Deadly Attraction (4 page)

She stepped away from Michael and out into the aisle, and
her voice rose again as she asked the slayers, “What did the Demon King say of
this?” She couldn’t bring herself to utter the word
accident
. It mocked
the existence of their village.

The racket tapered off as Tanner said, “He’s deeply
concerned. He is the one, after all, who’s advocated so strongly for peace. He
questioned the vampire who attacked Jinx and, apparently, the two had struck up
an experimental relationship some time ago.”

“Really?” Jade demanded. “Jinx and a vampire?”

“He was trying his hand at predicting the future with a
demon, to see if he could do it,” Walker explained.

“He was bored with us and needed a bigger challenge?” Jade
asked as she crossed her arms over her chest, not believing a word of their
explanation. It had to be a fabrication concocted by the Demon King to pacify
the villagers.

With a sigh, Tanner said, “We can’t presume to know what
Jinx was thinking, Jade. All we know is that he’d met with the demon several
times before. Last night, he decided to hypnotize the vampire. It had an
opposite effect than what he’d anticipated—not a look into the future, but a
jolt into the past.”

Walker added, “Tapping into the vamp’s subconscious mind,
Jinx inadvertently triggered memories of the wars. Though in a trance, the
vampire sensed Jinx’s human presence and pounced, because he thought he was
back in time, in the midst of the battles.”

Jade’s fury simmered. “And the king believed this?”

“He investigated, yes,” Walker announced. “Obviously, he’s
concerned about the implication. He has no intention of letting something
disrupt the law he laid down and has vowed to uphold—”

“Let me tell you about the king’s decrees,” Jade
interjected, her voice suddenly much stronger as her agitation mounted. She
turned to address the mass of people gathered and said, “They hold no weight.
They’ve been violated. With Jinx, certainly and undisputedly. But also with me.
Maybe with some of you.” Her gaze slid to Michael.

“Jade.” Tanner lunged forward and gripped her arm.

Michael leaped to his feet again.

He wasn’t the only one to come to her defense. Another man
stood, in the back of the room. He was dressed all in black, his cloak covering
his body, the hood pulled over his head, casting shadows across his face. All
Jade could see of him was that he was a mountain of a man—possibly
six-foot-five or six—broad-shouldered, with amber-colored eyes.

“Release her,” he said in a deep, authoritative tone.

Tanner’s grip loosened and Jade ripped her arm from his
grasp. Her gaze locked with the stranger’s. She knew his voice and it sent a
foreboding chill down her spine. And tightened her nipples. Two very
contradictory and alarming sensations.

“Who are you?” she demanded, her stomach twisting in knots.

The mystery man peeled back his hood to reveal a devilishly,
devastatingly handsome face. A perfectly sculpted visage. Chiseled cheeks. A
hard-set jaw. Glowing eyes. Well-proportioned lips, not too thick, not too
thin.

It was a face she’d never seen before, not even in her
dream, because it’d been buried in the crook of her neck as his mouth and
tongue had swept over her skin. But she knew the hair as well as she knew his
voice. The long, obsidian strands were lush and enticing, reminding her of how
she’d tangled her fingers in the luxurious locks as he’d sank into her,
thrusting confidently, intimately knowing her body regardless of the fact he’d
never laid a hand on her in reality.

The breath escaped her on one swift puff of air as
realization dawned. A hot flash of awareness and desire made her cheeks and
throat burn, but Jade stood her ground.

Her eyes still on him, she muttered, “King Darien.”

Surprise rippled through the crowd. Then the villagers
slipped from their chairs and dropped to one knee to bow at his feet. Even the
slayers and Michael paid homage.

Jade did not.

She was the only one to remain standing, and the flicker in
the king’s hypnotic, amber eyes told her he was both impressed by her nerve, yet
annoyed by her insolence.

To appease him without giving up her stance, she nodded
reverently at him.

One corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk, then quickly
dropped. With a gloved hand, he gestured for the congregation to return to
their seats. When the commotion dimmed, he stepped out into the aisle and took
three long strides toward Jade, though he was still several feet away,
maintaining a respectable distance.

