Because he’s a demon. Duh.
So why had his words hit her on a level so deep she couldn’t climb back out of the pit she’d sunk into?
Think back to when you were a kid.
She didn’t want to, but everything that had separated her from the other kids came crashing back. She’d been stronger. Faster. She’d read others’ emotions by the odors they gave off. Her need for vitamin C had been overwhelming and crippling at times, something doctors had never understood or explained.
Not that any of those things were proof of what Eidolon claimed. No way was she the spawn of hell. It wasn’t possible. She’d have felt it somehow. She’d have known.
So why had she kept her exceptional vision, hearing, and strength a secret from everyone including her mother and, especially, The Aegis? Deep down, had she suspected?
No.
Fury exploded inside her, and she put her fist through the flimsy door. Eidolon had made her question her beliefs about demons, her loyalty to The Aegis, and now, her very heritage.
“You bastard,” she shouted, but she didn’t know if she was cursing at Eidolon or whatever had fathered her, human or demon.
All she knew was that she needed to kill something. And unlike earlier when she hadn’t taken Eidolon down where he stood, this time, she’d show no mercy.
Ten
Eidolon gripped the steering wheel hard and tried to ignore his body’s needs as he worked Gem for information. He’d left Tayla mired in confusion, rage, and harsh truths, but the image of how she’d looked was burned into his brain, leaving him in a state of sexual frustration. It was a curse of his species that once they were aroused, release was all they could think about.
“Tell me everything you know about Tayla,” he said, pulling onto the interchange that would take him toward Greenwich Village where Gem lived. “Was her mother human?”
“Yes, she was.”
“Then, if your mother sensed the demon pregnancy, why was Tayla not destroyed or fostered at birth?” As Sensor demons, Gem’s parents’ ability to detect demon blood in humans allowed them to sense pregnancies that would result in half-breeds. They then took care of the infants accordingly.
“When Tayla was born, there was no indication that she was part demon. Once her mother gave birth, the demon vibes disappeared.” Gem smoothed her hands down her thighs as though her black fishnets were wrinkled. Her micromini leather skirt wasn’t, for damned sure. “Eidolon, I’ve been checking up on Tayla for years. I’ve never sensed the demon in her. I thought maybe Tayla’s mother had some demon blood in her from way back in her family tree, and that’s what my mom had sensed. But tonight I felt it in Tayla.” She paused for a moment. “Something’s not right.”
No, something wasn’t right, including Gem’s explanation, but for now, he let it go. “I think her demon DNA never fully integrated with the human. A bite from an Alu probably triggered activation of dormant genes.” He glanced over at her. “Why would you be checking up on her over the years?”
“Curiosity.”
Again, her explanation didn’t ring true. “Why so curious tonight?”
She sank her teeth into her lower lip in a way that reminded him of Tayla. Which set off a blast of heat in his body that couldn’t be hotter if he were standing next to a lava beast.
“My parents are missing,” she said. “I think The Aegis is involved.”
Gods, the Aegis had its fingers in more pies than a baker. “And you were what? Going to kidnap Tayla?”
“If that’s what it took to get some answers,” she said, pinning him with a look that said he’d best not lift a finger to defend Tayla. “And I will get those answers.”
Son of a bitch. The list of those who wanted Tayla strung up grew longer by the hour. And that didn’t make him happy, dammit. “Why do you think The Aegis took your parents?”
“Because someone is killing demons and selling their parts on the underworld market, and you know damned good and well The Aegis is responsible. My parents are being held as leverage.”
A chill ran down his spine. “Leverage for what?”
Her ominous pause made the chill spread to the rest of his body. “They want me to work for them. To remove the parts that’ll be sold. Obviously, they’ve expanded their operation and need more help to harvest the parts. That’s why I’ve been trying to contact you. To see what you knew. But I ran out of time today when they called and said they had my parents.”
“Bastards.”