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“What does that mean?” I asked, putting on a little burst of speed to catch up. As much as I wanted him to slow down so I didn’t feel like a toddler running to keep up with her parent, the need to find my brother was growing stronger by the minute. Original demons and ancient protectors? “None of what you just said was in Wendy’s journal.”
“Wendy changed while she was here. I’ve told you that. Perhaps the stories she brought back with her, the stories she shared in her writings, were how she wanted to remember things. Or maybe she just couldn’t bring herself to record the truth.”
“What can you tell me thatistrue?” I didn’t know what else to ask. I felt like he was talking in circles, deliberately avoiding giving me real answers. And he was starting to piss me off again.
He sliced with his blade, severing heavy fronds from an encroaching bush. “We have a very long day ahead of us.”
I waited, and waited, and fucking waited. But that was all he gave me.
19
HOOK
Another bead of sweat rolled down my spine and I pulled at the front of my shirt, peeling it away from my heated skin. The afternoon sun was a brutal thing on the island, especially when there was no shade to break it.
When I looked back, Never was a few paces behind me, eyes trained on the trail as she trudged along. Her face and neck were flushed pink with effort and her own shirt was damp with sweat. The way the fabric clung emphasized her curves, and my hands itched to wrap around her waist and strip that thin layer off her.
She glanced up at me, freezing mid-step, her eyes growing wide. “What the fuck?” Her gaze turned fiery, and she rocked backward. “Don’t tell me you’re a fucking demon too.”
Oh hell.
I slammed my eyes shut and shook my head. “No.” I heard the rustle of clothes and knew without looking that she had her dagger in her hand. “I am not a demon.”
“Cool, cool. Except, and pardon my ignorance here, I’ve never met ahumanwhose eyes glow. Shit. I thought that was a trick of the light last night.”
The heat inside me receded a little and I latched onto that feeling, shoving it the rest of the way down. When I dared a look, she had her blade out but down at her side in a deceptively casual grip. To someone who’d been in countless knife and sword fights, that grip told me she meant business. But she didn’t need the blade to slice me open on the inside. The betrayal on her face did that all on its own.
“I never said I was human.” It was the only response I could think of. Never couldn’t know that I was disgraced demigod. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
Her lips pressed into a thin line and her eyes narrow to slits. “What are you then? Incubus? That would certainly explain a few things.” Her attitude was back in full force and honestly, it eased a little of my tension. At least until my mind processed her words.
“What would my being an incubus explain for you?” Arousal thickened my voice because I already knew, but now I desperately wanted to hear her say the words. An incubus was a creature who fed on lust, capable of using his magic to bring others, men and women alike, to such a state of erotic titillation that they would be compelled, desperate, to engage sexually with the creature. If even a small part of her thought I had that ability—
Her half-naked form flashed through my mind again. It hadn’t occurred to me that she might have been thinking about me while she touched herself the night before. My cock rose to attention at the possibility. Had she been imagining me the same way I’d envisioned joining her in my room?
She raised the blade and pointed it at me, taking a step back. Her eyes were locked on mine, and I knew she saw the glow there. I tried to will it away, to shove it down where I’d kept my powers locked up for eons. I hadn’t lost control in a very long time, and I certainly was not going to start with her.
I turned away, knowing full well I was risking a knife in the back, but I needed to break the connection. The forest stretched out in front of me, and I drew in a breath, letting it out on a slow count.
“I am not an incubus either,” I finally said. She remained silent behind me. “What I am doesn’t matter, as long as you know I mean you no harm. My job is to keep the demon imprisoned here. It is something I was tasked with long ago. I have, admittedly, grown a bit lax in recent years because it seemed as though it gave up the fight. But that doesn’t change my duty to this realm. It is my job to protect it, and as you are a visitor here, I will protect you as well.”
Even if that meant protecting her from me.
Her clothing rustled softly, and she let out a resigned huff. “Let’s get something straight.” She waited until I turned to face her to continue, looking both fierce and disappointed in a way that tugged painfully at my cold heart. “I’m willing to admit that I might need your help to get to my brother.” She focused her attention on her hands as she adjusted her jacket around her waist. “But if you make me regret trusting you, I swear on all that shimmers in this world that I will repay that regret ten-fold.”
When she met my gaze again, all I saw was stony resolve. Never had erected a wall between us in her mind, one she clearly intended to defend.
I didn’t know why I was hoping for more from the woman but being shut out like that was decidedly unpleasant. Would it have been worth it to tell her the truth about who and what I was?
Memories of the last time I’d let someone in darkened my mind and before I realized it, my fingertips were tracing the ragged edge of the scar on my chest.
Never watched me silently, her gaze locked on my scar. I adjusted my shirt to cover it. “We should be going. There is still quite a lot of ground to cover.”
She looked up, searching for something in my face, as if a question was dancing on the tip of her sharp tongue. With a little shake of her head, she dismissed the notion. What was she thinking? I would have given the world to know in that moment. The world, but not the truth.
I scanned our surroundings in case any sneaking spies had overheard our conversation. The demon had eyes all over the island, and if that wretched creature caught even a hint of the effect Never had on me—
I shoved the thought from my mind. There was no point in tempting fate by imagining the worst.