With a challenging look, he said, “Please, explain why you
believe I’ve broken all the rules I’ve set in order to maintain peace in this
region.”

Jade pulled in a jagged breath, then let it out slowly. Her
knees nearly knocked together, making her unstable on her feet. She widened her
stance to steady herself.

Not only was the king the largest, strongest-looking man
she’d ever laid eyes on, he was also the most mesmerizing. And visions of him
doing wicked things to her would absolutely not leave her mind. It was damn
near impossible for her to think straight, particularly with her body reacting so
innately to him. His close proximity had all the fiery sensations from last
night returning to her in a flash, causing her cunt to clench as it pulsed
vibrantly with need and desire.

But she had business to attend to and she found the
strength—from Lord only knew where—to do just that.

Squaring her shoulders, she said, “At least one, perhaps
more, of your wraiths have tracked me for a month or two. Stalking me. Which
is, by your own words, illegal. Correct?”

“Yes.”

His simple answer infuriated Jade, as though he didn’t
believe her. Lifting her chin a notch, she added, “I’ve been followed in the
woods on numerous occasions. Last night, someone on horseback watched me as I
left the tavern where I work. Now Jinx is dead by a demon attack and I think
you may as well lay your cards on the table and tell us whether or not we’re on
the verge of another war.”

The villagers gasped and groaned as they wriggled in their
seats.

The king’s tolerance wilted on the vine.

In a commanding tone, he said, “There will be no more wars.
I’ve given my word and I will stick by it. As for what happened with your
friend Jinx,” his eyes narrowed on Jade, “I did not interrogate lightly, I
assure you. And after hours of recounting the incident in the south woods, I
believe the event truly was an accident. Tragic, certainly. But an accident
nonetheless. The experiments were clearly a risk your human friend was willing
to take.”

“And what of the demon who killed him?” Jade asked, her tone
softer as she thought of Jinx and tears threatened her eyes once more at the
notion she’d never see his bright smile again.

“He’s remorseful.” A humble expression crossed the king’s
face as he took a few steps closer and said in a low voice, “As am I.”

His dark, masculine scent wafted under her nose. An earthy
aroma so enticing, it tightened her nipples further, making her extremely
uncomfortable. Yet she wouldn’t show her weakness for him or his hunky body.

She boldly asked, “That’s supposed to mollify us? Comfort
us?”

Where her verve came from, she wasn’t sure. No, she’d never
backed down when an injustice was done, but this wasn’t some minor scuffle
she’d dealt with on occasion at the tavern over whose turn it was to buy the
next round or who’d supposedly won a game of darts. Or who’d shortchanged another
at the farmer’s market.

This was serious and she was standing toe-to-toe with a man
who could have her in chains and locked in a cell with nothing more than a nod
of his head. But anger over Jinx’s death and the violation of laws this haughty
issuer of regulations wasn’t upholding had her irrational and willing to take a
stand.

King Darien’s jaw clenched for a brief moment before he
said, “Of course you’re not comforted by my words.” His intense gaze remained
locked with hers, as though he tried to see deep into her soul. It unnerved
her, particularly after that dream she’d had. “And I will punish him. I came
here this morning to tell you as much.
Everyone
,” he corrected as he
shook his head, as though to clear his mind from a trancelike state as he
stared so intently at her. “To tell everyone.”

Jade found his faux pas disarming. For a man who had more
power than God, he did not currently wield it in the tyrannical way she would
expect. He was, quite surprisingly, an enigma. But she couldn’t get lost in his
intimate voice, soul-searching gaze and six-foot-something-inches of pure
virility and raw masculinity.

They all stood on dangerous ground. She couldn’t forget
that.

“And what about me?” she asked. “What are you going to do
about the fact someone from your kingdom stalks me on almost a nightly basis?”

He took her in from head to toe as he seemed to make up his
mind. When his eyes met hers again, he said, “That is a matter about which I
will speak with you in private.”

Michael jumped to his feet and reached for Jade, pulling her
from the aisle and into the row toward her chair. “That’s hardly a reasonable
request.”

