The reminder kept her focused, but it wasn’t easy. He moved with lethal grace for such a large man. He prowled closer and stopped to sniff the air. His slow smile had her core pulsing.
“I can.” She ran her free hand down the front of her shirt, making sure she cupped her breast as she did.
“You’re aroused.”
No point in denying it. “So are you,” she pointed out. His erection was prominently outlined in the front of his leather pants.
He was almost there. Just a little bit more, she silently urged.
This was it. Could she do it?
She leaped forward. A battle cry tore from her lips. His hand snapped out, grabbing hers before it even got close to his heart.
It was her empty one, not the one holding the dagger.
The lines around his mouth and the corners of his eyes crinkled slightly. He didn’t smile, but she sensed he was pleased with her.
“Sneaky, I like that.” He plucked the blade from her other hand and flung it aside. It sped through the air and landed square in the center of one of the symbols he’d painted on the wall. It was no fluke. Not luck, either. And he hadn’t even looked.
She shrugged. “A girl has to try.”
“If you’d really tried, you’d be dead.” His blunt reminder sent a shiver down her spine.
“I’m not stupid.” If there was a way out of this mess, it was through him.
He ran the tip of his finger down the side of her face, the callused tip a rough caress. “No,” he agreed. “You’re not. It was your sense of loyalty that got you into this mess, not your intelligence.”
She slapped his hand aside. “I’m still not convinced about Kayley.” To believe her sister, whom she’d loved more than anyone else in the world, had set her up was too deep a betrayal to bear.
He shrugged. “It’s up to you what you choose to believe. Have you ever bothered to find her, to see what she’s doing, how she’s living?”
“No.” It had been too painful even to contemplate once she’d finally been sent back to the world to hunt demons. She’d stayed away to keep from drawing the devil’s attention to her sister. But that was only the partial truth. Resentment had eaten at her. She loved her sister, but Kayley got to live free while she was the one who’d paid the price.
“Do you even know where she is?” He traced his thumb over her bottom lip, making her entire body clench.
She swallowed heavily and shook her head. “I figured it was better that I didn’t.” For both their sakes.
“Let’s find out.” Sliding his hand down her arm, he locked his hand around her wrist and led her back to his office.
“Now. You want to do this now?” She dug in her heels, but her boots simply dragged on the hardwood until she gave up trying.
“No time like the present. Waiting won’t change anything.”
“Not for you,” she muttered.
Excitement and dread warred within her. Seeing Kayley safe and happy would make her sacrifice worth it. But what if he was right? What if she had betrayed her? That could destroy her.
She grabbed the doorframe to the room, her fingers digging into the frame. Maccus released her and raised a single eyebrow. “I never took you for a coward.”
“You bastard.” Her pulse pounded in her ears. If she clenched her jaw any tighter, she was in danger of cracking her teeth.
The words rolled off his extremely broad shoulders like a gentle summer shower off a windowpane, with about as much impact. He strode around the desk and took his seat.
She forced herself to release her death grip on the door. Swallowing her anger, she took a steadying breath.
God, they were really doing this. Her stomach churned.
“That trick with the knife. How did you do it?”
“What trick?” His fingers were flying over the keyboard. In spite of her trepidation, she was drawn