A Demon's Desire (8 page)

As if hearing her disturbed thoughts, Tristan
looked up to meet her gaze. His eyes were warm, and she found her
face growing warm at his direct look

“Why is my dog all dirty?” he asked.
“Something you want to tell me?”

Her face grew warmer with irritation.

“Tristan had to take her downstairs and spray
her off. Where did you go?” Mama looked up. She couldn’t fault her
mother for asking, but she could damn Tristan for instigating.

“Just wandered around and took a detour,” she
said vaguely. “Isolde can eat six cheeseburgers.”

“I don’t think you should feed a dog
cheeseburgers,” Mama said with a small laugh. Tristan frowned, and
Emma sensed he agreed. She looked away from his gaze. “Doodle, why
don’t you and Tristan go out tonight? You can get away a little and
relax together.”

“We’re here to support you, Mama,” she
countered. “Why don’t
you
take a break instead?”

“Kid, I get the mornings off. Take a break.
You always overdo it,” Mama said with familiar firmness. Emma
gritted her teeth, seeking some sort of excuse that would not
further entrench her mother’s suggestion.

“We’ll go out for a bit,” Tristan said before
she found the words.

She wanted to refuse but knew nothing she
said would come out tactfully. She needed Tristan here, at least
until Sissy was better. She sighed. Tristan’s hand found her wrist,
and he drew it to his thigh, caressing its underside again. Her
surging emotions faded once more until she felt herself ready to
doze. His touch suffused her arm in warmth, his fingers freeing her
tension with the slightest touch.

Her eyes closed, soothed. She stayed until
their game was over and then went to change for their date.

* * *

Tristan knew she was stalling, but he waited,
talking to Mama. Isolde climbed onto the couch and stretched its
length, content after a day with some exercise and her bath. Emma
finally emerged from the guest bedroom in designer jeans and a
blouse that dipped low enough to enhance her full bust. The colors
set off her bright green eyes. She was a beautiful girl, her allure
as soft as her voice, and her voluptuous figure firm and sultry.
She gave him a look that implied she’d rather be on a death march
than a date with him.

“Bye, Mama,” she murmured and kissed the
plump woman.

“Bye, guys. Have fun!”

Something in Mama’s twinkling eyes assured
Tristan that she was rooting for him and not her daughter. He’d
never met the mothers of any of the women he dated, suspecting
they’d forbid him from speaking to their daughters once they met
him and his shadows. He felt grateful to the matriarch of the tiny
family for accepting him despite his darkness.

He took Emma’s elbow. They stepped into the
soft, cool night, and she tensed, looking around. Something had
happened during the day, but he didn’t know what. The foolish woman
didn’t seem to understand that he wouldn’t let anything happen to
her or her family.

“Do you have a preference where we go?” she
asked, tugging away and starting down the stairs.

Tristan trailed, enjoying the feel of night
on his skin. A breeze swirled around him, kissing him gently. He
closed his eyes as shadows eased towards him, brushing him in a
warm-cool combination. Emma stared at him from the first landing,
uncertainty and trepidation on her fair features.

“I’d like to talk to you about something,” he
said and started forward.

“Why don’t we do this. Why don’t you go out,
and I’ll hide in my car for an hour or so.” The resolution in her
tone almost drew a smile.

“You want to be alone after today?” he
asked.

She turned away and started down the stairs.
Tristan joined her at the bottom. Her gaze swept over the dark
parking lot, and she shifted uneasily.

“Tristan?” Her voice was hesitant. “Are there
more people like you?”

“I imagine so,” he responded. “Emma, I’m more
dangerous than anything else you’ll ever meet.”

“How dangerous, Tristan?” she asked, hurrying
to keep up as he started toward her car.

“Nothing bad will happen to any of you as
long as I’m around.”

She slowed, deep in thought. Tristan led her
into the dark parking lot, aware of her unease. She watched him
with as much apprehension as she did her surroundings. He led her
to her car and opened the passenger door for her. Emma murmured her
thanks and sat, relaxing once in the safety of the car. She was
silent again as he pulled out of the parking lot and maneuvered
through the complex’s maze.

