Midnight's Master

When she'd finally managed to escape, her first instinct had been to run straight to Paradise.

But she hadn't wanted to see Niol still covered in blood.

Besides, she'd known that the police were going for him– his turn to answer questions.

So she'd waited and let the darkness fall.

Holly glanced at the clock. Close to ten p.m. now. Things should just be getting started at Paradise. Time for her to hunt a demon…

And to lay her soul bare before him.

CHAPTER 19

Demons and vampires packed the floors of Paradise. Holly walked right past them, her chin up, her shoulders back, her heels clicking on the floor.

Music blared in her ears. A loud, drumming beat that heated her blood.

So many bodies. So much power.

But she wanted only one man.

There . At the bar. Head back, strong fingers wrapped around his glass of amber liquid.

A whisper went through the crowd and she knew she'd been spotted.

News traveled even faster in the demon world than it did in the human one.

Niol's head lowered and his eyes locked on her. No surprise showed on his face.

He knew I was here the minute I stepped inside Paradise.

He watched her, his face still, expressionless. The mask was back. The demon who felt nothing.

Holly didn't stop walking.

She could see right through the mask. She could see the emotion in his eyes. Burning black fire.

More whispers as she drew closer to him.

They'd have an audience for this. Not her style, but his.

Holly stopped two feet away from him. The guy looked good. No, gorgeous. Not even a hint of pale skin. Apparently two gunshot wounds didn't slow the man down long at all.

Though they'd sure scared some years off her life.

His gaze swept over her, lingering not on the exposed skin of her breasts, but on the faint cut on her throat, the bandage on her arm, and the wound on her side that was covered by her silk shirt.

"You shouldn't be here." A rumble of sound.

Her brows rose. "I thought I was welcome here." If he wanted to tell her to fuck off, he could do it. But this wasn't going to be some quiet ending. She was coming clean with Niol.

Time to tell the demon just how she felt.

"You're an asshole, Niol. You saved my life, but then you left me and didn't look back."

His eyelids flickered at that.

Had he looked back?

The glass in his hand cracked. Slowly, carefully, Niol sat the drink down on the bar top. "Why are you here, Holly? The case is over."

And so are we .

No, not yet.

"There are only two reasons humans come here…" This came from the bartender.

I'm not human. Those rules didn't apply to her. They never had.

"Are you here to play?" Niol asked.

Holly shook her head. "Game time's over, demon."

His lips tightened and Niol stood, the barstool scraping on the floor behind him. "Why are you here? "

For you . She knew her eyes said the answer for her.

He shook his head.

She closed the distance between them, rose up, and kissed him. Kissed him with her hunger, with the lust that was al ways so close, and with the love that had stirred slowly within her.

A gust of wind tossed her hair and teased her flesh.

Niol lifted his head.

The blaring music quieted.

"Come with me."

To hell and back if she had to. Oh, wait, been there.

Niol caught her wrist and led her toward his office. The door slammed behind them and he wrapped his arms around her, caging her body tightly against his.

"I'm trying to do what's right," he gritted, and his fingers dug into her arms. "Don't you see, love? For once, I want to do what's right."

The demon wasn't nearly as dark inside as most people thought.

Not dark at all, really.

She finally saw him clearly. Her demon. Her Niol. Just…hers.

He stared into her eyes and his jaw clenched. "Fuck, no Holly-I warned you! It's too dangerous! You can't make me love-"

"I love you, Niol." Good, bad. Everything.

He swallowed. "You shouldn't. I-I'm not…what you need."

"You're the only man I need and the only one I want." There was really just one thing he could say to make her leave. Just one. "You saved me. And I'm not just talking about tonight." Though she'd never forget her first sight of him in that horrible room. One look, and she'd known that he would keep her safe.

Maybe she'd always known that.

"You showed me who I really am. You got me to stop hiding from myself."

He didn't speak.

Final shot. Holly licked her lips. "Do you want me to stay with you?"

"What I want doesn't matter." His fingers were steel strong around her. "What you need-"

"Do you love me?"

Don't make me love you.

The only answer that would matter for her. If he said no, she'd walk away, and drag her pride with her.

She'd walk away, but dammit, she'd miss him.

"Do you?" She pressed and the mask on his face cracked.

Niol's lips took hers. Wild and hard and hot and oh, just what she wanted.

"Hell, yes," he growled against her mouth. "Yes." The words seemed torn from him.

Probably because they were.

But he shook his head and shoved back from her. "I can't let you stay, this isn't the world you want-"

A world of demons and shifters and dark shadows that would always hide some of the light.

"Yes, it is."

"I'm trying to do the right thing here, Holly!"

"Screw right," she said, and felt the happiness swell inside her. "I just want you." She knew life with him wouldn't be easy. The guy wasn't an easy man.

Demon.

But with Niol by her side and in her bed, she'd be a happy woman.

He caught her face in his hands. "You love me?" Niol seemed a bit stunned.

"More than any damn thing." He didn't think he deserved love, she knew that. Tough. The man was going to get all the love she had to give.

"I'll want forever-if you make me think– I'll want forever. "

Ah, now that sounded like the demanding demon she knew and loved. "I wouldn't expect anything else." And forever for him, if the stories were true, would be a very long time.

Maybe she wouldn't have as many years as he would, but she'd enjoy the time they had. Every.

Single. Day.

And night.

The nights-she'd enjoy them the most.

The lock clicked behind them. Niol's warm hands slid under her shirt and crept up to her breasts.

What I want. Holly arched toward her demon lover.

Forever.

In darkness and in light.

