But it went much further than that. He wanted to know why he couldn't control her. She was a challenge that mentally, he couldn't resist. And obviously, given his current condition, he found her physically irresistible, too.
"Here we are, sir." Laszlo slowed to a stop, double-parking next to one of Roman's cars.
Roman opened his door. Lifting Shanna's head a fraction, he slid out from under her. She started to sit up. "No. Stay down until I make sure it's safe."
She heaved a sigh of frustration. "Okay."
Roman climbed out and closed the door while Laszlo did the same. He motioned for the chemist to follow him a few yards from the car. "You did well, Laszlo. Thank you."
"You're welcome, sir. Can I go back to the lab now?"
"Not yet. First, I want to you to go inside and warn everyone that we have a mortal guest. We need to protect her, but at the same time, she must not discover who we really are."
"May I ask why we're doing this, sir?"
Roman surveyed the street for any sign of the Russians. "You've heard of the Russian coven master, Ivan Petrovsky?"
"Oh God." Laszlo clutched at one of the two remaining buttons on his lab coat. "They say he's vicious and ruthless."
"Yes. And for some reason, he wants to kill the dentist. But I need her, too. So we have to keep her safe without Petrovsky figuring out that we're the ones interfering with his plans."
"Oh dear." Laszlo twirled the button furiously. "He would be so angry. He.. he might declare war on us."
"Exactly. But there's no reason for Shanna to know about that. We'll keep her as ignorant as possible."
"That may be difficult with her living in your house."
"I know, but we have to try. And if she finds out too much, I'll erase her memory." As CEO of a major corporation, Roman was constantly struggling to remain invisible in the mortal world. Mind control and memory wipes made the task much easier. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure he could erase Shanna's memory.
He climbed the front steps to his townhouse and punched in a security code on the keypad by the door. "Explain things as quickly as possible."
"Yes, sir." Laszlo swung open the door and was greeted by a long dagger aimed at his throat. "Eek!" He stumbled back, bumping into Roman, who stopped him from falling down the stairs.
"Begging yer pardon, sir." Connor slid his Highland dirk back into the sheath hanging from his belt. "I wasna expecting you at the front door."
"I'm glad you're vigilant." Roman pushed Laszlo into the entryway. "We have a guest. Laszlo will explain."
Laszlo nodded, his fingers fumbling once again for a button on his lab coat. Connor shut the door.
Roman hurried down the steps to the Honda. He yanked the back door open to find Shanna pointing her Beretta at him.
"Oh, it's you." She blew out a sigh of relief and dropped her gun back into her purse. "You were gone so long. I was beginning to think I'd been abandoned."
"You're under my protection now. I'll keep you safe." He smiled. "At least, you no longer want to shoot me."
"Yeah, that's always a positive sign in any relationship."
Roman laughed, a rusty sound, but a definite laugh. God's blood, how long had it been since his last laugh? He couldn't even remember. And there was beautiful Shanna, returning his smile. The lovely dentist had brought a spark of life back into his godforsaken, endless existence.
Still, he should fight this compulsion to be with her. After all, he was a demon. She was a mortal. Historically, he should be seeing her as lunch,craving her blood, not her company. But he did want her company. It was as if his mind was waiting for the next words to come out her mouth, just so he could have the pleasure of responding. And his body was waiting anxiously for the next accidental touch. Hell, accidental wasn't enough.
"I probably shouldn't trust you. But for some reason, I do." She climbed out of the car, and instantly his entire body wakened to her proximity.
"You're right," he whispered, lifting a hand to touch her cheek. "You shouldn't trust me at all."
Her eyes widened. "I.. I thought you said I was safe."
"There are different kinds of danger." He skimmed his fingers along her jaw.