“I-I have children.”
“Are there more demon hunters here?”
She shook her head. “It was just us.”
I snickered. “You really did get lazy with your work.”
“I promise...I’ll leave town if you let me live,” she whispered as she lowered her weapon. Her blue eyes glittered with unshed tears.
I relaxed and nodded my head toward the exit. “Then go.”
Mia stared at me and hesitated before she walked in a wide circle around me and backpedaled to the exit. Right before she slipped past the gate, I shot forward and pinned her to the ground with my hand gripping her throat. Mia choked and grabbed my thick wrist with both her hands, her eyes flaring wide, fear and betrayal shadowing them.
“Aww, poor little human,” I said with a pout. “The big, bad demon goes against his word and kills you anyway.”
A choked cry slipped past her lips, and tears streaked down her temples.
I leaned in until her warm breath puffed against my face. “I only honor promises made to my mate, who you killed. Then she came back to life, and you stole her memories. I don’t owe you shit. Aww, you want to breathe? Here.” I loosened my hold on her throat, and she sucked in a breath with a ragged cry. Before she could say anything, I tightened my hand and grinned at her breathless weeping. “Poor, poor human. Do you want a break?”
Mia’s nails dug into my wrist, peeling back skin and drawing blood. She struggled to nod her head, but I still saw and felt it. “Pleeeeasssseee.”
I cackled and licked my teeth. “Too bad.”
I lunged forward, intending to rip her face off with my teeth, but an idea stopped me. My sharp teeth grazed her skin, and strings of saliva from my mouth dripped onto hers. Mia’s eyelashes fluttered and gargled sounds escaped her as she struggled to breathe.
I’d allow Mia to leave, but I would send someone who would do so much worse to her. Death would be far too easy. Plus, my mate had begged us to spare this woman’s life.
My lips curled into a feral smile as I leaned away from her and released her throat. She sucked in a breath, then another. Pathetic sobs blubbered out of her as she caught her breath.
“I’ll give you five seconds to get up and run. If I still smell you anywhere near here after that time, I’ll kill you,” I said.
Mia struggled to get to her feet and I moved off her, cackling as she sprinted out of the cemetery.
“One,” I yelled and curled my claws into the dirt to hold myself back from chasing her. “Two!”
Mia’s frantic steps grew further away until I didn’t hear them anymore.
“Oh,” I cooed and snickered. “He’s going to have so much fun with you.”
I used my powers to send the multiple dead humans to the swamp Dimitri used to dispose of the bodies.
Once done, I cloaked us in shadows and transported us into our home. Dimitri allowed me to stay in control as I ran a bath for our mate. The idiot demon hunters hadn’t broken the bond between us this time, so Emma’s wounds healed as I bathed her. She relaxed as I continued to wash her, even though she was clean. For a while, she seemed upset and not present. The melee at the cemetery had affected her. Any person unaccustomed to death would be in shock, but I’d be there for her. After a while, I drained the red water and dried her off.
“Thank you,” Emma whispered as she turned to me. I didn’t know if she thanked me for washing her or for saving her. Either way, hearing those soft words did a number on my heart.
I lowered the towel from her damp hair and tipped her chin up with a clawed finger. “Anything for you, little one.”
Emma beamed a smile at me that nearly knocked my legs out from under me. Fireworks boomed outside, but she didn’t look away from me or seem upset by the loud noises. “It’s midnight,” she said. “You know what that means?”
My eyebrowless skin bunched together. “What does it mean?”
She grabbed my shoulder as she stood on her tiptoes. I met her halfway and tensed as her soft lips pressed against mine. After the second of shock, I returned the kiss and shifted it from sweet to primal. I cupped the back of her head, my fingers threading through her hair. She softly moaned into my mouth as I squeezed her ass.
“I’d like to see Dimitri,” she murmured into the kiss.
I snarled, refusing to end this. I wanted more, but I couldn’t deny my mate anything. I leaned away from her, frowning. “I’ll see you soon, little one.” That was a promise. After she spent time with Dimitri, I wanted Emma all to myself. I wanted to hear her scream my name.
I retreated beneath the surface as Dimitri rose.
