The Devil Inside mk-1 Read online

  When he finished thinking, he reached for me, grabbing my hand before I knew what he was going to do.

  “Hey!” I protested, trying to pull away.

  “Hush,” he said, trapping my hand between both of his and closing his eyes.

  I wanted to tell him exactly what he could do with his “hush,” but figured it wouldn’t do any good.

  After maybe thirty seconds, he let go, opened his eyes, and shook his head.

  “I can’t find him,” he said. “I believe you that he’s in there somewhere, or your bruise wouldn’t have healed, but your aura is overwhelming him.” He stood up and started to pace. “How can a human be that powerful?” I think he was talking to himself, but that didn’t stop me from answering.

  “Are you asking how it’s possible for me to overwhelm any demon, or this one in particular?”

  Surprise, surprise, he didn’t answer. Instead, he stopped his pacing right in front of my chair and looked down at me. I really wanted to stand up so I didn’t have to crane my neck like that, but I knew how much it would hurt and I just wasn’t up to it.

  “So he wrote those notes to you while you were asleep, and he communicates with you through dreams, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  Adam nodded, the look on his face saying he’d reached a decision.

  “Sorry about this,” he said.

  Before I had a chance to get even vaguely alarmed, the back of his hand came out of nowhere and smacked into the side of my face with the force of a wrecking ball.

  CHAPTER 13

  I came to, lying on my back, ready to be miserable. That had been one hell of a backhand. I braced myself for the pain, maybe even some queasiness and blurred vision. Surely he’d hit me hard enough for a concussion.

  I realized I was unusually clearheaded for someone who’d just been knocked unconscious. Then I realized my face didn’t hurt. At all. I reached up and tentatively touched my cheek.

  “Lugh healed it while you were out.”

  I turned my head toward the sound of Adam’s voice. I was lying on the bed, and he was sitting on one of the armchairs, his legs stretched out in front of him, hands clasped over his belly. He looked damn proud of himself.

  I pushed up on my elbows, still tensed for pain and nausea, but I felt nothing.

  “He healed your feet, too, though you should keep wearing the bandages just for show.”

  Finally convinced that I would suffer no ill effects from Adam clobbering me, I sat up. I glared at him.

  “You’d better tell me you exorcized him,” I growled.

  “Sorry, no can do. He’s way out of my league.”

  I groaned and lowered my head into my hands. Panic welled from deep inside my chest. I wanted this… creature …out of me. I wanted my life back. My gorge rose, and I wondered if I had a concussion after all. I swallowed hard, trying to force it all down, keep calm, keep sane.

  How long did I have before Lugh found a way around my defenses and took me over completely? It seemed I couldn’t get enough oxygen into my lungs. I sucked air frantically, my heart racing as fear beat at me from all sides.

  Adam was suddenly beside me on the bed. His hand fastened on the back of my neck and he pushed my head down between my knees. I tried to resist, but he was far too strong.

  “Easy now, love,” he said, still holding me down. “Breathe easy. Don’t pass out on me.”

  Passing out seemed like a really good plan at that moment. Until I remembered that when I was unconscious, Lugh had free rein.

  I forced myself to slow my breaths. I closed my eyes, concentrated, visualized taking the roiling panic, shoving it into a steel safe, and slamming the door shut on it.

  I wasn’t sure how long that safe would hold, but I seemed to be calming. Adam released his grip on my neck and rubbed my back vigorously.

  “Stop that,” I said as I slowly raised my head. My vision swam for half a second, then cleared. I was okay.

  Yeah, everything was just peachy.

  I hadn’t expected Adam to obey me, but he stopped rubbing my back and moved back to the chair he’d originally been sitting in.

  “Better now?” he asked.

  “Yeah.” Except for my overwhelming embarrassment at having fallen apart like that. Usually I’m a pro at hiding my feelings, delaying my reactions until I can have them in private. Then again, I’d never had to face my worst nightmare come true before. That can do funny things to a body’s insides.

