Page 5 of My Bounty Hunter is a Demon (Demons for Hire)

5

ASPEN

I glared at Damian as fury raged inside me. My feet planted in the middle of the dusty road, fists clenched, teeth bared.

"Who the hell are you, really?" I snarled, my throat nearly raw with anger and confusion. He'd hesitated. The confident facade had slipped, revealing something else beneath the surface.

After another few beats, he gave me a smirk and held up his hands. "My name is Dorian Harper. I'm an undercover investigator for Everton Ridge Coven."

I knew of Everton Ridge Coven—or ERC for short—and the Harpers who own and run it. Drach Security had worked with them on a number of occasions in the past. I had no idea why ERC was investigating Laris when someone tipped off Drach Security as well.

"I wasn’t told that ERC was on the case." I didn’t ask either. When the bounty came over for Damian, I just reacted because it was my chance to take down another cult.

Dorian took a step closer, his dark eyes watching me with unnerving intensity. I held my ground, refusing to back down. The air between us practically crackled, the mating pull I'd felt since we first touched surging up with a vengeance.

"My mission isn't just to stop Laris," Dorian said. "It's to expose the entire cult and bring them down. But my cover's blown now. We can't talk here."

I shook my head, trying to clear the haze of anger and...something else I didn't want to name. Focus, Aspen. "So, what, you expect me to just trust you now? After everything?"

Dorian expelled a frustrated breath, raking a hand through his dark hair. It fell back into place perfectly, much to my annoyance. "I know it's a lot to take in. But I'm telling you the truth. We need to work together on this, Aspen. Especially now." Then he smiled at me again and took another step forward. “We’re mates. Wouldn’t know if I was lying to you?”

I opened my mouth to deny it, but the words died in my throat. The mating bond amplified every sensation, every emotion. I could feel Dorian's sincerity, his desperation...and something more primal. He felt it too. I could see it in the tension coiled in his shoulders, the heat simmering in his gaze as it raked over me.

"We don't have time to deal with this," I bit out, more to myself than him. But I couldn't ignore it either, the way every cell in my body seemed to scream for him. And if I was being honest, his true identity explained a lot.

“I agree, but we can’t ignore it, either. But Laris needs to be a priority. He has more children somewhere. Before you ask, no, I haven’t found out where yet. I was hoping I would tonight, then call in my sisters to collect the kids.”

Indecision warred within me as I stared at Dorian. I wanted nothing more than to track Laris down and end him. However, I couldn’t do it alone.

"We do this together." I jabbed a finger at him. "But don’t think because we’re mates, I’ll just fall at your feet. And I want answers."

A ghost of a smile flickered at the edges of Dorian's mouth. "I'd expect nothing less." He took a step back, giving me space, though the charge in the air still simmered between us. "We need somewhere to regroup and plan our next move. My place in Everton Ridge is closest."

"Lead the way then," I said. "Guess I'm meeting the family." The quip came out more bitter than I'd intended.

Dorian huffed, a sound almost like laughter. "Not how I imagined introducing my mate to everyone, I'll admit," he said wryly. "But we'll figure the rest out later."

Later. I didn't want to think about what that meant, what any of this meant for the carefully constructed walls I'd built around myself. All I could do was put one foot in front of the other and try to ignore the way my treacherous heart seemed to thrum in my chest as I fell into step beside him.

Dorian's house looked like something out of a rustic luxury magazine, all natural wood and stone with massive windows overlooking the forested riverbank. I couldn't help but let out a low whistle as we stepped inside, momentarily forgetting my swirling confusion and frustration.

"Nice digs," I said, trailing my fingers along the smooth oak banister. Dorian flashed me a grin, motioning to the living room.

"It's not much, but it's home." He winked, teasing me. There was an undercurrent of pride in his voice.

I wandered over to the wall of windows, taking in the stunning view of his sparling backyard, the river rushing by, and the pines swaying on the other bank. A perfect postcard scene. The beauty was almost jarring after the violence and chaos of the last few hours.

The glass was cool beneath my fingertips, grounding. I could feel Dorian behind me, his presence magnetic, before he even spoke. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

I caught his eyes in the reflection, seeing the way they traced my form rather than the view. An involuntary shiver raced down my spine. "It certainly is," I murmured.

Shaking off the moment, I turned to face him, all business once more. "We need to find a way to track down Laris. Maybe a locator spell or something?"

Before Dorian could respond, the front door swung open. My hand flew instinctively to the dagger at my belt, body coiled and ready, but I made myself relax marginally when Kiera Harper walked in, tablet in hand and eyebrows raised.

