The Lure of the Devil (The Demons' Muse #4) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,209

to drag her away, but she pulled back.

"I'm not going with you."

Miles tensed, and for a moment she thought he was going to backhand her, but the stranger chuckled. "You hit her, and I will hit you," he said softly, his voice oozing with menace.

"Just go home, Miles," Hailey said, shaking free. "Just," she took a deep breath to make sure her voice wouldn't shake. "Just leave me alone."

Her ex-boyfriend simply could not accept her refusal. He reached for her again, but Hailey expected it. She ducked out of his reach, walking backwards toward where the stranger was. The man pushed himself away from the wall, striding forward to put himself between her and her boyfriend. When Miles marched into his face, it was only then that both she and Miles realized just how tall this guy was.

His shoulders were broad, but he had a lithe grace about him. Hailey's hunk from the coffee shop had to be at least six and a half feet tall, and his height hid his width. When Miles looked into the man's face, the stranger nodded slowly.

"I think there is a phrase about picking on someone your own size," he said. "If it doesn't apply to you, then it doesn't apply to me."

"Fuck you," Miles spat, before turning.

She watched her ex walk back toward the small parking lot behind the Pink Flamingo Cafe. When he passed out of sight, she let out a tense breath, unaware that she'd been expecting something so much worse. Of course, he'd probably just try it again, but at least now she knew what to expect. Miles simply wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Thanks," she told the big guy, aware that he was still standing protectively before her.

He turned to face her, his hood hiding most of his face. "Thank you for the coffee. Being too big seems to be the least I can do."

She grinned, enjoying the strange sound of his accent. "Depends on how you define too big." She tried to look under the hood to find his eyes, but shadows hid them too well. "Anyways, you didn't have to do that, but I'm really glad you did. Thanks."

She held out her hand, not knowing what else to do. His head tilted slightly, then he clasped her palm in his, long fingers wrapping around the back of her hand. His lips slid up for a split second, then she felt a pinch, and flinched away.

"Shit, I think there's something on your jacket," she said.

He looked at his wrist, brushing one hand across the cuff, then picked at something. "Yeah. Sorry. Have a good night, Hahlee."

Then he just walked away, heading in the same direction Miles had gone. Hailey rolled her eyes. Men, she thought, wondering why all the good looking ones seemed so very strange. Her knight in shining armor wasn't much better, but at least his version of strange seemed sweet. Ok, maybe a little dark and mysterious, but then again, everything was a little crazy lately, what with the ship and all.

Turning her feet up the street, she looked at the red mark on her palm. Whatever had stuck her had gone deeper than she'd thought. As she headed home, she pinched the skin, checking to make sure there wasn't a splinter lodged deep inside.

Chapter 4

The Mimics: Bioluminescent: Book 1

When Tsij saw the man shoving the woman around, he tried to tell himself to ignore it. Some kind of primitive mating ritual, he thought. Humans were known to be exceptionally aggressive. The female should find it appealing, and the male was clearly trying to attract her.

But rationalizing it didn't help. When he saw the fear on the human girl's face, he'd tried to stop himself, but the words fell from his mouth before he was even fully visible. He was just glad that neither of them had noticed. That would have ruined everything.

Then the idiot had attempted to threaten him. Tsij chuckled at the memory. The man had postured before him, spreading his chest to look as broad as possible, but he still hadn't been able to appear large enough. Tsij had half expected the primate to start pounding on his pectorals, but it appeared they had managed to evolve beyond that. Slightly.

What had truly shocked him was how the girl had reacted. His size hadn't intimidated her at all. Most likely, the females found large males reassuring. An evolutionary holdover for protection. Either way, when she'd offered her hand, he hadn't been