Free Demon Retribution by Kiersten Fay

a
start.
    She never invited men up to her apartment,
so Cale was the first, but it felt almost natural to have him
there. Maybe that was because he was an outsider like her, and
because of that she felt a connection with him.
    She warned herself, however, not to confuse
that with infatuation, as she’d done in the past.
     
    It was foolish to have asked her to join
him. He wouldn’t have been able to hide his horns if she’d agreed,
and he would have had to deal with the fallout sooner than planned.
But when her breath hitched in that familiar, female way, and he
saw her eyes dilate as she ran them over his body, he’d gone
instantly hard and been unable to resist.
    Her blush had been the most gratifying thing
he’d seen in a long time. As the water trickled over him, he
reminded himself that sleeping with her would be a bad idea.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep from imagining it. All this time
watching her had given him plenty of fantasies to work with. He
fisted his cock, rubbing his length as he allowed the scenarios to
play through.
    He imagined what he would have done had he
pulled her from the dance floor that first night. He would have
found them a dark corner and guided her legs around him as he took
her against the wall. The image of her on her knees, her mouth
coming over him, had him gripping the tile for support as his
release exploded, numbing his mind.
    He cut the water flow and toweled off,
noticing that everything here smelled like her. A pleasant scent,
not overpowering, but feminine and sweet.
    Facing the mirror, he slipped his fingers
through his short tuft of hair to see if he could possibly hide his
horns without the hat. He couldn’t. They were just a bit darker
than his blond hair, although not much longer in length. Hat in
place, he pulled his jeans on and stepped out of the room.
    He worried she’d question the headpiece, but
luckily he found the living room empty. Her door was closed, and he
figured she must have gone to bed.
    Making himself comfortable on the couch, he
closed his eyes.
     
    After dressing in a long shirt and using her
own bathroom to wash up, Kyra lay sprawled out on her bed, unable
to sleep. Finally, after four hundred years, she was getting
answers. She was practically giddy with excitement, though the
knowledge she now possessed was disturbing.
    Her father was being held
captive. Her sisters had been sent away, same as her. Were they
living just as alone as she was? She was grateful that they were
still alive, but what could her father be planning? She recalled
his last words to her. “It might work.” Which conversely meant that
it might not work,
whatever it was.
    She sighed and turned over, trying to find a
comfortable position. After another hour, she accepted that she
wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight. Fumbling for her phone, she
dialed Zoey, and again received no answer. At the sound, “Your call
has been for…” she banged the phone on the bed.
    If anything had happened to her, Kyra would
blame herself for the rest of her life. She couldn’t wait till
morning. She needed to check on her.
    Slipping out of bed, she pulled on jeans and
crept into the living room. Cale slept peacefully on his back, one
arm draped over his stomach. Her eyes traveled to his bare chest,
and she greedily took him in.
    She debated waking him. It wouldn’t be good
if he found her gone, but she remembered that he’d been living in
the park for the last few weeks, or more, and probably hadn’t
gotten much sleep. In fact, he’d been so exhausted he hadn’t
bothered to remove his hat. She hated to disturb him now, reasoning
that if she took a cab she could make it to Zoey’s and back in
maybe forty-five minutes. Less, if traffic was fair. He wouldn’t
even know she’d left.
    Thinking to make him more comfortable, she
reached to remove his hat and then froze. A set of spikes that
curved slightly toward the crown of his head protruded from his
hair. After a moment of