Demon Moon

you?” She shuddered when his fangs scraped the soft skin below her ear. His erection was thick against her bottom, his breathing harsh. “I felt your jealousy, little Savi. Did you intend to string me along until I was so mad for you that I’d beg and promise to forsake every other woman for a taste of you? Perhaps I should give you a repeat performance; you’ll certainly learn then. It can be just like Caelum .”
    A selfish bastard. A thoughtless one.
    “Sir Pup,” she said, and flattened her palm, holding it out. “I need a knife.”
    In his Labrador form once more, Sir Pup looked around the front of the car and whined softly. A long-bladed dagger appeared in her hand.
    Bless demon dogs and their limitless, invisible hammerspace.
    Colin’s laughter rumbled against her neck. “Do you think to fight me, sweet Savitri?” His long fingers sought her nipples, caught the taut buds in a pinch. Then he smoothed his thumbs over the stinging peaks.
    She had to close her eyes against the pleasure that speared through her; she must be completely sick for him to affect her now. “Sir Pup, will you go make certain Nani is okay, and follow her home? But don’t let her see you.” When the hellhound hesitated, she looked up at him and repeated, “Go.”
    He disappeared. A moment later, the rapid click of his claws against the pavement faded in the distance.
    Behind her, around her, Colin’s lean body tightened. “I will disarm you without effort. Call him back.” An edge of desperation sharpened his voice.
    “I’m removing a variable,” she said, and flipped the hilt of the dagger around in her hand. “One of your strengths. You use his presence to help maintain your control, or you wouldn’t have dared try to approach me and scare me like this.”
    “Are you scared, Savi?” If he sought a mocking tone, he failed. Instead, he sounded anxious, as if he was suddenly afraid.
    “I should be. Mostly I’m just pissed,” she said—and dropped her shields.
    In his instant of paralyzed surprise, she pushed off with her legs and caught him off-balance.
    She was more powerful than she’d realized; they flew back and skidded across the asphalt until his shoulders wedged against the front tire of the car in the adjoining space. She took no time to triumph in that small victory; before he could react, she twisted and slapped her bleeding palm over his mouth and nose.
    He froze. Above her hand, his eyes widened. His pupils dilated, leaving a thin ring of pale gray.
    Her breath came in short pants. She straddled his abdomen, the ground hard and cold beneath her knees. His fingers clawed at the asphalt, then clenched and stilled.
    Keeping himself from touching her. If he could manage that much control, she’d be safe. And if not, Sir Pup would still hear her scream.
    His chest was motionless, as if he was trying not to inhale the scent of her blood. His lips were sealed together beneath her hand, and she could feel the tightness in his jaw, the effort it took for him not to open his mouth. That suited her; he didn’t need to breathe except to speak, and she just wanted him to shut up.
    She leaned forward until her hand separated them from a parody of a kiss. “You did teach me well. Strength against weakness makes for a short battle. Your weakness is my scent and blood; they are apparently my strengths.” The dagger clattered to the ground as she opened her right fist. “I didn’t even need this.”
    Not that she would’ve used it; it had only served as a distraction. Nor could she hang on to her anger any better than she did the knife. She’d never been able to.
    She didn’t fight the deep, overwhelming exhaustion that took its place. “I think we can call the friendship experiment a complete failure,” she said, drawing back until she was sitting almost upright, her arm stretched out in front of her. Her sleeve was streaked with blood. “I’ve just proven that, even under the worst circumstances, you have enough control not to rape me or drain me to death—but you obviously don’t give a shit about the rest of me.”
    His brows drew together, and his gaze searched her features. In her peripheral vision, she saw his hands flex.
    “You don’t even realize, do you?” A short, tired laugh escaped her, and she shook her head before looking at him again. The wheel formed a dark nimbus behind his golden hair. “I thought, at the restaurant, you were feeling sorry for what you’d done to me in Caelum.