ELLIOT

She looks skittish. I think she might bolt, and my body readies for the possible chase. Hearing the word demon seems to have hit her harder than anything else, including the horns. She’s fortunate I was able to tamp down my reaction. When she touched my horns, unh. If I wasn’t so worried about her frame of mind. I’d be rutting her right now. The smell of her arousal still lingers in the air, keeping me hard as stone. Jolene, on the other hand, looks like she was doused with ice-cold water. The frustration is real.

“You’re a demon, like those reptile things?”

Tamping down my anger at her words, I try not to be offended.

“Do I look like a snake? We're very different.”

She looks even more confused.

“So, there’s like different races?”

Shit! How do I explain this?

“No, that would imply we have similarities. Which we don’t! It’s more like animals; cats, cows, birds.”

I stop, shaking my head. I don’t think my explanation helped. If anything, she’s more confused. Staying put and chatting is wasting precious time. We’re sitting ducks here. My guess is half the species knows about her by now. I’m more afraid they know of her Phoenix lineage. They’re attempt at her abduction would make a hell of a lot more sense.

“It's not important, let’s go.”

I thank the gods when she silently gets up and follows me to the door.

Her shoulders are tense, and she keeps glancing behind her. I pretend not to notice, but she hasn’t looked at me since we left the motel. This is new for me. I’ve never been interested in a woman for more than one thing. Especially someone so young and out of my league. She’s smart, witty, funn,  and the most gorgeous creature I’ve ever seen. Soon she’ll be strong, very strong. Completely capable of handling, say the strength of a demon. I shiver with excitement at the thought. She’s definitely transitioning late. It’s not unheard of, but rare for a female. Males usually transition from the age of twenty-one to twenty-five. Females are anywhere from sixteen to eighteen, but I’ve only heard of a couple in history that have transitioned in their twenties and only because they were legends. I wonder if that will be the case for Jolene. She sure looks the part.

“What are your parents like?”

I know she's only got her aunt, and I couldn’t pull anything up on either of her parents. I'm beyond curious to find out if she knows anything about them. Jolene answers but still doesn’t look my way.

“I wouldn’t know. My mom’s dea,  and I’ve never met my dad. It might as well have been an immaculate conception for all I know about him or any one of my parents, for that matter.”

Wow, I sense a lot of anger behind those few sentences. Maybe that’s her deal with men, daddy issues.

“Did your mom have any special abilities?”

She stops, glancing at me, and I smile back at her invitingly.

“What’s with all the questions?”

walking backward, I keep my eyes on my surroundings but still focused on her.

“Just curious. Does it bother you?”

She shrugs, keeping pace.

“Maybe.”

Her tone is off with her expression. She’s enjoying my interest but doesn’t want me to know. So I goad her.

“Usually, women love to talk about themselves. Why should I believe you 're any different?”

She snaps, notably agitated.

“I don’t give a shit what you think.”

Laughing, I stop, too, placing a hand on her nape. Her fright is palpable, and she finally stares me in the eyes. I lean in at her ear, causing her to shiver.

“I think you do. Do you know what else I think? That you 're wet and miserable because of it. I think you need me more than you're willing to admit.”

One look at her face has me cracking up all over again.

“You are so arrogant! Is it hard carrying around that big of an ego?”

Her cheeks redden further as we continue.

“Much harder since you like to stroke it so often.”

My tone is suggestive, but she doesn’t take the bait. Instead, she stares down at her feet, shaking her head. We round the corner to the complex and step inside. I could have just called Jacob, but I have a better chance of getting back on the team if he sees me clear-headed.

He’s in his customary spot, sipping coffee and reading the paper.

“We need to talk.”

Jacob sticks his head up, folding the journal.

“Mrs. Rivers, it’s a pleasure to see you again. Elliot, nice to see you… rested.”

Judging by his tone, he’s not over it yet, but I take my chances.

“She was attacked last night by Sanskrit's.”

That earns me a brow lift. Jacob sets the paper down, getting up from his seat, not a single crinkle in his cream-colored pants, but his Auburn hair is in a disarray. Something’s been troubling him. 

