Haunted Prey Ch. 06

Alauria looked up at him curiously when he abruptly pulled away. "Something wrong?"

He shook his head slowly before pulling her back into his arms. It did no one any good if he allowed himself to panic at the thought of getting close to another woman, especially not Alauria. He was sure that she was expecting something harsh and cold from him, and Lindsay wasn't the kind of man who enjoyed living up to the expectations of others. "Everything's just fine." He continued to sway with her and forced himself to concentrate on the smell of her skin and the way her curls brushed against his chin. He could do this; it was just a simple dinner to prove that he wasn't an ass and that he did take her feelings into consideration. It didn't have to be anything more that that.

A faint sound in the distance forced him to tilt his head. A rustle of leaves, a sound that should have been normal. Only, there hadn't been any kind of breeze for at least five minutes and there certainly wasn't one now. He was prepared to blame the sound on a random wild animal, but the thought was dispelled when he noticed the flicker of light in the distance.

They were being watched.

Lindsay knew better than to tense or abruptly end their date. He had to draw his adversary out, and the best way to do that was to act as if he wasn't aware of the danger. Alauria couldn't know what was happening; he wanted her ignorant to the real responsibilities of his life and as far away from danger as possible. Lindsay was sure that the spy belonged to Raife and might possibly have been the one following him around for months. If he didn't have Alauria with him...

"Are you all right?"

Lindsay looked down at her concerned face and shook his head. "What makes you think something is wrong?"

"You got really tense all of a sudden."

She'd noticed that? Damn. "I'm fine. Just wondering when you wanted to go home."

"That eager to get rid of me?"

He cursed himself for the unintended implications of his words. "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant."

"What did you mean then?"

He knew that he'd pricked her temper and that she was looking for a reason to storm off. Lindsay was not about to let that happen. "It's been a really long time since I've done this relationship thing."

Alauria was taken aback by the statement. "The way you said that, you make me think that you consider us more advanced than just dating."

The last time Lindsay romantically involved himself with a woman, there was no such thing as 'dating'. Man and woman met, they courted through a series of outings, and then married. The modernized terminology meant that a man and a woman courted before acting as if married before deciding that they might as well make the relationship valid in the most permanent way. Lindsay was anything was modern when it came to such issues.

When he only shrugged in answer, she decided to get straight to the point. "So you consider this a relationship, relationship? Not just us messing around for kicks?" He nodded in answer and something in her stomach fluttered. "So you think of me as your girlfriend?"

He was sure that she meant the modernized version of 'intended mate'. Lindsay nodded slowly, making sure to watch for any signs of displeasure or panic. "Do you want to be?"

And this was coming from the man who found nothing wrong with kissing a woman he barely knew. Alauria thought for a moment. While it would be one hell of a quick entry into a relationship, there was no use in denying her fierce attraction to him or the fact that she could never seem to get him out of her head. She'd never met a man like him before, and it was that very reason that made her desperate for more. "I guess that's all right." She laughed at the way he rolled his eyes heavenward before leaning into him. The scent of his skin made her sigh in content. He was her boyfriend. He was hers. "So you're going to stop your crap-tastic version of a broken faucet?"

"What?"

"The hot and cold thing. You know... Acting like you're into me one second, and then pretending that I have the plague the next?"

It wasn't what she said, but how she said it that made him laugh loudly. "No. No more broken faucets."

"Good. Because I'd really hate to have to-" She found herself suddenly thrown into a deep and consuming kiss that left her knees weak. Alauria grasped the lapels of his jacket as he ravaged her mouth with his tongue. She moaned into his mouth when he fisted his hand in her hair again. She wasn't sure what happened after that; she'd become too consumed in the way he kissed her to pay any mine to anything else. Alauria could only think of the domineering way Lindsay took possession of her mouth and the gentle way he brushed his fingertips over her exposed skin. Small, inexplicable pulses thrummed through her body and each delicious throb brought her closer to a madness she did not want to control. There was a point where she realized that they were on a very soft bed, but for the life of her, Alauria could not remember how they got there. She was only concerned about the wonderful things Lindsay did with his mouth. Lord, did the man know how to kiss! Every addictive flick of his tongue made her hunger for more and it wasn't logs before her hips began to move against his.

Lindsay knew that he had to put a stop to their play before they did something she might regret in the morning. It was difficult to pull away from her; Alauria's soft and pliant body melded into his and her lips reached for any part of his body they could access. As much as he wanted to show her the effects of her movements, he knew that it would be a bad idea in the long run. "I should probably get you home."

She should have been offended by the comment, but pragmatism washed over her. They'd only just decided that they were in a relationship; while physical gratification would have been wonderful, she needed to learn more about her boyfriend. "What time is it?"

