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He went back to face his te chill in the air
She stood at the edge of the pool Hair slicked back Eyes bright
He stopped about three feet away froh his mind One after the other How had he known about her birthht, with scratch ?
Had their encounters been dreams…or had they been all too real?
And why the fuck did he still feel so good? Energy and heat puer than he had in months
"I haven’t been completely honest with you, Todd"
No shit Her voice was soft Tense Her gaze darted to the left a moment, then returned, almost reluctantly, to his "I’m not the woman you think I a in riddles? He wanted to know about her birthmark, not--
Her left hand lifted, toyed with the top of the towel "Tell me, Detective--"
Oh, noas back to detective? Like she hadn’t been o
"--do you believe in s "What?" Oh, Christ, he sure hoped she wasn’t gonna tell him that--
"Do you believe in monsters?" She repeated the question and licked her succulent red lips "You really should, you know"
"And why is that?" His heart pounded like a dru to some people, I’m one of the worst monsters you’ll ever meet"
Chapter 8
He jerked on his clothes, so furious that his hands shook "Look, baby, if you want to blow iveain what could have been a flare of annoyance
"--because I know all about realday Rapists Child killers Fire freaks who burn down homes with nice old ladies inside--"
She flinched
"Unless you’re about to tell me that you did kill Michael House," and Jesus but he hoped she wasn’t, "then don’t screw around without labels that I understand one hell of a lot better than you do" She’d hit his weak spot, and he was furious
Todd knew all about the evil in the world Had known about it since his fourteenth birthday, when he’d watched that bastard Costa sht in the heart Monsters Yeah He knew all about the bastards, and the evil that lived in what they pretended were souls
"I didn’t kill Michael" She licked her lips again Stood there with that torapped around her and looked so daood that he ached "But I am awhen she made her announceain, baby" No way the lady had just said--
"I’m a dehtly at that in a wan smile, "demon"
Todd stared at her, not quite sure what to say The automatic words, You’re crazy, trembled on his lips
And he would have said those words to her-- two hed at her claio
Back before the dangerous night when he’d trailed his partner to the warehouse district on the darker side of Atlanta and watched his partner of two years stop being a , deadly beast
A wolf
Todd hadn’t said a word to anyone about what he’d seen He’d followed Colin because the guy was his partner, and partners backed each other up
He’d been shaken as hell Stunned
He’d planned to follow the wolf into the warehouse, help hiet back to the station ASAP--and that he knehere Todd was
The order had been blunt Get your ass out of there before you get Colin killed
So he’d left He’d taken a heavy knowledge with hie he hadn’t shared with anyone--because, well, ould believe hiht Merowl of the beast had haunted his nights
He’d kept at his job, though, damn it Bit back the instinctive fear that roused its head And he’d stuck by his partner’s side, even when he’d been pissed and confused as all hell
He’d thought that Colin was an anomaly, but now--
"Did you hear me?" Cara raised her voice "I-I just told you that I’m a demon"
Todd blinked First olves, now demons But Cara didn’t look like a deue Or was all that stuff he’d heard as a kid just bullshit?
"This is the point where et really afraid and leave, as fast as they can" She hesitated "Uh, Todd? Can you say soht," he gritted "My lover just told otten, but at least she hadn’t confessed to being ademon "You…don’t look like a demon"
Now her smile really did break his heart "Sure I do," she said, and closed her eyes When they opened a second later, they were black Coaze was back "It’s just a little gla a brow
Those eyes He’d seen them before The darkness Black cornea Retina He’d seen it with--
Niol That asshole at Paradise Found He’d wondered why so him the truth, that meant Niol was a demon, too
And that fact e attack in the bar
"You’re handling this, uazed at him solemnly
When Todd lifted his hand to shove back his wet hair, he noticed a treers Not that well, baby He tried for rational "Demons aren’t real" He knew the statement was a lie the minute the words slipped out His partner was a olf If olves could exist, then why not demons, too?
Shit, but the world was even ht, and about a hundred tierous
"Of course, we’re real We’ve been living with hu" She held up her hand "And before you start asking, let me just tell you, demons are not the spawn of the devil, okay? Total myth, that part We’re just a…different race"