"Well, well, well. Aspen Drach." A slow smile curved Kiera's lips. "Long time no see."

I couldn't help but return the smile, the tension in my shoulders easing just a fraction. "Kiera. Wish it was under better circumstances."

"Wait, you two know each other?" Dorian glanced between us, brow furrowed.

Kiera waved a dismissive hand. "Aspen and her brother Van helped me out on a case a while back, when you were off chasing that rogue vamp in Mexico."

I huffed a laugh. "More like we helped each other. Couldn't have cracked it without that program you wrote."

The hacker preened, taking a little bow. "I do aim to please." Her smile faded, though, as she took in the state of my torn and bloodied clothes and the grim set of Dorian's jaw. "Okay, someone want to catch me up on why you two look like you just came from a war zone?"

Dorian and I exchanged a glance, a whole unspoken conversation passing between us in a moment. A thrum of understanding, of unity in purpose. Strange how in sync we already seemed to be.

Together, we filled Kiera in on everything about Laris and me giving up Dorian’s cover. To her credit, Kiera took it in stride, her quick mind clearly already racing ahead to the next steps.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I fished it out, scanning the message from my sister Harland. "The kids made it to the safe house," I reported, relief loosening the knot in my chest slightly. "They're not far."

"Bring them here," Kiera said immediately. "Everton Ridge is probably the safest place right now. I'll let Geri know to expect them." Her fingers flew over her tablet, no doubt already alerting the eldest Harper sister.

"Thank you," I said, meaning it. Knowing the kids were okay eased one of the many weights bearing down on me.

"Thanks, sis," Dorian added, gratitude roughening his tone. The tenderness in his eyes as he looked at Kiera spoke volumes about their bond.

Kiera brushed off the praise, already moving on. "Now, about tracking down this Laris asshole..." She reached into her bag and pulled out what looked like an antique compass, the brass casing gleaming. "I've been working on this bad boy for a while. It's not perfected yet, still a few kinks to iron out, but it should do the trick. What better time to test it out?"

She placed the compass on the coffee table between us. Up close, I could see the intricate runes etched into the metal, the needle quivering slightly, as if alive.

"Okay, color me intrigued," I said, itching to get a closer look but holding myself back. "How's it work?"

Kiera grinned, looking like a mad scientist about to reveal her greatest invention. Which, knowing her, wasn't far off. "You add a drop of blood to the center and focus on the person you want to find. The compass will lock onto their aura and point you in their direction."

"Okay, that's pretty freaking awesome," I admitted, exchanging an excited glance with Dorian. This could be the key to everything, the edge we desperately needed.

"Have I mentioned lately that you're a genius?" Dorian said, shaking his head in amazement.

"Not nearly enough," Kiera retorted with a wink. "But I'll take it." She glanced at her watch. "Alright, I've got to jet. Hot date with a decryption algorithm. You crazy kids have fun storming the castle." With a jaunty salute, she swept out as quickly as she'd come.

And then it was just me and Dorian once more, the energy between us suddenly devoid of buffers. I looked down at the compass, the possibilities it represented. With this, we could end things tonight. Take down Laris once and for all. Excitement and bloodlust thrummed through my veins at the prospect.

"Let's do this," I said, reaching for the compass. But Dorian's fingers closed over my wrist, his touch sending sparks skittering across my skin.

"Aspen, wait." The concern in his dark eyes pulled me up short. "You're hurt. And exhausted. We both are." His thumb brushed over the rapidly darkening bruise on my cheek, and I sucked in a sharp breath.

"I'm fine," I insisted, but even I could hear the lie in my voice. The adrenaline was wearing off, the events of the night catching up with me. My muscles ached, my head throbbed, and the cut on my arm burned.

Dorian ran a hand through his hair, frustration warring with worry in his expression. "I want to take that son of a bitch down as much as you do, believe me. But we're no good to anyone if we go in like this, running on fumes and righteous fury. Plus, if we give him a day to settle somewhere and think he got away, we’ll have the advantage. We’ll do it as a team with one at our backs."

I opened my mouth to argue, but the words died on my tongue. Because damn him for making sense. As desperate as I was to end this, the rational part of me knew we needed to be at the top of our game. Knew I needed to be, if I had any hope of keeping up with my apparent mate.

"Fine," I gritted out, hating the concession even as I recognized the wisdom in it. "But we go at first light."

"Deal." The relief in Dorian's voice wasn't lost on me. He released my wrist, but his touch seemed to linger, a phantom warmth. "You can clean up, get a few hours of sleep. We'll come up with a plan."