  I cleared my throat. “So am I, like, stuck with him until I die?” The panic beat at the door of the safe, but so far, it held.

  “Likely,” Adam answered, and if I hadn’t known better, I would have called his voice gentle. “He’s very powerful, Morgan. I doubt there’s anyone, human or demon, who could cast him out. Even when he’s trying to cooperate.”

  “Great. Just great.” I took a deep breath. “So who is he?” I looked up and locked gazes with Adam, whose expression gave away nothing. “Come on, Adam. I know you know who he is. You recognized his name when I said it.”

  Adam looked chagrined. “I’ll have to work on my poker face.”

  “Cut the crap and tell me who the hell is hitchhiking in my body!”

  He licked his lips. “Let’s just say he’s a VIP and leave it at that.”

  “Adam — ”

  He held up a hand. “All right — let’s just say he outranks me and I’m not telling you unless he gives me the okay.” He grinned and made a fist with his right hand, pounding it into the palm of his left. “Would you like me to ask him?”

  I flipped him the bird and he laughed. I wondered if backhanding me like that had satisfied his earlier desire to hurt me. I figured probably not, since I hadn’t actually been conscious long enough for it to hurt.

  “Well, Adam, you’ve been a big help.” Not! “Thanks a lot. You can go about your business now.”

  “Why do I get the feeling I’m being dismissed?”

  “Um, because you are?”

  His grin held a touch of evil. “Not that easy, love. There are people out there trying to kill you. Or had you forgotten?”

  No, that’s not something I was likely to forget. “Your point being?”

  “My point being this isn’t a good time to play Lone Ranger. I know how hot you are for independence, but you can’t do everything alone. And you definitely need help with this one.”

  I sort of knew that, though I didn’t like it. “Are you offering?”

  “Yeah, I guess I am.”

  “Why? It’s not like we’re friends.” Actually, we were closer to enemies, I figured, but we hadn’t quite reached that stage yet. Though if he hit me again, that might be the last straw.

  “No, we’re not. But I wouldn’t want anything to happen to Lugh.”

  For reasons I didn’t want to examine, that stung. I hoped like hell it didn’t show on my face. “So what’s your plan?”

  “First, we get you out of this hotel. This is not the place to go incognito.”

  “You got a better suggestion?”

  The predatory gleam in his eyes told me before he spoke that I wasn’t going to like the suggestion one bit.

  “My place,” he said. And no, I didn’t like it.

  “No fucking way.”

  “No one would think to look for you there. And Dominic and I can watch your back.”

  Bad enough to think about staying in a house with just Adam. Adam and Dominic together was just too much. Way too much.

  “Which part of ‘no fucking way’ didn’t you understand?” Okay, so it wasn’t the most original comeback in the world, but my brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders at the moment.

  The wicked, evil grin was back. “Let me put it this way: you’re staying with me, where I can keep an eye on you.”

  I stood up. He could overpower me easily, but I’d make one hell of a commotion as he dragged me through the hotel halls.

  He stayed in his chair and smiled up at me. “We can do this one of two ways,
love. You can come quietly…” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. “Or not.” He dangled the cuffs from the end of his index finger. “Which do you prefer?”

  Well, shit. In all my indignation, I’d forgotten the little detail about him being a police officer. I could make all the commotion I wanted. All he’d have to do is flash his badge, and no one would lift a finger to help me.

  One thing was for sure: I didn’t want Adam putting handcuffs on me. I’d have to put on a show of going along quietly. When we got to the lobby, I’d see if I could find a good opportunity to make a run for it. I wasn’t sure where I would go, but anywhere seemed better than with Adam.

  “I guess I’ll come quietly,” I said, grimacing.

  He swung the cuffs around his finger, staring at me. I guess I must be getting predictable in my old age, because he smiled and said, “I think not.”

  He stood up, and my heart lurched. I didn’t like the look in his eyes, not one bit. I held up my hands in a protective gesture.

  “No, really. I’ll cooperate. You don’t need the cuffs.”

