Free Her Soul to Keep by Delilah Devlin Page A

before. At one of those Goth clubs. You’re the manager.”
    Viper suppressed a grin, relieved her clouded mind hadn’t jumped to the right conclusion. She was talking about Dylan’s club. “I’m just filling in for a friend at The Cavern until he returns home. I have no ambition to run his place permanently.”
    “The Cavern,” she nodded. “That’s it. It’s a strange place. I did a piece there about young Goths and the rise of Sanguinarian blood rituals.”
    “You’re a writer then? Or are you a television reporter?” he asked, knowing full well she wrote a column for the social section of the Seattle Times .
    Her casual shrug belied the fact she was serious about her work. Ambitious even. The social section wouldn’t encompass her ambition long.
    He’d always loved that about her. She kept her eyes on the prize and rushed headlong wherever her curiosity and drive led. An excellent quality for reporter, but one that had spelled disaster for him.
    But then, she didn’t remember any of it. Hadn’t learned her lesson, because he’d needed her to remain safe.
    “You know, they have a dress code here,” she murmured, eyeing his black leather jacket and T-shirt, and then letting her glance slide quickly down his legs before rising again. A faint blush tinged her pale cheeks.
    Viper’s eyelids dipped. “I’m not planning on going inside. I was waiting for someone.”
    “Lucky girl,” she said softly, then shook her head again. “It’s not like I have reservations or anything, and I’m not dressed for it either. I’m not really sure why I stopped…”
    His glance panned the line of people waiting patiently for their numbers to be called by the restaurant hostess who roamed outside, jotting names on a clipboard. “Doesn’t look like my friend is planning to show. Would you like to go somewhere else?,” he said quickly, not wanting to let her go just yet, needing to milk the moment in order to convince her to stay long enough to build a little trust.
    Time stretched between them. Her gaze flitted down the row of well-lit shops, still open with people walking leisurely along the covered walkway. A soft evening mist muted the glare of the streetlamps, as well as the sounds of the people passing them by as they stood at the bottom of the steps leading into the trendy restaurant.
    “I promise I don’t bite,” he added, fighting the urgency building in his body to keep his words light and casual. “We can just take a walk. Find a cup of coffee, if you like.”
    He wanted her to say yes without any of his extra “persuasion.” Wanted her to choose him of her own free will.
    A long indrawn breath lifted her chest, and she gave him a small, tentative smile. “There’s a Starbucks at the end of the strip.”
    Warmth seeped into his chest. And although he knew tomorrow he’d pay a heavy price, he needed this night with her, whether it ended in her bed, as he hoped, or not. Simply standing this close, feeling the warmth of her body and breathing in her fresh, sweet scent flooded his body with joy.
    Viper tugged his hands from his pockets and crooked an elbow, feeling a little foolish for the old-fashioned gesture. These days he acted with reckless arrogance around the opposite sex. His manners felt a little rusty. Unnatural.
    She didn’t seem to notice, as her hand slid around his forearm, her fingers lightly resting atop the distressed leather. Through the barrier he shouldn’t have noted the heat of her hands, but he did. His blood stirred with pleasure, and he fought to keep the muscle she touched from tensing.
    “Shall we?” he asked, and then stepped out, shortening his natural stride to allow her to walk comfortably beside him.
    She made a feminine sound as she cleared her throat. “You haven’t even asked my name.”
    It’s Mariah, my love. “You haven’t asked mine,” he murmured.
    Soft, rueful laughter floated around him. “True. I’m not like this. I don’t let strangers lead me