AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Behaving myself is no fun at all,” I complained.
“I know.” A slight smile twisted his lips. “But you need to keep it up.”
I stuck out my tongue at him. “Spoilsport.”
Then I withdrew my hands, keeping them to myself, like the good girl I totally was not.
“I am confident in your ability to behave yourself,” Nero said.
I laughed. “Who, me?”
“Yes, you, Angel of Chaos. You are far more sensible than you pretend to be.”
“Sensible.” I pouted out my lips. “How sexy.”
“I’m serious, Leda.” And his face told me he meant it. “If you punch Fireswift, I’m not entirely confident he would remember he’s not allowed to punch back.”
Nero set his hand on my belly. He held it there, like he was trying to protect our daughter from harm. I smiled at him, then rested my head on his shoulder. He continued to stroke his hand across my belly. His other arm was wrapped around me, his hand massaging my back. Nero was obviously very worried. Worried about me. Worried about our daughter.
“All right. I’ll be boring and sensible,” I promised him.
I couldn’t stand to see him like this. So…so vulnerable.
Nero kissed the top of my head. “Thank you.”
“Tell me about your day with Harker,” I said. “I hope it was better than my day.”
“We searched Purgatory, where Bella believes Thea’s grimoire to be, but we didn’t manage to find it.”
“Need some help?”
His chuckle was dark—and deliciously decadent. “You’re trying to get out of another day of angel class with Colonel Fireswift.”
“Yep,” I said shamelessly. “But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be an asset in the search for the grimoire. I’m quite familiar with all of Purgatory’s nooks and crannies. Remember, I grew up in this town.”
“So did Bella. And she was with us the whole time.”
“Yeah, well, Bella is more of an indoor kind of lady,” I said. “Remember, I lived on the streets for a few years before Calli took me in. When your very survival is dependent on hiding from gangsters and other street urchins, you get really well acquainted with all the best hiding spots in town. You need my expertise.”
“You make a compelling argument.”
I looked at him and smiled. “I do, don’t I?”
“But Nyx isn’t going to let you skip your angel lessons to rummage through trash bins and navigate the town’s underground sewage systems.”
“That’s because the First Angel has no sense of fun.” I gave Nero a hopeful look. “But you do.”
His thumb traced slow, soothing circles into my palm. “Leda, why do I get the feeling you’re trying to get me into trouble?”
“I have no clue what would give you that idea, General,” I replied. “Because you know how I’m always so well-behaved.” I winked at him. “Especially with you.”
His laugh was a purr, pure and simple. And it sent tingly sensations cascading through my body.
“You know.” I cleared my throat. I’d promised I would behave, and so had he. I was already regretting that promise. “So this grimoire sounds pretty important. It could give us answers about Bella’s past. What happened to her mother? How is it her parents don’t realize she was born? And why did Ava manipulate events so that Bella was born? Why did Ava want Bella to be my protector? What is Grace’s plan? What is Ava’s plan?”
Bella had told me Ava said both she and Grace had a plan.
“All of this matters to Bella,” I said. “It matters to me too. And, you know what, it matters to the Legion as well. Gods and demons are scheming, and all this scheming seems to revolve around me and Bella—around this Earth, this place in the universe. Why did I end up here? Why did my sisters, my brother, and I all end up with Calli? It all means something. Something big.”
