Erin lifted her head from where she wasworking on cleaning Vargas’s arm. A bullet had torn away a chunk ofskin on his bicep. She gazed at me before focusing on Kobal. “We’restaying together,” she said.
CHAPTER 28
River
The cool stream of water washing over me feltlike heaven after hours of being covered in layers of grime, blood,and black goo. I scrubbed vigorously at my skin with a bar oflemon-scented soap before turning my attention to my hair.
I lathered it with shampoo, digging into myscalp to try to get it clean before ducking beneath the water. Idid a second layer of shampoo and then took the straight razor tomy legs. Bruises already ran over my side and down my thighs fromAzote tossing me around, but I’d become accustomed to bruises sincearriving at the training facility. They would eventually fade.
As I cleaned myself, I told Kobal everythingAzote had said to me during our fight. He remained on the shore,unmoving as he watched me. His only reaction to my words was thedeepening molten-gold color of his eyes.
“He was the gift Lucifer had promised me inmy dream. He truly believed himself to be my uncle.”
A muscle jumped in Kobal’s jaw. “Forged fromthe same being, angels think of themselves as brothers and sisters,so that makes sense.”
“So I inherited a whole cadre of insane,demonic angels who will believe themselves my aunts and uncles, ormy sisters and brothers, good to know,” I muttered and scrubbed atmy arms again with the soap.
“You were not created like they were. Theyprobably won’t think of you as a sibling, but they obviouslyconsider you a relative.”
“Delightful. Are all angels telepathic likeAzote?”
“Not all of them, but some do wield thatpower. Azote was one of the more powerful angels. Killing him willhurt Lucifer.”
“Good. He also said I was definitely myfather’s daughter, going after the strongest one of the demons,binding you to me. He said Lucifer couldn’t crush you, so I screwedyou.”
Kobal’s lips skimmed back to reveal hisfangs. “And you believe him?”
I didn’t believe him. The only thing that hadever pulled me to Kobal was my uncontrollable craving for him. Iknew some of my draw to him was the demon part of me havingrecognized him as my Chosen and needing to claim him, but most ofit was the man himself and the tenderness in him for me alone.However, it frightened me that the fallen angels seemed to believeI would be the key to his downfall.
“When I welcomed you back into my arms, Imade my choice. I put my faith in you, and us, and I will happilydo so every day for the rest of my life, but you have to understandmy fear,” I told him.
His fangs retracted when some of the straineased from his body. “I do, but you know that’s not why we aretogether.”
“I do,” I agreed. I knew my next words wouldprobably irritate him more, but he had to hear them. “I also sawthe look on Azote’s face when he spotted the sparks of life on myfingers, before I was able to really give him a good blast. It wasso… lost and… hopeful. So broken. I believe I was right. What trulyruined the angels who were thrown from Heaven, what made them sotwisted and evil was the loss of their bond to the flow of life. Ithink I could become like them too, if I lost the connection.”
I held my breath as I waited for hisexplosive denial that I could never become anything like them. He’dalways denied Lucifer’s words so vehemently before.
Now, he remained unmoving, his eyes hooded ashe stared at the water flowing around me instead of at me. Myconfusion grew as I watched him. I’d expected anger when I’drevealed this to him, not the sadness radiating from him now.
Finally, he lifted his gaze back to mine.“Then we will have to make sure the bond is never broken.”
“Yes,” I agreed, but the sadness didn’t leavehis face. “Why does that upset you?”
“Nothing upsets me now that you’re hereagain.”
I didn’t fully believe his words. Somethingwasn’t quite right with him, but I didn’t have the energy or driveto pursue it right now. I finished shaving before ducking beneaththe water a final time. Returning to the surface, I pushed my hairback from my face and made my way toward the shore. My exhaustionslipped away when Kobal’s eyes raked voraciously over me.
Damp from his own dip in the river, his hairwas almost black as it hung around his face and clung to hisforehead and cheeks. My body quickened as I drank in the sight ofhim.
I hadn’t expected him to climb out of thewater before me, pull on his pants, and stand guard while Icontinued to bathe. I’d expected him to take me, to mark me as hisonce more and ease the need growing in me since we’d beenseparated. Instead, he held a towel open for me and enfolded mewithin it when I stepped toward him.
He desired me, I could see that in the fireof his eyes and the arousal straining against the front of hispants, but instead of drawing me against him, he rubbed the towelover my arms and body before reluctantly releasing me and steppingaway. He handed me my clean clothes, which had been sitting on alarge rock on the riverbank.
I hadn’t bothered to bring any underwear withme. I tugged on my pants and buttoned them before pulling on myshirt. He didn’t say a word as he retrieved the lantern sitting onthe shore before taking hold of my hand and leading me toward themakeshift tent he’d built by draping canvas over some branches.He’d carefully laid out blankets on the ground before we’d gone tobathe. I didn’t see any of the others or hear anything over thechirrup of the crickets.
Kobal pulled back the canvas and gestured forme to enter ahead of him. Stepping inside, I turned to face him ashe tugged the canvas into place.
He placed the lantern down and lifted myhairbrush from where it sat next to my backpack. His hands weregentle on my shoulders when he turned me around. Taking hold of apiece of my hair, he lifted it and, with tender care, worked thebrush through the matted tangles in it.
