Demon Marked by Meljean Brook Read Free Book Online

without offering any of her own. Thanks to Rosalia, he recognized this tactic: The demon pretended ignorance to discover how much he knew. She couldn’t physically fight him, and so her only power came from possessing more knowledge than he did. So she was trying to figure out what lies to tell.
    Nicholas was just as interested in seeing what lies she tried to spin when he didn’t give her anything first. “What do you know?”
    She answered more easily than he’d anticipated. “That almost three years ago, Madelyn St. Croix brought me to a private psychiatric hospital and left me. I don’t remember where I was before that. I don’t remember anything from before that.” If that frustrated her, she gave no sign of it. “And until a few months ago, I didn’t care. Now I do. I want to know who I am, what I am. And I think you might have the answers.”
    Weren’t demons better liars than this? She’d barely gotten into her story, and already he saw holes in it.
    â€œYou have no memory, but you recalled Madelyn’s name?”
    â€œNot until a month ago. I looked up pictures of Rachel Boyle’s associates online, and recognized Madelyn as the woman who brought me to Nightingale House.”
    Nightingale House. Jesus. No question that this demon either was Madelyn or connected to her.
    When Nicholas had been a boy, she’d had his father committed to Nightingale House—and it had destroyed his business, his reputation, his life. It had been Madelyn’s first step in driving him toward suicide.
    Fucking demons. His finger tightened on the crossbow trigger. As if she heard the movement, her gaze fell to his hand.
    â€œI’d be grateful if you wouldn’t,” she said. “I’d rather not die.” Bullshit. She didn’t sound grateful or concerned.
    â€œWhat happens if you die?” He let curiosity lighten his tone, as if he was considering pulling the trigger just to find out. Let her sweat. “Do you return to Hell?”
    â€œI don’t know.” She watched him steadily. No sweating. Dammit. “Nicholas, I need your help. Somehow, I’m connected to Madelyn St. Croix, just as Rachel was. And your mother—”
    â€œShe’s not my mother,” he stated flatly. The idea sent fury through his veins, but he wouldn’t let her see that.
    Her brows rose. “Then who is she?”
    â€œA demon.”
    â€œA demon,” she echoed. Something sparked in her eyes. Excitement ? Whatever it was, the emotion quickly vanished. “Is that what I am?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œAnd you are, too? You seem to suffer the same lack of affect that I do.”
    The demon probably intended that observation to hurt him, to make him question his humanity, but to Nicholas, it only showed that she couldn’t read his emotions. Good. Rosalia’s tutelage had paid off there, too. She’d taught him to guard his mind—and obviously she’d done it well enough, as this demon couldn’t sense anything that he didn’t want to give her.
    â€œI’m human,” he said.
    â€œHow can you tell?” Her gaze searched his face, as if looking for the differences. When he didn’t answer, she asked, “Was Rachel a demon, too?”
    Oh, that was clever. Introduce doubt about Rachel, throw him off-kilter. Too bad Nicholas had already considered the possibility that Rachel had been Madelyn’s lackey all along.
    Considered the possibility and discarded it. He’d been skinto-skin with her too many times. She’d been human—and the only reason the idea had ever occurred to him was because it could assuage his guilt. If she’d been a demon and her death had been a setup designed by Madelyn, then Nicholas had nothing to be sorry for. An attractive thought, but not true. He preferred to live with his regret rather than blame Rachel.
    â€œTry again,” he said.
    She