No one at the table spoke as they looked between him and me. His fathomless black eyes continued to glitter with amusement as he lifted his mug and took a drink while watching me over the rim.
When he finished, he set it on the table. “Not talking to me?”
I didn’t reply, and he shrugged before grasping the back of the chair and leaning away from the table to survey the room. His eyes lingered on Caim and Raphael, who stared at him with blank expressions that were somehow more terrifying than their scowls.
“Yin and yang over there look like they’re a lot of fun,” Wrath said.
“How about leaving the forest so you can find out how much fun they are,” Corson suggested.
The cocky smile Wrath gave him both infuriated and fascinated me. We were on opposite sides of the war that had lasted millennia, yet in many ways, he was my ideal mate. He was arrogant, powerful, and unwilling to back down from anyone. I respected and admired all those things.
Releasing the death hold on my legs, I lifted my mjéod and swallowed what little remained before setting it on the table. I resumed my death grip as the petite nymph returned to refill our drinks. When she finished, she gave a nervous giggle before dancing back to the bar.
“I’m in no rush to leave when things are starting to get interesting here.” And then Wrath’s fathomless, pitiless onyx eyes were on me again. “Aren’t they, Bale?”
I didn’t reply as I held his gaze and stalwartly avoided the questioning eyes of the others.
“I think they might be a lot more interesting outside the forest,” Shax said.
The smile Wrath gave me revealed all his perfect white teeth. It was a beautiful smile, and I wanted to beat it off his face. Still, I smiled back. I refused to let him know he was getting to me. Unfortunately, my smile felt more like a grimace.
Sitting taller on the chair, Wrath stretched his arms overhead in an exaggerated manner before pullingmysword from his scabbard. My teeth ground so forcefully together I was sure I’d turn them to dust. Overhead, the calamuts creaked ominously, but we didn’t need the reminder they were watching our every move.
With deft, graceful hands, Wrath laid the sword on the table and stroked the blade as he held my gaze. “It’s magnificent, is it not?”
I refused to glance at the sword, and I didn’t look at the others, but I felt their eyes on me while Wrath and I stared at each other. If the calamuts weren’t here, I’d leap across the table and shove that sword through his heart to remind him how magnificent it was. My fingers itched for my blade, a blade they had missed since I lost it.
“It’s one of my prized possessions,” Wrath said. “I achieved it in the most…interestingway.”
I was going to kill him. I did not doubt it; I would use that sword to chop off his head for this. But while I plotted his murder, my traitorous body recalled the ecstasy of the kiss we shared before I plunged my blade into him.
The others could never know about that. I was not ashamed of my actions; demons couldn’t resist the primal call of their Chosen, but things would change between us. They might not trust me, and I couldn’t lose their trust. I wouldneverbetray them.
Well, Corson would still trust me, and so would Shax and Hawk. I wasn’t so sure about Magnus. I didn’t know what the demon of illusions would do anymore. There was a time when we disliked each other almost as much as I despised the arrogant asshole across from me. Now, Magnus and I tolerated each other more, though we still enjoyed pissing each other off too.
The more I pondered it, the more I realized they would all still trust me, even Caim and Raphael. It was their pity I didn’t want. Also, they might be unwilling to kill Wrath if they learned what he was to me, and that would be worse than their pity.
They could never hesitate when it came to the horsemen, and the knowledge my life was entangled withWrath’smight be the hesitation that ended up getting them killed.
Chapter Ten
Wrath
I rubbedthe sword’s blade while I watched Bale’s stunning face for any indication of a chink in her armor. She truly was gorgeous with her high cheekbones, narrow nose, striking green eyes, and full lips begging for me to kiss them again.
The feel of her lush figure against me in the minotaur’s labyrinth was forever burned into my mind. My gaze fell to her chest; the bulkiness of her plain brown shirt and brown vest couldn’t hide the swell of her full breasts. The unattractive clothing didn’t dim her beauty; in fact, it only enhanced it.
I almost licked my lips as I imagined what it would feel like to cup those breasts in my hands and bring one of her nipples to my mouth. The amount of lust the image evoked made me shift uncomfortably when my cock hardened. I tore my attention away from her chest.
Bale’s face remained impassive, but I saw a glimmer of knowing in her eyes, and I found myself growing irritated by her lack of reaction to me. This woman had haunted my dreams. She’d caused my ability to connect with others to mutate and done nothing but torment me for the past month.
“I am going to get that back,” Bale finally said.
I smiled at her as I stroked the blade once more before lifting it off the table and returning it to my scabbard. “I look forward to you trying.”
For the first time, she showed a reaction as a muscle near the corner of her eye twitched. She didn’t look as amused by the prospect of another fight as I was. This time, I wouldn’t lower my guard around her.
Overhead, the calamuts creaked ominously as they shifted in the rafters. I didn’t tear my gaze away from Bale to look at them; they would settle down. However, instead of the trees settling into place again, a loud groan filled the air. My brow furrowed, but I still held her gaze.
