Katie's Hellion

Her draw was insane. Her blood smelled sweet, and the oddly charged aura around her made his brow furrow. In all his years, he'd never seen anything like her.

Ancient's mate. His mate.

He froze. He'd heard how other immortals stumbled upon the humans meant to mate with them. There were few humans who could stick it out with an immortal; something in their blood made them different from all the others. He'd felt a familiar sense around…

Lilith. The woman whose death by his hand had landed him here in Hell.

Only the draw around this woman meant for him was much stronger. Much more dangerous.

He growled deep and low, glaring at the woman across the hall. The healer pulled her into its arms, his gaze flickering around again.

He'd thought himself in love with Lilith once, and so had Kris and half their brothers.

Fools, all of them! She'd been a siren, a human whose black heart lured any immortal she encountered into the hands of the Dark One!

The woman across the hall held the same beguiling aura.

Rhyn retreated to the wall and sat with his back against it, staring at the healer that held the woman protectively in his arms.

Every human had its own special power, similar to immortals. He wondered what hers was, and if it was the same gift of treachery that had doomed Lilith.

She awoke on the lower bunk bed in a prison cell with no windows and a tiny metal toilet and sink. Her blurred vision fell to the corner, where a creature with glowing emerald eyes crouched. She jerked back, pain shooting through her.

"You brought much blood," the creature said, its voice trembling a little with excitement.

She closed her eyes and pushed herself up, her breath catching at the sharp pain in her ribs. Her feet felt swollen and fiery.

"What are you?" the creature asked.

Its voice was hoarse, and it spoke with a small lisp.

She braced herself and opened her eyes. The lighting was harsh. Aside from its large, glowing green eyes, the creature appeared near-human with a lean body covered in some sort of leather jumper. She couldn't distinguish whether it was male or female. The voice sounded like the sultry growl of a woman, but it had short hair and no breasts. And four fingers on each hand. Its skin was porcelain pale, as if it never saw sunlight.

"I'm a human," she said.

"A mortal human?" it replied skeptically.

"Is there any other kind?"

The creature looked confused but shifted from its guarded crouch to a kneeling position.