became her only focus.
In that instant, she realized sheâd never had any sort of control over her beast. Her darker side. It had swirled inside her all along, mostly quiet as it waited for the opportunity to strikeâ¦
Only Chris, only Chris, please gods only Chris . The chant rang through her mind, hopefully penetrating the bloodlust of her vengeful beast. Only Chris, leave everyone else alone, attack only Chris .
But deep down, she knew there would be no stopping the death toll now.
CHAPTER THREE
F ROM THE FIRST MOMENT Sabin had seen the lovely redhead in the glass cell, heâd been unable to remove his gaze from her. Unable to breathe, to think. Her hair was long and curled wantonly, blond streaked with thick locks of ruby. Her eyebrows were a darker auburn, but just as exquisite. Her nose was buttoned at the end, her cheeks rounded like a cherubâs. But her eyesâ¦they were a sensual feast, amber with striations of sparkling gray. Hypnotic. Black lashes spiked around them, a decadent frame.
Halogens hung from hooks in the walls and drowned her in bright light. While that would have revealed anotherâs flaws and did in fact expose the dirt streaking her skin, it gave her a healthy glow. She was petite, with small, round breasts, narrow hips and legs long enough to wrap around his waist and hold on through the most turbulent of rides.
Donât think like that. You know better . Yeah, he did. His last lover, Darla, had killed herself and heâd vowed not to get involved again. But his attraction to the redhead had been instant. So had his demonâs, though Doubt wanted her for another reason. It had sensed her trepidation and had purposely targeted her, wanting inside her mind, pouncing on her deepest fears and exploiting them.
But she was not human, theyâd both soon realized, and therefore Doubt had been unable to hear her thoughts unless she voiced them. That didnât mean she was safe from its evils. Oh, no. Doubt knew how to size up a situation and spread its poison accordingly. More than that, the demon relished a challenge and would work harder to learn this girlâs nuances and ruin any faith she might have.
What was she? Heâd encountered many immortals over his thousands of years yet he couldnât place her. She certainly appeared human. Delicate, fragile. Breakable. Those amber-silver eyes gave her away, though. And the claws. He could imagine those digging into his backâ¦.
Why had the Hunters taken her? He feared the answer. Three of the six newly liberated females were clearly pregnant, which brought to mind only one thing: the breeding of Hunters. Immortal Hunters, at that, for he recognized two sirens with scars along the column of their necks where their voice boxes had obviously been removed, a pale-skinned vampire whose fangs were gone, a gorgon whose reptilian hair had been shaved and a daughter of Cupid who had been blinded. To prevent her from ensnaring an enemy in her love spell, Sabin supposed.
How cruel the Hunters had been to these lovely creatures. What had they done to the redhead, the loveliest of them all? Though she wore a tiny tank and skirt, he could see no scars or bruises to indicate mistreatment. That didnât mean anything, though. Most immortals healed quickly.
I want her . Intense fatigue radiated from her, yet when sheâd smiled at him in thanks for freeing herâ¦he could have died from the sheer glory of her face.
I want her, too , Doubt piped up.
You canât have her. Which meant he couldnât either. Remember Darla? As strong and confident as she was, you still managed to break her down.
Gleeful laughter. I know. Wasnât it fun?
His hands fisted at his sides. Fucking demon. Eventually everyone caved under the intense worries his other, darker half constantly threw at them: You arenât pretty enough. You arenât smart enough. How could anyone love you?
âSabin,â Aeronâs cold