  He cocked his head to the side. “You’re actually frightened, aren’t you? I would have thought it’d take more than a pair of handcuffs to frighten you.”

  I tried to reason with myself. Even if Adam wasn’t a demon, he’d have a height and weight advantage on me. In reality, if he wanted to attack me, I’d be just as toasted with my hands free as with them in cuffs.

  Reason wasn’t helping much.

  Adam raised his eyebrows. “What’s the matter, love? Don’t trust me?”

  That pissed me off enough to put the fear temporarily to the side. “Not as far as I can throw you.”

  He nodded. “Exactly. And that’s about how much I trust you, though I suspect I could throw you farther than you could throw me. So turn around and put your hands behind your back.”

  I shook my head and shivered. If he was going to put those damn things on me, he was going to have to work for it.

  His voice and his expression softened. “Morgan, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m honestly trying to protect you.”

  “You mean protect Lugh,” I shot back.

  “Right now, it’s the same thing.”

  “Please, Adam. I promise I’ll come with you. Just don’t — ”

  I guess he decided persuasion wasn’t going to work. He was on me before I even knew he’d moved. He turned me around and shoved me face — first onto the bed, then put his knee in my back as he grabbed my flailing arms and slapped the cuffs on my wrists.

  He moved his knee as soon as the cuffs were on, hauling me to my feet by my upper arm. My heart beat rabbit-fast, and cold sweat broke over my body.

  Adam stood behind me, close behind me, holding both my arms. I felt his breath on my ear as he bent his head to mine.

  “Remember to breathe,” he said, his voice soft as a caress.

  Once again, I fought my panic. I breathed in deeply through my nose, then let the breath out through my mouth. Some of the tension left me, so I tried it again.

  After a couple more deep breaths, I felt almost normal. Plus, Adam had released one of my arms and given me some room.

  “Let’s go,” he said, leading me toward the door.

  I cast a longing glance at the shopping bags that held all my worldly possessions. He saw my glance and snatched them up with his free hand.

  Still fighting the remnants of panic, I let him lead me downstairs to his waiting car and tried to ignore all the curious stares of the hotel patrons.

  Adam had driven to the hotel in an unmarked police car, so I had the pleasure of riding in the back like a criminal. He didn’t take the handcuffs off. It didn’t improve my disposition.

  The last of my fear faded, replaced by good, old-fashioned fury. I stared at the back of Adam’s head and wished I could bore holes in his skull with my gaze. At the next stoplight, he adjusted the rearview mirror so he could look at me without turning his head. I met his eyes in the mirror and hated the laugh lines that crinkled the corners.

  “Glad I’m such a source of entertainment,” I muttered darkly.

  He didn’t say anything, which was probably just as well.

  Apparently, being Director of Special Forces paid well. Adam’s house wasn’t huge, but it was a lot larger than mine, and it was that rarest of all city birds, a stand-alone, sharing no walls with any neighbors. I was impressed.

  He parked in a tiny private lot right across the street, then opened my door and helped me out. He still didn’t take off the handcuffs, but I knew how much good complaining would do.

  “Hi, honey, I’m home,” Adam called as soon as he stepped through his front door, dragging me along behind him.

  A familiar voice answered. “Well, if that isn’t the cheesiest — ” Dominic came to a stop. His jaw dropped, but he recovered his composure quickly enough. “Morgan. This is a surprise.”

  I wanted to say something clever, but nothing came to mind. Adam led me farther into the house, and Dominic noticed the handcuffs for the first time. He gave Adam an inquiring look.

  Adam shrugged. “Long story.” He let go of my arm. “I’ll be with you in a moment,” he told me with a mischievous wink.

  I had no idea what that wink meant. Until he stepped away from me and put his hands on Dominic’s shoulders. Dominic spared me one uncomfortable glance, then stepped into Adam’s embrace. Dominic is actually an inch or two taller than Adam, but something about the way Adam carries himself always makes him look like the biggest guy in the room. Even when Dominic had to lower his head to receive his kiss.

