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She’s rotten inside Just like they all are"

The force of his rage caused his fingers to shake His hand tightened around the phone "I want to know just who--"

The call ended with a soft click Then the buzz of a dial tone had hi

Sonofabitch

As quickly as he could, he used his call return One ring Two The beeping filled his ears, and he counted up to fifteen rings

The lady wasn’t gonna answer his call

Shit Not a big surprise He glanced over at the Caller ID light on his phone Made a s coht trickled through the , spilling onto the bed and Cara She sat up, pulling the covers over her breasts "Todd?"

He ran a hand over his face This da him off

"She was lying, Todd I never left Paradise Found those nights, and I sure as hell didn’t get anyone to lie for me"

But had Niol? The bastard was as deceitful as a snake

"Tell me that you believe me" She touched his cheek "I don’t knoho that wo, not ht her hand Kissed her palet to the botto in an effort to set up Cara, he’d find out why, and he’d find her "Go back to sleep" Though he doubted he’d be able to follow suit Possibilities and worries filled his head

If Cara was innocent--and he’d bet his badge that his lady was--then souilty

So like that--it was personal Always

So ould hate his succubus enough to want her life destroyed? Enough to kill to see her punished?

He’d find out

And he knew just where he was going to start his hunt

With Niol

Cara lay back against the pillows and closed her eyes The words Todd had spoken rang in her ears

And the words he had not drove into her heart

She’d bared her soul to him when they made love, let him touch the deepest part of her spirit, and the man still didn’t trust her

Perhaps it was time for her to back off To let the cop have his space

Or perhaps it was ti the world just hoerful a succubus could be

Because there was only one conclusion she could draw fro her up for murder

And she wasn’t about to take that shit froirl She’d done it for years But nice went skin deep, and true power, de to find the person out there as screith her life, and she’d make the woman pay

For poor Michael’s death

For the otherone of the best nights she’d had in years

The bitch was about to find out just what happened to people who angered a succubus

The woman had better run, fast Because once a succubus started seeking prey, she didn’t stop until the hunt was over

"You’re really a stupid whore, you know that?" The deep voice ca around Her back slammed into the phone

Oh, shit He was there "Wh-what are you--"

He sht chilled her She wasn’t afraid of much in this world, but this demon terrified her

Because she kneas evil All the way to the core

But so was she

Carefully, slowly, she began to kneel down Before she’d shot out of town, she’d stopped at the pawnshop and picked up a new knife--one that was strapped on her ankle and sharpened to kill Susan liked knives--liked having them close She had since she was seventeen, when she’d used the sweet, sharp blade of her ht in his heart

Right after the bastard had ain

Just a few more inches, and she’d have the knife She knew the demon’s weak spots, and even if she couldn’t take hied for her Grabbed her right hand Broke her wrist with a twist of his fingers

She didn’t cry out She’d stopped doing that years ago Susan stared up into his black eyes and choked down the pain

He yanked her up against hi without me, sweetheart" He leaned in close, pressed a kiss to her cheek, and inhaled her scent "I can still smell the blood on your skin"

She’d washed for hours Scrubbed until her flesh was sore But those damn demons, they could smell a speck of blood froht the stories were half bull, but one thing was undeniable--the de other prey "Tommy deserved to die" He’d turned his back on her Her Tried to walk away and leave her behind

No one did that Not anyed his tune once she’d started using her knife on hiiveness then

But she hadn’t been in a forgiving mood

"Thomas Monroe wasn’t on my list, Susan" His touch was ice cold

She’d liked that in the beginning Liked the chill and the rush that he gave her

When they’d started killing, she’d liked hiun to worry about hi demon who carried the scent of sex and death have planned for her?

"He wasn’t supposed to die"

"Yeah, well, he was onthis differently Acting cowed Scared

Not her style, even though fear squeezed her heart

The demon smiled down at her, and his scent thickened in the air around thein to respond Her nipples tightened Her sex creamed

"You were such a surprise to me, sweetheart" He leaned his head toward her Kissed her lips Pushed her back even harder against the plastic phone "So beautiful"