Demon Hunting In the Deep South (4 page)

She opened her eyes to find the sheriff watching her. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but she could swear his nose twitched.

“I see,” he said after a moment of silence. “And where is this demon hunter now?”

“I don’t know.”

“What does he look like?”

“I don’t know that, either. He was invisible.”

“Does this demon hunter have a name?”

Evie hesitated, reluctant for some reason to implicate Ansgar in this mess. “I’d rather not say.”

Sheriff Whitsun leaned across the desk. “Miss Douglass, you could be facing a murder charge.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Evie gave a shaky laugh. “There’s a dead woman in my office with my letter opener sticking out of her chest.”

“I’ll have to wait for the forensics report, of course, but I’m pretty damn sure your letter opener wasn’t the murder weapon.”

A wave of relief washed over Evie. “What?”

“Meredith Peterson was cut to pieces. There’s no way a letter opener inflicted those injuries. It’s too dull and flimsy. Judging from the size of the stab wound to the chest, the killer used a much bigger blade. Some kind of hunting knife, I think. Whoever killed her planted your letter opener in her chest to make it look like you did it. Someone’s trying to frame you, Miss Douglass. I’m trying to help you, but you’ve got to cooperate. And telling me wild stories about invisible demon hunters isn’t helping.”

Evie’s shoulders sagged. She was suddenly very tired. “You say you can smell a lie, so you tell me, Sheriff. Am I telling the truth?”

He regarded her thoughtfully. “Yes, or at least you think you are.” He tapped the end of his pen on the desktop. “Very well, you can go. But don’t take any trips.”

Evie got to her feet. “I’m not going anywhere. I can’t afford to pay attention, much less leave town.”

She left his office and walked down the narrow, dingy hall that led to the public area of the Sheriff’s Department. Pushing open the swinging door, she stepped into the waiting room. A low wall separated the receptionist’s desk from the seating area. The receptionist was not at her desk.

“Evie,” Addy cried, jumping to her feet. “I’ve been so worried!”

A dark-haired giant of a man rose out of the chair beside her. It was Brand Dalvahni, Addy’s drop-dead good-looking boyfriend. Her immortal
demon hunter
boyfriend.

Evie barely noticed him. She was too busy gawking at the blond Adonis standing beside him. She realized she was staring and dragged her gaze away. It was no use. Her eyeballs kept rolling back to the guy of their own accord. Heavens to Betsy, he was so gorgeous it hurt to look at him. Hurt so
good
. She closed her eyes. Yep, she could still see him. She was pretty sure his image was burned onto her retinas.

Like Brand, he was tall and muscular, and supernaturally handsome. But, whereas Brand was handsome in a dark and deadly kind of way, the stranger was a blond Viking warrior with silver eyes, stacks of muscles, and sex appeal that was clean off the charts. Both men wore jeans and a T-shirt, the cotton tees molding to their broad chests and showing off their muscular arms. But their casual attire did not disguise the aura of danger that surrounded them.

Evie took another peek at the blond guy through her lashes. Cheese and crackers, the guy had to be a demon hunter. No human was that beautiful or exuded so much power, sensuality, and jaw-dropping charisma.

Yikes, he was looking at her. She ducked her chin and fastened her gaze on her feet. It was safer that way. Looking at him made her feel breathless and tingly and
alive,
as if she teetered on the edge of something wonderful.

Or something terrifying, a bottomless well of despair and soul-rending loss from which there was no release.

Jeez, where did that come from? She wasn’t usually such a drama queen. As if a guy like that would have anything to do with her.

“You were back there for hours,” Addy said, frowning. “Are you okay? Do you need a lawyer?”

“I’m fine, Adds.” Evie stared at her worn sandals, feeling miserable and self-conscious. “You didn’t have to wait.”

“Of course I waited. You’re my friend. I thought I was going to have to bust you out of here.”

“Adara, I think you should introduce Evie to my brother, Ansgar,” Brand said.

Bong!
There it was again, that darn bell. Her head started to ache. It happened every time someone said the name Ansgar.

Wait. Ansgar? Evie’s cheeks burned.
He
was the unseen, yummy-smelling fellow who snatched her out of harm’s way? Oh, no. She should thank him, but how could she? She couldn’t talk to
him
. He was perfect.

