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  With a glance at my crazy friends, who were completely losing their minds over a choreographed routine featuring three men dressed as cowboys, I replied to Rowen that I was occupied at the moment but possibly later we could meet up.

  Nervously I awaited a response, toying with the silver cross pendant hanging from my neck. Cinder had given it to me with the instruction to wear it after dark, when demons were at their strongest. I kept checking my phone even though the vibration would alert me to a new message. It felt like forever before he replied with a simple: Let me know when you’re free.

  After a few cocktails and a few more wildly entertaining dances, the four of us had lost any sense of what was proper, not that we’d had it to begin with. Even so we still had nothing on the group of middle-aged soccer moms over at the next table. They screamed their hearts out like they were fifteen-year-olds at a boy band concert. Their antics were every bit as entertaining as the men.

  I eased off the drinks early. Still recovering from last night, I knew I’d have time for more drunken shenanigans later.

  The host announced a small intermission, encouraging us all to flock to the bar. In tandem, we pulled out our phones, checking for messages and posting goofball selfies to Twitter.

  “Shit,” Jett said, frowning at her phone. “Ladies, I’m sorry. I have to go.”

  “What’s up?”

  “It’s pack stuff. I’m not sure what’s going on, but they want me at the clubhouse.” She vacated her seat and gathered her things in a rush. “Sorry, girls. I owe you one.”

  “No worries. I’m kind of tired anyway.” I waved her away, unable to believe my luck. The Doghead pack seldom demanded Jett’s full attention, but when it did, she never hesitated. Seeing an opportunity, I told Rubi and Tash, “If you guys want to call it a night, that’s totally cool with me.”

  They exchanged a look. Rubi shrugged. “I have a psych assignment due. I don’t mind heading home early.”

  Tash said, “Riley wanted to hang out tonight, but I told him I had plans. I’ll just give him a call and tell him to pick me up.”

  That was easy enough. Ditching my friends hadn’t been the plan, but I was ridiculously eager to see Rowen one on one, away from the bar and Arrow. Rubi’s university studies and Tash’s country music-loving boyfriend gave me the perfect escape.

  “Sounds good.” I tried to keep my hands still so I wouldn’t send a rushed text to Rowen. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow at the jam space then.”

  I laughed when Jett leaned in to press a giant kiss to my cheek. “I know that look,” she purred in my ear. “You’re going to see that boy. I expect to hear all about it tomorrow. Don’t do anything I would do.”

  “That’s kind of my personal motto.” I grinned and wiped her red lipstick mark from my cheek with a napkin.

  I waited patiently for my friends to vanish through the exit before I followed. My fingers flew over the screen as I texted Rowen. He responded fast, as if he’d been waiting on me. We agreed to meet at the coffee shop across the street, giving me ample time to touch up my hair and makeup in the ladies room.

  The tickle of butterfly wings had me stifling a nervous giggle as I scrutinized my stay-put, red lipstick that was really staying put. Nice. It wasn’t often that a product did what it claimed. I would be putting that brand in my regular rotation.

  I ran my fingers through my black hair, satisfied that it looked shiny and sleek. It wasn’t my original color, not by a long shot. It had been years since I’d seen my natural hair color. From what I could recall, it was some kind of dirty blond or light brown. After going through the rainbow in my late teen years, I’d gone black during a Goth phase, and it had stuck.

  My dress was simple, black with a cinched waist and skirt that moved freely just above my knees. Steel-toed boots with four-inch heels took the dress from modest to badass. Just the way I liked it.

  I left behind the gyrating men and the screaming housewives. Crossing the street to the coffee shop, each step brought me closer and made my heart race faster. Geez, it was just a coffee date with a guy. What was with me?

  Whatever it was, it likely had something to do with the fact that the one and only guy I’d ever loved had dumped me for my ex-best friend when I was twenty. Since then I’d been avoiding anything serious with the opposite sex. It just wasn’t worth the risk. And really, nobody had caused my pulse to jump in ages. Until now.