“Michael,” she shot back, under her breath. It was one thing
for her to be impudent. What did she have to lose, really? But for Michael to
suffer any repercussions for trying to protect her… That was something Jade
couldn’t live with. “Let me handle this.”

She wiggled her way out of his territorial clutches and
returned to her spot in the aisle, standing before the Demon King. She didn’t
miss the flash of agitation in his eyes—at the way Michael had so quickly and
fiercely stood up for her.

To divert his attention from her friend, she said, “I’m sure
the people of this community would like to hear what you have to say on the
matter.”

Another shake of his head. “No one else has been followed.
This isn’t about the people of the community. It’s only about you.”

Her pussy clenched at his words and a dull ache of longing
took up residency deep within her. She couldn’t help but recall her dream. It
had been Darien she’d fantasized making love with.

But how could that be? She’d never even seen him before
today. She’d had no idea what he looked like, because he didn’t come into the
village. If he had something to say to the humans, he sent a messenger. Only the
slayers interacted personally with him, and even that was a rare occasion, as
they primarily dealt with his general.

A disturbing mixture of alarm and arousal swirled in her
belly. She was fascinated by the king, no doubt about it. But he was a demon. A
dominant and potentially deadly one. As was her attraction to him.

But his insistence of speaking with her in private was too
intriguing to pass up.

“Fine,” she said, “you may speak with me alone.” As if she
had a choice. He was the king, after all. “But here in the village, not at the
castle.”

Demands
. Who was she to make them? And yet she did.

A hint of amusement played on his too-handsome-for-words
face. With a nod, he said, “The library then.” Turning his attention to
Lisette, he asked, “Do you mind?”

She shot Jade a worried look, but Jade gave her a quick,
albeit tight, smile.

“Of course not,” Lisette consented. What choice did
she
have, really?

“Jade,” Michael’s imploring tone made her head turn in his
direction.

“It’ll be okay,” she said. “The king merely wishes a word
and everyone here knows when and where we’re meeting. If anything were to
happen to me, the king could hardly expect it to be dismissed. Particularly by
the slayers, right?”

She glanced over her shoulder and found Walker and Tanner
rigid and at the ready—for what, she wasn’t sure. It wasn’t as though the two
of them could take on an entire kingdom on her behalf, should something go
awry. Even with Lisette’s vanquishing spells to help. Still, having everyone
bear witness as she made the arrangement with the king provided a modicum of
relief.

Returning her attention to Darien, she said, “Lead the way,
my Lord.”

Neither said a word as they stalked down the walkway, Jade’s
strides wide enough to keep up with the king’s. Though, given his long legs,
she suspected he’d slowed his usual pace so she could match it. When they
reached the library, he burst into it and turned sharply to face her.

“First,” he said as he wagged a finger in her face, as
though she were a disobedient child, “enough with challenging me. Do not
forget, I am the king.”

“I know you’re the king,” she said. “I meant no disrespect.
I’m simply hoping for honest answers. And while you may not believe I’m
entitled to them, I disagree, given that your laws have been broken by your…creatures.
Possibly even by you,” she added as she moved away. She crossed to the
fireplace to warm her hands, since she’d left the meeting hall without slipping
into her gloves and jacket.

Darien removed his cloak and offered it to her. She regarded
the garment warily. To not accept the grand gesture would only infuriate him
further when it came to her insolence. And though he’d appeared to find
something about her inner strength interesting, she knew not to push too hard.
There was such a thing as being too stubborn for one’s own good.

She took the cloak from him and draped it over her
shoulders. Jade wasn’t a small woman, but the black material dwarfed her and
pooled at her feet.

“Thank you,” she said. “And I apologize for being so blunt.
I’ve not spoken to a king before, and I tend to say what’s on my mind without
censoring it. I’ll behave as appropriately as I can manage during this
conversation.”

He stared down at her with curiosity in his eyes, which told
her he doubted she was capable of keeping her oath. “I’ll give you wide berth
in private. But you try my patience in public and I won’t have you making a
mockery of me or my laws.”