Sins of the Night (Dark-Hunter 7)

Chapter 7

Danger stood in the hallway of her house, watching Alexion who was in her kitchen. She'd excused herself to go to the bathroom-not that she had to go so much as she just needed a break from the intensity of his presence. And to be alone while she sorted through all the information he'd dumped on her.

She didn't know what to believe and she hated that feeling of insecurity. All her life, she'd prided herself on being able to strip back the bull to see the truth.

But when it came to this...

She didn't know who or what was right. From what she'd seen of Alexion, she didn't doubt that he could kill her if he wanted to; that he could kill all of them. So far, he'd refrained from doing either, which added some credibility to his story that he was there to protect them.

Maybe.

Damn, I really hate indecision.

Should I run to warn the others or stay and keep an eye on him?

There was no easy answer.

Rubbing her hand across her face, she paused as Alexion picked up the large Hershey chocolate bar from her counter and sniffed it. He ran his hand over the edge of the brown wrapper as if he'd never seen one before. Then he traced the edges of the chocolate through the wrapper as if he enjoyed the tactile sensation of it.

Danger cocked her head, puzzled by his actions. She loved chocolate as much as the next person, but she'd never before molested a bar of it. Something about his caress reminded her of a lover's touch and it made him seem strangely vulnerable.

Yeah... she was losing it.

"Should I leave the two of you alone?"

He looked up as if startled by her question, but made no comment about her sarcasm. "What does chocolate taste like?"

Her frown deepened at his unexpected question. "Open it and see for yourself."

He sighed heavily before he set it aside. "It wouldn't do me any good."

"Why not?"

"I can't taste anything."

That surprised her. She couldn't imagine going without her tastebuds. God knows, she certainly got a great deal of pleasure from eating Hershey's and other things that would most likely harden every artery in her body if she were still human. "Absolutely nothing?"

He shook his head as he looked back at the Hershey's bar. "I know Simi likes to eat chocolate. She talks about it all the time, but she's never brought any home for me to see. She only eats barbecue and popcorn around me, which she says is very tasty and really salty."

"Simi?"

If she didn't know better, she'd swear he became instantly uncomfortable, as if he'd slipped up by mentioning the name. Without answering her, he picked up her coffee can and smelled it too. She could tell that was about as productive to him as eating the chocolate he couldn't taste.

Which made her wonder about something really important. "So if you can't taste food, what do you live on? Blood? Souls?"

He gave her a bored look as he pushed the can back into place. "I told you, I'm not a Daimon."

"Yeah, but when I stabbed you, you poofed like a Daimon. You're blond and you don't eat food-"

"I'm not a Daimon," he repeated.

"Uh-huh, ever heard the saying that if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck-"

"It's not a Daimon."

Well, he was quick with that one. She had to give him credit there. "Then what do you eat?"

He gave her an intense, hot once-over. "Woman al dente."

Danger's jaw dropped at his unexpected vulgarity. She made a disgusted face at him. "That was uncalled for."

"Then stop asking me questions."

Charm was most definitely not his forte. But then he didn't really need it. There was such a deep sadness in his eyes that it actually made her ache for him in spite of her common sense, which said she should stake him again... just for good measure.

She moved closer to him so that she could study the handsome lines of his face.

His features were perfect. Manly. The dark blond brows were arched perfectly over those eerie eyes of his. His cheekbones were high and dusted with a hint of stubble. It was the kind of stubble that made a woman want to stand up on her tiptoes and nibble it until her lips were raw from it.

It was then that she realized something...

Alexion, unlike her and the rest of the Dark-Hunters, didn't have fangs.

How could that be?

But at least it marked the Daimon question firmly off the list. No full-blooded Daimon could live without feeding.

"What are you?" she asked. "Really?"

He looked at her as if the question bored him "We've already had this discussion."

Yeah, but they'd never finished it. "You have asked me to trust you. Fine. I'm willing to give it a go. But if I do, then I deserve the same amount of respect in return." She gave him a meaningful stare. "Trust me with the truth of you."

She saw the debate flashing across his green eyes before he finally responded. "Let us just say that I am 'other.' I'm truly unique in this world. I'm not a human. I'm not a Dark-Hunter and I'm not a Daimon or Apollite. I'm just me. Plain and simple."

She fought the urge to laugh at that last statement. There was nothing plain or simple about this man.

His gaze narrowed on her and a deep-seated hunger sparked in his eyes. He moved his hand toward her face.

Danger instinctively moved her head away.

His eyes continued to burn her with the intensity of his powerful stare. "Would you let me touch your cheek, Danger?"