Detective Colin Gyth headed toward the holding cell. There were a few questions he still had for Michelle Ridgeway, questions that he wanted answered before he went home and crawled in bed with Emily.

No guards were around when he approached. Colin tensed. Not right.

He ran forward-

And found Michelle in her cell. Her body lay sprawled on the floor, a bedsheet tied around her neck.

Fuck.

His gaze scanned the area, noting the placement of the sheet. One end wrapped around the woman's throat. The other knotted high in the bars.

Looked like a suicide.

Looked like one…

His teeth snapped together.

But it sure as hell isn't. I'd stake my badge on it. Too many demons around. Too many with powers that would let them slip right into a human's mind.

But he'd never be able to prove it.

Sonofabitch.

It looked like the demon-hunter case was closed.

The next night, Niol sat at the bar and waited for his reporter. She'd promised to meet him after her last broadcast.

She chose me. That fact still managed to shock him, and little shocked him.

He'd take it slow with her, make sure she understood just what his life entailed. Then, when she was ready, he'd let her know that when he said forever, well, he meant it.

No way would he spend any days without her. There were ways to extend a life-ways he'd share with Holly.

As he'd share everything with her.

A young blond woman walked into his bar. He watched her, vaguely curious. Not demon.

Human.

Not there to play.

Interesting.

He glanced at his watch. Holly would be there soon. Five minutes, ten tops.

He'd have her naked in his office three minutes after that.

"I'm looking for a vampire."

Niol blinked and found the blonde in front of him. Terrible haircut. Short and shaggy.

He motioned to the bar. "Take your pick."

Her hands balled on her hips. "His name's Lane. Lane Mims. Asshole with a habit of hurting women."

Niol stared back at her. "Haven't seen him." Who the hell was this woman?

Holly walked into the bar. He caught a glimpse of her over the blonde's shoulder, caught her scent-sweet lavender. Niol rose.

The human put her hand on his chest. A hand that pushed a small business card against him.

"Yeah, you have."

When her hand moved, he caught the card. Bounty hunter.

Behind her, Holly cut her way through the crowd.

"If he's dead, I'm wasting my time here." Blunt.

Holly saw him and a smile lit up her face. Her dimple winked.

My life.

So fucking simple.

The card turned to ash in his fingers. He stepped to the side and reached out a hand to Holly.

"Guess you'd better head back to-" What address had been on the card? "Louisiana, then. Because that vamp isn't around here." Well, pieces of him could be.

Lane had made another attack. Barely left a teenage girl alive.

The cops hadn't caught him, but the demons had.

The woman's lips thinned.

Holly took his hand and glanced at the other woman.

But the bounty hunter just turned and walked away.

"Who is she?" Holly asked.

To her, he wouldn't lie. Ever. He'd told her all his secrets in the hours before dawn. Every black deed, and she'd stayed with him. "Bounty hunter. Looking for a vamp-"

"Lane."

He hadn't given her the name, but if there was one thing he'd realized about his Holly-the woman had some damn good sources.

"I saw the girl. Kennedy . I talked to her when I went to the hospital to check on Kim."

"Kim's awake?" He hadn't heard that-

"Yeah-yeah, she's awake. Doesn't remember anything about the attack. The doctors don't understand how she's survived, but they think she's going to make a full recovery."

Good.

"Kennedy-she wasn't doing as well."

Because she was a human.

"I-I called Dr. Drake. Asked her to stop by and talk to her."

Smart. Emily would help the girl. All the other doctors would just think she was crazy when Kennedy started talking about men with fangs and claws. Emily would understand.

Yes, the Monster Doctor would help her .

Just like she was helping the King boy.

"Lane-he's been stopped, hasn't he?" Not a question, too much certainty there.

"Yes."

"Good." A dark understanding was in her eyes, the kind one only got after living in the Other world. "Prisons just can't hold some people."

They sure couldn't hold vamps. But in this case, it didn't matter. Lane wouldn't be a problem for anyone, not anymore.

He'd have to check on the girl. He'd ended the vamp's attacks, but-too late. Kennedy's assault was on his shoulders. He'd left the vamp in such a hurry to find Holly. There hadn't been enough time then to-

Holly nodded. "You did what you had to do…"

And he'd do it again.

"I saw what he did," she continued. "I saw."

No judgment against him. No fury. Understanding.

The woman had his heart in her fist.

"You don't have to fight alone anymore, Niol. You've got me now."

Holly didn't look at him with fear or revulsion or disgust.

She just looked at him as if he were-a man.

Every dark secret. Every black spot on his soul. She knew .

Fuck if she didn't make him want to be-hell, better.

Maybe he could be, for her.

Her slow smile spread over her face. The smile that made his cock jerk and his control weaken.

His woman.

One that wouldn't run away, one that wouldn't fear him.

One that wouldn't break, no matter how fierce the danger flowed around her.

She'd shot her ex-lover for him. Put herself in front of death, for him.

A woman like her, if she offered herself, a smart man held as tight as he could.

"I love you," Holly whispered.

Niol knew he was staring at his weakness and his strength.

His heart… held in her fist.

Screw doing what was right. Holly wanted him, he wanted her, and he'd make sure he gave her every single thing she desired in this life. He'd love her every night. He'd give her as much pleasure and passion as she could stand, until she screamed for him to stop, then screamed for him to start again. He'd protect her. And he'd fucking destroy anyone who ever tried to hurt her.

Fate could be a cruel bitch, but sometimes, sometimes , she could take pity on a demon.

She'd sure given him a real taste of Paradise.