their direction. Interesting. How much ability had she gained over the past ten years? This was no novice when it came to wielding power.
“Stay or leave?” If she chose the latter, he’d figure out another way to draw out their enemies.
She was pale but tilted her chin up. “Let’s do this.”
Pride filled him as they strolled across the space. Senses wide open, he watched everything and everyone. Kayley remained where she was, surrounded by her adoring fans. How many of them knew what she truly was, where her talent and power really came from?
Kayley ignored her sister and sized him up like she was measuring him for her bed. And she’d take him there in a heartbeat, not only because she was attracted to him, but because he was with Morrigan. This woman had never loved her sister, not the way Morrigan had loved her.
“Well, well.” she gave him a sultry smile, stepped forward, and ran a finger up his chest. “And who are you?” He caught her finger and squeezed. The urge to break it was strong. The smile disappeared from her face. When she tried to pull away, he only increased the pressure.
Morrigan touched his arm, and he immediately released her sister.
The crowd around them shifted restlessly, sensing the dark undercurrents flowing around them. One woman gave an uncomfortable laugh. A man excused himself to get a drink.
“Quite the guard dog you have there, sister.” Kayley finally turned to face Morrigan. Now that was interesting. She viewed him as nothing more than muscle, someone her sister had hooked up with—probably another hunter.
All the better for him.
His biggest concern was for Morrigan. She was pale but composed as she stared at the younger sister she hadn’t seen in a decade, the woman whose actions had led to her being taken to Hell.
“Hello, Kayley. It’s been a long time.”
…
Just breathe. If you don’t breathe, you’ll pass out.
Kayley was standing right in front of her, even more beautiful than she remembered. This woman wasn’t the teenager she’d left behind, wasn’t the girl who’d followed her around their apartment asking her a million questions about life and the world.
She’d been an inquisitive child, but lurking beneath had been a deep dissatisfaction with the life they’d had. Not a bad thing as it had pushed them to better themselves. Her sister had just gone about it the wrong way.
“Morrigan.” With a practiced smile, her sister gripped her by the arms and gave her two air kisses, greeting her like she would a stranger.
Was there was any piece of that girl left inside?
“Welcome to my show,” Kayley continued without missing a beat. “Help yourself to a drink and whatever they’re passing around as food and have a look at my work. I need to mingle, but we’ll talk later.”
Tongue-tied by their encounter, she could only nod as her sister walked away.
Kayley, on the other hand, wasn’t suffering from the same problem. Smiling, she walked away, pausing to chat here and there with patrons who’d gathered to see her new collection. A woman without a care in the world. Certainly not one who’d just seen her sister for the first time in a decade. The sister she’d helped send to Hell.
“Why is she here? The opening was last night.” Even to her own ears, her voice sounded hollow. A fine tremor shook her entire body.
Pull it together. You’re a badass demon hunter.
“On rare occasions, her launch parties will span several nights. It’s a marketing gimmick.”
“You knew she’d be here?” she accused, hurt to her core. And he hadn’t told her. Had he wanted to see her reaction? Doubted her word that she hadn’t seen her sister in a decade?
“Not for certain. They keep it a secret so people will come out to the gallery in hopes of meeting the artist.” When all she did was stare at him, he shrugged. “I did some research online.”
Of course he had. She swallowed back her bitterness. He was nothing if not prepared, which was more than she could say. Flattened