“They’re both half deaf.” He rubbed his shoulder. “That wasn’t as easy as it used to be.”

“You’re twice the size you were the last time you climbed in here.”

Cody glanced at her face. “You look terrible.”

“Pardon me while I swoon from flattery.” Wasn’t this the man who just tried to make out with her beside the back porch?

“As long as you fall on the bed. You have a concussion.”

She gave him a hard stare. “You’d better not have handcuffs on you.” She hadn’t forgiven him for that.

“Want to search me and make sure?” His leer died as he turned to close the window. His body tensed. “Turn the light off.”

“What?”

“Turn the lamp off. Now!”

Shay hit the switch. Cody opened the curtain a sliver and stood still, watching.

“What’s wrong?”

“Not sure. I saw a streak of… something.” He let the curtain drop. “You can turn the light on.” He pulled out his cell phone and punched in a number. “Lach, you on guard duty? Check the woods again, and keep a close watch on Nina’s house until the others get here.” He hung up and turned to face her. He saw the rose and frowned. “Where do I sleep?”

“Nina’s in her room, and Matilda’s in the one next to it. Both beds on the other side of the house are made up, and there’s the one downstairs.”

“Too far away.” He took the blanket from the bottom of her bed and draped it over the small sofa, then unzipped his jeans.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting undressed.”

“Why?”

“I’ll do a lot of things. I won’t sleep in jeans again.”

“You’re going to sleep here?”

“I am.” He shucked his jeans, stretched, and grimaced at the small sofa.

“Why didn’t you bring something to sleep in?”

“I’m wearing underwear.”

“Don’t you ever wear pajamas?”

“Not if I can help it.” He picked up his Dopp kit and padded toward the bathroom, giving her a long look at his backside in boxer briefs. “I’m going to brush my teeth.”

“Geez.” She took a blanket from the bed and put it on the sofa, accidentally knocking a photo album off the table. It fell open to a picture of the MacBain boys in full knight garb, scowling. Shay had paid them from her allowance to pose in the costumes. She was the damsel, of course, draped in yards of calico fabric Laura MacBain had found in her attic.

The bathroom door closed, and Shay’s skin tingled as Cody moved behind her, looking over her shoulder. He reached around her and turned the page to a picture of a young Shay and Cody, the same day she chipped his tooth. He flipped another page, and a loose photo fluttered out, falling to the floor. Shay picked it up and looked into the smiling faces of the people she grew up believing were her parents, Bob and Nancy Logan, who died in a plane crash and were buried in a cemetery in Vermont. Who were they? Distant relatives? Actors? Picture frame models? She lost not one, but two sets of parents, neither of whom she knew. Or were they both a lie? The only proof would be to dig them up and check DNA. She felt the old frustration raising its head as she closed the photo album and put it away.

“I’m sorry, Shay.” Cody closed a warm hand over her shoulder and then pulled her into his arms. “We were trying to help.”

She closed her eyes, standing stiff-armed in his embrace. The warmth of his body took the edge off her irritation, and she relaxed against him, letting her softness melt into his harder planes. What was it about him? She couldn’t even think straight when he was near. Her face was pressed against his shoulder, and she could see the bruise her teeth had made on his neck. “I shouldn’t have bitten you, even if you did deserve it.” She touched her lips to the mark.

He pulled in a harsh breath and his hands slid down, resting at the top of her hips. He dropped a kiss on her hair, before moving lower. He nipped her ear with his teeth, and she went boneless, sagging against him. His legs bumped the sofa, and they both sat down hard, Cody first, Shay sprawled across his lap. She licked the bite on his neck, and he groaned.

There was a knock at the door. “Shay?”

Shay scrambled up, patting her hair and clothes, then swiped a hand across her lips, as Cody slipped into the bathroom. She opened the door. “Yes, Nina.”

“Just wanted to say good night.”

“Good night, Nina. It’s good to see you.”

“I’m so glad you’re home. I worry about you, with all the terrible things happening in the world. You look tired, dear. If you’re not sleeping well, Matilda has some pills that’ll knock you out cold.” She turned and looked up the hall. “Matilda! What are you doing? I swear… I have to go.” Nina hurried off, muttering to herself.

Shay closed the door. Cody stood just inside the bathroom watching her. “My turn,” she said, walking toward him. With each step, she prayed, first that he would move; then that he wouldn’t, so they could pick up where they left off.

He moved, and Shay sighed with relief as she entered the bathroom. When she returned, he was settled in. If you could call it settled, with his feet hanging off the end of the sofa. “You don’t look comfortable.”

“I’d be more comfortable in a bed,” he muttered, looking longingly at hers. He glanced at the rose again.

Was he waiting for her to thank him? “Did you leave the rose?”

“No.”

Probably Jamie or Marcas. If Marcas ever gave up being a warrior, he would make a damn fine husband, thoughtful, sensitive, and all male. Shay pulled back the covers and climbed into bed.

Cody lay on his back, arms behind his head, watching her. The tiny rows of symbols on his chest fascinated her. They reminded her of an ancient scroll she once saw in a museum. “Now I know why you wouldn’t talk about your tattoos.”

“They’re called battle marks.”

“Yours are different from Marcas’s and Lachlan’s.” And Jamie’s.

“No two are the same, just like our talismans. They’re sacred, like a written prayer of protection and blessing. We get them when we accept our duty as a warrior.”

“You have a choice whether to accept?”

“A warrior can choose to walk away.”

“Were you ever tempted?”

“Only once.” He didn’t elaborate, and she didn’t ask. No one could get answers out of Cody MacBain if he didn’t want to give them.

“I’m sorry about your truck.”

