about your case.”
“Uh…yeah.” I barely glanced at him.
“Hmmm.” The dry amusement in his voice was evident. But he didn’t head toward the door.
Rising, I swiped my hands down the sides of my cargoes, looking away from Damon before I somehow embarrassed myself even more. “So…ah…I…”
“Here.”
Chang cut me off before I managed to even stammer out a greeting to the man still watching me with intense eyes. I looked at Chang, then looked again.
He held the katana out in front of him, sheathed.
Slowly, I lowered my gaze to the katana and then back up to him. “I can’t…”
“The blade needs somebody who would appreciate it—” Chang corrected himself. “ Him as a weapon. I appreciate the effort that went into creating him, and I appreciate the artistry. But I have no need of the blade. You would do his maker justice.”
“You said his maker tried to relieve you of your head,” I said.
“And I repaid him by taking his.” He continued to hold it. “Take it, Kit.”
Greed raced through me and I couldn’t stop myself another moment. Reaching out, I closed my hand around it and took it. “Thank you.”
Chang, instead of replying, gave me a small bow.
I returned it and he left without speaking.
The door closed behind him a moment later and I lowered my gaze to the gift he’d given me.
“If he wasn’t my best man, I’d be tempted to hurt him for putting that look in your eyes.”
I shifted my attention up and met Damon’s gaze.
“Ah…hi.”
Chapter Five
Even now, more than a year after I’d first met him, looking at him was enough to steal my breath away.
When he asked me out on a date—a for-real, actual date —a little over a month ago, my instincts had been to say no. My heart had kicked my instinct in the balls and screamed yes . My response had been a slow, almost stammered, “Sure.” Since then, we usually saw each other once a week, but we met at a designated place.
He didn’t come see me.
I didn’t go to the Lair.
It was always in a public place.
The one exception had been the night of the Halloween Ball and my plans of seducing—or at least telling him I wanted to stop waiting—had gone screaming out the window.
But now we were alone.
I couldn’t exactly call this a date , of course. He’d shown up in Chang’s office, not knowing I’d be there, although he would have seen my car, and to be very honest—he’d probably realized I was here before he even hit the grounds. Shapeshifter senses are funny like that.
His nostrils flared.
“Justin’s back in town,” he said, his voice neutral.
“Yeah.” I hitched a shoulder in a shrug.
His nostrils flared again, lids hanging low. I braced myself because I knew what he was doing. Damon was a shifter and that meant he could smell things no human or half-human could possibly pick up. He was analyzing the scent layers on me. “Somebody’s dead, Kit.”
“Somebody needed to die, Damon.” I gave him an innocent stare. Son of a bitch. I should have spent another thirty minutes in a shower—or a steam bath. Determined to make him think about anything other than the fact that I smelled like human blood, I said, “You haven’t seen me in almost two weeks and you’re more interested in other people than me.”
He came in a little closer and I froze as he dipped his head, breathed in.
Then, as his breath drifted over me in a soft sigh, he murmured, “No…never. I just don’t like thinking about what could happen if somebody found out you’d killed a human. I’d have to slaughter the world, Kit.”
Now he lifted his head. While his eyes swirled and the intensity of his emotions beat against me, I eased back.
“Ah…” I blinked. “That would be a bit of overkill. And relax. I know what I’m doing.”
He sighed. Then, with a gentle touch, he smoothed a finger over my brow. “You got sick from her biting you. The virus…it lingered.” He smoothed a finger across my
“Uh…yeah.” I barely glanced at him.
“Hmmm.” The dry amusement in his voice was evident. But he didn’t head toward the door.
Rising, I swiped my hands down the sides of my cargoes, looking away from Damon before I somehow embarrassed myself even more. “So…ah…I…”
“Here.”
Chang cut me off before I managed to even stammer out a greeting to the man still watching me with intense eyes. I looked at Chang, then looked again.
He held the katana out in front of him, sheathed.
Slowly, I lowered my gaze to the katana and then back up to him. “I can’t…”
“The blade needs somebody who would appreciate it—” Chang corrected himself. “ Him as a weapon. I appreciate the effort that went into creating him, and I appreciate the artistry. But I have no need of the blade. You would do his maker justice.”
“You said his maker tried to relieve you of your head,” I said.
“And I repaid him by taking his.” He continued to hold it. “Take it, Kit.”
Greed raced through me and I couldn’t stop myself another moment. Reaching out, I closed my hand around it and took it. “Thank you.”
Chang, instead of replying, gave me a small bow.
I returned it and he left without speaking.
The door closed behind him a moment later and I lowered my gaze to the gift he’d given me.
“If he wasn’t my best man, I’d be tempted to hurt him for putting that look in your eyes.”
I shifted my attention up and met Damon’s gaze.
“Ah…hi.”
Chapter Five
Even now, more than a year after I’d first met him, looking at him was enough to steal my breath away.
When he asked me out on a date—a for-real, actual date —a little over a month ago, my instincts had been to say no. My heart had kicked my instinct in the balls and screamed yes . My response had been a slow, almost stammered, “Sure.” Since then, we usually saw each other once a week, but we met at a designated place.
He didn’t come see me.
I didn’t go to the Lair.
It was always in a public place.
The one exception had been the night of the Halloween Ball and my plans of seducing—or at least telling him I wanted to stop waiting—had gone screaming out the window.
But now we were alone.
I couldn’t exactly call this a date , of course. He’d shown up in Chang’s office, not knowing I’d be there, although he would have seen my car, and to be very honest—he’d probably realized I was here before he even hit the grounds. Shapeshifter senses are funny like that.
His nostrils flared.
“Justin’s back in town,” he said, his voice neutral.
“Yeah.” I hitched a shoulder in a shrug.
His nostrils flared again, lids hanging low. I braced myself because I knew what he was doing. Damon was a shifter and that meant he could smell things no human or half-human could possibly pick up. He was analyzing the scent layers on me. “Somebody’s dead, Kit.”
“Somebody needed to die, Damon.” I gave him an innocent stare. Son of a bitch. I should have spent another thirty minutes in a shower—or a steam bath. Determined to make him think about anything other than the fact that I smelled like human blood, I said, “You haven’t seen me in almost two weeks and you’re more interested in other people than me.”
He came in a little closer and I froze as he dipped his head, breathed in.
Then, as his breath drifted over me in a soft sigh, he murmured, “No…never. I just don’t like thinking about what could happen if somebody found out you’d killed a human. I’d have to slaughter the world, Kit.”
Now he lifted his head. While his eyes swirled and the intensity of his emotions beat against me, I eased back.
“Ah…” I blinked. “That would be a bit of overkill. And relax. I know what I’m doing.”
He sighed. Then, with a gentle touch, he smoothed a finger over my brow. “You got sick from her biting you. The virus…it lingered.” He smoothed a finger across my
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