Damien was sure he was in heaven as he listened to the steady beat of Kaylee's heart and caressed her soft hair with his cheek. The sunlight was streaming through the window and shining on the soft skin of her freckled shoulder and he couldn't help but press his lips against those freckles.

Kaylee moaned as she stirred in his arms and pressed her back closer against his chest. Then suddenly she gasped and jumped from his arms.

"I'm late!" she exclaimed. Damien looked at the beside clock.

"It is only nine o'clock." he replied as she scrambled through her closet for an outfit and he enjoyed the view of her naked backside.

"Yeah and I'm usually at work by eight!" she replied as she threw a pair of pants and a shirt over her arm and then ran to her dresser to get panties and a bra. Damien felt his passion rising as he watched her naked body moving across the room.

"Kayleb is already at work... I heard him leaving earlier. He will call you if anything comes up." Kaylee shook her head.

"No... I've missed two days already, I have to get a shower and get to work." she replied and as she was pulling on her robe Damien caught a flash of black on the pale skin covering her left hip bone.

"What is that?" he asked as he rose from the bed and walked toward her. Kaylee's mouth went dry at the sight of his naked body and she forced herself to blink and move her eyes up to his face... Of course the sight of his sleep tousled hair and his blue eyes didn't exactly put her fire out.

"What is what?" she asked and Damien grabbed her hands and stopped her from tying her robe shut. He pulled the yellow fabric aside and ran his finger over the ancient demon script tattoo that had appeared on her hip.

"That." he said. Kaylee looked down at her hip and her eyes widened.

"What the hell is that?" she demanded.

"A tattoo." Damien replied simply. Kaylee rolled her eyes as she nodded.

"Duh... But where did it come from and what does it mean?"

"It is demon script."

"You mean it says something?" Kaylee asked looking down at the black design on her hip.

"Yes. It says 'Damien.'" he replied. Kaylee looked at him with confusion.

"How did your name get on my hip?"

"I don't know." Damien said with a shrug, looking just as confused as her. "It must be my mark... Kind of like the scar you put on my shoulder." he said and Kaylee's fingers instantly moved to the light scar marring his tan skin. Kaylee shrugged as she looked back down at her hip.

"It's pretty." she said.

"It's the mark of a demon." Damien replied and she could tell he was not happy.

"What's wrong?" she asked and Damien moved away from her and began pulling on his clothes.

"I do not like seeing the mark of a demon on your skin." he replied. Kaylee felt her own temper rising.

"How can you say that?" she demanded. "This is your mark! You gave this to me to symbolize our love and our passion, just the same as I gave you a mark. What's the difference?"

"Demon marks are dark, Kaylee! Do you know when I got mine? The one on my back appeared after I killed my first innocent and took his soul and the one on my stomach appeared after my brother tortured me the first time. Demon marks represent bad things, Kaylee.... That mark on your hip shows me that us being together last night was a bad thing."

"That is the craziest thing I have ever heard." Kaylee replied but Damien shook his head.

"No it's not." he replied. "It's logical."

"What happened to the Damien that was finally opening up to the fact that he wasn't evil and cold? Where did he go because I would much rather talk to him!"

"I was letting my emotions control me Kaylee but this morning I am using logic. Demon marks appear after intense moments of evil and what I did to you last night must have been one of those moments." Kaylee wanted to slap him as he stood there looking at her with that cold, emotionless face that she hadn't seen in the last few days. Her heart was breaking and if he felt anything it sure didn't show on his face.

"I'm going to go take a shower." Kaylee said after she bit the inside of her cheek to hold her tears at bay. "Maybe by the time I'm done, your brain will be working again." She tied her robe tight, grabbed her clothes from the dresser and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

Damien sat down hard on the bed once he was alone and buried his face in his hands. Who would have known that heartache could be such a tangible thing... The air seemed to be thick with his pain. And he knew it was his own pain he was feeling and not just Kaylee's. He had quickly closed that link between them when he had felt her hurt and temper rising this morning.

The only explanation for the mark on Kaylee's hip was that what Damien had done to her last night had been evil. Her lying with a demon and making love to a demon had been bad and it had marked her. But then why had Angelo told him that it was safe to love her?

Probably because Angelo is a crazy person that doesn't know what he's talking about. A small voice inside his head answered. Damien was sitting there drowning in guilt and self-pity, two emotions he had never had time for before, when Vanessa's voice came into his head.

(What is wrong with Kaylee?)

(Why?) Damien replied, not liking the fact that Vanessa was being nosy.

(She nearly ran me and Faith over on her way down the hallway because she was crying so hard and in such a hurry to hide herself in the bathroom. What did you do?)

(What makes you think I did something?)

(Because the man always does.) Vanessa replied. (Except when you're talking about me and Kayleb of course, because it was me that was constantly screwing things up in the beginning.)

(It's nothing.) Damien lied.

