Page 32 of Craving Demons

“I promise I don’t bite… much, and I’ll only eat you if you ask nicely,” I said, voice low and husky, eyes taking her all in.

“Oh… oh!” she said and that blush on her cheeks bloomed again, and this time it sank all the way down that low V-neck of her dress.

“Exactly.” I looked at Grey and Ramsey. “I’d been hoping to speak to Ana tonight, would it be possi—”

“No,” Grey cut me off. “She was seen leaving with me and I need to be seen with her tonight. If you have each other’s numbers, you can meet up some other time.” I felt the push of his command. Grey was far older than me, which usually equated to more powerful, though I was no slouch myself.

“Do I get a say in this?” Ana asked.

“No,” Grey said, just as hard.

“Well fine then.” Ana definitely didn’t like being told what to do, that was clear. She turned to me. “Give me your phone.”

I pulled it out and had it unlocked in an instant, then handed it over. She put in her number and handed it back. “Call me, whenever you like.” She smiled at me then glared at Grey.

Good.

I took my phone and sighed as Grey escorted Ana away, out of the building.

“You too, huh?”

I turned, remembering Ramsey was still there. His words sank in a moment later:you too?

But then I saw how his gaze was following the couple — no, not the couple, but Ana — as they left.

Ah.

So, I had competition, did I?

I laughed. “May the better man win. Unless you want to fight over her?”

Ramsey glared at me. I knew what he was thinking. He could probably take me in a fight. He was almost two thousand years older than I was, after all, but then everybody was just a little wary of my beast.

No one really wanted to piss off a world-ending daemon. The few times Ramsey and I had fought at one of the Empyrean fight clubs, it had always ended in a draw. He was better than me but always stopped the fight when — inevitably — my beast threatened to come out.

He sighed. “That’s for later. For now, about that job I mentioned.”

And just like that all the tension seemed to drain out of him and he was all smiles and slaps on the back. “I need someone with access to explosives and experience using them. And you’re just the man.”

It couldn’t hurt to listen.

We left together since I no longer had a reason to go up to Elysium and he’d been on his way out to begin with.

But my mind wasn’t thinking about his job. I only had thoughts for Ana, and deep within me, my wolf growled its bestial need.

Something told me, if I couldn’t have her, my beast wouldn’t be happy. And if that happened… the world might just be in for a premature Ragnarök.

GREY

I tookAna to another club, one daemons were known to frequent, since we needed to be seen together. We chose a booth that was visible to most of the club — instead of the darker, more private booths in the back — and I offered her a drink. She chose ginger ale. Apparently, she didn’t drink a lot.

Her temperance was just one of a growing list of things I found fascinating about her. The top of that list was her sheer power. When Harmonia had removed her suppression, I’d nearly been overwhelmed by Ana’s aspect.

The fact that she could overpower me was significant. Even suppressed, Ana had been nearly irresistible. From that first moment, when she’d walked into my office, I’d felt odd… different, and more than just physically attracted to her. Ineededto be near her and a part of me hadn’t been “playing a game” when I’d fought Ramsey to claim her.

It was shocking. I’d never felt anything like this for any woman before, and while I’d been told, many times, that my aspect drew people in, pulled by the black hole of avarice within me, this was my first time being on the other side.

I’d never felt that kind of pull from anyone and I didn’t know why I was feeling it now from Ana.