Free Embrace the Highland Warrior by Anita Clenney Page B

and as soon as she could see, she threw a punch at his chin. He deflected it and grabbed her arm. “Stop hitting me.”
    “How dare you throw me over your shoulder like some kind of caveman,” she spat, trying to wrench her arm free. It didn’t work, so she used her knee.
    “Ah, not there.” Cody trapped her knee. “I made the mistake of letting you leave here nine years ago without listening to me. By God, I won’t do it again. You’ll listen if I have to sit on you,” he growled.
    She drew back her other arm, and before she could throw the punch, he had her on the floor and was sitting astride her, pinning her wrists to the floor. She bucked and twisted, but he held her down. “We can do this all night if you want, but you’re going to listen to me this time.”
    “Listen to more lies? You’re still hiding things from me. Like the fact that you have Nina’s entire house under surveillance. Like the fact that you’ve got a Bat Cave in your basement. Like the fact that you were in Scotland when the stalking started.”
    “You think I’m your stalker?” he yelled. “Me! I’m trying to keep you alive. We’re all trying to keep you alive. That’s what the clan’s been doing your whole damned life, trying to keep you alive! And just like always, you’re making it hard as hell. Your father wasn’t a bloody spy, and that thing in your living room wasn’t a man. Damn!”

Chapter 4
     
    Shay sagged against the floor. “What do you mean, my father wasn’t a spy? And that man… if he wasn’t a man, what was he?”
    Cody cursed. He sat up, letting go of her wrists, still astride her. “He was a demon.”
    “A demon?” A cackle escaped her lips. “Is this a joke? Another lie?”
    “Do I look like I’m joking?”
    He looked angry. “Like a hell-and-brimstone demon?”
    “Aye, but they spend a lot of time here.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “Why do you think we had to keep your identity hidden?”
    “Because my father was with the CIA or some top-secret organization, and I was in danger. That’s what you said.”
    “No. That’s what you thought I said. I just didn’t tell you any different, but you got the top-secret organization part right. Your father was a warrior.”
    “What kind of warrior?”
    “The kind that fights demons. The kind of warrior who keeps humans alive.” Cody blew out a breath and stood. He ran his hands through his hair. “Why do I let you do this to me? This is going to blow up in my face, just like last time.”
    Shay stood and faced him. “This is insane. You’ve already lied to me once. How do I know—”
    “I didn’t lie. I just withheld information that wasn’t my place to give. After you walked away, I couldn’t tell you the whole story. The clan wouldn’t allow it.”
    “Who is this… clan that’s making decisions for me?”
    “Your mother and father’s clan. Your clan. When you were a baby, someone killed your mother and left you for dead. That’s how you got the scar on your shoulder.”
    “Nina said the scar was from a bicycle wreck.”
    “She had to tell you something. It was a car wreck, but it wasn’t an accident. You were meant to die, but an old man pulled you from the burning vehicle.”
    Speechless, Shay shook her head. “They didn’t catch the killer?”
    “No. He was probably a demon.”
    “I’m sorry… this is just insane. Assuming you’re correct—”
    “I am.”
    “Assuming you are, then why did this demon want me dead?”
    “The clan didn’t know if you were the target or if it was revenge, but you were marked, so they had to hide you. That’s why the house is monitored. That’s why we’re here. To keep you safe.”
    “I’m marked?”
    “Your scar is probably a demon’s mark.”
    Shay touched the pale, jagged line beside her collarbone. “Does Nina know about this?”
    “She does. Matilda doesn’t.”
    “Why would a demon target a baby?”
    She’d known Cody long enough to recognize the fear that