Demon Bait: Children of the Undying, Book 1 by Moira Rogers Read Free Book Online Page A

truth, it hurt, watching her hope die.
    “Maybe, but by then, you can be safely in Rochester.” She shook her head. “It’s too much, Gabe. I need a minute to think.” Words bubbled up. Dozens, hundreds. He could drown her in them, make her dizzy, use them as finely honed weapons to lure her to his side. All efficient ways to win her approval—and prove himself unworthy of her trust.
    So he sat in silence, and waited.
    Marci released a shaky breath. “If doing it will keep us both safer out there, I want to. As long as it’s not forever, and you’ll let me go.”
    He made her say it, because he needed to hear it. “So you want to come with me to Rochester?”
    “Yes, I want to come with you. And I want…” She paused. “Your mark, is that what you call it?” Maybe explaining would make it easier for her. “A mark,” he confirmed. “It’s something other demons and halfbloods can sense when they’re close to you. And it makes it harder for demons to lean on you or flip you.”
    “Except for you.”
    “Except for me. Summoners have…weaknesses in their auras. If I fill yours, no one else can. But if I fill them, then you’re vulnerable to me.”
    Her anxiety was plain, but tinged with an unmistakable curiosity. “Does that vulnerability go both ways?”
    “In some ways.” His voice was getting raspy. “You can’t make me do things, not by force. But you can make me want to give you anything you want.”
    Marci frowned. “Can you tell if that’s happening? Because I—I wouldn’t do that to you, either. Not if I could help it.”
    “I can tell, and so can you.” He grinned, trying to soothe without leaning on her, and told her an easy lie. “It’s okay, though. I’m tough to push around, even for pretty ladies like you.” Instead of returning his smile, she looked away. “I’ll need some time to prepare. When do you want to leave?”
    “My friend is pulling me into the Global in six hours. If I tell him you’re willing, he’ll pull you in too. If we get the doors open, we’ll leave then.”
    “I can be ready, but if we’re leaving so soon…” She swallowed hard. “I think we should do the—the thing right now.”
    Mark her. Wind her in magic until anyone with a drop of demon blood knew she was his.
    That part would be easy. The hard part came later, when he had to let her go.
     
    Marci hoped she looked calm on the outside, because inside she was a mess. Her stomach churned with something a little more like anticipation than fear, and she damned herself a fool for it.
    She didn’t know him, and yet she was about to trust him with everything. If he wanted, he could command her to do anything— anything —and she’d not only do it but smile. Thank him.
    Beg for more.
    She shook away the thought. Gabe hadn’t moved, and she touched his arm. “It’s stupid, but I’m ready. I trust you.”
    The words made him smile even as his muscles tensed under her fingers. “You’ll have to, because this won’t work if you don’t. Even if I flipped you now, I couldn’t force you to accept a mark. It’s the one thing we can’t do.”
    Only when he stopped talking did she realize she’d been staring at his mouth. “What do we do first?”
    “Put your hands in mine.” He extended both, palms up, and waited.
    Marci met his gaze as she complied. That simple touch shouldn’t have sent shivers rushing through her, but her skin prickled with goose bumps and heat began to gather low in her belly.
    “That’s it…” Something ghosted past, like music she couldn’t quite hear, and his thumbs folded over to stroke the backs of her fingers. “Think about trusting me. Why you trust me.”
    Because she believed him. Because he seemed genuinely concerned about her comfort as well as her safety. Because no one with eyes that clear and pure could be truly awful.
    Because he could have had her already.
    “Are you ready?”
    His voice felt like a touch, warm and soothing. “Mm-hmm.” The