“I don’t care about the truck, I’m just glad you and Bree are okay. I don’t want you hurt. That’s why I handcuffed you to the bed. You still mad at me?”

“Yes.”

He folded his arms across his chest. “Well, get over it. I’m not going to let anything hurt you, and that includes you. You’re smart, and you’re the toughest girl I know, but you can be too brave for your own good. You can’t go up against a demon. He’ll rip you to shreds.”

“I’m not going to sit back and do nothing. This threatens everything I love.”

“Let us handle the demons.”

“Are there female demons?”

“There are, and you don’t want to tangle with them either. They’re as bad as the males. Sometimes worse.”

“You didn’t tell me you’d destroyed an ancient demon.”

He yawned. “We take our assignments as they come.”

She’d brought him nothing but trouble. He got in trouble once already with the Council. What would they do if they found out he told her the whole truth? “What did the Council do to you for telling me about my past?”

“You’ve been talking to Bree. They just… reminded me of my priorities.”

“Thank you for helping me.”

He pulled the covers up to his chest. “That’s what we’re here for.”

“Your duty, right?”

“It’s not duty when it’s someone you care about.” Cody looked at the rose again. “Get some sleep, pip-squeak.” He closed his eyes and curled his long legs on the sofa.

He had to be exhausted, and it was her fault. He was too busy chasing stalkers and trying to protect her to sleep. “Cody, if you want to sleep on the bed, you can.”

His eyes stayed shut. “If I get in that bed, I’ll do more than sleep.”

***

The servant parked his car across the road and crept through the dark woods, trying to shake the feeling of being watched. He caught a flash of something off to the side of the house, but it disappeared. He wasn’t scared of the dark. It soothed him, quieted the gnawing in his head. The gnawing was strong now. Nothing was going according to plan. The warrior should be dead; instead, Shay almost died, and the warrior got to play the hero by rescuing her. If the warrior hadn’t followed her, she would already belong to the servant. She did anyway. She just didn’t know it yet. Neither did his master. Malek didn’t know everything about his servant. He didn’t know about them. His treasures.

He climbed a sturdy maple and propped himself against a thick branch, settling in to wait. He had to get that book, or the master was going to get rid of him. He searched the house while she was at the hospital, no great feat for a security-systems expert, but the book wasn’t there. She must have hidden it somewhere else.

He swung his binoculars toward Shay’s house. A light went off downstairs. She was going to bed. He would wait until she fell asleep, then sneak in and grab her. He let the anticipation build, planning all the things he would do to her. Three lights appeared upstairs. He sat up so fast he almost lost his perch. Did she have company? He couldn’t see her driveway. It was probably him. He should have died today, like that piece of scum in Scotland had, after the servant had caught him spying on Shay, messing with his plans.

The anger started a slow burn, growing stronger, until it gnashed at his insides. He had to release it, or it would eat him alive. Bloodletting was the only way to control the fury. He took off his jacket and pulled the knife from his pocket. It clicked softly as the blade released, glimmering in the moonlight. He set the sharp edge against his skin, the metal cold, hard, biting. He pressed until soft flesh gave against the greater strength of the blade. He gave the knife a slow pull, welcoming the sting. He closed his eyes in ecstasy, imagining it was another arm, another throat.

Chapter 7

A scream sent Shay shooting off the bed. She collided with Cody.

“Lock the door. Don’t leave.” He pulled a gun from somewhere and was gone before Shay could blink.

She took off after him to Matilda’s room. Matilda was clutching the edges of her fuchsia robe, red hair stiff as a ball of wax. Nina rushed in behind them. “He was peeking in the window,” Matilda said, “his eyes filled with lust. Hurry, before he gets away.”

Neither of the older women seemed concerned or surprised to see Cody in the house, wearing only underwear and carrying a gun.

“Don’t leave this room,” Cody said, running out the door. “Please.”

Matilda grabbed the phone and called to alert Marcas and Lachlan. Nina and Shay watched from the window as Cody made his way across the backyard, moving like a whisper. “Oh. There’s someone beside the barn.” She screamed for Cody to watch out, forgetting he couldn’t hear through the glass. Cody lunged, and the two figures went down in a tangle of shadows. They moved out of sight, and Shay raced from the bedroom, followed by Nina and Matilda.

Seconds later, the back door crashed open. Cody stomped in, followed by another man, voices raised.

Jamie.

“I wasn’t looking in the windows. I was guarding the house. What the hell are you doing here?” His eyes narrowed, taking in Cody’s underwear. Jamie moved closer to Shay.

“Why is he guarding the house? Is something wrong? Is Shay in trouble?” Nina asked.

“Oh no,” Shay said. “This is my friend, Jamie Waters.”

“Jamie? This is your Jamie? Oh dear.” Nina glanced at Matilda, who was putting on her bifocals.

“Look at him, Nina. He’s a dish. Much better looking than the one we—Holy Mother of—you stepped on my bunion.”

Nina made some gestures with her eyebrows.

Matilda frowned, trying to interpret, and then settled into a look of dawning comprehension. “Oh… Cody’s a dish too. In fact, they look like they could be brothers. Cody has a nice job. He’s a PI. What do you do, Jeremy?”

“His name is Jamie,” Nina said. “Shay, you’re pale. Is it your head?”

“Just tired.” Shay looked at the two men standing side by side, both well over six feet, longish dark hair, both handsome. Until that moment, she hadn’t noticed how much Jamie resembled Cody, in fact how much all the men she dated resembled Cody.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Jamie,” Nina said. “We wanted to before, but we were traveling. You’ll excuse us if we get back to bed. I think this has been too much excitement for Matilda. Shay, you should get some rest.”