Daimon (Guardians of Hades #6) - Felicity Heaton Page 0,30

around him, checking them. They were all still intact.

Cass drew down a long breath, raised her right hand so her palm was facing him, and her expression went slack. “I beseech you to listen to me, Son of Hades, Guardian of the Sixth Gate, Ruler of Ice, King of Hong Kong, Tamer of—”

Daimon raised his hand too. “I know the long and boring version of my name. What I don’t know is why you’re using it. I’m trying to relax. I told you to go back to Tokyo.”

Her right eyebrow arched. “And I told you, you have zero authority over me.”

“Leave.” He didn’t want her to do that, was relieved to see she was safe, but he couldn’t stop himself from pushing her to see what she would do.

She scowled at him, a mulish twist to her soft lips. “I don’t want to leave.”

“You need to get out,” he countered.

She responded by stepping forwards, her black dress slinking around her long legs with each step, flashing a lot of creamy skin as the slit up the left side opened.

Gods, she was beautiful.

Her fall of onyx hair shimmered in the light from the pool and the house to his left. Her pale blue eyes were bright as she locked them on him, ringed by black make-up that only made the colour of them even more striking.

And she smelled of sin and magic, that scent teasing his senses as wickedly as her smile did as she slowly bent and grazed her fingers across the water of the pool, as if testing the temperature.

Blocks of ice formed, clunking together and breaking apart, spreading towards him.

The water temperature dropped to a dangerous level, where it was liable to freeze completely.

“You need to cool down.” She held his gaze, her smile drawing his to her lips, his thoughts to things he shouldn’t be contemplating. “And listen.”

She drew her hand away from the water and it began to warm again.

Daimon stared at her. She was singing a song to his heart. The icy water was a delight, exactly what he needed tonight. Sheer pleasure rippled through him and her smile turned more wicked.

She gave him a coy look, one that said she knew what she had done, how she had pleased him, and that she took pleasure from it too.

“Will you hear me out? Perhaps you will be more inclined to listen if I joined you in there?” She stroked her fingers across her cleavage and his gaze tracked her black nails.

He wanted to touch her like that.

She reached beneath her arm and he shivered as she lowered a zipper, the sound of it sending a hot wave of need bolting through him.

His breaths came faster as she eased the front of her dress forwards, flashing the side of her breast. Her bare breast.

If she got naked, if she came into the pool, he would want to touch her and he wouldn’t be able to stop himself.

He shook his head. “You shouldn’t get too close to me, Cass.”

She smiled knowingly and held her dress up with one hand as she stroked the fingertips of the other one across her chest. “You can’t freeze this heart. It’s been frozen for a century… but I could thaw yours.”

She dipped and touched the water again. The ice melted in an instant and steam rose from the water.

Daimon stepped, appearing on the broad white tiles of the terrace. He stared at the steaming water and then sneered at her, need tangling with anger, pain with fury. It all collided inside him, tearing at him, filling his head with ridiculous impossible things.

She was tormenting him.

“What do you want from me, koldun’ya?” He stalked towards her, determined to get an answer, because he was tired of her toying with him when she knew all about him.

When she knew he couldn’t touch anyone without hurting them.

She disappeared when he reached her and reappeared behind him. He turned on a growl and lunged for her, but she was too quick, nothing more than a blur as she sped around behind him again, evading him. She laughed, high and infuriating, pushing him right to the edge.

Darkness poured through his veins, roused by the thought she was taunting him, toying with him.

Out to hurt him for some reason.

He let it get the better of him as he tried to grab her again, as she evaded him and moved to the other end of the pool. Her smile ripped a growl from him and he stepped, appeared