“I already promised them death if I ever sawthem again.”
“Good.”
Bending his head, his lips brushed against myear as he turned us away from the others. “I do so enjoy when youare fierce, Mah Kush-la.”
“I reacted too harshly with Eileen,” Iwhispered. “I was… afraid. Afraid of everything Lucifer had said tome in my dream, afraid of the violence I witnessed from Eileen andthen you.”
His hand grasped my neck loosely. “I know,but I will protect you with everything I am from Lucifer.”
“Can you protect me from myself, or protectyourself from me, if it becomes necessary?”
His muscles rippled against me and he inhaleda shuddering breath. “I will always do whatever is necessary forthe world to be put to rights again and to keep you safe.”
I rested my forehead on his chest, my eyesclosing as his warmth enveloped me. My fingers traced over thechiseled muscles of his abs as I sought to touch more and more ofhim. The contradiction of his silky skin over the hardness of hismuscles was one that always made my mouth water and my pulsequicken as I couldn’t get enough of touching him.
“I hurt you when I pushed you away.” Ishuddered at the words as anger at myself slithered through me. Itwas the first time I’d ever truly acknowledged that. I may havebeen trying to protect him in some ways, but I’d also wounded andconfused him. “I’m sorry for that.”
Kobal stiffened against me, and his handtightened on my neck. “I understand why you believed what you weredoing was right. I also understand that I reacted badly withEileen. I regret that and apologize her death happened in front ofyou. We were both neither right nor wrong when it came to her,” hesaid in my ear. “It was a situation that will not be repeated. Norwill the events following iteverbe allowed again.”
“No, they will not,” I vowed. His musclesloosened against me. I couldn’t help but smile at him when hekissed my forehead and stepped away. My head tilted back to takehim in. “Areyouokay?”
“I’m fine, now. I’m not letting you out of mysight again.”
I chuckled as he turned to face the others,but I didn’t want to let him out of my sight again either. Corsonand Bale studied me intently while the others kept glancing betweenAzote, Kobal, and me. I noticed they all kept their distance fromthe hounds prowling in a protective circle around us.
Vargas, Erin, and Hawk looked about asconfused as they would if someone handed them a ten-thousand-piecepuzzle and told them they had an hour to solve it. Bale and Corsonactually smiled at me.
“She can draw on and wield life better than Ithought,” Bale said.
“I’ve been practicing with it,” Iadmitted.
“Sly, like a demon,” Corson said with a wink,and I suddenly understood the admiration in his and Bale’seyes.
“Is that what the golden-white thing you hithim with was, life?” Hawk asked.
CHAPTER 27
River
“Yes,” I replied, earning a censuring lookfrom Kobal.
“How did you do that?” Vargas inquired.
“That’s not for you to know,” Kobal answeredbefore I could.
I frowned at him, but his chin was set andhis eyes were stone-cold as he gave a subtle shake of his head. Iunderstood his reasons for keeping my ancestry a secret, but theyalso deserved some answers. I realized they wouldn’t be gettingthem when Kobal moved me so I couldn’t see their gawking, curiousexpressions.
One of the hounds sat at my feet and releaseda yawn as it rubbed its head against my arm. Its thick coat wasunexpectedly soft given it was a Hell beast who had recently eatenthe head of a fallen angel.
I couldn’t stop myself from running myfingers over its thick coat, which was something it approved of asits head butted against me. It had been trying to be tender, but itstill knocked me back a step.
“Easy, Phenex,” Kobal said.
Its tongue was rough when it licked over myflesh, but not unpleasant. “Phenex?” I asked.
“Yes, she is the female, and Crux”—hegestured to the slightly larger one who trotted over to rub at myother arm—“is the male and her mate.”
I couldn’t help but smile as the beastsprowled around the two of us. “They’re beautiful.”
