The Hunter by Theresa Meyers Read Free Book Online

pleasures no mere mortal woman can.”
    He bet. “Good enough to kill ’em, huh? You must be one hell of a succubus.”
    She shrugged her delicate, creamy shoulders. One of the slender ribbon straps slipped, sending the edge of her gown tipping precariously low. Both hands itched to touch her. Ah, hell.
    He swallowed hard. “Your charms are wasted on me, demon.” Colt was hoping God didn’t plan on striking him dead right then and there for that whopper of a lie. “I only need you for one thing.”
    “I have a name, you know.”
    Colt’s tongue tied into a knot. “Name?” he choked.
    “I was a mortal girl before I became what I am now. My name hasn’t changed just because I’ve become immortal.”
    He stared hard at her. Ever since the day that demon had come for him as a boy, he’d never thought of them as anything other than creatures of the damned who had no soul. But this was different. She was different.
    She gave a dramatic sigh, leaning her head back against the barrier of the circle. “It’s Lilly Arliss.”
    It took a moment for him to control his thoughts enough to find words to answer her. “But that’s so normal.”
    She gifted him with a feminine smile that fisted through his chest and took away his ability to breathe. He thought he might have even seen a glimmer of admiration in those eyes. “You have no idea how much that means to someone like me.”
    “Some thing .”
    “I beg your pardon?”
    “Some thing like you.”
    The pleasant curve of her mouth disappeared instantly, the intoxicating sensation she was causing evaporating like fog, leaving a chill behind. “Now you are wasting my time, Hunter.”
    “I’ve got a name too. Colt Jackson.”
    She crossed her arms, her eyes hard and glittering like cut emeralds. “And why should that matter to me when I am no more than a means to an end for you?”
    There wasn’t a damn reason why it should, but at the same time Colt desperately wanted it to matter to her. Perhaps more than any other woman he’d ever met.
    “Even now you’re probably thinking of a way to send me back to Hell as soon as you’ve finished with me.” She huffed. “You’ve no more honor than any other being, human or supernatural. At least my offer was genuine.”
    That stung. Colt’s shoulders tensed. He had honor, dammit. Probably more than most men. His life as a Hunter had been built upon caring for those who didn’t know what nasty uglies there really were out in the world. But considering how ruthless his reputation might be on the other side, he thought she might have a reason to see his actions in an unflattering light.
    “What if I let you go when you’re done with helping me?” The minute the words left his lips, he wondered why he’d even offered. What was he thinking? Letting a demon go free? What the hell had compelled him?
    But then Lilly looked at him. Her deep green eyes pierced him, making him feel stripped bare to his very bones. And he knew exactly why he’d made the offer.
    “Would you really do that?”
    “As long as I get to keep my soul after you’ve helped me, then, yep, I’ll release you when we’re done.”
    “Would you be willing to help me instead?”
    That took him aback. Why would any demon need his help? They were mutual enemies, good vs. evil.
    “Depends.”
    She tipped her head slightly to the side. “What if it involved getting back at an even more powerful demon than me?”
    Hell yeah. That, he was all for. “I might consider it. Who’s the demon?”
    “Rathe. Know him?”
    Colt didn’t trust himself to speak. Yeah. He and Rathe were going to lock horns pretty soon, one way or another. Better to have an ally in demon form than go up against the Lord High archdemon alone. “I’ll help you.”
    “Then kiss me.”
    Colt had held back as long as he could. He leaned in toward the barrier and was surprised to find it melted around him, warming his skin like a ray of sunshine as he passed through it into the circle