Read Online Through a Crimson Veil by Patti O'Shea - Free Book Online Page A

that snare last night, she wouldn’t stand a chance. It wouldn’t matter what kind of powers she had or how skilled she was, he’d have her in seconds. Conor wasn’t positive even he could battle something so dark and survive; but his odds were a damn sight better than Mika’s.
    No, he decided, he’d stick with her until he was positive his protection wouldn’t be breached; then, after the intruderwas gone, he would look around and see if there was any remaining evidence.
    He breathed a silent sigh of relief when the would-be trespasser gave up: His shield had held. As soon as he relaxed, Mika did as well. Her arms went around his neck and she rested her forehead against his. She was plastered against him, and Conor cursed silently. He’d done it again, drawn her close.
    “What was it?” she asked.
    “Someone was trying to bypass my security. Probably to get to you.” He ran his palm unthinkingly down the length of her hair a couple of times, letting the soft strands slide between his fingers.
    “Me?” She straightened, and he let his hand fall to her waist as she studied him. “Are you sure about that? Maybe they were after you. I mean, I only hired you last night,” she added quickly. “That would be fast to find me here.”
    “Maybe.” He shrugged. “But the timing is coincidental after running into that trap last night. I think it’s likely you’re the target. I have to watch out for you, remember.”
    “True,” she agreed. She smiled mischievously, moved her hand to his nape and toyed with his hair. “So what’s the plan for tonight? There’s only a few hours until the sun goes down.”
    “You’re staying in the house until this whole situation is resolved. Think of it as protective custody,” he added at her frown. “I’m going out to see what I can scare up about any Kiverians that have arrived in Crimson City recently. I’m guessing your stalker came from Orcus.” Damn, he should have asked these questions last night. Conor frowned. She’d messed up his head till he could barely think.
    As he expected, Mika nodded. If there had been a Kiverian in the Overworld, he would have hunted it down already.
    “What did it look like?” he asked.
    “I don’t know.”
    “How can you not know?” he snapped. When her eyes started dancing with amusement, he realized she’d picked up on his frustration. Was she withholding information on purpose? What was her game?
    “Some demons can shapeshift,” she said.
    “Yeah, but you should be able to see through that.” It was damn hard for one demon to fool another. Illusions didn’t work very well, as they took a hell of a lot of energy—not to mention, concentration—to maintain when another demon tried to see through them. That was why demons rarely fought each other while cloaked. Shapeshifting would drain even more power.
    “I couldn’t,” she disagreed. She trailed a fingernail across his nape and a shiver went through him. “I was too busy fighting to stay alive and looking for a chance to escape.”
    Shit, he hadn’t considered that. Mika would have had more on her mind than seeing through an illusion. But that raised more questions than it answered. “What about while you were mouthing off to him? Was he cloaked then? And why did he disguise himself to attack you?”
    “I don’t know.”
    She shrugged, her breasts moving against his bare chest. The flimsy tank top she wore teased him, and he took hold of the hem, ready to tug it over her head, before he realized what he was doing. Conor released the cloth and took his hands off her.
    “Give me a break. Just because I didn’t question you last night doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. You want me on the job, then give me the information I need to take care of things.”
    “I don’t like to talk about it,” she said.
    She looked uneasy, but how much of that was real, and how much was some act? “Let’s start with the basics. Where were you when you first saw this