“Did they say why?”

He leans against the table in full detective mode.

“I didn’t have time to ask. Thanks to your hired help, they nearly got away with Jolene.”

My statement is bold. I swallow, regretting it the moment it comes out of my mouth. Jacob allows the slip, entranced by my information. I know he’s thinking the same thing I was; what would Sanskrits want with a witch?

“There’s more. Jolene is transitioning.”

Jacob looks around me at Jolene. Her arms are folded, and her expression bleak.

“What are your symptoms?”

She doesn’t answer him, so I tell him what I saw.

“She passed out in the bathroom. I had to kick the door down.”

Jacob raises his brow again, twice in the same minute. I believe that’s a record.

“The towel was scorched, and she was burning up. There were third-degree burns up to her elbows that disappeared before my eyes. Sound familiar?”

They both look at me, surprised by the information. 

“You're sure?” he asks skeptically. I shake my head in agreement to assure him.

“Absolutely, there’s no other plausible explanation.”

He nods as if it all makes sense. There’s something he knows that I’m not privy to. Any other time, I know better than to pry, but she’s my mate, and I can’t protect her in the dark. I’m going to tell him the truth. There’s no reason not to. She’s not human anymore, so why hide the fact? Maybe then he’ll forgive me.

“One more thing. She’s, my mate.”

Both his brows raise as he looks between us.

“Congratulations… When did you find out?”

Full disclosure is really my only option, but I prefer telling Jolene at a later time. When we’re more established, if ever.

“Where is Tally? Maybe she can talk to Jolene, let her know what to expect.”

My face does all sorts of things as I try to convey the message of privacy to Jacob.

“Okay lassie, I’ll go get her.”

When Jacob leaves, Jolene walks toward me.

“What am I doing back here?”

I fight the urge to touch her. She’s nervous, and I don’t want to push my luck.

“This is the safest place, trust me.”

She gives me a look that says why should I and I fire back at her with a; I saved your life, didn’t I? She scoffs, and I chuckle. Our silent conversation is put on hiatus when Jacob comes back with Tally in tow.

“What’s up, dork.”

She seems to be her old self again. Well, her attitude, not her body. Man, she’s done some maturing in the past couple of months. Not that I notice in any sexual way, she’s like a sister to me. A much younger, annoying sister.

“I need your help, brat. Jolene, here is a Phoenix.”

“Shut up! You're joshing me, right?” she squeaks with an overabundance of excitement. Fucking social media, I can’t understand a word she says.

“Yes, she is, but she doesn’t know it yet. Looks like she’s a late bloomer. I thought maybe you could fill her in, like a study session.”

Tally looks Jolene up and down and I see Jolene tense, already on the defense.

“No probs, follow me.”

I nod to Jolene and she flips me the bird with a piercing glare. I pretend to catch it and place it in my Jean pocket. She turns her head, trying to hide the quirk in her lips.

“Is there a reason you can’t tell me in front of her?”

Oh, the many reasons, too many to list them. Pulling out a chair, I settle in for a long discussion. To start, I tell him she’s the reason I’ve been so distracted. How I thought she was human and my compulsive obsession to be near her. To my surprise, he sympathizes.

“I know all too well how that feels.”

My eyes round in surprise as I snap my mouth shut. Jacob doesn’t share any part of his past, ever. As the minutes tick by, I realize that’s all I’m getting and move on.

I graze over the part about questioning her. I can tell it’s a sore subject for him. Jacob doesn’t do well with lies; no matter the circumstances. When I’m through explaining, I’m sweating and my throat is dry.

“I get it but this whole thing would have gone a lot smoother if you were honest with me to begin with.”

I’m not so sure but judging by his expression it’s not a time to argue. 

“No more fuck-ups! You 're back but I want to see you focused and on you’re A game.”

I smile from ear to ear and embrace Jacob in a hug. Fuck, I missed him.

“Count on it, life isn’t the same without you, guys.”

Actually, the place is quiet too quiet.

“Where is everybody?”

Jacob sits back down and pops my chair back out.

“That’s what I was going to talk to you about… There’s been some developments.”