Cody shook his head. “Then come with me.” He led her into her bedroom.

“What are we doing here? We need to help them.” Where had this bravery come from? Was it because Cody was with her?

“You can’t leave the room,” he said.

“We’re just going to wait here while they search? No. I’m going to help.” She turned to leave the room, but Cody stopped her.

“Damn it.” He touched his necklace. “Look out the window.”

Shay turned and opened the curtain. “What?” There was a whirring noise. Cody grabbed her wrist and slapped it to the headboard. Shay heard a click. He’d cuffed her hand to the bed. “What are you doing? Let me go!” She struggled, rattling the bed.

“Sorry, but I need you to stay put.”

“You bastard!” She tried to hit him, but Cody pulled her close, trapping her free arm.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, pressing his cheek to hers, “but I have to protect you.” He kissed her and left.

Shay yanked at the handcuffs as he locked the door and closed it behind him, but she hurt her arm, and she was afraid she would damage the bed. She could dismantle the headboard, but she wasn’t going to ruin an antique just to get free. She sat down, fuming, cursing, calling Cody every name she could conjure. She examined the handcuffs. She’d never seen any like them. They were etched with symbols and made of a strange metal she couldn’t identify, not quite silver or gold. They must be antique. After the adrenaline rush left and there was still no sign of Cody or the stalker, she grew tired. Her arm was burning again. She lay down, thinking of ways to kill Cody, and fell asleep.

***

Cody listened at the door. It was quiet inside. He had a moment of panic until he saw the door was still locked, and then another when he remembered how good she used to be at climbing out her window. He’d been gone for an hour. If she had escaped, he would probably never see her again. His fingers fumbled as he picked the lock. He eased the door open. She lay on the bed, asleep, one arm dangling from the headboard. His gut tightened. He walked over to her, torn between dread and relief that she hadn’t left. She was going to be furious. He was angry at himself for not putting the clues together—her panic after the lake and the scream in the bathroom—and angry at her for not telling him. Didn’t she know by now that he would move heaven and earth to protect her?

He looked at the shackles holding her to the bed and realized he had come close to doing that. He hadn’t thought twice about it. He’d let concern for her make him forget the rules. Again. He rubbed the brand on his wrist, imagining the Council’s outrage if they found out. Michael wouldn’t be happy about it, either. Well, the Council and Michael didn’t have the troublesome task of protecting Shay.

Cody debated whether to leave her shackled while he explained why he locked her up. Either way, there would be hell to pay. What really worried him was what she would do when she found out he hadn’t told her the whole truth. And he would have to tell her soon.

A voice came from the doorway. “Hey, we’re heading back to the house—hell’s bells, you didn’t.” Lach gaped at the shackles on Shay’s wrist. “Are you out of your bloody mind?”

“I had to do something fast. She was trying to get outside and track down her stalker. It was either use the shackles or sit on her.” He knew they wouldn’t hurt her, he’d used them once on a minion.

“You’d better hope the Council doesn’t find out. I don’t care if you have suspended an ancient demon, they’d rip you apart for this.”

“I couldn’t let her go running around with a stalker on the loose. There isn’t a chance in hell that he’s human. He was too strong and too fast. I have to protect her.”

“You’d better think about protecting yourself. When she wakes up, she’s going to be loaded for bear. I just saw her finger twitch. I’m out of here.” Lach gave him a nasty grin. “Have fun.”

Cody sighed. Might as well get it over with. He removed the shackles, returned them, and bent over her. “Shay, wake up.”

Her eyes flew open. She planted both hands against his chest and shoved, knocking him on his back, then sprang on top of him. “How dare you handcuff me to a bed?” she yelled, punctuating each word with a shake that rattled his brain. He didn’t fight back. She had to get it out of her system, and he didn’t blame her. He’d be more than pissed if someone shackled him.

She landed a fist into his stomach, and the breath rushed out of him. Okay, enough was enough. He captured her hands and rolled, trapping her under him.

“Get off me, you oaf.”

“I’ll get off when you stop beating the snot out of me.”

She let out a war cry and lunged for his throat, teeth bared. Intrigued, he hesitated a second too long, and she sank her teeth into his neck. A jolt of desire shot straight to his groin. He’d never been one for the rough stuff, but damn! He pulled back before she could do more than leave a bruise. He trapped her legs with his and held her hands above her head, letting his full weight press her into the soft mattress. She still struggled but could move only enough to get him excited.

“I’m sorry, Shay. I had to do it. It was too dangerous to let you go traipsing through the woods. I had to keep you safe.”

“What if he was hiding in one of the other bedrooms and sneaked in here while I was handcuffed to the bed? You left me so I couldn’t even protect myself.”

“Lach heard him out in the woods, but that’s why I locked the door, just in case. If this guy had broken it down to get to you, you would’ve screamed, and I would’ve come running. I was never far from the house. I heard every name you called me.”

Her eyes still flashed fire, but her breath was steadier, and she kept glancing at his mouth. He thought that was a good thing. He wondered if she’d calmed enough not to hit him, because he should move. She had to notice the effect all the wiggling around was having on him. He felt her hips push against his, and he groaned. He relaxed his grip and lowered his head, letting his lips touch her chin. He kissed his way to her mouth, and she head-butted him in the nose.

While the stars exploded in his head, she shoved him aside and bolted out the door. He jumped up and went after her as she pounded down the stairs. He caught up with her outside. She was swinging her purse like a whip, headed for the car.

“Where are you going?” he demanded.

“Get away from me.”