“Oh, of course.” Addy sounded flustered. “Evie Douglass, this is Ansgar Dalvahni, Brand’s . . . uh . . . brother.”

“This is a pleasure, Miss Douglass,” Ansgar said. “A very great pleasure indeed. Addy has told me much about you.”

Something tight and painful uncoiled inside her at the sound of his voice. Like she’d been tensed and waiting for it forever. Her head jerked up and their gazes collided. She felt the impact like a physical blow.

His big, strong body exuded a loose-limbed grace and animal fitness. His stance was relaxed, his expression impassive. He seemed calm, immovable, and dispassionate.

But his eyes . . .

His eyes when he looked at her were hot and hungry.

The room went still and airless. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t look away from him. No one had ever looked at her that way. She’d never dreamed that anyone could.

Chapter Four

E
vangeline’s lips parted in a soft gasp of surprise. The sound was too slight to be noticed by the others, but they were not as attuned to her as Ansgar. He could hear her heartbeat and the rush of the blood through her veins. The flowery smell of her skin and hair was intoxicating, the sound of her voice a lover’s caress. Not wanting to frighten her, he schooled his features in the expressionless mask of the Dalvahni warrior. It should have been easy, given his years of training. A warrior did not lose control. But seeing her like this, face to face instead of hidden in the shadows after months of wanting her . . .

A wave of desire engulfed him that left him shaking with need.

Some small measure of his feelings must have shown, because Evie’s face went white with shock. Her eyelids fluttered and her knees buckled. With a muffled curse, Ansgar sprang across the room, catching her as she fell.

“What’s the matter with her?” Addy cried, rushing over. “What did you do, Blondy?”

Ansgar did not answer her. He could not. Holding Evangeline in his arms again felt too damn good. By the sword, he’d been too long without her warmth and sweetness. She was like a drug, an addiction to him. How could he hope to resist her? But he had to try. He was not good for her.

And she was not good for him, he reminded himself sternly.

It was a familiar litany, one he’d recited countless times as he struggled to stay away.

With her, he became someone else. She shifted his vision of reality, his vision of himself. For eons, he had known the universe and his place in it, his purpose and his duty.

Until Evangeline. She’d changed everything. Changed
him.

That is why he left.

That is why he returned.

He could not stay away. Yet neither would he yield. Regret gnawed at him and guilt, another damnable and unaccustomed emotion. Over and over again, he saw his arrow pierce her body. Heard her anguished cry and saw her crumple to the ground, her life’s blood pouring from the wound to her chest. The wound he had inflicted.

The image haunted him. He did not know how to make amends, how to make things right. He was terrified of hurting her again.

He lifted her against his chest. She was in danger. She needed him. For now he could hold her. This much, he would allow himself.

He carried her to a leather couch on one wall and sat down with her in his lap. Brand and Addy followed.

“I do not think he did anything to her, Adara,” Brand said, looking down at them. “It would appear she has fainted.”

Addy snorted. “Fainted? No way. Evie never faints.” She glared at Ansgar. “You did some kind of Dalvahni mind thingy on her, didn’t you, butthead?”

“Adara,” Brand said. “It is unseemly to refer to a Dalvahni warrior as a ‘butthead.’ ”

“Like I care. What did you do to her, Blondy?”

Ansgar smoothed Evie’s hair out of her face. Her lips were pale and bloodless, and the pulse in her throat beat like the wings of a startled bird. “I looked at her.”

Addy whirled on Brand. “You
see
? He looked at her.”

Brand tugged her into his arms. “Adara, you are not making sense. You have spent the morning importuning Ansgar to give Evie his protection. He has agreed to your request. Let him be.”

“You’re right, babe. I know you’re right.” Addy’s voice was muffled against Brand’s chest. “It’s just that she hasn’t been herself these past few months. And now with Meredith’s murder. . .” Her voice trailed off. “I’m worried about her.”

Ansgar barely heard them. His entire being was focused on the enchanting bundle of femininity in his arms. He bent his head closer to hers. “Evangeline.” He gave her a little shake, but she did not open her eyes.
“Evangeline.”

Panic sliced through him. “What ails her? Why does she not awaken?”

“Maybe she’s under a spell.” Addy stepped out of the circle of Brand’s arms. There was a calculating gleam in her brown eyes that sent a stab of alarm through Ansgar. Such a look from Addy did not bode well. “Maybe you should kiss her.”

