Chapter Three

      For the first time in his life, a fire had shaken him. But she had shaken him more. Lucky for her, Ethan thought, he always hungered after a fire.

      It plagued him after every rescue, the demon part of him begging him to satisfy the demands of his birthright, balance all the good he had just done. And so every night he yielded to the plea from deep within him by finding a woman to satisfy and carefully leaving as soon as the deed was done. Tonight wouldn’t be any different. And this one? Her allure was too powerful to deny—he had to have her.

      While almost three hours had passed since he’d rescued Danny and his parents from the house and delivered them to the ambulances, he was still trying to shake the feelings and memories that sprang to the forefront of his mind when he first saw the community after all this time. Unbeknownst to the boy, he was a painful reminder of what Ethan was, of the terrible events that had taken away both of his parents, and the fate their attacker reserved exclusively for him. The curse still pulsed through Ethan’s veins—and though no one could tell of his fate by just looking at him, his skin began to feel itchy, as if the curse was apparent on his face, just as noticeable as a birthmark.

      And what a distraction she would be. He could tell immediately that this woman wasn’t like any of the others he pursued. She was more than just a pretty face. He had overheard the entire exchange between her and Danny and the kindness she showed toward one of his kind. She was sweet, she was calm and she was lovely. It was the only word he could think of to describe her. Standing there in her wrinkled scrubs and messy hair, she was ten times more attractive than any woman in a low-cut dress and stilettos. Something about her exuded power and competency. She was serious about her job and cared about others. It pulled the heartstrings of his lighter side. He watched her from afar until he couldn’t stand being away from her any longer, the force between them when they exchanged glances too magnetic.

      But that was dangerous territory he was creeping into. That’s not why you want her, he reminded himself. Personality doesn’t matter. Just seduce her and be done with it. And now that he was up close to her, he could tell that wouldn’t be difficult. Her emerald-green eyes were as large and innocent as a doe’s, and the full, cherry-red pout of her lips just begged to be kissed. And not to mention the dangerous curves that he only got a hint of at the seams of her scrubs. He knew exactly what he was capable of doing with them... after all, practice did make perfect.