Seduce the Darkness (Alien Huntress #4)(22)
Author: Gena Showalter

And there he was. Sitting in a plush leather chair in the far corner, Devyn was relaxed, sipping a glass of amber liquid. His dark hair was mussed, as though he’d run his hands through it a few times. His eyes, the exact color of his drink, glittered dangerously. Like her, he wore a black T-shirt and black pants.

A large king-size bed was the only thing between them. A bed with black silk sheets and velvetcovered chains attached to the head and footboards. Her jaw clenched even as her ni**les hardened, her mind momentarily lost in the naughty things that had probably happened in that bed.

Oh, no you don’t. She would not allow her body to ready. He’d think her desire was for him. And it wasn’t. Really.

"Where’s Aleaha?" Her voice trembled, mortifying her to her soul. "I know you’ve been with her."

He finished off his drink. "Please. Have a seat." With a tilt of his chin, he motioned to the bed. "We have much to discuss."

Rather than force her to obey, he released his hold on her. "You’re not going to compel me to do it?”

“Now that would be rude, wouldn’t it?"

Devyn, her freeze ’em and leave ’em guy, was concerned with being rude. Laughable. But she had something he wanted, so of course he would play the I’m-your-friend card. Her eyes widened. That’s right. She had Nolan. She was in control right now. No need for her powers, after all. Smiling smugly, she sauntered to the bed and plopped onto the edge, facing him.

His gaze fell to her lips, and he inhaled sharply.

Was he thinking of kissing her?

"I want them all over me," he said.

Holy hell. The answer to her question: yes. "The chains are a bit much, don’t you think?" she said, ignoring his comment but unable to hide her breathlessness. "It’s not like they could keep me down if I decided to leave." It was a reminder of her victory over him, meant to put him in his place.

He didn’t back down. "True." Nor did he sound concerned. "I have a feeling you’ll willingly lock yourself up, though."

She would have snorted, but couldn’t quite manage it. If ever there was a man who could convince a woman to play kinky bondage games, it was probably this one. But no matter what, she couldn’t give herself to Devyn. The moment she did, he would lose interest in her. His kind always did. And she needed his interest. It would, hopefully, keep him malleable during their negotiations.

What makes you think he’s truly interested in you, anyway?

I’ve already had a vampire, he’d once said, as though the thought of bedding another bored him. Maybe his interest in chaining Bride up and ravishing her stupid was feigned. Intended to soften her.

"Aleaha," she said. Her friend was the main reason she was here; she wouldn’t forget. "Where is she?"

"Does the name Macy Briggs mean anything to you?" he asked, once again ignoring her. Was he serious? "Macy Briggs the model?"

"She doesn’t model anymore, but yes."

"No. Should it? Oh, wait. Let me guess. She’s one of the women you screwed that day." The last lashed from her, harsher than she’d intended. "I thought you couldn’t recall their names."

"Sheathe the claws, darling. I’ve had a model and wasn’t impressed. Macy isn’t my type, so no, I haven’t had her."

"How sad for you." One day a woman needed to put this man in his place. Grind up his heart and scatter the pieces all over New Chicago. The female population would be the better for it. I would be better for it.

"So tell me, did you f**k Nolan?" Again, he didn’t sound concerned.

That… irritated her. But only because it meant he didn’t want her as she’d supposed, so she wouldn’t be able to use his desire against him. Really. "No. Near death isn’t my type."

"That’s good. Did he bleed on you? Spit on you?"

"No."

"You’re sure?"

She laughed without humor. "I think I’d remember." Unless she’d been asleep when he’d done it. Her shoulders sagged. "Why?"

"You’ll catch his disease if you come into contact with any of his bodily fluids."

A shudder rocked her. Whether Devyn was telling the truth or not didn’t matter. Just the thought of possible contamination had her vowing to keep her distance from the imprisoned otherworlder. She’d never been sick a day in her life, true, but that didn’t necessarily mean she was immune to everything.

"Tell me where he is." Finally, emotion. White-hot anger, barely leashed. Devyn didn’t care about her escaping his clutches or who she slept with; he only cared about where she’d placed his enemy. "You never should have taken him. You placed yourself and everyone around you in danger."

She had no loved ones, no family or friends. "Don’t worry. I’ll tell you where he is. After."

One of his. brows arched in question, but he didn’t look surprised by her announcement. After all, she’d already warned him. "After what? I bed you?"

"Please," she said dryly.

"Now you’re begging. We’re on the right track."

She gritted her teeth, that burning pain flickering in her chest. Stay calm. "After you’ve taken me to Aleaha. After you’ve answered my questions about vampires. After you’ve apologized for leaving me immobile on that street. Only then will I tell you where Nolan is."

Now his brow crinkled adorably. Wasn’t fair! Everything he did was a seduction. A temptation. "One, if you want to see your friend, you’ll pay my price. Two, why would you want answers about vampires from me? I’m not a vampire. And three, I never apologize."

Deceptively casual, Bride leaned back on her elbows, placing her hands near her waist, where she’d stashed several other blades. "One, you’ll take me to Aleaha or you’ll never see Nolan again. I shouldn’t have to repeat that one over and over. Nor should I have to tell you that I will not be paying you anything. Two, because you’ve clearly met a vampire before, and I haven’t. And three, we’ll see about that."

Not surprisingly, he ignored everything she’d said. "I like this new pose." His hot gaze perused her, lingering on her br**sts, between her legs, perhaps imagining licking her, sucking, biting. Or was that just wishful thinking on her part, idiot that she clearly was? When his eyes locked with hers again, his pupils were dilated, black overshadowing amber. Perhaps not so wishful, after all. "Lovely. Stay just … like … that." Then he shrugged. "Or don’t. Whatever."

Argh! First he’d seemed to want her. Then he hadn’t. Then he had. Now he didn’t again. Which was it? "Let’s start with the easiest. The vampires. Who are they and where do they live?"

He traced a fingertip over the seam of his lips, and her entranced gaze followed the movement. Her own lips even puckered, suddenly wanting to press into his. "You’ve truly never met one?"