Page 45 of Knight’s Salvation

Talking to her sister over the phone wasn’t enough. She needed a day of eating junk food, gabbing, and doing each other’s nails, followed by a movie marathon of epic proportions. But that wasn’t happening anytime soon.

Chay was getting worried about her and had threatened several times to visit. As much as she wanted to see her sister, she’d never been able to hide anything from her, and she wasn’t ready to get into her mixed feelings where Zenon was concerned, especially after the lecture Chaya had already given her.

Chaya didn’t trust Zenon, maybe even feared him, and she knew her big sister would go all overprotective mama bear if she thought there was something between them. There was no reason to upset her, not when there was nothing actually going on…not really.

Like the bar, the gym was close to her apartment. Getting a cab was a waste of money and seemed ridiculous when her place was only a few blocks away. She refused to let her overactive imagination keep her locked up like a prisoner.

Being half demon and knowing of their existence made little difference. The demons that made it out of Hell usually lay low, preferring to stay under the knights’ radar. As far as she was concerned, she had more to fear from humans than any demon jumping out at her.

With nothing else to do but think, her head went right where she didn’t want it to. It had been a week since she’d found Zenon in pain on his apartment floor, his skin like ice. An entire seven days since she’d lain down beside him and he’d pulled her arm around him, placing her hand over his heart.

At the time it had felt monumental, like he’d decided to let her in. Then he’d taken her on the back of his bike, again letting her touch him.

I know it’s you.

Those words had floored her. They meant she was getting through, that on some level he trusted her.

But the days had crawled by and she hadn’t seen him, not once. Not even at the compound after her training sessions with James. And yeah, she’d looked.

She turned the corner and wasn’t surprised that this stretch was all but deserted. It was always like this. Her place was only two blocks away now.

An image flashed through her mind of Zenon, bare-chested and fierce as he backed her against the building, rage twisting his features before punching the glass. Zenon kissing her in the training room. Then in the gym, eyes wild, possessive, his head buried between her thighs.

And last, the way he’d looked lying on the floor, body shaking, the way he softened and warmed at her touch.

She couldn’t get him out of her head. He was on her mind almost constantly. She craved him. He ran hot and cold, confused her, and at times frightened her, but she wanted him. There was no point denying it, not to herself.

Anger at her own stupidity warmed her wind-cooled cheeks, making them sting. It didn’t matter; her feelings were irrelevant. He didn’t want her back. Males couldn’t hide that kind of thing, and not once had he had any type of physical reaction to her. Nothing.

Still, she looked up. Had he really been watching her? Was he still? It was pathetic, but she stood out on her balcony every night, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. She hadn’t, not once, and didn’t want to admit how much she’d wanted Eve and Meredith to be right. Proof that maybe he returned her feelings, even a little.

But she was kidding herself; she knew it deep down. He’d been grateful for her help with whatever had caused him pain that day, that’s all.

As soon as he’d dropped her off at work, he’d thrown that wall back up, blocking her out. She’d tried to find the right words, something—anything. He wouldn’t even look at her. Head down, hair forward covering his face. She’d started to speak, and he’d looked up, his expression cutting off whatever she’d been about to babble. His gaze had moved over her face, landed on her lips and back to her eyes, and then without a word he’d roared off on his bike. Not once did he look back.

Someone grabbed her arm, wrenching her to a stop. Mia shrieked in surprise and spun to face whoever it was. A crazy-eyed mountain of a man looked down at her and grinned. That look sent a crawling sensation across the surface of her skin.

Without giving herself time to overthink it, she whipped the pepper spray from her pocket and nailed him in the eyes. He howled but didn’t let go, so she closed her fist and gave him a forceful jab to the throat. When he roared and loosened his hold, she took off running.

He started after her, but she only heard several heavy thumps of his feet hitting the pavement before he cried out. She wheeled around. Another man was there now. Extremely tall, he was dressed in a suit and long dark coat.

He was fighting the behemoth. His blows were fast and powerful enough that she could hear the sickening sound of flesh meeting flesh. Her attacker went down, and her savior pushed his coat aside and pulled a wicked-looking blade from a sheath strapped to his thigh. He used it quickly and efficiently, removing the male’s head. Everything went silent.

He cleaned his knife on the dead guy’s clothes, slid it back into place, and stood to his full, impressive height. Expression emotionless, he straightened his coat and started toward her.

Shit.

Rooted to the spot—God, frozen—she watched his long strides eat up the short distance.

The sound of screeching tires pulled her out of her stupor and she spun around. A car flew down the street and Mia stumbled back as it bounced up the curb in front of her. Two males jumped out of the back seat and came straight at her. The tall guy was running and plowed into one of the other males coming toward her. They crashed to the ground while the third moved in. She turned to run, but he grabbed her. She couldn’t fight him off or use the pepper spray, since she’d dropped it on the pavement after using it on the behemoth.

The tall stranger couldn’t help her, busy fighting two guys now the driver had joined in. She was on her own. The male holding her pressed her into the wall, restricting her movements. She’d never felt more powerless in her life. He looked down at her, and she didn’t miss the excitement behind his almost black eyes.

Demon.

Raw fear hit like a blow to the stomach and if the wall hadn’t been at her back would have sent her reeling. That feeling moved up and gathered in her chest, growing stronger until it was almost unbearable. This was how she felt when James pushed, when he attempted to get her to release the full force of her power. And as the demon tugged on her arm, dragging her toward the car, she knew this was no wrong-place-wrong-time situation. They’d come specifically for her.

There was no doubt in her mind that if he got her in that car there would be no coming back. It would destroy her sister. And dammit, she refused to lose her new life, her fresh start before it even started.