Page 79 of Capturing Sin

He grunted as the joint caved, dropping him with a solid thud that sounded like karma.

The lack of short horns edging his brows like Sin gave me a free shot at his face. I slammed my knuckles into his temple, leaping aside before his jabbing tail could find me. His eyes rolled back, and he crumpled beside the woman.

A pained whine filled the night.

Behind me, Sin had created a bloody mess of the other demon, but starlit eyes were locked onto me.

“And you call me the vicious one?” He chuckled, dropping his latest victim.

My brows shot up. “I only knocked the fucker out. Yours looks ready to go into a Bolognese.”

“Oh my g-god, what did you do?” the now anaemic woman slurred, sitting up to gape at the bloody scene.

I opened my mouth, but Sin beat me to it.

“You let them take too much.” His expression was stern, as unyielding as his tone. “When you start feeling sleepy, you stop. Go home and rest. Don’t feed another demon for a week.”

The crack of authority in his voice was something I hadn’t heard before. He’d been cruel and mocking, husky and seductive, gleeful and violent, but this side of him was new.

Was this the real him? Did he work in some kind of law enforcement or high-ranking position? I could easily picture him delivering violent punishments, but the rescuer side of things threw me.

Her plump lower lip trembled. “But… But he was going to blood bond me.” She gestured at the smoker I’d downed.

Sin quirked a horned brow. “No, he wasn’t. A blood bond is a form of mating amongst demons, like marriage for humans. The slimy fuck wouldn’t be asking to feed on anyone else if he’d started bonding you. He would be so obsessed with you that all other blood tasted like ash.”

I jolted, eyes widening.

Was he saying he didn’t want to drink from anyone but me? Why would he keep biting me if it would only strengthen such a bond? What would happen to him when I left?

I avoided his penetrating stare. Hopefully, the possessive bastard liked the taste of ash.

The other woman swallowed thickly. “Oh.” She pushed to stand on shaky legs, wobbling for a moment in her heeled boots. Then kicked the unconscious demon in the ribs. “Sleazebag.”

I chuckled, and she shot me a grin. “Cheers for the rescue.”

“Us blood bags have to stick together,” I snorted.

She gave Sin a timid smile in thanks before shuffling back into the club, thankfully steadier with each step.

The demon I’d knocked out stirred, and I readied myself to kick his face in if he so much as twitched wrong.

Sin threw his whimpering victim at mine. They crashed together in a clack of horns and flesh.

He snarled at the tangled pair. “Leave. Now. Before you can’t.”

“You’d better listen to him, boys. He’s already killed one guy for propositioning his lady friend tonight.” The demon bartender we’d been waiting for stepped around the corner of the building, vaulting the low bush to join us with a bright grin.

The breeze toyed with her long hair, a dramatic black-to-pink ombre without the club’s red haze obscuring the colours.

Sin huffed, reaching behind him to tug me flush against his side, easily guiding me between the sharp points at his elbow and spine. “Yeah, well, let’s just say I went through a lot to get her.”

I flipped him off behind his back, and Aurora caught the gesture with a saucy wink.

The sleazy pair climbed slowly to their feet and backed away, one considerably slower and bloodier. The one I’d knocked out gave me a final, hungry once-over, and they disappeared into the club.

A shiver ran through me, and Sin held me tighter against his side, almost like he might be trying to reassure me.

The bizarre thought snapped me back to reality. We were enemies. He was defending his food.