(You might as well tell me Damien. This is what family does, they help each other.)

(I marked her, Vanessa.)

(Wow.. No details please, but marking each other is what mates do.) Vanessa replied matter of factly.

(This is different. She has a demon tattoo that just appeared on her hip.)

(Why do you say that like it's a bad thing?)

(Because it is.) Damien replied with irritation. (Demon tattoos only appear during moments of intense pain or rage or after an evil act. Either way the fact that she has one on her hip after last night is a bad thing.)

(Can I put my two cents in?) Hunter's voice was suddenly in his head as well.

(I thought this was a private conversation?) Vanessa exclaimed. Hunter sighed.

(I've told you people over and over again that I can hear your private conversations unless you make a conscious effort to block me out. Now normally I ignore them and mind my own business but I can't help but think that me and Damien are alike in a lot of ways and I wanna help.)

(Is there anything private in this family?) Damien demanded.

(Apparently not.) Vanessa replied dryly.

(Can I say what I wanted to say?) Hunter asked.

(Go ahead.) Damien replied. (But you will not change my mind about this.)

(You say that demon tattoos only appear during moments of intense feelings right?) Hunter asked.

(No, I said intense rage, pain or after an evil act.)

(Is that the only ways?)

(Haven't you been listening to the man?) Vanessa piped in.

(Hush and go flip your daughters pancakes, I think they're burning.) Hunter replied.

(Oh shit!) Vanessa exclaimed and Damien found himself chuckling... It was the first time he had ever chuckled and he was surprised that it felt good despite the amount of pain still in his heart.

(Okay but how do you know those are the only times.. .I mean I thought demons only ever felt rage and pain... And all they ever do is evil things. How do you know that those tattoos don't appear after any intense emotion or bond has taken place? Maybe the intensity of what the two of you shared put that mark on her. Maybe that's the mating mark you left behind, like when I bit Laney's neck or when she bit my shoulder.)

(I guess I don't know.) Damien replied and he felt the smallest sliver of hope rise in him.

(Look it's none of my business but I don't want you to throw away a good thing just because you think that you or what the two of you share is bad... Because I almost threw Laney away because I thought the same thing and that would have been the biggest mistake of my life.)

(Thanks for the advice, Hunter.) Damien said and then he closed the link. He thought about what Hunter had said and then he thought about what had happened between he and Kaylee the night before. He shook his head. There was no way that what they had shared had been evil or bad... Hunter must be right about the demon mark. Damien had been a fool.

He heard the bathroom door open and he knew that Kaylee was on her way back down the hall. He jumped from the bed and ran out into the hall causing Kaylee to let out a small scream of shock when he burst from the room and grabbed her in his arms. He hugged her tighter than he had ever hugged her before and by the time he pulled away she was breathing harshly from the lack of oxygen.

"I am sorry, Kaylee. I had no right to say that what happened between us was evil or bad, not when you are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

"I'm sorry I got so upset. I guess I forgot that you are still coming to terms with who you are." Kaylee replied. Damien smoothed her hair from her face and kissed her forehead.

"Are you hungry? I think Vanessa is making pancakes." Kaylee scented the air.

"Yes she is." she said as her stomach growled. "How did you know?" she asked, while wrinkling her forehead.

"Lucky guess." Damien replied with a shrug.

888

"This isn't bring your boyfriend to work' day, Kaylee. What the hell is he doing here?" Chief Michaels demanded as Kaylee and Damien appeared in the station and Damien reached out quickly and caught the stack of falling files off of Barry Hicks' desk just before they hit the floor.

"Thank you." Barry muttered as Damien sat the files back on the desk.

"You're welcome." Damien replied, he had learned over the last few days that that was the proper thing to say when someone thanked you for something, even if you hadn't necessarily done what you had done for them.

"Damien is here for a job." Kaylee said.

"I don't remember offering him one." Chief Michaels replied. Kaylee rolled her eyes.

"Kayleb and I could use the help." she said and Kayleb nodded in agreement from where he sat at his desk.

"So what are you?" Chief Michaels asked as he laid his hands on his large belly and eyed Damien suspiciously.

"A demon." Damien replied and a collective gasp filled the station.

"Half demon." Kaylee added, hoping to erase the look of horror from the chiefs face.

"No. I want him out of here. If the citizens found out I had a damn demon working here they'd flip."

"I will not leave Kaylee alone. I don't require your permission to stay. You cannot make me leave." Damien said matter of factly as he wrapped his arm around Kaylee's waist. Chief Michaels looked angry enough to burst as he huffed out a breath that caused his mustache to dance wildly on his face. Kaylee elbowed Damien in the stomach to tell him to shut up and then she smiled her most endearing smile as she took a step toward the chief.

"I have worked here for two years, chief. I have been a good cop and I haven't let you down yet. You can trust that I know what I'm talking about when I say that you can trust Damien to be here."