  Of course, several months had passed since I’d seen any action. I had the occasional hook up, but they were few and far between. Not one to sleep around, I was picky in that area. Since my one and only one-night stand a year ago, I had decided that nameless sex wasn’t what I wanted. And since love wasn’t what I wanted either, I’d been on a self-imposed celibacy. But Rowen, he sure did tempt me to break that unspoken vow.

  Waiting for him to walk in was unbearable. I fidgeted with my hair, my mocha latte, and especially with my phone. Anticipating the first glimpse of him, I also prayed that he hadn’t seen Arrow’s picture of me. If he had… No, I couldn’t entertain that thought.

  I was scrolling through tweets when he walked in. I knew it was him even before I looked up. My heart flip-flopped awkwardly, choking off my breath.

  A lazy smile lifted the corner of his mouth. It was crazy sexy. His striking blue mohawk contrasted with his amber gold eyes, making them almost glow.

  He raised a hand in a small wave before angling toward the barista. The next few minutes were agony. I continued to sneak peeks at him while he waited for his drink to be prepared. Damn, why did he have to look so good?

  “How’s it going?” Rowen asked as he plopped down on the chair opposite me. “I’m not late am I?” He fished his phone out of his jeans and checked the time. “Here, this is for you.”

  He tossed a thumb drive on the table between us. I stared at it, blinking in surprise before I picked it up.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s a song.” His smile turned sheepish. “It’s the one I played for you. Watching you play kind of inspired it.”

  This guy just got better and better. I was quiet for a moment, processing this little nugget of information. I tucked the thumb drive away into my bat-winged heart purse.

  “That is the sweetest thing ever,” I said, unable to contain the goofy joy of receiving such an item. “Thank you, Rowen. That’s so thoughtful of you.”

  “Don’t tell Arrow I gave it to you. He’d shit a brick.”

  I grimaced. Just thinking about Arrow made my blood boil. “Trust me. I have no intention of talking to that douchebag if I can help it.”

  Rowen’s smile faded. A strange tension settled. “I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to you last night. I don’t remember much of it.”

  My lungs burned, and I realized I was holding my breath. He didn’t seem to have seen the photo. What a relief.

  “Me neither. Funny how things got foggy after Arrow came upstairs.” I pursed my lips in silent judgment. “I don’t understand why you’d want to live with someone like that. But he’s your buddy, so what do I know?”

  “He’s crossed the line a few times,” Rowen admitted, his face expressionless. “I’m sorry about that. Honestly, I don’t know why I still put up with his shit. We’ve been friends since junior high. More like brothers really. I guess I feel like I have to look out for him. Make sure he doesn’t get himself into some serious trouble. You know?”

  My bubble of joy popped with those words. The two of them had a full-on bromance going. That didn’t sound promising for my crush on Rowen.

  He seemed uneasy as an awkward silence settled. For a moment I thought he was going to bail.

  He asked, “So is it too late or can I take you to a movie? If we hurry we can catch a midnight showing. You can pick the movie.” I certainly wasn’t expecting him to ask me out.

  Those soulful eyes captured me, and I swooned. This was some seriously cheesy rom-com territory here. But I didn’t care; I was walking on clouds.

>   “Ok, let’s go.”

  We walked down the street, coffee in hand, chatting amiably on the way to his car. He asked me how my day went, and I entertained him with tales of the rowdy ladies at the male strip club. I hated that I couldn’t tell him the rest, the parts that really mattered.

  Taillights flashed as Rowen pressed the key fob. A black Dodge Charger awaited us. He reached for the passenger door, holding it open for me. I slid into the car with a shy, “Thank you.” I’d never had such a simple but gentlemanly act performed for me before. It felt nice.

  I took a moment to check out the car. The interior was vast and clean. Matte black rally stripes on the hood shone silver in the streetlight. It made me cringe at the thought of my old junker.

  “What year is this?” I asked as Rowen pulled the big car into traffic.

  “2007,” he said, turning the radio down so we didn’t have to shout over it. “I bought it used a few months ago. Traded in my Focus for something with a little more power.”

  “Does it have a Hemi?” I listened to the engine’s purr, wishing my old monster of a car sounded half as smooth.

