He nodded slowly, moving to slide between her and the windows, leaving that spike forgotten on the ground behind him. "If you're not a vampire, you must be a succubus. I felt the drain when you kissed me."
Dahlia shook her head. "The word you're looking for is eidolon. Sorry, Thane, I've had better dates."
"I haven't." Smiling, he stepped closer. "Why can you touch the cross, Dahlia? Why doesn't it burn you like the demons of Hell?"
"Because I'm not a demon."
And she ran. As hard as she could, feeling like a rat in a cage, Dahlia ran for the dingy white metal door. In the back of her mind, she prayed to her long-dead gods that she'd make it. Just as her hand touched the metal knob, his body slammed into hers, crushing her against the still-closed door. She twisted, kicking out at his legs. He shoved her. This time, her back hit the steel, and he caught her wrists. She pulled, he held, their power matching each other too well. Again, he shoved his body against hers, knocking her breath away.
"Stop!" he screamed in her face. "I'm not hurting you!"
She paused, looking up into those raging eyes. Against his palms, she trembled, hating herself for the fear, but she'd never met an inquisitor this strong. She'd killed many who came close, but Thane was her match. He mirrored her too easily.
"Just let me go?" The words were a breath.
His brow creased. "You're scared?"
"Fuck you, priest."
And his fingers loosened. It wasn't enough for her to get free, but his grip no longer dug into her skin. "I'm not a priest."
"You have their power. Inquisitors have always been priests, and anyone with the power gets ordained quickly." There was no way he could deny the magic in his eyes.
"Are you a vampire, Dahlia?"
"No."
"A succubus?"
She laughed, but it was a dry, heartless sound. "Sure. That's about as close as your mythology gets."
Thane leaned an inch closer, his eyes dropping to her mouth. "Does that explain why I want to kiss you so bad?"
She strained against his weight. "No. That's just an excuse weak-willed men give to make your lust my fault."
He leaned even closer, his hands sliding up her arms. "Good." Then his lips met hers. She gasped, tensing to shove him away, but his mouth was insistent. "Take it," he breathed between the crashes of their lips.
Relaxing her hold on reality, she did. Thane's life trickled into hers, each drop filling the void inside her, pulling her closer to the world. Sucking at his lower lip, she could taste the salt on his skin. Twining her tongue around his, she could smell his shampoo. This was the sustenance she'd craved, and he was so damned sweet. Humans were enough to keep her alive, but inquisitors were more. The power visible in their eyes was also evident in their vitality. Each pull from him filled her like nothing else, giving her the strength she needed to escape, and this fool had offered it. He was doing this willingly.
Being seduced by an inquisitor was the biggest mistake she'd ever made, but Thane was making it a bit less painful. For her, at least. As Dahlia kissed him passionately, she refueled her body, giving herself the power she needed to be everything he feared. This one kiss was going to not only even the odds, but put them in her favor. With a smile, she pulled away.
"You're the dumbest priest I've ever met."
He chuckled, holding her there with his chest against hers. "Still not a priest, so what are you?"
"A valkyrie." She smiled and pushed.
He staggered back and she tried to run, but he'd expected it. For a third time, he caught her arm and slung her back against the wall. This time his hand caught the back of her head, tangling in her hair, forcing her to look right into his eyes.
"I prefer succubus. Sounds more romantic. Now, why can you touch the cross?"
Growling in the back of her throat, she tried to smack his hands away. In her struggle, her free arm pummeled his back and ribs until he yanked her head up, pulling hard enough to make it hurt, and twisted her captive arm.
"Answer the damned question."
"Because it's all a lie," she snapped. "You're not human. I'm not human. Your religion is bullshit. We're all just what happens when a species evolves, but we took different paths." She grabbed his arm, trying to pull her hair free.
He grunted, straining to keep his hold. "So why are we fighting?"