Devil May Cry (Dark-Hunter 11)

Kat reached out to touch him even though she knew she shouldn't. The instant she did, she felt the rawness of his grief. But more than that, she saw him with his daughter, screaming out her name as she was killed by demons. His black hair was plastered by sweat against his dark skin. Blood ran down his rage-contorted face and body in thick, crimson rivulets.

She could see him cradling Ishtar against him and feel the searing ache that made her gasp.

Then Kat felt the sharp, crisp pain of something piercing her heart.

She looked down, choking on what seemed to be her own blood, expecting to see a wound. But it wasn't her body she saw. It was Sin's. There was a sword stuck through him and it burned like the very fires of hell. Every beat of her heart sent more agony pounding through her until she wanted to scream from it.

And it wasn't the only painful memory he kept buried. She was in a long, open hallway that was light and airy, with thin white curtains billowing in the breeze. Sunshine poured through it as Sin walked toward the back of his temple in Ur. There was a feeling of happiness in his heart until the sounds of grinding sex intruded on it. The joy turned to vengeful rage as he entered his bedroom. He approached the bed in the corner and parted the heavy red curtains.

What she saw there jolted her into releasing Sin's arm. Kat gasped as she stepped back in shock.

She couldn't breathe. Couldn't see or hear anything other than the unbelievable agony inside her. It hurt... it hurt... Over and over images continued to flash in her mind. Sin's memories. She saw his wife in the arms of another man. Saw his son, Utu, and his daughter, Ishtar, as they died fighting the demons Sin's own father had created.

The agony was unbearable...

How could Sin stand all that had happened to him? How? They had laughed at him and they had shamed him.

Then they had died and left him completely alone...

Kat wanted peace, but there was no comfort to be found. All she could see was bitter images that ate at her. Bitter images of guilt and betrayal.

"Help me," she whispered, her heart breaking.

Sin stood beside Kat, watching her shake. The sadistic part of himself enjoyed the sight of her there like that. It was what she deserved for intruding on his emotions and memories.

But he wasn't the bastard he wanted to be and the joy only lasted a millisecond of a heartbeat before he was gathering her into his arms. She was sobbing against him.

"Sh," he whispered as he rocked her. "Let it go. It's not yours to feel." Closing his eyes, he cradled her against his chest and reached out with his powers to ease the pain she'd taken from him.

Kat continued to tremble uncontrollably as the images receded. She felt the comfort of Sin's arms that warred against the residual emotions that continued to sting her.

There was so much pain inside him. So much betrayal. How could he stand it?

But then she knew. It was what fueled his fight against the gallu. He channeled all the anger and pain and used it to strengthen him.

It was also what kept him isolated from everyone around him. Even Kish and Damien. And she finally understood what he'd said to her earlier. "There is more than one kind of death," she whispered.

"Yes." His own voice was low and that single word carried more emotion than a lovesick poet. "Cowards aren't the only ones who die a thousand deaths. Sometimes heroes do, too."

It was true. She'd seen it firsthand and she now understood so much about him.

Kat leaned back so that she could touch his face. He was so handsome in the dim light. His dark features were perfection. Yet she could still see in her mind the blood on his skin, the anguish on his features...

And she wanted to soothe him more than anything.

Sin's breath caught as he saw the compassion in Kat's eyes. The sympathy. It'd been so long since anyone had looked at him like that. Hatred, anger, disgust, those he could handle. But this one look was enough to weaken him.

It touched a part of him he didn't even know. And it softened him. He'd never been so naked to anyone. She'd seen his past and she didn't mock him for it. It was refreshing and terrifying.

She fingered his lips, which ignited a spark deep inside his body. It'd been a long time since any woman had...

No, he'd never felt like this with a woman. Not even his wife had attracted him the way Kat did. There was something about her that was infectious and inviting. Her humor, her courage. All of it.

And he wanted a taste of her so badly that all he could think of was stripping them naked and making love to her until the end of time.

Or at least until the Dimme ate them...

