Talia gaped at the two brothers and then turned back to Drew. “Winston? Like in the billionaire Winston brothers?” She might be isolated, but she’d have to be living under a rock not to have heard of the Winston brothers. They were assumed to be excessively reclusive, and were never photographed. Now she knew why. Obviously they didn’t get around like normal people, and if they didn’t want photos of themselves out there, that problem could be easily resolved.

“Yes.” Drew acknowledged the brothers’ identity. “What the hell are you doing here?” Drew asked both his brothers impatiently.

Zach answered patiently, “We had plans, Drew. We all agreed to meet here at seven o’clock so we could try out that new Mexican restaurant. You know…food…your favorite thing in the world.” He shot Drew a questioning look before adding, “Until today, I guess.”

“I forgot,” Drew answered in an agitated voice.

“I get it. I just left Kristoff’s—he filled me in,” Zach informed Drew.

“Talia’s being pursued by powerful Evils, probably ancients,” Drew told his brothers, running a hand through his hair, frustrated.

“I’ll fucking kill them all,” Hunter growled. “She was my rescue.”

Zach sent a swift warning glance at Hunter before continuing, “For some reason, they’re after her. She’s special, just like Kat.” Zach’s features softened as he mentioned his mate’s name. “They aren’t going to stop looking just because you relocated.”

Drew groaned. “I know. I need to find a place where she’s going to be safe.”

“Being with you is the safest place she can be right now,” Zach answered sympathetically. “If Talia can really sense the Evils like Kristoff said she can, you can move locations if they find you here. She’s special. That’s why they want her. And I doubt they’ll give up easily.”

Talia glanced from one brother to the other before asking, “Special how? I don’t understand.” How was she any different from any other
radiant
?

Zach quickly explained how his mate, Kat, was a realm-walker, and he went through the series of events that had occurred after he and Kat had met. Talia listened with fascination, stunned. “So her powers were released when you bound yourself together? Do I have the same dormant power?”

“No.” Drew answered this time. “Your power is probably just as strong, but different. Kristoff, our king, says they’re not the same as Kat’s, but we won’t know exactly what they are until the power is released.”

“I’m already psychic. I see paranormal beings when other people don’t. Is that all part of this dormant power?” She’d always been different. Maybe now she actually knew why.

“Honestly, I don’t know. But Kat isn’t psychic and never was,” Drew responded, his arm tightening around Talia’s waist in silent support. “And you aren’t different. You’re special.”

Talia grimaced, but she secretly adored Drew’s emphatic declaration.

“Can we discuss this while we’re eating? I’m hungry, Irish,” Hunter grumbled.

“I have to agree,” Zach agreed sheepishly. “Kat has a class tonight and I don’t want to eat my own cooking.” He briefly explained to Talia that his wife was going back to school to get her degree, leaving him on his own for the evening.

Drew looked at Talia. “Are you hungry?”

Almost as if on cue, Talia’s stomach rumbled. She’d been under compulsion earlier in the day and hadn’t eaten. “Actually…yeah.”

“We’ll go,” Drew informed his brothers as he stood, pulling Talia up beside him. Pumpkin slid off Talia’s lap and landed on the couch, giving Drew an indignant look. “But I’ll drive. Talia already had to recover from rapid transport once today.”

Hunter and Zach stood up, neither one of them looking happy that they’d have to wait at the restaurant for Drew.

“Go ahead. I can grab something here,” Talia told Drew, not wanting anyone to have to wait for her.

“Over my dead body,” Drew rasped. “You stay with me. They can wait, right?” He shot his two brothers an answer-yes-or-I’ll-kill-you look.

Zach nodded, any sign of impatience gone. “Of course. It isn’t that far away.”

“I’m ordering,” Hunter warned Drew. “And I’m eating all the chips while I’m waiting.”

Talia laughed, amused by Hunter’s refusal to be polite. He’d never exactly been warm and fuzzy, and that hadn’t changed a bit. The difference was…now she could see the spark of pain in his eyes, something she’d never noticed before. “We’ll order more,” she shot back at him.

“I’ll eat those too,” Hunter replied wickedly, disappearing in front of her eyes before she could blink.

“Bastard,” Drew commented testily.

“I’ll save you some,” Zach comforted Drew, grinning at Talia. “Ordinarily, nothing gets between Drew and his food.” Zach winked at Talia and disappeared.

“I’m sorry,” Talia told Drew remorsefully. “We could try to transport. Can’t you go slower?”

She shivered as he lowered his head, his lips grazing the side of her neck, pulling her back against him as his mouth wandered to her ear. He was so damn…tall. Talia had felt like a giant beside almost all women and some men most of her life, but Drew towered behind her…big, solid, and so very warm. She relaxed into his embrace, tipping her head to give him access as he nuzzled her ear, his warm breath caressing the sensitive flesh.

“
Mo stór
…with you…I doubt the word ‘slow’ is even part of my vocabulary,” he answered gruffly, sounding pained.

Although Talia couldn’t translate Irish Gaelic, she did understand the Irish endearment that was akin to him calling her his darling, and she let the low, sexy voice wash over her heart like a balm. She bent and scooped up a handful of candy from a dish on the coffee table. “Maybe these will tide you over until we get to the restaurant,” she suggested, holding the handful of chocolate out to him.

He turned her around and looked down at her, his grin mischievous and playful. He grabbed the dish and emptied the whole thing into his pocket. “Keep those for yourself. I’m restocked.”

Giving Drew an exasperated look, she dropped the candy back into the dish. “We’re already going to eat Mexican food. I won’t get thin eating like that.” Her hips were already a little too curvy, and she could stand to lose a few pounds. Her research and writing made for a pretty sedentary lifestyle.

Drew’s expression grew suddenly stormy. “Don’t say that. Don’t ever get thin,” he answered desperately, his eyes turning wild. He pulled a gold foil-wrapped treat from his pocket and tore off the wrapper. “Open,” he demanded, holding the decadent chocolate to her mouth.

He looked so anxious that Talia obeyed, eying his wild-eyed panic mixed with concern. The burst of sweetness that exploded inside her mouth was so divine that she had to swallow back a moan. “That’s good.” The man definitely knew his chocolate. It was one of the most decadent things she’d ever tasted.

She watched as he frantically opened another and held it up to her. She opened her mouth and accepted it, but shook her head as he held up yet another. Swallowing hard, she told him, “That’s enough.”

“Thin isn’t good, Talia. It’s bad. Eat,” he demanded, his expression stubborn.

“Drew, I don’t think I’m in any danger of getting too skinny.” She searched his face, trying to figure out what was motivating his behavior. Obviously, it was some sort of protectiveness, something Drew seemed to have in abundance. “I have plenty of extra meat on my bones.”
More than enough.

“Never enough,” Drew answered harshly. “I’ll always have plenty of food. You’ll never go hungry.”