He snarled, “Good. Now you know that when I win, it will have been a fair fight.”

“I’ll remind you of that when I’m ripping your ribs from your back,” she said in a deep voice, one not quite her own. “I’ll give you real wings, and maybe you can fly to hell with Lilu.”

She slipped the thin hawthorn stake from her hair, just as the incubus lunged. He gripped her hands, forcing them down to her sides so she couldn’t stab him. Her body pulsed with fury, and she head-butted him, listening to the delicious crack as she broke his nose. He dropped her hands.

A smile curled her lips. As she lifted her stake again, his hands flew out a second time, clamping down on both her wrists in a crushing grip. He was going to break her bones, but the anger dulled her pain.

Caine leaned in close, whispering into her ear, “Give up, little girl. You’re outmatched.”

Asshole. Rage burned through her, and she tried to kick him in the groin, but he pinned her arms to her sides with impossible strength. She strained against him, kicking at his shins, desperate to crack his bones. But instead of doing any damage, she struggled helplessly as he lifted her body in the air, as easily as if she were weightless. Her breath caught in her throat as he hurled her across the room.

She slammed against the dance floor, toppling out of her ridiculous shoes. The fall knocked the wind out of her. She gasped for air, fighting to catch her breath as Caine closed in. As soon as he closed the distance between them, she swung her legs in a wide arc, taking him down.

With a shrill battle cry, she leapt on top of him, raising the stake. His hands flew out, clamping onto her wrists, and he flipped her over, pinning her arms over her head. He pressed himself on top of her, and a low growl escaped his throat.

His eyes trailed down her chest. Something else was overcoming him—not battle fury, but another type of need. His distraction was a vulnerability. He lowered his warm mouth to her neck.

She arched her back, marshaling her strength to fling him off her. He slammed against the ground, and then she hooked her leg around him, straddling him.

His hands still gripped her wrists, but a sense of victory bubbled through her. I am in control. She leaned closer, momentarily distracted by his earthy scent, then bit into his neck as hard as she could. Her prey instinctively released his grip on her wrists. She lifted her arms high, and plunged the stake into his heart.

Chapter 20

The rush of fury flowed from Rosalind’s body, like the wind over the ocean. She stared down at her blood-soaked hands gripping the hawthorn stake. Caine’s shocked eyes had returned to gray, and he glanced down at his chest.

Panic clenched her heart, and she ripped the stake from his chest. Her mind spun with horror, and she pressed down on his heart, as if she could staunch the flow. What have I done? Blood seeped through her fingers. Caine took a shuddering breath.