Page 96 of Knight’s Dominion

“And what goal is that?”

“A better world for our kind, and you get to be a part of that, be at the forefront of change, a catalyst for a whole new and exciting world."

She forced her breathing to remain steady, while her heart hammered in her chest. “Oden, what are you...”

"I wish I could stay and..." His stare slid down to her breasts, then lower before coming back to land on her mouth. "...keep you company, but I have a lot to do tonight. Stay and enjoy the wine."

"That's it?"

"Hmm, so eager?” He brought her hand to his lips, but instead of kissing her, he slid his tongue across her knuckles. Her stomach lurched. "I'll see you soon, Grace, I promise.”

He wanted her to believe she was free to go. But she knew otherwise.

She watched him walk away. This was worse than she’d thought. What they were doing was bigger, more horrific than she could have imagined. How many demi were they keeping captive? How many had they slaughtered? How many were here tonight unaware of what was going on?

She pretended to take a sip of her drink, glancing around the room. She didn’t know what the hell was actually going on, but she had to fight every instinct in her that screamed for her to get the hell out. The place was full of demi, but there were other demons as well, she could sense them now, like toxic gas polluting the room.

She glanced at the door. Several large males stood in front of it, blocking the way out.

Lifting her drink to her lips again, she forced herself to remain calm, and when the opportunity finally presented itself, she slipped down a hall at the back of the room. Maybe they had Hannah here? Others held against their will?

She searched several rooms, finding nothing. It became obvious that no one lived here. It had probably been rented just for tonight.

She walked out of another empty room and bit back a curse.

A male stood just outside, hands in his pockets, head tilted to the side and a small smile curving his lips.

Grace smiled back and curled her fingers into fists at her sides. “I was just looking for the bathroom?”

He took a step closer. “Remember me?"

“Uh, sorry, I'm terrible with faces." His mouth twisted, and that's when she noticed the flat, black emptiness of his eyes. Demon. Fan-fucking-tastic.

"Oh yeah, we've met. You even gave me a little present. How rude of you to forget." He pulled the collar of his shirt to the side and revealed a nasty-looking scar. "An arrow through the shoulder isn't as fun as you'd imagine."

Awesome. She offered up a wide-eyed, confused expression. “An arrow? I don't know what you're talking about.”

"Yeah, you do." The smile dropped, and he grabbed her arm, hauling her across the hall.

Grace had no choice but to go. She didn’t want to draw attention and knew she had a way better chance fighting this guy one-on-one. She didn’t know who in this penthouse knew about her, but she guessed being a demon killer in this crowd was a pretty big no-no.

He pushed her into one of the bedrooms and shut the door behind them. “I volunteered to deliver you to your new home, but I thought we could have a little catch-up first? What do you think?”

“New home?”

“You didn’t really think you were leaving here tonight?”

No, she hadn’t. And she’d been ready, anything to get to the truth that would stop this war. And this place wasn’t where they’d find their answers. Thankfully, Rocco wouldn’t let her out of his sight. If they moved her, he’d follow and would gather the troops to take down these fuckers. That couldn’t happen if this dickhead killed her before she got delivered to the next destination—and what she hoped was their main headquarters.

“What’s it like? My new place? Will I have roomies?”

He frowned, momentarily thrown, then scowled. “I really would like to end you, torture you for a while first, but unfortunately that’s not an option. But I will make you pay for what you did to me."

She'd backed up, giving herself some room. Leaving a pile of ash would be a pretty big giveaway, so she couldn't put this animal down. She had to incapacitate him. She glanced at the window. They were twenty stories high; he sure as hell wouldn't be yapping after a fall like that.

He moved toward her and she held her ground. She needed to knock him out, and to do that, she had to let him get close. He raked her with a stare equal parts lust and pure hatred. "How do you like it, demon killer? I like it hard and rough." He grinned wide. "I also like to bite. Every time you look in the mirror, you'll see my mark on your skin, like the one you left me. I'll make sure you never forget our time together."

He pounced, and she let him take her to the ground, but he was stronger than she'd expected, making it hard to fight him off and reach the pressure point in his neck.