Free Touch of the Demon by Christina Phillips Page B

itself.”

Chapter
One
     
    Earth—A
Millennium Earlier
     
    Rafe leaned
against the damp stone wall, the shadows shrouding his presence
from the weak-minded mortals who scuttled through the cobblestone
alley. The stench from the waste rotting in the gutters offended
him. The dank night irritated him. Most of all, being so close to
humans disgusted him.
    Only the
knowledge that he was no longer severed from an essential aspect of
his being tempered his mood. He flexed his shoulders and felt the
corresponding ripple of his feathers, despite the fact that here,
on Earth, his wings remained hidden on the physical plane.
    He glared
through the darkness, his senses searching for his quarry. As soon
as he discovered her whereabouts, he intended to fulfill his
obligation and get the hell away from this polluted time and
planet.
    It had been too
long since he’d enjoyed the freedom of the cosmos, and now that he
was whole once again he had no desire to spend a second longer than
necessary concealing his true nature.
    And then,
without warning, her scent invaded his brain, electrifying every
nerve he possessed. The blood thundered along his veins, his body
hardened, and he clenched his fists against the raw power thrumming
in the heavy air.
    Where the fuck
had she come from?
    He still
couldn’t see her. Not even with his preternatural sight. But she
was here in this alley. And she was watching him.
    * * *
    Shielded from
view by the benevolence of the Great Mother, Celeste stared at the
dark shadow hulking at the end of the alley. She could feel the
evil emanating from him, choking the atmosphere with death and
decay and reaching out for her soul in relentless waves of
unadulterated hatred.
    She shivered
despite the heavy woolen cloak she wore, and her fingers tightened
around the slender stiletto that had been forged from the very
heart of the Mother. There would be only one chance to send this
demon back to the hell he inhabited. One chance to ensure he could
never again return to this realm. And she didn’t intend to
fail.
    She wrapped the
darkness around her as she stepped over the filth-strewn cobbles.
He would never guess she was so near, until it was too late to do
anything about it.
    Anticipation
hummed through her blood. She’d dreaded this moment for years,
always knowing it would come, even as she had prayed it never
would. But now he had arrived. And blood lust heated her heart at
the knowledge that soon he would no longer be a threat.
    Closer. So
close she could almost taste his blood, touch his rage. Another
step and she would be upon him. Stealthily she began to raise her
arm beneath her cloak, every atom of her attention focused on
hitting her mark.
    And then he
swung around, and she froze as her eyes clashed with his.
    Shock
reverberated throughout Rafe’s body as he stared at the tall woman
standing not an arm’s length from him. Her long silver hair tumbled
over her shoulders, seeming to radiate its own ethereal
illumination and throwing her features into stark relief.
    She had the
face of an exalted angel.
    “You can see
me.” The words were banal. Had he really uttered them? But there
was no need for the question or an answer because of course she
could see him. She was staring at him as if he were a gargoyle from
the pit. Did she know how close to the truth she was?
    “I see you.”
Her voice was low, husky, and a sharp arrow of lust pierced his
groin. Hot visions of taking her here, up against this rough stone
wall, pounded through his mind, clouding his vision.
    Again he fisted
his hands, willing himself to concentrate. To ignore her
intoxicating scent, the rise and fall of her breasts beneath her
cloak, and her strange, starlit hair.
    “And do you
know who I am?” Why was he talking with her? He could reach out one
hand and break her where she stood. He knew, despite her
matrilineal heritage, she was nothing more than a frail mortal. A
mere human female.
    So what was
stopping him? The way she looked