"Besides chief, if he gets out of line, I could take him." Kayleb added with a wink as he leaned back in his chair with his hands folded behind his head and his feet propped on his desk. Kaylee rolled her eyes and shoved his feet sending Kayleb and his chair flipping backwards onto the ground.

Kaylee saw a smile tug on chief Michael's lips as the station errupted in laughter.

"Bout time that cocky punk got knocked on his rear." Barry Hicks grumbled even as officer Tortilonni ran over and began fawning over Kayleb as he climbed to his feet, muttering under his breath and rubbing the back of his head.

"Fine. We could use another member on your team but I'm not paying him until I know he'll work out. We'll call it a week long trial."

"I do not need money." Damien said, shaking his head and chief Michael's eyes lit up.

"Good. You'll work out fine then." he said and then he turned and walked back into his office, shutting the door behind him.

"So this is your boyfriend, huh?" Tyler asked from behind Kaylee and she turned to see him looking Damien up and down sadly.

"He's my mate, Tyler." Kaylee replied.

"Guess that explains why you never showed any interest in me." Tyler said as he held his hands up and shrugged. Kaylee was irritated. Tyler was trying to make her feel guilty and she had no reason to. She had always been straightforward with him about not being interested in dating him.

"Take another officer down to the basement and bring up a desk for Damien." she said. Tyler shook his head.

"I'd rather not." he said, sounding like a little kid throwing a temper and pouting. Kaylee rose to her full height, which matched his and her eyes flashed as she glared at him.

"Maybe I misspoke just then and gave you the impression that I was asking you to do me a favor instead of giving you an order. I am giving you an order to take another officer down to the basement and bring up a desk for Damien." Tyler huffed out an irritated breath and then stomped toward the basement stairs with an officer that he had graduated the academy with following behind him.

"You just bwoke his wittle heart." Kayleb said with a grin and then he growled as he swatted Susie Tortilonni's hands when she began rubbing his chest as if checking for injuries from his recent fall.

"Does he have an interest in you?" Damien asked and Kaylee was sure she heard jealousy in his voice.

"He's followed her like a puppy ever since he started here. If she told him to lick her feet, he'd get down on his belly and do it with pleasure." Kayleb answered. Damien looked puzzled.

"Why would she tell him to lick her feet?" he asked and Kaylee and Susie both laughed.

"Because she's a cold hearted snake." Kayleb replied and Damien shook his head.

"You are just angry that she knocked you on your ass." he said matter of factly and laughter filled the station as Kayleb blushed, grumbled under his breath and went back to looking through files.

"Well aren't you a tasty looking dish?' Susie said as she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and walked toward Damien. Damien tightened his arm around Kaylee's waist and frowned.

"Tasty looking dish?" he asked. "As in food?" Susie nodded as she looked him up and down.

"Yeah darlin', a delicious looking food that I could just eat up with a spoon!" Damien could feel Kaylee's jealousy and it confused him. Why was she jealous that this woman wanted to eat him? Then again, why in the world was this mortal woman threatening to eat him? Damien saw that Kayleb was laughing silently as he looked at the file he was reading and this just confused him more.

"Are you threatening me?" Damien asked looking at the big hipped, older woman and she smiled brightly revealing that some of her bright red lipstick had rubbed off on her teeth.

"No, I'm not threatening sugar.. I'm offering." she replied.

"Offering to eat me?" Damien asked, not understanding this conversation at all.

"Yep." she replied with a wink.

"I have to turn down your offer then." he said. He wanted to be polite because he didn't want to cause a difficult situation for Kaylee at work but at the same time he wanted this woman, with a very annoying voice, to leave him alone. Susie laughed loudly and patted him on the arm.

"Think about it, sweet cheeks, and I'll come back later." she said as she looked down at her pager and then walked out of the station. Before Damien could ask Kaylee what that had been about, Tyler and the other officer came back with his desk and chair. They got everything set up and Damien and Kaylee both sat down.

"I can't believe Susie hit on you." Kayleb said shaking his head. "How quickly she forgot about everything we shared."

"She did not hit me." Damien replied, shaking his head. Kaylee laughed lightly.

"No she hit on you." she said.

"I don't understand what that means." Damien replied feeling lost.

"Seriously?" Kayleb asked and Damien nodded.

"She offered to eat me... Why would she think that I would want her to eat me?" Damien asked looking across his desk at Kaylee. He saw the amusement in her eyes.

"She thinks your handsome and she wants to have sex with you." she replied and Damien nodded.

"That would certainly explain your jealousy." he said.

"So now that you know what she was really offering to you, do you still want to turn her down?" Kayleb asked with a grin and Damien nodded.

"I would let her eat me before I would ever have sex with her. I belong to Kaylee. I am her demon." Kayleb faked a gag while Kaylee beamed and wondered how she had gotten so lucky.