Midnight's Master (Midnight 3)

Some mysteries just couldn't be solved.

"Who got me out of Paradise?" She asked him quietly.

One black brow rose.

Damn.

"I couldn't very well leave you bleeding on my floor, now could I? Not good for business."

Like his clientele would have cared that an unconscious and bleeding woman was on the floor.

He eased back a bit on the couch. "I took you out, made certain there were no…uncomfortable questions at the hospital, and I stayed-"

Now that surprised her.

"-with you until you were awake again."

What? Niol had been there, when she'd been at her weakest? Very scary thought.

His bottomless gaze held hers. "Myles had friends. Shit scum, but powerful. The eye-for-an-eye type. They would have just loved to get their hands on you."

She'd worried about them. Had some nightmares after she'd gotten out of the hospital. But then the fear about retaliation had just seemed to vanish from her mind.

"I…eliminated the threat to you." He spoke easily. Calmly. As if he were talking about getting rid of trash. And for him, maybe he was. Emily had never understood him. His mind had been closed to her. Always closed. Not like the others. She could pick her way so easily into the thoughts of most paranormals.

Not Niol.

Not that she'd ever really wanted to try.

Because Emily knew, deep down, that if Niol wanted to go after her, the way Myles had, well, she wouldn't be knocked out.

She'd be killed.

Niol was just too strong. She'd heard rumors once about level-tens. The talk was that they could live for freaking ever. They could heal so fast that their bodies were in a constant state of perfect health.

But the longer they lived, the more their…demon selves emerged.

The rumors were that some demons out there, some level-tens were so old they had cloven feet and tails.

Rumors, of course; she'd never found any information to substantiate that, but-

But level-tens couldn't be killed by any weapon of man-that much was true.

And Niol, since he more than tipped the power scale, she sure didn't want to tangle with him.

"Since I took care of that little problem for you, I'd say that puts you in my debt."

Her eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"

He held up his hands. "Don't look so worried, Emily. I'm not the threat you think."

She snorted.

"I just need that wonderful mind of yours. So interesting, so strong."

Emily's stomach knotted. "I always thought you were testing me," she murmured, deliberately throwing the words out as her own test to see how Niol would respond.

He nodded. "Yes, I was."

Sonofabitch. He'd let her into Paradise to test her like a lab rat, and he had the gall to sit there and say she owed him ?

"Had to make sure you were capable, that you could handle the darkness."

She'd been handling darkness for years. She didn't need some arrogant ass of a demon to-

"If you weren't strong enough, then you wouldn't have been of any use to me."

Cold and hard. Just like she would have expected.

But-

But his eyes weren't cold. The darkness was lit with a fire she'd never seen before.

I want in his mind.

Because Emily had the feeling that the puppet master was hiding too many secrets of his own.

He leaned forward, dropping the easy pose. "You tell no one about the work I want you to do-"

Niol wanted therapy?

" No one, and you-"

Her office door flew open and banged into the wall.

Her breath choked out in surprise. Niol didn't even blink.

" What the f**k are you doing here, demon? "

Her very much enraged wolf shifter lover stood in the doorway. Not in cop mode, definitely not.

More like jealous fury mode.

And it was sweet, kind of, anyway.

Emily shoved to her feet and hurried to his side. "I'm all right, Colin. I don't need-"

He kicked the door closed. Hard enough to have her windows rattling. "You don't need this jerkoff giving you a hard time. I want you to stay away from Emily, got me, demon? We both know you're trouble and-"

Niol rose slowly to his feet and despite the fact that Colin's claws were out and his teeth were lengthening into fangs, the demon didn't look worried. "I'm not staying away from her."

A growl.

"I need her." His head tilted. "And I'd hate to have to hurt you, seeing as how I know Emily has become uncomfortably fond of you, but I need her. "

Colin sprang forward.

Emily grabbed his arm, pulling back at once. "Colin, let him talk." Something was happening here, something important.

Colin's body vibrated beneath her touch. "Fine." Barely human. "But if he pisses me off, I'm taking his head."

A real threat, that.

She turned to Niol. "Why me?"

"You can build the best mental shielding I've ever seen in my life." Admiring. "I need that talent."

Like a level-ten needed help keeping his mind secure from others. "Bullshit." Sometimes, Emily just had to call 'em like she saw 'em.

"A debt, doctor, remember?"

"You're not gettin' in Em's mind! You're not-"

Niol shook his head, interrupting Colin's snarl. "I don't want in her head. I want her to use her talent to get into the minds of demons-and to teach them to shield."

Her mouth was open, but Emily didn't know what to say. Demons had their own, instinctive shielding. It came with the psychic power. Why would-

"Sometimes what nature gives isn't enough," Niol said, as if reading her mind.

And the guy probably could.

He strode toward them. Stood toe-to-toe with Colin. "You're in my way, wolf."

Colin's jaw clenched, but after a moment, he stepped to the side.

Niol kept walking. Grabbed the doorknob and wrenched open the door, heading into her waiting room.

"Vanessa called you, didn't she?" Emily whispered. And the man had made amazing time. She craned her neck, watching Niol.

"Hell, yeah, she-"

Niol strode to the left. He stopped and bent toward a dark-haired man and a thin, pale teen.

Then he glanced back at her.

"Who are they?" Colin whispered.

Demons. She saw right through their glamour.

And now they were heading right toward her.

"Colin…give me a minute with them, okay?"

The fangs weren't showing now, but the wolf was in his eyes. "You sure?"

Niol answered. "Yes, she's sure."

Colin didn't move.

Emily smiled. "I'm sure." She didn't sense any kind of threat from them, but she did see desperation.