Page 47 of Bad Moon Rising (Dark-Hunter 17)
Fang declined to take it.
Thorn laughed evilly. "Afraid I've poisoned or drugged it? Trust me, wolf. I don't need a liquid to do either. If I wanted you dead, I'd be feasting on your meat right now." He took a deep swig of the wine.
Fang was losing patience with all the cryptic bullshit. He'd never had patience for such. "Look, I'm not really chatty and your dramatics are boring the crap out of me. Who are you and why am I here?"
Thorn tossed the cup into the hearth, causing the flames to explode. As those flames curled toward him, his clothes changed from armor into a modern beige suit with a light blue shirt. Instead of an ancient warrior, he looked like a billionaire CEO. Except for his left hand, which was still covered with the metallic claws that had been part of his armor.
"I'm the leader of an elite group of warriors known as Hellchasers."
Fang arched a brow at the name. "Hellchasers?"
Thorn inclined his head. "When demons violate the laws that govern them or decide to skip out on their parole, we're the ones who deal with them."
"Deal with them how?"
Thorn spread his hand and an image flashed up on the dark wall to Fang's left. Misery and her crew were being hauled back into their realm in chains. Bloody and bruised, they looked like someone had used their bodies as a target practice. It was obvious the two men bringing them back had been anything but gentle. "In short, we're bounty hunters without a bounty."
"Then why do it?"
Thorn clenched his fist closed and the image faded. "Mostly for shits and giggles. But if we didn't do it, the demons would overrun the human realm and it would quickly look like this one."
"Scary thought."
Thorn inclined his head. "Luckily, we think so too, which is why we do what we do."
"So how do I play into this?"
Thorn approached him slowly as he raked a speculative glance over his body as if judging every molecule of his being, inside and out. "You've got certain talents that appeal to me. A wolf who's survived with demons on his own and without his powers . . . impressive."
That did nothing except ignite Fang's anger. "Yeah, and why didn't you step in before now?"
"Because I thought you belonged here. That you'd been consigned to this realm for past deeds. It wasn't until you started to offer your soul up to protect Aimee that I realized you're here by mistake."
"You're not very intuitive, are you?"
Instead of being pissed, Thorn took the insult in stride. "Let's just say I seldom see the good in others. It's such a rare commodity in the world that I don't even bother to look for it." Thorn spread his arm out and a banquet of food appeared on the table. "You must be hungry."
"Yeah, and I don't eat at anyone's table I don't know."
One corner of his mouth lifted in bitter amusement. "You're wise to think that."
"I also know nothing comes without strings." Fang jerked his chin toward the table. "What's the price of that food?"
"I would say it's a gift to ease my conscience for leaving you here so long when you didn't belong, but I have no conscience and honestly don't give a shit how much you've suffered."
"Then why do you corral the demons to protect the human world?"
Thorn let out a long-suffering sigh as if irritated that Fang had brought the subject up. "So apparently I do have a conscience after all. Damned thing that. I keep denying it, but it won't go away. However, that's not the point. On Mardi Gras night, a few hundred demons were let loose from Kalosis. Ever heard of it?"
"No."
Thorn shrugged. "In short it's the Atlantean hell realm. The demons ate a couple of my men and I now find myself rather shorthanded in New Orleans." He opened his mouth as if he were shocked. "Oh, wait! That's where you're from . . . now do you see?"
"You want me to help gather them."
"Not exactly. More you're to help keep tabs on them and if they step over the line, you bring them back over it . . . or kill them."
"And if I refuse?"
Thorn gestured toward the door where the outside winds howled. "You're free to leave my hall and fend for yourself anytime you want to."
The idea of leaving was less than appealing, but Thorn knew that as much as Fang did. "If I stay?"
"We'll help your girlfriend and her brother hunt down those Daimons and set you free from here."
Fang wasn't quite sold on this. There had to be more than what he was relaying. There had to be. "With all your powers, it seems to me you could recruit hundreds of people to do this. Why do you want me?"
Thorn laughed. "There is a certain breed, a certain tiny handful of people who can do what we do and not get slaughtered three seconds out the gate. It's not about fighting skills or even survival. It's about character."
Fang scoffed at the mere idea. "I have no character."
Thorn sobered as he closed the distance between them. Those ice blue eyes cut through him as if Thorn was looking deep into his soul and psyche. "There you're wrong, wolf. You have loyalty and courage. Unrivaled. Two things that are damn near impossible to find. Have you any idea how many people would have allowed Aimee to die rather than offer up their soul to save her? That, my friend, is the rare, rare quality that I can't teach anyone. You either have it or you don't. And you happen to have it in spades. That ability to sacrifice yourself for someone else. Priceless."
It didn't feel priceless. At times it felt more like a curse.
Thorn held his hand out to him. "So will you join me?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Of course you do. I would never impose on your free will."
Funny, it didn't feel that way. There didn't seem to be much choice in this at all. He took Thorn's hand into his. "You keep Aimee safe and I'll give you my soul."
Thorn's pupils flashed red so fast that for a moment, Fang thought he might have imagined it. His features stone, he released Fang's hand. "Boy, I need to teach you to take those words out of your vocabulary. Believe me, they're not child's play and neither is what you're about to join."
Dev?"
He pulled Aimee behind him as he faced the demons coming out of the shadows. "We need to get out of here." He shoved her toward the street.
Aimee started to run, but didn't make it far before another demon cut her off. She tried to flash and couldn't. "Dev? Can you get us out of here?"
