“Yes.” Any information about how he’d tracked me down could help me find him, when I was out of here and had the full contingent of Artemis’s warrior maidens at my back. This was not the sort of slight I would let go unpunished. I only wondered how much I could make him scream before I took his head. I smiled a little at the thought.
He frowned, as if he knew I was fantasizing about his death. Then he regained his mask of smug pleasure. “I knew where you were the moment you left the confines of Olympus. All this time, I’d thought you dead. But, as a demon’s mate, you are marked. It’s like a beacon of sorts, alerting me to what’s mine. Fate was such that I was in the city the moment you arrived. You were so close, I could feel my mark. I could feel you, Helen.”
My unease grew. I was surprised to hear he was a demon, but more than that, angered by his words of ownership. It was true that demons did mark their mates, but I bore no such mark. I kept my demeanor even. “The only mark I bear is that of Artemis.” I turned my head to the side and ran my fingertips down the runes. “And this birthmark.” I turned my head to the other side, showing him the red mark at my jugular. Pointing out just how wrong he was.
He growled as I touched the pink skin.
“Not there.” He rose and sat next to me, too close for my comfort, but I did not move. A cold sweat broke out along my brow, and my stomach churned. Something stirred beneath my breast, a self-preservation instinct that demanded I get away from this creature. His nearness dredged up some horrible darkness inside me that I hadn’t even known was there.
“Here.” He ripped through the back of my sweater in a smooth movement, leaving me bare. I raised a hand to strike him, but he caught it and twisted it behind me. Forcing me forward, he ran his free hand down my exposed flesh. Then without warning, he slicked his tongue along the top of my shoulder blade. I cried out and felt a searing pain where his mouth had been.
Craning my head around, I saw a symbol burned into my shoulder blade. It was a scarlet mark, twisted and slashing—the demon language. No.
“Let me go!” I tried to wrench my hand away from him. But he was strong, stronger than any immortal I had ever fought.
The air around me flickered, my magic seeking to break through, but the dispelling bangles kept my powers in check.
He leaned me back and pushed me down onto the couch. Settling on top of me, he smiled as if he’d won a victory. His body was hard against mine. His bottomless gaze had not warmed, but the rest of him was on fire. His shaft pulsed against my thigh, and my gorge rose.
“You see, it is you, Helen. You are mine.”
His words were like a jolt to my system, a strong wave of déjà vu rushing over me. I sensed memories, but more palpably, a deep warning. The panic rose within me, threatening to engulf me and my plans of escape. My heart beat rapidly, as caged in my chest as I was in this mansion. I tried to calm myself, to strategize, but I was helpless, trapped by a demon who I feared had some dark claim on me.
“You know it’s me, Helen.” His voice had dropped to a whisper as he greedily eyed my mouth.
He ran a hand through my hair and then pulled viciously, exposing my neck. He fastened his lips to my skin, grazing my birthmark with the sharp tips of his canines. I cried out, revulsion overcoming my resolve, and readied my plea to Artemis to save me from this fate. But it wasn’t necessary.
The door I’d been eyeing burst inward, showering the room in dust and splinters. The stranger jumped from the couch and rushed to it, giving me the opening I had been waiting for. I darted to the door we’d first entered, but it was locked.
The stranger stalked through the blasted opening without giving me so much as a glance. Was he so confident in his trap? I furiously twisted the door handle, but the lock was solid. Before I could search the room for something to use as a lockpick, I heard the mechanism click over. There was no time to question it. I swung the door wide and dashed into the hall. I took off at a run back toward the front door, but only managed a handful of steps before an arm as strong as iron encircled me. A hand clamped over my mouth, cutting off my scream before it even lofted from my lungs.