The Demon Within (21 page)

Ruman stared at her like he’d never seen her before. “Well.” His deep voice made her heart trip in her chest. When Ruman lowered his gaze to her mouth, her poor heart all but stopped altogether.

Something about his intense stare unnerved her. Naked during sex was one thing, mentally being stripped and observed was another thing altogether. She didn’t need him any closer, poking into her life. She’d only end up with her heart broken.

She stood, nearly shoving him away, eager to put space between them. Or more precisely, between herself and temptation. Without his touch, reality and doubts wormed their way in. Unable to face him and cope with her out of control emotions, she hurried to the door. Her chest tightened, breath strangled in her throat as she remembered the way she’d all but attacked him.

“Caly?”

She froze but didn’t turn, a hand on the doorjamb. One look and her hands-off resolve would turn to mist. Terrified that he’d try to touch her and she’d let him, it was all she could do to prevent herself from bolting. She grabbed the first excuse that came to her. “I better get ice for your shoulder.”

Her mind told her she was being sensible, her body called her a coward.

Too bad she agreed with her body.

Chapter Fifteen

T
he door shut firmly behind Caly’s trim figure with a finality that almost made him rise to follow. He wouldn’t put it past her to run. It was too late for her to disappear on him.

He needed her for much more than his freedom now.

The room echoed with silence. His chest ached with the need to touch her and confirm she was real, confirm what she made him feel was real. Without her, a hollowness yawned in his chest. He leaned back on the floor and raised his arm behind his head. The muscles protested but not enough to distract him.

He unconsciously licked his lips, catching himself searching for one more taste of her. What the hell just happened? He had to figure it out before she returned, and he screwed it up worse.

They’d kissed.

It was forbidden. It didn’t stop him from wanting to repeat the experience.

Restless and riding on nerves, Ruman finally understood the taboo of the daughters of man and how an angel could fall from Heaven. If any of them where like Caly, they wouldn’t have had a choice.

He twisted to find a comfortable spot but his clothes no longer seemed to fit. He shifted to relieve the pressure in his jeans, but one thought of Caly and he was back where he started.

The instant they touched, her soft mouth on his, the connection he had to her strengthened. Although he couldn’t feel her emotions, he could sense her presence near the icebox at the other end of the hall. He knew her every step.

Despite pairing being forbidden, they’d bonded.

The only place he’d heard of such a thing was in an ancient text, locked away in the temples from prying eyes. Cases where guardian angels became too attached to their charges. At the first sign of a tentative bond, the angel was removed from their assignment.

Most of the time it helped.

But sometimes an angel couldn’t forget. Ruman didn’t know what happened to them. He had to wonder, if like the ancients, they were captured and locked away or if someone took pity on them and granted them a reprieve to spend time with their beloved.

He wished he’d paid more attention and knew what type of battle he had on his hands. The brink between the past and future teetered before him, and he willingly took the last step. He couldn’t return to his old life.

Not after everything he’d seen.

Not after her touch.

The door slammed. Caly stormed back inside, banging around the bucket and ice. Ruman sat up slowly, so as not to startle her and waited for an indication from her on how she felt about the situation. A clue from her on how he should act.

Posture stiff, her eyes shielded, she wrapped the ice in a towel and lifted it to his shoulder. Then paused. “Shirt off.”

He did as told, wincing at the pull of muscles, too smart to question her in her current mood. He tossed the shirt aside, taking comfort in the way her eyes watched him when she thought he wasn’t looking. Heart pounding a harsh rhythm against his ribcage, he silently dared her to reach for him again.

The last thing he wanted was to make the first move, lose control, and have her run. Angels weren’t cute or sweet or cuddly. They were warriors. Though patient, if provoked, they were very passionate about those they watched over. And he was very passionate about Caly.

The ice pack landed hard, the cold seeping through the thin material of the towel. Gooseflesh pebbled his skin, erasing some of his body’s more dangerous demands.

“I thought angels didn’t feel pain.”

As belligerent as the statement was, Ruman was grateful she deigned to talk to him at all. “All creatures feel.”

Her eyes remained on the icepack, allowing him to observe her freely. He silently urged her to ask another question, anything to prevent them from lapsing into chilly silence.

“Ask.”

Her head shot up at the sound of his voice. Only to stare at him with a fragile look that made him ache to hold her. He wanted to promise he wouldn’t hurt her, but his will wasn’t his own. Not yet. She chewed at her bottom lip, and he bit back a groan. He wanted to soothe the bruised flesh, wanted to kiss away all her worries.

“I don’t understand.” She stopped and dropped her gaze.

“What?” He resisted the urge to tip her face toward his. It was too soon to force the issue, and he was too uncertain of all the bombarding emotions to feel he could touch her freely.

