Demonized by Naomi Clark Read Free Book Online Page A

with a shrug. “If we must.” He radiated irritation.
    “We won’t keep you long,” Anna assured him, reaching out as if to touch him, then dropping her hand when he shot her a moody look. She stared at her feet, biting her lip like she was trying not to cry. Shit . I wanted Anna out of here. I wasn’t going to get anything done with her mooning over Moss like this.
    I met Moss’s eyes and a strange moment of agreement passed between us. “Detective, perhaps you’d like to go talk to my girls?” he suggested smoothly, favoring her with one of those smiles again. “I’m sure they’d appreciate your approach much more than Mr. Banning’s.”
    She wavered visibly, clearly torn between obeying him and staying to bask in his presence. In the end, Moss stood and helped her out of her seat, escorting her to the door with whispered compliments and lingering touches that made me want to punch his teeth down his throat.
    When Anna was gone, he turned to me, leaning against the door. The charming façade fell away, leaving me staring at a very pissed off demon. The air shimmered with heat, and the smell of sulfur grew stronger. I had a moment to wonder why Emma, Stoker’s half-succubus friend, didn’t stink of eggs before Moss was on me.
    He grabbed my collar, hauling me out of my chair, and lifted me off my feet with ease. “What are you?” he demanded. “You smell human, but you’re not. You can’t be. Humans can’t resist me.”
    I spat in his face and he dropped me like a hot coal. I smacked my ribs on the edge of his desk and fell to the floor with a gasp, curling up in a ball on the floor. “Maybe you’re just not my type?” I wheezed.
    Moss laughed and pulled me to my feet by my hair. I yelped in pain as he shoved me back into the chair. “There is something demonic in you, but you’re not a half-breed.” He looked me over. I forced myself to meet his gaze, hoping the Voice had my back in case of any demonic tricks.
    “ If he tries any real tricks, we’re dead,” the Voice said flatly.
    You had no problems with Emma . The day of my possession the Voice had broken Emma’s spell on it to take over my body.
    “ She was a half-breed,” the Voice scoffed. “ This creature is a scion of the Netherworld. If he decides to kill you, you will die.”
    Awesome .
    “You are possessed,” Moss announced, sounding surprised. “I can see the cacodaemon moving behind your eyes.”
    “Is that a problem for you?” I asked, holding my aching ribs.
    “No, but it may be for you.” Moss sat down in Anna’s chair, smoothing down the slate-blue sleeves of his suit jacket. “Cacodaemons don’t relinquish their hosts easily, and their appetites are dangerous.”
    “I’m aware of that,” I snapped.
    Moss nodded. “Well. You present me with a dilemma, Mr. Banning. The cacodaemon prevents me from seducing you and I can’t kill you without upsetting your pretty police friend.”
    “So why don’t you just answer my questions and we’ll call it quits?” I suggested.
    “I didn’t kill Rhian.” A genuine flicker of sadness crossed his face, surprising me. “That’s what you wanted to ask, isn’t it?”
    “One of the things, yeah.” I felt myself start to relax, reluctantly. I believed him. It would have been nice if I didn’t, since a hooker-killing incubus made a lot of sense, but my gut told me he told the truth. “I gotta admit, the thing I want to ask most is why an incubus is running a strip club.” My understanding of demon politics was vague at best, but Stoker and Emma had given me the impression that demons had limited access to the human world.
    He beamed. “Where better to feed my needs? This place provides enough lust, sex, and desire to keep me sated without needing to kill any humans, thus avoiding attracting attention. It’s perfect.”
    “Yeah, I get that, and I commend your no-kill policy. Really. But I didn’t think you guys were allowed up here all the time like