Page 24 of Infernal Secrets

While I’d never admit it out loud, the idea of rough pleasure and pain intrigued me. Not necessarily from him or a stranger. I hadn’t trusted anyone enough to take it beyond a fleeting thought.

“Cut it out, Zeke. I have no interest in a human.”

When I turned to face Cyn again, he appeared the same as before his transformation.

Finger-combing his hair, he gave me a “Well?” look and asked, “Believe me now?”

Grandma had been right all along.

Demons were real.

And now four of them stood in my living room, watching me with varying degrees of frustration, anger, curiosity, and amusement.

7

DISTRACTION

ASH

The human’s struggle to understand Cyn and Zeke’s explanations troubled me. She wasn’t on the edge of panic, but disbelief screamed from her expression as she shifted between open-mouthed stares and frowns.

Something was off, and it started moments before I materialized in her kitchen. I still didn’t understand how we got here.

“I can’t believe this,” the human said, wrapping her arms around her waist as if protecting herself.

I didn’t like that.

Something about her triggered instincts I felt only for my brothers. I didn’t have time to care about anyone else.

Nyrith.

I rubbed my forehead as the word echoed in my head.

She couldn’t be my mate. Humans weren’t capable of mating with our kind.

My body rebelled against the denial as the memory of our first touch flooded back. Every atom in my being went into a frenzy, screaming for the beautiful human the instant I touched her.

I shuddered at the memory of seeing her fingers glide across Cyn’s horns. A pang of something I refused to name shot through me.

She hadn’t even touched my horns, yet the phantom sensation teased a part of me I kept locked away with discipline and focus.

Cyn seemed to feed not only on her touch but also on how her blood called to him.

It called to me too.

The moment broken glass pierced her skin and her blood’s sweet scent reached me, my legs weakened. With Cyn’s penchant for blood, he never stood a chance.

Of the four of us, Cyn wasn’t the most dangerous, but his impulsive nature added uncertainty to an already precarious situation. She seemed nervous around him—fearful. Even when she touched him willingly, hesitation lingered in her delicate caress.

Wanting to draw her attention away from him, I asked, “Why is this so hard to believe when we’ve shown you proof?”

She pressed her fingers into her eyes, her tone exasperated. “Oh, I don’t know… Demons are the fairy-tale creatures you hear about in church. Grotesque monsters who feed on and steal the souls of both the good and the damned. Not…” She waved a hand in Cyn’s direction.

“Not what?” Zeke asked with a playful lilt. He seemed the most amused by the little human—but then, most things amused Zeke if he wasn’t stuck in his head.

“That!” She huffed a sharp breath, blowing the tendril of hair that had fallen from her bun out of her face.

Zeke moved to her side and tugged on a strand of hair. “His name is Cyntrix, not that.” He winked. “Now, what about him?”