Tension cleared her face, leaving nothing behind but the warrior. “How did you become a demon?”

“Temporary demon.” He answered with only half a mind, his response automatic. He took a deep breath, forcing his scattered thoughts away from her and onto her question.

“Demons came into existence several ways. Some were born from other demons or a combination of human and demon. Others were made when angels were created. Every creature was given a choice. The stronger ones looked toward the Heavens and became angels. The weaker ones looked away, transformed into demons. Before angels were assigned the job, many demons delivered prayers to Heaven. They helped humans, not caused mischief.”

“And the third?” Caly spoke absently, seemingly absorbed in icing his shoulder, but tension lined her shoulders. “The way you were created?”

“I messed up and failed in the most basic way.”

“What do you mean?”

“Angels work toward a greater goal. We don’t judge or act without prior approval. All I had to do was obey, but I couldn’t.” Ruman refused to drop his gaze or hide from his crime. “As punishment, I was sent here as a guardian demon to watch and observe. Every few decades, a person was sent to me. If I were ready for the trial, I’d awaken. All I’d need to do is save their life, and I’d be free to return home.”

Caly removed the towel and ice slushy, placing it in the sink in the bathroom before returning. “Then why haven’t you returned before now?”

Ruman grunted, reluctant to admit the truth to her. “I guess I haven’t learned my lesson. Not all the people chosen were innocent. One man tried to rob another, thinking himself untouchable with me under his command.” Ruman shook his head, still disgusted at the memory after all this time. “I couldn’t do it. I failed to obey.”

“How’s that fair?” Hands on hips, Caly looked mad enough to spit. His heart warmed at her defense. “You shouldn’t be expected to save the life of a bad man at the cost of another.”

A smile twisted his lips. “That’s the problem. It’s not my place to judge. And since it has been centuries, I guess I still haven’t learned my place.” Part of him worried that he worked so closely with humans that they had rubbed off on him. That he couldn’t be impartial anymore.

Her gaze dropped to her feet. “An angel. I guess I can really pick them.”

Ruman doubted she was aware of what she unwittingly admitted. Such a simple statement rocked his thoughts. He stood and stepped in front of her, blocking the door. The phone rang but he ignored it. They’d only just started talking about what was important. “Caly—”

“It could be the team with news.” Without waiting, she ducked past him and escaped.

Shirtless, Ruman followed and watched her from the doorway. Frown lines appeared between her eyes while she talked on the phone. He wanted to smooth them away, have her smile and laugh with him as she did with only the closest around her.

She sat, her head bent, taking notes. Hair fell down her back and spilled over her shoulder. A toss of her head sent the strands out of the way, but only for a moment. Slow, like molasses, they crept forward to slink back into place.

Reaching back, he retrieved the leather tie he used for his own hair as he walked toward her. He gently gathered the impossibly smooth, silky layers into one hand.

He ignored the way her body stiffened at his touch, focusing on the fact she hadn’t pulled away. The smell of her shampoo and cinnamon filled his nose, loosening the tightness that had taken up residence in his chest.

He closed his eyes.

It’d been too long since he voluntarily touched someone, took pleasure in such a simple gesture. He leaned forward, seconds away from succumbing to the urge to bury his face in the strands, when he felt the sharp prickling run along his skin.

The sun was about to rise.

Not wanting Caly to see him as anything but human, he clenched his fists and retreated.

* * *

“Ruman, wait.” Caly shot to her feet, her body at odds with her mind. She didn’t want him near her. He messed up her thinking, but the instant he’d left, her chest tightened in an odd sort of panic.

The darker part of herself said run after Ruman. They had unsettled business. The sensible part told her to bury the desire and focus on business. Focus on saving her friends. To do that, she needed Ruman to knock off the games and stop messing with her head. “Jarred, I have to go. Thank David for the information.”

“Be careful.”

“You, too.”

Setting the receiver in the cradle, Caly hurried after Ruman. She hesitantly reached up and touched the leather tie in her hair then wiped her hands on the front of her pants.

She was nervous about facing him again. She’d never second-guessed herself before.

Not until now.

Not until him.

Taking a deep breath, she walked into his room, striving for a cool, calm steady pace so he wouldn’t guess how much he stirred her up. “The news from home is encouraging. No more attacks have been reported. And thanks to David’s techno geek abilities, they’ve managed to contact a group of demon hunters. We meet their contact tomorrow…er, tonight.”

Ruman looked pale and distracted as he paced the room. “Is that it?”

All the tentative emotions forming between them since the very first time they met shriveled under his dismissive attitude. Carefully closing the notebook, Caly turned away, cursing as the fragile shell protecting her wavered. She knew this would happen.

And worse, he was right. They needed to keep their distance. “Yes.”

“Caly, don’t.”