A Demon's Desire Read Online Free Page A

he’d never trusted
his ability to control the evil enough to look for something other
than a fling. No one deserved to be with someone like him,
especially a woman like the one sleeping in the next room.
    Emma wasn’t shallow, bitchy, or obsessed.
That kind was easier to get rid of, yet something about Emma drew
him. The woman had been dead on her feet but too determined to
quit. He admired her for it. Perseverance was oftentimes the only
thing standing between life and death. He’d been down that road
many times in his own struggle with his evil half.
    “Did you take her car to your house?” he
said.
    “Yes. I’m surprised it lasted the night in
this forsaken place.”
    “Isolde watched it.”
    “Bless that dog. If not for her, you’d have
no decent company,” she said.
    “You’re harsh, Mother.”
    “Honest, dear, not harsh.”
    His mother looked thoughtful, and Tristan
studied her, waiting for her frankness to overwhelm her hesitation.
He leaned back and slung an arm over the couch back. His mother was
a seer, a white witch who saw visions of the future. Though she
claimed not to practice, she still meddled in the lives of her sons
and her friends when she pleased.
    “Son,” she said at last, “I don’t think she’s
the normal flimflam you date. She dresses nicely and has a clean
car, and her aura is as clear as a spring morning. She fell into
your arms. I want you to promise only to do what you must with this
darkness to rid it from her, and then keep her. I think I’ll like
her.”
    “It’s business, Mother, not personal. You
shouldn’t be peering into my future anyway.”
    “I’m getting anxious for grandchildren,
Tristan.”
    “You think it’s wise to bring more demons
into the world?” he teased.
    “Bite your tongue, son!” she retorted and
glared at him. “You go out of your way to avoid a quality woman,
and when one’s thrown into your lap, you still don’t see her.”
    “I see her, Mother. My intentions aren’t as
noble as yours.”
    “Before the end of this, you’ll have to make
some choices. Maybe you can stop hiding up here and start living,”
she said and rose. “I’ve said too much. The ladies and I are going
to town. I’ll drop by and check on her on the way back.”
    “No cheating if you’re going gambling,” he
warned. “Not that I haven’t told you a thousand times, but you’re
not supposed to use your magic for selfish reasons.”
    “I’m retired. Besides, it’s not cheating if
you lose sometimes,” she called over her shoulder as she
disappeared into the kitchen.
    Tristan watched her leave with a small smile.
When the kitchen door clicked shut, he leaned forward again and
gazed at the box. His mother’s strange wariness around the darkness
made him think she, too, recognized it. She’d never tried to make
him promise not to finish a consult, and she’d never looked as
troubled as she did when he shared the details of his job.
    He lifted the box. Whatever it was, it was
bad. Really bad.
    Emma, Emma. What on earth did you drag us
into?
     
     

Chapter Two
     
    Emma stepped from the shower and dressed
quickly, convinced the owner of the apartment would appear out of
the shadows at will and determined not to be naked when he did so.
She used his comb to work out the tangles in her hair and opened
the door from the small bathroom to the bedroom to allow the steam
to escape, wearing a pair of boxers and a T-shirt she found atop
his plain, worn chest of drawers.
    Her hellhound waited on the bed. Sightless
white eyes turned toward her, and her tail thumped in greeting.
    She felt rested for the first time in two
weeks. The room was pleasantly scented, the dark, earthy musk of a
mysterious man. His scent clung to her skin; she had not tried
overly hard to scrub it free. She liked the way he smelled.
She’d forgotten how comforting a man’s scent could be after two
years eschewing the opposite sex.
    The simplicity of his neat and clean bedroom
bordered on