Lindsay looked at the sky through the skylight and guessed a time based on the quarter-moon. "I'd say around midnight, maybe one."

They'd been kissing for hours! How time flew when wrapped in the arms of a sexy man. "Oh. Yeah, maybe it's time to go home." She remained silent as they adjusted their rustled clothing before going back on deck. "I don't mind waiting for you if you want to put all of this stuff away."

"It's all right. I have to swing back anyway."

"Another hot date?"

Though he knew that she was joking, he still lost his patience. "I'd never do that to you."

The anger in his eyes made Alauria frown in confusion. "I know that. I was only joking."

"No need to joke. As long as you're with me, there will never be anyone else. Ever."

Alauria nodded quietly and decided that the best course of action was to remain silent until she could think of a better way to joke around with him. She watched as he ran a hand through his mussed hair before turning to look out at the bay. She'd already figured out that the man was emotionally turbulent, but never pegged him for one to take things so personally. What else should she have expected after everything they'd been through?

"How is your sister doing?"

The change of subject had her turning in just enough time to hold on as he lifted her into his arms. "She looked all right when I went to see her."

"You actually visited her?"

"Don't sound so surprised."

Lindsay smiled at the comeback. "I figured you wouldn't because you don't want to see your father."

"He wasn't there, luckily."

"What's she like?"

"Like a sixteen-year-old, I guess." Alauria looked up at him when he abruptly stopped walking. It was obviously that he did not like her answer. "She's shy, but seems eager to be friends."

"How do you feel about that?"

"I don't know. This whole thing is enough to have to digest without adding my feelings." She rested her head on his shoulder and she sighed. "She's known about me all her life. She wants to know who I am."

"Not a terribly outrageous request," he said as he resumed walking.

"No, but I don't think I'm the person she's dreamed up all these years."

"You're afraid you'll disappoint her."

"Yes and no. She had a brother."

Lindsay stopped in front of his car and looked down at her pensive face. She was trying so hard to get her thoughts in order. "You had a brother."

"He died last year." His silence was exactly what she needed. "I don't want to be a replacement."

"Remember I told you that I didn't learn my brothers existed until I met them?" At her nod, Lindsay said, "There were countless times Liam and I nearly killed each other. He's short tempered and I'm impatient. Horrible combination."

"How is this supposed to help me?"

"We had to learn how to deal with each other. No one expects you to magically know how to be a sister."

She nodded in thought a felt a small smile from on her lips. Who would have thought that he had so much insight? He did have experience in the particular topic, but something told Alauria that he would have said the same exact thing had he not gone through it. "Thank you."

Lindsay only nodded as he opened the car door for her. Instinctively, he found himself looking for any other signs of the spy. He wasn't sure to feel relieved ort annoyed that there was none. Something had to be done to get Raife off his back, and it had to be done quickly. With a sigh, he walked around to the driver's side and made quick work of making the short drive back to her apartment. Raife seriously had some nerve. They'd come to an understanding; if he was left alone, he'd have no reason to kill the bastard demon. It was their history that kept Raife alive, but the threat on a future with Alauria made Lindsay reconsider the treaty.

"I had a good time tonight."

Lindsay felt himself smile proudly at that. "I know."

Somehow, his arrogance turned her on even more. Alauria shook her head slowly and smiled. Finally, he'd given her a reason to stick around. As he parked his car in front of her building, she tried to not become disappointed by the fact that their night was over. There would be other nights; he was, after all, her boyfriend. Her boyfriend. Wait until her mother got an earful of that.

He found himself smiling as he cut off the ignition. He walked around the car to help her out, and again ignored her surprised gasp as he accidentally shocked her. He really needed to get a handle on that. "I'll come by tomorrow if that's all right."

"As long as you don't mess with my students, I'd love it."

He smiled again at the sparkle in her eyes and it was then that he knew that the woman standing in front of him had irrevocably changed his life. While the revelation terrified him, it excited him even more. Lindsay found himself staring at her as they walked to her door; the easy way her hair bounced with each of her steps made him remember the softness of the dark locks and the sweet scent that permeated off them. Alauria had a tendency to glance at the ground as she walked; he figured it was to make sure she didn't step on anything unfavorable. She also inhaled a little deeper when she walked by flowering plants. He was sure she didn't even realize the habit. That habit had to be one of the sweetest things about her.

At her door, Alauria took her time fishing for her keys. Somewhere in the back of her mind, something told her -- urged her -- to invite him up, but once gain, pragmatism won over. "So I'll see you tomorrow." She smiled when he gently took the keys from her and opened the door. "Thank you."