“You can’t leave.”

“Watch me.” She opened the door. “I’m tired of people hiding things from me. I thought you were going to stop. Now you’re handcuffing me to the bed.”

“I explained it to you.”

“Don’t touch me,” she said, jerking away when he grabbed her arm.

“You’re not leaving.”

Shay straightened her shoulders. “You can’t stop me.”

He grabbed her, tossed her over his shoulder, kicked the car door shut, and stomped up the steps.

“Put me down!” Shay kicked and twisted, cursing at him. He dumped her on her feet inside the door.

She blew her hair out of her face, and as soon as she could see, she threw a punch at his chin. He deflected it and grabbed her arm. “Stop hitting me.”

“How dare you throw me over your shoulder like some kind of caveman,” she spat, trying to wrench her arm free. It didn’t work, so she used her knee.

“Ah, not there.” Cody trapped her knee. “I made the mistake of letting you leave here nine years ago without listening to me. By God, I won’t do it again. You’ll listen if I have to sit on you,” he growled.

She drew back her other arm, and before she could throw the punch, he had her on the floor and was sitting astride her, pinning her wrists to the floor. She bucked and twisted, but he held her down. “We can do this all night if you want, but you’re going to listen to me this time.”

“Listen to more lies? You’re still hiding things from me. Like the fact that you have Nina’s entire house under surveillance. Like the fact that you’ve got a Bat Cave in your basement. Like the fact that you were in Scotland when the stalking started.”

“You think I’m your stalker?” he yelled. “Me! I’m trying to keep you alive. We’re all trying to keep you alive. That’s what the clan’s been doing your whole damned life, trying to keep you alive! And just like always, you’re making it hard as hell. Your father wasn’t a bloody spy, and that thing in your living room wasn’t a man. Damn!”

Chapter 4

Shay sagged against the floor. “What do you mean, my father wasn’t a spy? And that man… if he wasn’t a man, what was he?”

Cody cursed. He sat up, letting go of her wrists, still astride her. “He was a demon.”

“A demon?” A cackle escaped her lips. “Is this a joke? Another lie?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

He looked angry. “Like a hell-and-brimstone demon?”

“Aye, but they spend a lot of time here.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Why do you think we had to keep your identity hidden?”

“Because my father was with the CIA or some top-secret organization, and I was in danger. That’s what you said.”

“No. That’s what you thought I said. I just didn’t tell you any different, but you got the top-secret organization part right. Your father was a warrior.”

“What kind of warrior?”

“The kind that fights demons. The kind of warrior who keeps humans alive.” Cody blew out a breath and stood. He ran his hands through his hair. “Why do I let you do this to me? This is going to blow up in my face, just like last time.”

Shay stood and faced him. “This is insane. You’ve already lied to me once. How do I know—”

“I didn’t lie. I just withheld information that wasn’t my place to give. After you walked away, I couldn’t tell you the whole story. The clan wouldn’t allow it.”

“Who is this… clan that’s making decisions for me?”

“Your mother and father’s clan. Your clan. When you were a baby, someone killed your mother and left you for dead. That’s how you got the scar on your shoulder.”

“Nina said the scar was from a bicycle wreck.”

“She had to tell you something. It was a car wreck, but it wasn’t an accident. You were meant to die, but an old man pulled you from the burning vehicle.”

Speechless, Shay shook her head. “They didn’t catch the killer?”

“No. He was probably a demon.”

“I’m sorry… this is just insane. Assuming you’re correct—”

“I am.”

“Assuming you are, then why did this demon want me dead?”

“The clan didn’t know if you were the target or if it was revenge, but you were marked, so they had to hide you. That’s why the house is monitored. That’s why we’re here. To keep you safe.”

“I’m marked?”

“Your scar is probably a demon’s mark.”

Shay touched the pale, jagged line beside her collarbone. “Does Nina know about this?”

“She does. Matilda doesn’t.”

“Why would a demon target a baby?”

She’d known Cody long enough to recognize the fear that slipped past his eyes before he put on his blank face. “Probably revenge.”

“My mother died?”

“Aye, and your father died not long after. The clan hid you, buried the empty casket, and gave you a new name, a new family. They had to make it look like you’d really died.”

The empty grave had been to hide her from a demon, not a mobster or a terrorist?

“Is Nina really my aunt?”

Cody lowered his gaze. “No. She’s mine. My mother’s half sister. My father was friends with Nina’s husband, who died just before my father was sent from Scotland to watch over you. Nina was grieving. She needed someone. You needed someone. So they gave her you.”

“Ewan was a warrior?”

Cody nodded. “The whole family came here, with the understanding that when my brothers and I grew up, it would be our mission too.”

She’d known Ewan was involved, which was part of the reason she left. She didn’t want to be anyone’s job. She hadn’t known Cody, her best friend, the boy she’d trusted with her heart and soul, had protected her because it was his job?

“The clan planned to tell you the truth after you graduated from high school, but you left before they met to see who would break the news. It probably would’ve been my father.”

“And they let me walk away, with a demon after me?”

“The demon your father had been hunting when all this happened had disappeared. Just before you left, the Watchers found out he was dead, so they thought you were safe.”

“Watchers? Demons? This sounds like something out of a movie,” Shay said, rubbing her throbbing temples. “They should have told me.”

“They couldn’t. You wanted nothing to do with us, and there was too much at stake. Outsiders can’t know about the clan. They had no choice but to let you go. Besides, you’d just turned eighteen. Nina couldn’t force you to come back here.”