The black, mortal shirt he wore clung to hisbroad chest, and the short sleeves emphasized the thick muscles ofhis biceps. His jeans were loose-fitting enough to be comfortablebut tight enough to make her mouth water.
The corners of his eyes crinkled, and histhick lips curved into the sexiest smile she’d ever seen. He was agood foot taller than her five-seven height and easily weighed ahundred pounds more than her one hundred thirty.
He should intimidate her, and she imaginedmany were terrified of him, but she didn’t feel afraid. Instead,before she could stop herself, she grinned at him like anidiot.
“It’s you,” she said.
Cole smiled in return. “It’s you.”
A shout from somewhere to her right drew herattention and dampened her happiness as she recalled where theywere. Cole took the bag from the woman who was still holding it outto him and slipped her some money. Clasping her elbow, he led heraway from the booth.
“What are you doing here?” Lexi asked andthen tried not to blush at the abruptness of her question. “I’msorry; I didn’t mean to sound rude.”
A teasing glimmer shone in his eyes. “Youdidn’t expect to find me here?”
“Not at all.”
“Why not? There are things here I like topurchase too.”
That made sense, but marketplaces such asthis always existed in the mortal realm; she’d gone to them often.This one came to life after the war, and unlike the markets of thepast, humans also shopped it. There was no reason to keep theimmortal markets hidden anymore.
However, during her many trips to the privateandopen markets, she’d never seen oneroyalfae.She’d heard countless rumors about them while shopping the immortalwares, but they could get everything they needed in the ShadowRealms.
“Plus,” he said, “the Lord of the ShadowRealms likes us to keep an ear out for any threats that might ariseand to search for the rebels.”
His words reminded her of the dark fae lockedin her tunnels, and her appetite vanished. She clenched her bag assome of her excitement over seeing him vanished.
She was harboring a rebel, and if he knewabout it, not only would he turn in the fae, but he’d hand her overtoo. It thrilled her to see him, and he seemed happy to see heralso, but his loyalty was to the Lord.
She wanted nothing to do with any of thepolitical turmoil the world remained in; however, she’d put herselfright in the middle of it when she decided to hide a warcriminal.
And she’d pitted herself against this man andthe monster who’d ruthlessly unleashed his dragons on countlessinnocents. She didn’t want anything to happen to the fae she hid,but she wanted even less for Cole to become her enemy.
She liked him, and he made her feel alive ina way she hadn’t since her father died. It was a bad idea to feelanything other than apprehension for a dark fae, but she couldn’tstop the butterflies in her stomach or the increase of her pulsewhen she was around him.
“Oh,” she muttered.
She realized she sounded a little dumb, butshe had no idea what to say.Oh good, you’re all looking to killmore immortals,didn’t feel like the appropriate, sarcasticresponse.
“And what are you doing here?” he asked.
Lexi held up her bag of food. She couldn’tbring herself to lie to him, and she doubted she could pull off aconvincing lie, so she hoped he would take this as explanationenough.
“They’re some of my favorites,” he said.
“Mine too.”
A commotion from somewhere to her left drewLexi’s attention to the crowd. Startled cries filled the air ashumans and immortals pushed back toward them. When Cole steppedbefore her, his large body blocked the retreating group fromshoving her into the food stand.
“What the fuck?” he muttered.
Lexi was thinking the same thing as ahigher-pitched scream rent the air and a child started to sob forher mother. Lexi stepped forward; she wasn’t a fighter, but she’dbe damned if she let someone hurt a child.
Then the crying child, enveloped securely inthe arms of her lycan mother, rushed past them. Cole clasped Lexi’sarm as he held her firmly behind him. Despite the commotion, shebarely stopped herself from gaping at the hand engulfing almost herentire forearm.
Then the crowd parted to reveal a group oflycan shoving through them. With a sinking heart, Lexi spottedMalakai at the front of the pack.
She glanced at the sun beating down on theearthandMalakai. Unlike her, he was a full-blooded vampirewho never should have been out in the daylight, but as she thoughtit, the sun caught and reflected off the red amulet hanging fromhis neck.
