Demon Marked

heard the movement, her gaze fell to his hand.
    “I’d be grateful if you wouldn’t,” she said. “I’d rather not die.” Bullshit. She didn’t sound grateful or concerned.
    “What happens if you die?” He let curiosity lighten his tone, as if he was considering pulling the trigger just to find out. Let her sweat. “Do you return to Hell?”
    “I don’t know.” She watched him steadily. No sweating. Dammit. “Nicholas, I need your help. Somehow, I’m connected to Madelyn St. Croix, just as Rachel was. And your mother—”
    “She’s not my mother,” he stated flatly. The idea sent fury through his veins, but he wouldn’t let her see that.
    Her brows rose. “Then who is she?”
    “A demon.”
    “A demon,” she echoed. Something sparked in her eyes. Excitement ? Whatever it was, the emotion quickly vanished. “Is that what I am?”
    “Yes.”
    “And you are, too? You seem to suffer the same lack of affect that I do.”
    The demon probably intended that observation to hurt him, to make him question his humanity, but to Nicholas, it only showed that she couldn’t read his emotions. Good. Rosalia’s tutelage had paid off there, too. She’d taught him to guard his mind—and obviously she’d done it well enough, as this demon couldn’t sense anything that he didn’t want to give her.
    “I’m human,” he said.
    “How can you tell?” Her gaze searched his face, as if looking for the differences. When he didn’t answer, she asked, “Was Rachel a demon, too?”
    Oh, that was clever. Introduce doubt about Rachel, throw him off-kilter. Too bad Nicholas had already considered the possibility that Rachel had been Madelyn’s lackey all along.
    Considered the possibility and discarded it. He’d been skinto-skin with her too many times. She’d been human—and the only reason the idea had ever occurred to him was because it could assuage his guilt. If she’d been a demon and her death had been a setup designed by Madelyn, then Nicholas had nothing to be sorry for. An attractive thought, but not true. He preferred to live with his regret rather than blame Rachel.
    “Try again,” he said.
    She didn’t. Almost dismissively, she looked away from Nicholas and scanned the room. “Are any of Rachel’s things still here?”
    “No.” He had a few items, including the overnight bag she’d packed for the weekend they’d intended to spend together—Madelyn had shot her before they’d left town. The rest of Rachel’s belongings had been returned to her family. “Her parents took them back to the States. Why?”
    “If you can’t help me, perhaps they can.” She touched the steel collar. “So let me go, and I’ll leave you alone.”
    Not a fucking chance, especially if she truly meant to see Rachel’s parents. Goddamned demons. If this was a threat, she’d chosen the perfect one.
    Unlike the police and the press, Rachel’s parents had believed Nicholas. When he’d told them that Rachel had thrown herself in front of him, they hadn’t asked what Nicholas had done to deserve such a sacrifice; they’d only said Rachel’s selfless act was exactly what they’d have expected from her. And though they hadn’t understood how her body had disappeared any better than Nicholas had, they’d believed that, too.
    And they were still looking for her. If this demon showed up at their home, no doubt they’d welcome her with open arms and call it a miracle.
    The Boyles didn’t deserve that. They’d suffered enough. No way in hell would Nicholas let a demon arrive at their house wearing their dead daughter’s face. But he couldn’t let her know that he felt the need to protect Rachel’s family from her, because she’d use it against him.
    Nicholas focused on how he intended to use the demon, instead. “So you want me to just let you walk away?” He shook his head. “The way I see it, you’re the last person to have contact with Madelyn. That means you’re my best chance of finding her. Where is she?”
    “I don’t know.”
    And he wouldn’t get anywhere as long as she kept lying. All right, then. He’d call her bluff. She wanted to know who she really was? He’d discover how much she’d risk to find out.
    “Okay.” He lowered the crossbow. “Then I propose a bargain: You help me track Madelyn down, and I’ll help you discover who you are.”
    She hesitated. Damn right she did. A bargain was the most dangerous agreement a demon could make. Any party to a bargain that didn’t