AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I was already shocked from the demon thing, but this was a whole new level of stunned. “Let’s go back to the demon thing.”
“It’s not important except as it relates to your safety and happiness.”
I swallowed hard. “Like your dragon isn’t important enough for you to mention more than once in passing?”
He pursed his lips. “You bring up a salient point, as expected.” He stunned me with a smile while I was still reeling from everything. It was too much. Everything was too much.
I shook my head. “Let’s stick to facts. My book might be used to bring heaven or hell or both at the same time to earth?”
“It would be quite devastating in Jazharad’s hands.”
I rubbed my temples and tried to focus. “So, he’d need the book in his hands, but his hands are stuck in the infernal realm, so someone would need to bring it to him. Opening portals isn’t easy or unobtrusive, not with how much blood it takes.”
“That’s where his faithful acolytes come in. You’d call them cultists, but I think that doesn’t give them credit for the seriousness of their mental instability. They are powerful, devoted, and wretchedly devious. I have been more than moderately concerned about your health since the hospital.”
The hospital where I’d kissed him. No, the hospital where I’d fought assassin spiders. A kiss couldn’t possibly be as interesting as killer spiders. No, but it hadn’t been just one kiss, had it?
“Miss Morell?”
“Hm?” I realized that I was staring at his mouth and looked down at his chest instead. He had the top three buttons of his white shirt undone, and his pale chest was as beautiful as the marble my book liked to spew. He wasn’t wearing a jacket, but he was still broad-shouldered, strong, powerful, incredibly fit.
“Would you allow me to see to your safety as a temporary employee if not something more personal?”
My eyes flew up to his and my heart pounded louder and louder. “More personal?”
“Was that consent or a bid for further clarity?”
“Clarity.”
“Are you certain that’s what you want? If I remember correctly, although I admit it is slightly hazy, the last time I tried to discuss things with you…”
I put my hand over his mouth, because it was either that, or I’d kiss him again, either to shut him up or to relive the moment. Either way was absolutely out of the question with my volatile book just waiting for me to get distracted so it could leak something else weird in the Scholar’s vault.
“What kind of bodyguard did you have in mind?” I asked.
His lips were against my hand. The realization gobbled up all of my thoughts, leaving me staring into those irresistible eyes until he removed my hand, sliding his fingers between mine until our hands were clasped together, palm against palm.
“I think a dragon would be adequate.”
“A dragon?”
“Or a vampire, if you’d prefer.” He leaned slightly closer and inhaled deeply. “You smell of oranges, like they’re soaked into your skin.”
“Really? I’d think you’d be more attuned to the lamb’s blood or salt.”
“They aren’t soaked into your skin. Why do you smell of oranges, Miss Morell?”
“Why wouldn’t I? Oranges are very common.”
His eyes glimmered and his lips twitched in a smile. “Then they should be honored to be chosen by someone so uncommon.”
“I’m not convinced that I’m a demon. It isn’t logical.” Except that it sort of was. For instance, the way I killed things was very thorough, and I didn’t have lingering regrets about it. Cross had regrets sometimes, as if the target could be saved, when I was solely interested in saving the target’s future victims.
He said, “There is nothing logical about existence, not when it’s more a matter of faith and acceptance than logic.”
“Says ‘the Scholar.’ That sounds whimsical enough for a dragon.”
He flashed white teeth at me. “Do you know what I wanted to do when you ran into me in the east hall in the middle of your acrobatics routine?”
