Hotter After Midnight (Midnight 1)

“He’s not gonna tell anyone. If he did, he’d have to reveal his own history.”

Yeah, he was right. Jake would have just as much to lose.

The crowd in Paradise Found was even bigger now, even louder, and as they maneuvered back to the entrance, Emily was aware of the stares on them, aware of the whispers.

She breathed a sigh of relief when they finally stepped back outside. The night air was slightly cool, and the sky was a starless black, illuminated only by the glistening moon.

They walked in silence for a moment. Emily replayed both Niol’s and Jake’s conversations in her mind. She wasn’t sure she trusted either man.

“We need to find this Gillian,” Colin said, stepping off the sidewalk and turning into the alley. His Jeep was parked just around the corner. Just a few hundred feet away. “Brooks ran Preston’s background check. We both talked to the neighbors, family. No one mentioned this woman.”

“Maybe he was keeping her secret. It’s not exactly easy to announce to the family that your new love is a demon.”

“Yeah, he coulda kept quiet about her.” He paused beneath a flickering light hanging from the back door of a club. “That black eye thing—it’s a demon trait, isn’t it?”

She nodded, and realized that she seriously needed to brush the guy up on Other 101. Despite being an SB, he sure didn’t seem too aware of their world.

Probably because he’d been hiding from that world, trying to fit in with the humans.

“Why doesn’t Niol change his eye color?”

“Because Niol doesn’t give a damn. He doesn’t care if people realize he’s different.” Hell, as far as she could tell, Niol actually got off on jolting humans out of their safe worlds.

And, of course, he got off with humans too.

The fluorescent light hanging over Colin made a faint humming sound, then faded into darkness.

A chill skated down her body. Emily glanced around the alley. She didn’t see anyone else.

She lowered the shields in her mind, aware of a sudden shift in the atmosphere.

No, she didn’t see anyone, but she could feel a presence.

Emily opened her mind, sent her powers questing out. A blast of hot, burning rage hit her, driving straight into her mind, driving her down to her knees as she cried out in sudden pain.

Level-ten demon. Shit.

“Emily?” Colin reached for her, catching her by the arms and pulling her onto her feet. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

Her teeth were chattering. “S-someone’s h-here…” She shook her head, clenching her jaw.

What the hell? He kept his left hand wrapped around her. He could hear her heartbeat; the frantic drumming filled his ears.

He didn’t hear anything else, though. Didn’t hear the telltale crunch of gravel beneath shoes. Didn’t hear the whisper of clothing that would alert him to someone else’s presence in the alley.

His senses were fully open. If an assailant was in the alley, he should know it.

Colin reached for his weapon. He didn’t sense anyone, but the doc sure did, and he wasn’t about to take any chances. He slipped off the safety, wanting to be ready.

Four men jumped from the shadows. They wore full black ski masks, jackets, pants, and boots. The masked men lunged for him and the doc. Colin shoved her back against the alley wall and turned to face them, lifting his gun. “Get back,” he ordered, “I’m a cop—”

They attacked.

Sonofabitch. They fell on him at once, hitting and punching, driving him back to the ground. He fired a shot, but he must have missed, because they didn’t stop, not for an instant. He felt an icy pain slice into his right hand. Felt blood pool into his palm as his gun dropped from his suddenly nerveless fingers.

He didn’t know who these guys were, but they’d just picked the wrong guy to f**k with.

Colin was pinned on the ground, his bloody fingers scraping against the rough gravel. One of the ass**les was driving his boot into Colin’s ribs.

Another one was going for the doc.

Screw this.

The beast within roared its rage. Colin’s nails lengthened into razor-sharp claws. He slashed out with his hands, catching two of his attackers; he cut open the leg of the ass**le who’d been kicking him and then drove his claws into the second bastard’s stomach.

“Get the hell off me!”

Colin turned at Emily’s shout. She was pinned against the wall. A man, tall, hulking, had his hands wrapped around her arms. He was leaning into her, and she was kicking against him, ramming her high heels against his shins and trying to head-butt him.

If he hadn’t been so furious, he might have been impressed with her.

Then the man’s hands shot to her throat.

Colin forgot about everything in that instant but the urge to kill.

He was behind the man in less than a second. Grabbed him, lifted the bastard up, tossed him headfirst into the alley wall.

Emily gasped for breath, her hands rising to her throat.

Colin spared her a glance. Her hands were shaking, her body quivering lightly.

He crouched over her attacker. He wanted the guy’s blood. Could almost taste the kill.

He touched Emily. Wrapped his hands around her throat. Tried to hurt her.

The beast was screaming its rage, and Colin could actually hear the howl in his ears.

Destroy. Attack.

Kill.

The beast was hungry, so hungry.

His claws lifted over the man.

“Dammit, watch out!” Emily shot past him, arms raised, and drove straight into the last assailant.

Colin spun around. He’d forgotten the other man. For one blind, reckless moment, he’d completely forgotten the guy.

They were on the ground now. Emily was sprawled on top of him, and Colin could see the faint glimmer of a knife next to the fallen man’s hand.

Well, damn.

The doc had just saved his life.

“Bitch!”

Colin’s eyes narrowed. He took a step forward just as Emily drove her knee into the ass**le’s crotch. He jerked, yelling in pain and twisting away from her.

Colin grabbed Emily, pulled her to her feet. The perp on the ground was curled into a fetal position, squealing.

He whistled softly and glanced at Emily. “And here I thought you were the delicate type.” She’d lost her glasses, and her hair fell loosely around her face. His hand lifted toward her cheek. He wanted to push back her hair, to touch her, to—

“What in the hell?” Emily grabbed his wrist. Her eyes widened. “Gyth, you’ve got claws!”

His body tensed. He’d forgotten about his partial shift. He could only be grateful for the darkness, otherwise Emily would see the blood on his hands, embedded in his claws.