Kat watched the emotions sweep across Sin's face. His desire was bold and hot in those golden eyes, and even without using her powers she knew what he felt.

She held her breath in expectation of his kiss.

His hold tightened an instant before he took possession of her mouth. She laid her hand against his cheek so that she could feel the muscle in his jaw working as his tongue danced with hers. He tasted of wine and man. Of comfort and warmth. She didn't know why, but she found a strange sense of peace with him. Desire overwhelmed her.

Sin growled at the sensation of her tongue sweeping against his. Part of him expected Apollymi to blast them apart again, but as each second passed and all he could feel was Kat's warm touch, he relaxed. There was no one here to break them apart. No one to come between them.

That made him a lot happier than it should.

Gods, she was so sweet. So soft. The warm scent of her skin intoxicated him. He'd almost forgotten how good it felt to hold a woman who knew who and what he was. Then again, she had seen into a part of him that no one else had ever seen. It was a part of himself that even he didn't want to know existed.

He cupped her face in his hands as his senses swirled. All he wanted was to feel her naked against him. To have her long, graceful fingers stroking him. Have her long legs wrapped around his hips as he lost himself deep inside her body.

But instead, she pulled back to stare at him. Her wet lashes glistened as she looked up through them. "I'm sorry for what you've suffered."

"Don't be. You didn't do it."

Kat swallowed at his empty tone. No, she hadn't done it all, but damned if her entire family hadn't had a hand in it.

It'd been her grandfather Archon she'd seen in bed with Sin's wife. Kat wondered if Apollymi had known her husband wasn't faithful. If Apollymi did, it explained another reason she hated the Sumerians so.

The politics of the gods was always complicated. And usually painful, but never as much as it was in this case.

Bowing her head, she took his hand into hers and stared at the burn and battle scars. His skin was so dark compared to hers. There was so much strength there. But it was the loneliness he suffered that hurt her most.

"Strength through adversity." That was what the Chthonian Savitar had once told her when she'd asked him why some people had to suffer such unbelievable strife. "The strongest steel is forged by the fires of hell. It is pounded and struck repeatedly before it's plunged back into the molten fire. The fire gives it power and flexibility, and the blows give it strength. Those two things make the metal pliable and able to withstand every battle it's called upon to fight."

It'd seemed so cruel to her as a child. Sometimes it still seemed cruel.

But Sin had withstood it with grace.

Lifting his hand, she kissed the worst of the burn scars on the back of his left wrist.

Sin trembled at the tenderness of Kat's actions. Honestly, he didn't know how to deal with it. Insults and attacks he could handle.

Gentleness...

That terrified him. "I thought you hated me."

She let out a short laugh that sent a rush of air over his skin. "I do." She looked up with an openness that seared him. "You know you shouldn't condone Daimons working for you."

"My handful of Daimons haven't wrecked nearly as many lives as your mother and uncle, but I notice you still love them."

He did have a point. "Only on most days." Kat cleared her throat and moved away from him. "You were going to train me to fight the gallu."

Even as she said the words, she saw the image of his daughter in her mind. Ishtar had been ripped open by the demons. Literally torn apart. And by the look on his face, Kat could tell he was having the same thought.

"Don't worry," she assured him. "I can handle them. I'm born of two gods."

He scoffed at her bravado. "So was Ishtar."

Yeah, but Ishtar wasn't her and didn't have the same genetic makeup. "My father is the harbinger of death and destruction. My grandmother the Great Destroyer. My mother is the goddess of the hunt. I think I'll be okay."

"Yeah," he breathed, stepping away from her. "You do have the history of absolute terror and cruelty in your veins."

She winked at him. "Remember that if you ever come between me and my chocolate bar."

"I'll try." His tone was less than convincing. He didn't think her much of a fighter, but he would learn. She'd show him exactly what she was made of.

"So how many Daimons do you have in your casino?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. Don't study them close enough to worry about it. Damien keeps them in line. If they eat the wrong tourist, he kills them."

"And you're totally okay with this?"

"I trust Damien more than I trust anyone else."