  “Damn rights it does.” Rowen chuckled. “Are you into cars? What do you drive?”

  The small talk was pointless really, doing little more than filling the space, but it was the highlight of my entire day so far. “I’m into muscle cars. That’s about it. I have an old Nova, but it’s a real piece of shit at the moment. I’m hoping to be able to restore it one day. But it runs, and that’s something.”

  Talking cars gave us a common interest other than music. We bantered back and forth about which was better, Dodge or Chevy. By the time we arrived at the movie theatre, I was laughing harder than I had in ages.

  The theatre didn’t offer a lot of selection. Only two movies remained that hadn’t yet started. My choices were some superhero action movie or an exorcism horror flick. Since I’d already reached my demon quota for one lifetime, or so I liked to think, I chose the superhero movie.

  Comic book heroes had never really been my thing. That didn’t matter though. Sitting in the dark with Rowen so unbearably close made it the best movie ever. The scent of his cologne teased me. It was masculine but not overpowering, a subtle and sexy aroma that made me want to bury my face in his neck and inhale.

  We shared a bag of popcorn, and I did my best to enjoy it even though I was paranoid about having kernels stuck in my teeth. That wasn’t exactly the look I was going for tonight.

  I kept wondering if he was going to try anything, like a cheesy, stretch-and-yawn move. He was too smooth for that. Rowen didn’t mess around with a lame move. He reached for my hand and slipped his fingers through mine. Adrenaline gave me a warming jolt, and I smiled, glad the darkened theatre hid my blush.

  “I saw that coming a mile away,” Rowen leaned in close to whisper with a head nod toward the screen. The warmth of his breath tickled my ear in a spine-tingling way. I nodded in agreement though I’d missed whatever he was referring to.

  The theatre was almost empty. A group of teenage boys down in front laughed and chattered amongst themselves. Another couple sat in the very back row, making out like it was an Olympic sport. Rowen’s amber gaze strayed to them, and his upper lip lifted in a quirky grin. I was both relieved and disappointed when he didn’t try to kiss me.

  By the time the movie ended, I was convinced that Cinder would discover this date and that he would be terribly unhappy about it. I was also that much more determined to enjoy it simply because of that. This might be my only date with Rowen.

  “Can I give you a lift home?” he asked as we crossed through the lobby on our way out.

  Since Rubi had picked me up tonight, I was conveniently without wheels. “You sure can. Thanks.”

  At two in the morning, the streets were quiet. People filtered out of the movie theatre, making the only sound other than the occasional car passing by. We held hands as we walked. My day hadn’t gotten off to such a hot start, but it had ended on a high note.

  My cheeks were starting to hurt. My smile had been non-stop, genuine though. Rowen’s quips and jokes revealed the fun personality inside his sexy exterior, which made me fall so much more in like with him than I already had. Damn.

  We had almost reached Rowen’s car. The attack was sudden. Vicious. I was flung to the ground, torn away from Rowen. The stench of sulfur was sudden and strong. A sneeze exploded forth as I got to my feet. My knees stung from where they’d skidded on the sidewalk. I shoved my black tresses out of my eyes in time to see the demon target Rowen.

  It was Koda. He flung Rowen against the car and pinned him tight with an arm across his throat. Rowen flailed against the demon.

  “Koda, what the hell are you doing?” I grabbed his arm and pulled, but he wouldn’t be budged.

  “Just making a point,” he said, shoving me aside with his free hand.

  I fell with arms flailing but got right back up. A side of me that I didn’t know I had took over, and the training I’d done with Cinder surfaced. I kicked the back of Koda’s knee with my steel-toed boots. His leg buckled, giving me the second I needed to punch him in the neck.

  Lacking a weapon put me at an even greater disadvantage. I hadn’t taken Cinder seriously enough when he told me to carry one. Lesson learned.

  “Don’t make me hurt you, Spike,” Koda snarled. “That’s not what this is about.”

  “So what’s it about then?” I grabbed hold of his arm and fought to break his hold on Rowen, who was turning red in the face. I still couldn’t budge the demon.