He scowled. “To what purpose?”

“It works in the fairy tales. You whammied her. Stands to reason you’re the only one who can un-whammy her.”

Ansgar clenched his jaw. “This is not a . . . a fairy tale, and I did not
whammy
her. I looked at her. That is all.”

Addy gave him a measuring look. “What’s the matter, you chicken?”

Chicken: a domestic fowl bred for flesh and eggs. Also a term connoting cowardice.

Of a certainty, Addy did not refer to poultry. “Woman, I am Dalvahni. You do not question a warrior’s mettle.”

“Yeah? So kiss her already. Go on. I dare you.”

She was questioning his valor. Again. The woman had no semblance of decorum.

He looked to Brand for support. “Is she serious?”

“It is sometimes difficult to tell, but ’twould seem so.” Brand shrugged. “At any rate, where is the harm? Unless you think it unwise.”

Unwise? Holding Evangeline nearly drove him mad. Kiss her, and he would be lost.

He touched Evangeline’s cheek with the tip of one finger. Her skin was tender and soft, a white rose without the faintest blush. She lay in his arms limp and wan, a sleeping princess waiting for a prince.

He was no prince. He was a warrior, hardened by countless years of blood and battle, his hands and soul stained by death. Still, the gauntlet had been thrown, and it was not his nature to back down from a challenge.

Lowering his head, he brushed his lips across hers. They were cool beneath his, bliss after the endless days and nights of desperate longing.

“Evangeline,” he murmured against the lush fullness of her mouth. “Open your eyes, sweetling.”

Lifting his head, he looked down at her. To his relief, delicate color suffused her cheeks and lips, but she did not stir.

“You call that a kiss?” Addy scoffed. “Come on, Blondy. Lay one on her. I thought all you immortal super dudes had game. Don’t you
like
girls?”

Aggravating creature. How Brand refrained from strangling her was a mystery.

Cradling Evangeline’s head in his hands, Ansgar bent once more to the task, his mouth moving over hers. He held nothing back, pouring the months of desolation, of aching for her, of unbearable desire and loneliness, into the kiss.

Evangeline stirred. With a soft sound of surprise, she opened her eyes. The scarf that covered her fiery locks was askew. She looked dazed, confused, and utterly adorable. Ansgar’s arms tightened around her. His mind told him to let her go, but his body would not obey.

“Hello,” he said softly.

She gazed up at him in wide-eyed befuddlement. The color returned to her cheeks in a rush, and Ansgar winced as Evie flailed her arms and hit him in the eye.

“Easy,” he said. “You are in no danger.”

She scrambled awkwardly out of his lap and backed away, skittish as a colt. Round eyed, she looked from him to Addy. “What happened?”

“You fainted,” Addy said. “When’s the last time you had something to eat?”

Evie raised a shaking hand to her forehead. “I don’t remember. I think I ate something yesterday. I haven’t been hungry lately, and sometimes I forget to eat.”

“Uh huh. I’ve noticed. In fact, you haven’t had much appetite since . . . let me see . . .” Tapping her finger against her chin, Addy shot Ansgar an accusing look. “Oh, right. Since this
summer
.”

Ansgar frowned. Addy’s implication was clear. Evangeline had not been eating properly since his departure. Almost as if she were in mourning. Preposterous. How could Evie mourn someone she did not remember?

Still, it was another sin laid at his door, another way he had hurt Evie. This, at least, he could remedy.

“This is unacceptable,” he said. “Miss Douglass, if you would permit, it would be my honor to partake of sustenance with you.”

Evie gaped at him. “Huh?”

“He wants to take you to get something to eat,” Addy said.

Evie flushed and then went pale. “Oh, no, I couldn’t. It’s too much trouble.”

“I assure you, it would be no trouble at all,” he said. “Of a sudden, I am hungry also.”

And not just for food, he thought wryly. His body burned for her, and his fingers itched to touch her again. So much for holding back, for staying away. He had not the strength, and he should have known it.

Evie’s hands flew to her hair. “I can’t. I’m a mess.”

“You look lovely,” Ansgar assured her. And she did, in spite of the hideous bag covering her delectable body and the scarf on her hair. Mere clothes could not disguise her beauty. “We can ride back to Hannah together with Brand and Addy. I understand there is a pub of good repute there where we can break our fast.”