  My face flamed. I wanted to look away, but I just couldn’t. They were both so beautiful, each in his own way, and I felt as if waves of energy radiated out from them. Their lips moved restlessly against each other, and I was watching closely enough to see Adam’s tongue slip into Dominic’s mouth.

  I don’t know why, but it was one of the sexiest kisses I’d ever seen. I finally forced my gaze away, but I couldn’t help hearing the contented purring sounds Dominic made as Adam Frenched him. My cheeks refused to cool down, and even though I wasn’t watching anymore, I knew that image would stay in my mind for a long, long time.

  I heard twin sighs of regret as they pulled apart. Adam’s voice when he spoke was rough and smoky, unlike any sound I’d heard from him before.

  “Let’s get Morgan settled, shall we? Then we can continue where we left off.”

  I didn’t hear Dominic’s answer, but he must have conveyed his agreement somehow. I kept my gaze riveted to the floor as Adam unlocked the damn handcuffs. I refused to rub my wrists, though they were raw from my pointless struggles. As if I could break out of handcuffs!

  Embarrassed and reluctantly aroused, I picked up the shopping bags and followed Adam up the stairs to the second floor. Dominic came up behind me. When Adam reached the top of the stairs, he turned to the right and started down the hallway. But as soon as he’d moved out of the way, I came to a screeching halt, because I could see into the room at the head of the stairs through its open door.

  It was the blackest room I’d ever seen. The walls and ceiling were painted black. The floor was a glossy black tile. A huge bed of black iron, covered with black sheets, rested against one wall. But that wasn’t what made me take a hasty step backward so that I bumped into Dominic coming up behind me.

  The recessed lights in the ceiling shone on the black wooden pegs that jutted out from the wall facing the stairs. At least a dozen of them. From each of those pegs hung a coiled monstrosity of a whip. And I realized the room was most likely a monochromatic black to camouflage bloodstains.

  Dominic put his hands on my shoulders, or I might have knocked us both down the stairs in my hasty retreat. Adam stuck his head around the corner and fixed me with one of his creepy stares.

  “Don’t worry, love. That’s not your room.”

  I swallowed on a dry throat and pulled away from Dominic’s grip. Retreat wasn’t an optio
n, so I did my best to feign indifference as I walked up the last couple of steps. I’m a lousy actress.

  I followed Adam down the hall and tried not to notice that Dominic was no longer behind me. I knew where he’d gone.

  When I realized Adam was installing me in the room right next door, I balked.

  “Huh-uh!” I said, stepping back again. “No way.”

  Adam flashed me a shark’s smile. “It’s the only room I have that locks from the outside. And you know I’m not going to trust you in an unlocked room.”

  I knew better than to ask why he had any room that locked from the outside.

  There wasn’t a chance in hell he was budging, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t try. “If you’d just put me somewhere else, I swear to you that I won’t try to run away.”

  “Yeah, right. Come on, you know there’s no point in fighting this. And you will be safe here.”

  I considered making a run for it-Dominic was no longer blocking my escape route, after all-but some shivery, cowardly part of me feared that if I ran, Adam might drag me into that black room instead of Dominic.

  “Could you at least do me the courtesy of not…” I found myself too prudish to finish my own sentence, so I made an indistinct hand gesture instead.

  Oh, did my discomfort ever amuse him!

  “Of not fucking in the room next door?” he finished for me. “I made Dominic a promise, and I’m not a tease. Now, much though I enjoy shooting the breeze with you, I’ve got other business to take care of. Get in the room before I lose my patience.”

  Almost sick to my stomach with dread, I stepped into the room. Adam slammed the door shut behind me, and I heard the lock click. I pressed my back against the door and slid down until my butt hit the floor, then hugged my knees to my chest.

  CHAPTER 14

  At first, I didn’t hear anything. I sat with my back against the door, every muscle in my body tense, my ears straining for a sound they didn’t want to hear. When the silence stretched for a few minutes, I forced a couple of deep breaths into my lungs and tried to relax.