  Frustrated and afraid, my fingers tingled seconds before the flames burst forth. They crawled up Koda’s arm to engulf him in supernatural fire. He let out a shout and stumbled back, releasing Rowen. I put myself between them, guarding Rowen as he gasped for air.

  “You’re making the wrong choice, girl,” Koda said, giving himself a shake like a dog getting out of water. The flames quickly burned out. Other than a few scorch marks, which promptly healed, he was unharmed. “Being seen with this guy will get you killed.”

  “You know this dude?” Rowen coughed out. His eyes were wide, his chest heaving. I sure hoped there was no rule about using my gifts in front of him. Too late now.

  I held up a hand to keep Koda at a distance. There wasn’t a lot I could do, but I’d fight as hard as I had to. “I’ll spend time with whomever I damn well please, thank you.”

  Koda’s dark brows knit together as he studied me. “You don’t know what you’re getting involved in. Being anywhere near him is dangerous.” He nodded his dark head toward Rowen.

  “Dangerous?” Rowen spat. “Me? Are you fucking crazy?”

  “He’ll get you killed, Spike. Walk away right now, and I’ll take it from here.” Koda must have thought I was delusional. He stepped forward, large and intimidating.

  My hand flew to the cross hanging from my neck. I pulled it free and thrust it toward him. “Back off.”

  Koda stopped. His red gaze flicked to the pendant in my grasp. “Oh, come on now. Really?”

  I sure hoped I didn’t look as pitiful as I felt. Like a scream queen in an old vampire movie, I held the cross up as if it would save me when, in fact, it did little more than piss off the demon staring down at me.

  Anticipating Koda’s grab for the pendant, I lunged forward and slapped it against his forehead. Smoke rose up from the demon’s skin. It stank of sulfur. I yanked the cross away, and some flesh came with it. Bile rose in my throat, but I choked it back and held tight.

  Koda gave an anguished cry, fury written all over his face. “Bitch.”

  “Leave here,” I commanded, my voice starting to shake. “Now.”

  Pointing a finger at me, Koda hissed, “I warned you.”

  Then he was gone, vanishing from sight with the sound of wings. My shoulders sagged, and my breath came fast. Adrenaline created a roar of white noise in my ears. That had been absolutely terrifying.

  “What the fuck was that all about?” Rowen demanded
, incredulous. “That motherfucker had red eyes. And the flames? Why do I feel like I’ve seen that kind of thing somewhere before?”

  “You most likely have.” I didn’t know what to say. What I couldn’t do was tell a lie. Since Cinder hadn’t coached me on this, I decided honesty was best. “Let’s go back to my place. I’ll tell you as much as I can.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  I stared at the coffee maker on the counter before opting for the bottle of vodka in the freezer. Half a pitcher of raspberry lemonade accompanied it when I returned to the kitchen table.

  Rowen accepted his empty glass with a nod.

  I smiled apologetically. “Sorry about the girly drink. You can drink it straight if you prefer.”

  “No, this is good. Thanks.” He poured twice as much vodka as juice and promptly took a large gulp.

  I mixed my drink, my hands shaking even though we were now safely inside my apartment. Cinder had blessed it with protective wards when I moved in, ensuring nothing demonic could freely enter. My safe haven was a relief but also somewhat nerve racking, as I had to go out again sometime.

  “I’m sorry about Koda. He’s a dick.” It was the lamest thing I could muster, but I was afraid. Could having Rowen here get me in seriously deep shit? Or even worse, could it put him in danger?

  My pulse raced as I tried to decide how much I could safely share. Rowen was one of us. Why couldn’t he know?

  “And a demon.” Rowen shook his head in wonder and shoved the long piece of blue mohawk out of his eyes. “I feel like I should be more shocked than I am. Is that weird? Never mind, none of this is weird to you, is it? Why is that?”

  “Trust me, it’s all weird to me,” I said, drinking down more of the vodka lemonade. “I wish I had more answers for you. Unfortunately, I have a lot of questions myself.”

  Rowen finished his drink and poured another one. He peered at me from behind that blue fringe. “Are you a demon? I mean, what’s with the fire?”