Lindsay nodded as he quickly assessed the area. Everything looked fine and there were no suspicious sounds. But something didn't sit well with him. It might have just been the fact that they were being watched by Raife's spy. "Yeah, tomorrow." He focused his attention on her and couldn't stop himself from sampling her sweet lips once more. The sweet way she moaned into his mouth had Lindsay pushing her against the opened door. Once again, she clung to him and surprised him by taking his lower lip between her teeth. He groaned her name in response and had to pull away before he ravaged her. Her pleasantly swollen lips made him run his thumbs over them. "Shit," he groaned when she brushed the tip of her tongue against his skin. The woman was going to be the death of him. "Goodnight."

Alauria smiled as she ducked her head nervously. "See you tomorrow." She accepted the keys he handed her before whimsically climbing the stairs that led to her apartment. She couldn't have asked for a better re-do of their first date.

Lindsay ran his fingers over his chin as he fought to keep from laughing. He wasn't even sure why he wanted to laugh, but he was barely able to control the urge. As he walked to his car, he thought of a second outing that would no doubt sweep her off her feet. He'd have to find more orchids; they were after all, the only flower that made him think of her when he looked at them. "Shit," he whispered as he whipped around. The orchids weren't on the stairs when they'd returned. Immediately infuriated, Lindsay marched back to the building, determined to retrieve the stolen flowers from whichever neighbor took them. Alauria had left the flowers on the stairs for a reason and that reason did not revolve around theft. Potent anger coursed through him and that anger made him forget that he was supposed to seem like a normal human; Lindsay pulled the locked door open without a second thought and stormed into the building. He stopped at the odd sensation that sizzled down his spine. Centuries of training told him that the sensation meant one thing.

There was a demon present.

Thinking stopped. Lindsay stormed up the stairs and used the force of his body to push the door open. White hot rage took over. Two demons were in Alauria's apartment. One held her still while the other searched hr apartment. For what, Lindsay did not care. All he knew was that he was going to make quick work of killing them. He stepped into the apartment and focused his attention on Alauria. Her face was flushed in anger but her features were contorted in fear. Tears streamed down her cheeks, leaving dark trails from her makeup. There was a bruise forming on her arms where the demon held her tightly. A shock of electricity sliced through Lindsay's body at the sight of the marks. But it was the lone bruise forming on her cheek, one obviously from a blow meant to threaten her into silence, that forced him to lose control. With a ferocious roar, he focused a bolt of electricity on the demon searching the apartment. The familiar scent of the demon's black, ceramic-like skin burning from the intense volt of electricity did nothing to sate Lindsay's bloodlust. He increased the intensity of the blast and had to turn his head away from the brightness of his power. He faintly heard Alauria scream out, but he couldn't stop until he felt the first demon had had enough. The horny surface of the bastard's hard skin began to ashen; soon it would be nothing more than a pile of dust someone would have to vacuum. It wasn't until the demon combusted into a flurry of charcoal dust that Lindsay turned to the other demon. This one was smaller than the last and its skin was almost plum colored. Where the first demon had horns on its hard skin, this one was smooth. It's bright red eyes conveyed nothing but determination to leave with it's captive. Lindsay smiled evilly when the demon wrapped it's long and slender hand around Alauria's neck. She was shaking and her eyes were wide with fear. Her lower lip trembled as she stared at him. "Let her go, " Lindsay commanded.

"I'm not leaving without her," the demon replied.

"You're not leaving with her either." Lindsay braced his legs apart as a sign of his willingness to fight.

"I'm the one with my hand around her soft human neck, demon hunter."

Lindsay looked at Alauria's confused expression and only said, "I'm sorry," before he shot a blast of electricity at the demon. Because Alauria would be affected, he made it a point to keep the voltage light enough to keep her safe while at the same time ensuring it was powerful enough to force the demon to release its hold on her. Lindsay winced at Alauria's grunt of pain and watched as she fell to the floor in a faint. Once she hit the ground, he rushed forward and kicked the demon back before blasting it with another bolt of electricity. Lindsay was dissatisfied by the fact that the demon was quick to die; he wanted the bastard to suffer. The second the demon became a pile of ash, Lindsay forced himself to calm down. If he touched Alauria now, he would no doubt shock her heart into arrest. He focused his attention on the mess that was her apartment and was proud to see the obvious signs of a struggle. What would have happened if he hadn't come back? It was obviously that the demons were Raife's; the demons had something planned for her which only meant that Lindsay had to do whatever was necessary to keep her safe. It was one thing to threaten her life, but to actually go after her...

His treaty with Raife was over.

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I know that things are a little slow coming here, but they will pick up. As always, please comment!