“You won’t hurt me, will you?” she asked at
last. “Or my family?”

“No, Emma.”

“You can see in the dark, can’t you?”

“Yes,” he answered.

“Like a bat?”

“Bats use sonar. Mine is more like night
vision. You have an odd obsession with vampires, but I’m not
one.”

“I know,” she agreed. “You’re something even
more unholy and foul.”

“Like what?”

“A man.”

He chuckled. She shook her head. They were
quiet again. Tristan followed the signs to a highway, deftly
recalling Mama’s directions to a clump of restaurants.

“I saw four freaks today that looked like
they belong on Demon’s Alley,” Emma said and leaned her head
against the seat rest, gazing at him warily. “They followed
us.”

“Ignore them,” he advised. “Whoever you’ve
pissed off doesn’t want you dead yet.”

She stared at him, her look demanding him to
explain what he knew. He settled a hand on her thigh, and she
looked at it before settling her hands over it.

“You don’t know what you’re dealing with,
Emma,” he said softly. “Why didn’t you answer the phone when I
called?”

“Maybe I didn’t hear it,” she retorted. “Or
maybe you scare me as much as they do. Or maybe I feel guilty for
bringing you home with me. Or maybe, all of the above. “ Her
fingers tugged at his hand, and she flipped it over, tracing his
palm lightly before flattening it again.

“You don’t need to fear me, Emma.”

“I know, but I can’t help it. My luck with
men is awful. You have nice hands, Tristan,” she said absently. “I
noticed them when we met. I mean, apart from the whole demon eyes
glowing in the dark and morphing from shadows display.”

“I really like you, Emma, and I adore your
family,” he said. She was quiet. He felt her eyes on him, her
thoughts loud enough for him to hear her debating whether or not
she could trust him. He drove the rest of the way in silence before
pulling off the highway and easing the car into a crowded parking
lot next to a massive building.

“You’re sure Sissy will be okay while we’re
gone?” she asked.

“Positive. She’ll wake up soon and be healthy
as ever,” he replied. She ducked her head, hiding the sparkle of
tears in her eyes. He got out of the car and walked slowly around
to her side, giving her a minute. “Do you like miniature golf?” he
asked as opened her door.

A small smile crossed her face, but she
looked at him quizzically. They walked into the crowded foyer
teeming with adolescents and families. Tristan ignored the way
people moved from his path and the looks he received, instead
approaching the main ticket counter. Emma followed, and he turned
when he reached the end of the line.

“This doesn’t seem to be your kind of place,”
she said.

“How would you know?” he challenged.

“You just seem like a loner who probably
doesn’t like people.”

“That’s accurate. But I happen to like
fitting in a round of putt-putt when I’m not roasting humans on the
spit in my kitchen. That was what you were thinking, wasn’t
it?”

She gave a startled laugh, her face reddening
with embarrassment. Her smile pleased him. It faded and was
replaced by a flicker of concern. Sissy and the shadows were heavy
in her thoughts.

“We’ll get through this,” he assured her.

“I hope so, Tristan.”

They played a round of putt-putt. He sensed a
thaw as her smiles came more frequently. He didn’t try to question
her again about her skeletons in the closet, instead distancing
himself. He liked the smiling Emma and wanted to enjoy the moment
away from their worries as much as she did.

She’ll trust me when she’s ready.

They played another game of nine holes, and
he was pleased to see her relaxed by the time it was done. They
hadn’t spoken since they started, and Tristan remained wary. No
shadows or darkness dared approach her with him there, and he
suspected she sensed this. After a few hours of quiet enjoyment,
they left. He offered his hand as they walked through the parking
lot. She hesitated but took it.

“You don’t have to, Tristan,” she said as
they reached the car.

“Don’t have to what?”

“Well, court me, I guess. I agreed to your
terms, so there’s no need to … I don’t know, romance me,” she said
awkwardly.

He raised an eyebrow as he opened her door.
Emma paused between door and car, awaiting his response. Her gaze
was guarded but hopeful. He knew what she wanted him to say, that
he wasn’t doing this because of their deal but because he wanted
them to be more.

