I’m surprised you don’t know that demons have excellent night vision.”
He glanced over his shoulder, not trusting her as far as he could fling her. “Who says I’m holding your hand to help you out? Maybe I just want to make sure I know exactly where you are.”
“Don’t trust me, do you?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Good, because for the record, Colt ,” she said his name like an epithet for something far more loathsome, “I don’t trust you either.”
“Perfect.”
Her footsteps came to a sudden halt, yanking on his arm with a surprising strength.
“You’re not making me ride that thing, are you?” He glanced back. Her pert little nose was all scrunched up like something stank to high heaven.
“That was the plan.”
She stared hard at the silver eyes of his horse. “But he’s ...”
“Mechanical. Yeah. He is. Means he’s more reliable.”
“More like he doesn’t have a mind of his own.”
Colt had never considered that a downside. Tempus did what he was supposed to when he was supposed to without any attitude, rearing, or crow hops. He didn’t need food or water, just a few squirts of machine oil and a good winding now and then. After his brothers and Marley, Tempus was one of the few things he could rely on in his life.
“I don’t go anywhere without my horse.”
“That must make things interesting when you take a woman to bed.”
“Not what I meant.”
She shrugged. “I wasn’t arguing, merely observing your statement had other implications.”
“You always talk so much?”
“I don’t see why that should matter.”
He shoved his foot into the stirrup and mounted. “Ready?” She gave a slight squeal of protest as he leaned over, using his forearm to brace hers as he pulled her up behind him. He flipped the GGD switch forward and Tempus rumbled and clicked as the gears and springs began their work.
The demon hugged him tight around the middle, her sweet breath coming in short little puffs over his shoulder near his ear and her heart beating fast against his back.
Colt suppressed a grumble. He should have listened to Marley. Given enough time, Marley might have been able to invent something that could open the door just as well as a demon. But time was the only luxury he didn’t have. The crack in the Gates of Nyx was gettin’ bigger by the day. He could feel it in his bones.
“How long do we have to ride this thing?”
He chuckled. “What’s wrong, demon? Afraid?”
Her cheek brushed against his back as she shook her head. “Of your horse? No. Don’t like it—it’s souless—but it doesn’t scare me.”
“Then why do I detect a little fear in your voice?”
She lifted up a little and leaned into him, putting her lips close enough to his ear that he could feel the heated brush of them as she spoke. “If you had any idea of what’s truly waiting for us in that mine, you’d be scared too.”
Chapter 6
The dark monolith of the mountain, rising in jagged peaks above them, appeared ominous in the cool, pale wash of moonlight. Lilly shuddered against Colt’s back, the circle of her arms tightening around his waist.
“Sure this is the place?” The warm puff of each word she breathed into his ear was counterpoint to the chill biting into his exposed skin. Hell no. He wasn’t sure at all. He’d been told the entrance could be found here, but that didn’t mean it’d be easy.
Milky moonlight illuminated the roughly milled wooden boards crisscrossed over the stygian darkness of the entrance. Distinctly uninviting, it shouted KEEP OUT .
“Can’t you feel the evil in there?” she persisted, as if that were going to change his plans one whit.
“That’s just a draft of cold air from the shafts down below.” His reply sounded calm enough, but jitters worked away on the inside of him as the darkness seethed in front of him. What was that sayin’? Abandon all hope ye who enter ... Stop that . There was no use thinking that way. He hadn’t even got off
He glanced over his shoulder, not trusting her as far as he could fling her. “Who says I’m holding your hand to help you out? Maybe I just want to make sure I know exactly where you are.”
“Don’t trust me, do you?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Good, because for the record, Colt ,” she said his name like an epithet for something far more loathsome, “I don’t trust you either.”
“Perfect.”
Her footsteps came to a sudden halt, yanking on his arm with a surprising strength.
“You’re not making me ride that thing, are you?” He glanced back. Her pert little nose was all scrunched up like something stank to high heaven.
“That was the plan.”
She stared hard at the silver eyes of his horse. “But he’s ...”
“Mechanical. Yeah. He is. Means he’s more reliable.”
“More like he doesn’t have a mind of his own.”
Colt had never considered that a downside. Tempus did what he was supposed to when he was supposed to without any attitude, rearing, or crow hops. He didn’t need food or water, just a few squirts of machine oil and a good winding now and then. After his brothers and Marley, Tempus was one of the few things he could rely on in his life.
“I don’t go anywhere without my horse.”
“That must make things interesting when you take a woman to bed.”
“Not what I meant.”
She shrugged. “I wasn’t arguing, merely observing your statement had other implications.”
“You always talk so much?”
“I don’t see why that should matter.”
He shoved his foot into the stirrup and mounted. “Ready?” She gave a slight squeal of protest as he leaned over, using his forearm to brace hers as he pulled her up behind him. He flipped the GGD switch forward and Tempus rumbled and clicked as the gears and springs began their work.
The demon hugged him tight around the middle, her sweet breath coming in short little puffs over his shoulder near his ear and her heart beating fast against his back.
Colt suppressed a grumble. He should have listened to Marley. Given enough time, Marley might have been able to invent something that could open the door just as well as a demon. But time was the only luxury he didn’t have. The crack in the Gates of Nyx was gettin’ bigger by the day. He could feel it in his bones.
“How long do we have to ride this thing?”
He chuckled. “What’s wrong, demon? Afraid?”
Her cheek brushed against his back as she shook her head. “Of your horse? No. Don’t like it—it’s souless—but it doesn’t scare me.”
“Then why do I detect a little fear in your voice?”
She lifted up a little and leaned into him, putting her lips close enough to his ear that he could feel the heated brush of them as she spoke. “If you had any idea of what’s truly waiting for us in that mine, you’d be scared too.”
Chapter 6
The dark monolith of the mountain, rising in jagged peaks above them, appeared ominous in the cool, pale wash of moonlight. Lilly shuddered against Colt’s back, the circle of her arms tightening around his waist.
“Sure this is the place?” The warm puff of each word she breathed into his ear was counterpoint to the chill biting into his exposed skin. Hell no. He wasn’t sure at all. He’d been told the entrance could be found here, but that didn’t mean it’d be easy.
Milky moonlight illuminated the roughly milled wooden boards crisscrossed over the stygian darkness of the entrance. Distinctly uninviting, it shouted KEEP OUT .
“Can’t you feel the evil in there?” she persisted, as if that were going to change his plans one whit.
“That’s just a draft of cold air from the shafts down below.” His reply sounded calm enough, but jitters worked away on the inside of him as the darkness seethed in front of him. What was that sayin’? Abandon all hope ye who enter ... Stop that . There was no use thinking that way. He hadn’t even got off
Similar Books