He wasn’t sure he was ready for such a
statement, however true it was. He still had his evil to contend
with. He nudged her, and she sat with a disappointed look. She
rested her head against the headrest, quiet as they left the
parking lot.

Tristan thought of Sissy. The girl would be
awake in a day or two, at which time he would begin a thorough
cleansing of the apartment. He needed Emma’s cooperation to
discover what had been tagged and the person who tagged it, but he
knew that would take more than a few days to earn her trust enough
for her to tell him.

“How dangerous are you, Tristan?” she
asked.

“People have an innate sense of danger,” he
said. “I’m as dangerous as you think I am.”

“You read minds.”

“That’s one of my skills,” he said. “Do you
want to know how?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll trade you one of my secrets for one of
yours.”

She hesitated and shook her head. He drove
for fifteen minutes before pulling into the apartment complex.
Immediately, he noted the shady characters at the main gate. He
glanced at Emma. Her eyes were closed.

Tristan whispered a command, and darkness
swallowed the figures as he drove by.

“Did you say something?” She roused herself
at his voice.

“We’re here.” He parked in a lighted area,
and they exited.

“Tristan, I’ll trade you something else for
an answer,” she said as she slammed the door.

He waited, watching her. Apprehension slid
over her features as she watched the darkness and shadows welcome
him, play around him. He wished he wasn’t this way, but he’d long
since resigned himself to the knowledge he was. No one else had
ever accepted this about him, even his mother, who preferred to
ignore his dark half. He hoped Emma would be the first willing to
conquer her fear and accept even the dark side of him.

“I’ll trade you a kiss,” she said.

Warmth and surprise flared in response, the
shadows and man within him responding to her words. He joined her,
moving until their toes touched, and she was forced to arch her
neck back to meet his gaze.

“Dangerous,” he murmured, breathing in her
scent. “You’re not afraid of me?”

“I am, Tristan, but there’s something about
you …” She drifted off, gazing deeply into his eyes. She shook her
head to focus. “One kiss for an explanation about reading
minds.”

“I agree,” he said. “Kiss first.”

Emma nodded bravely. Tristan lowered his
head.

The gentle meeting of their warm lips sent an
unexpected spark of warm energy through him. He coaxed her slowly,
satisfied that it took little encouragement for her to respond, for
her to shake off the sense of restraint that bound her normally. It
was an unhurried kiss, a long, deep kiss, of two lovers exploring
each other for the first time. Emma’s full lips parted unbidden,
and he tasted her, the taste of dark honey and spices, a taste that
rivaled her intoxicating smell. She did not hesitate to taste him
but leaned forward until her body rested against his. Warmth flared
as their bodies met, and Tristan placed his hands on the full rise
of her hips as she rested her fingertips on his cheeks.

He could get lost in such a kiss with her
taste and scent weaving magic around him. Sleeping with this woman
would be like none other. He drew away, aware he was becoming too
aroused to retain control much longer. The shadows within him were
restless, clamoring for a deeper taste with a need stronger than
any he’d ever felt. His shadows normally ignored his sexual needs.
Not with
her,
as if they, too, wanted her to accept all of
him.

Emma gazed at him, green eyes sparkling and
unguarded in the lamp light. Her face was flushed, her lips red and
plumped, her breathing shallow. The woman was incredibly appealing,
enough so that Tristan pushed her away until their bodies no longer
touched.

“Don’t tempt a demon,” he said huskily. He
clasped his hands behind his back, twitching with his need to touch
her. She blinked, awareness crossing her face, and regained her
balance.

“Explanation,” she commanded.

“There’s a sense, rather like ESP, that I
have honed,” he said. “It’s like picking up the phone; if you’re
not listening, then you don’t hear anything. If you’re listening,
you hear what you want to. With you, your thoughts are strong
enough to intrude on my privacy, but only when you’re thinking of
me, which you do often and not always in glowing terms.”

“You can choose
not
to listen, right?”
she asked pointedly.

“Yes, which I normally do.”

“We lesser mortals appreciate it,” she said,
clearly uneasy with his admittance.

There’s nothing lesser about you,
Emma.
He said nothing and offered his hand, walking with her to
the apartment.