I turned away and strode toward the main doorbefore I started screamingno, no,noin the middle of the cafeteria too.
You’re doing this forthem. They must be kept safe and this may be the only way to ensurethey have any kind of life.
I joined the other soldiers filing throughthe door. I could smell the scent of their tears as they left theirloved ones behind again, but I sensed a resoluteness in the set oftheir shoulders. Muffled sobs from those we were leaving behindfollowed us out the door.
Looking back, I gave a final wave and smileto my brothers before stepping into the hall and heading out on ajourney where I would most likely meet my death. Tears slid down myface, not for the possible loss of my life, but for the loss ofthem. They’d been my entire world since they were born, and ifdying meant saving their lives, I would do it.
I wiped the tears away and stopped by whereKobal stood at the door to the outside. He stared across the grasstoward the tents on the top of the hill before turning his head tolook at me. I had no idea what he was thinking when his eyes metmine, but a muscle twitched in his jaw.
“Thank you for this,” I said.
His full lips remained compressed for aminute more before he finally spoke. “It was necessary to rebuildthe trust with the humans.”
I stared at him, uncertain of how to takethat. “I’m sure it worked.”
“Did it?” he inquired.
Ireallydidn’t know how to take that. Was this his way of apologizing? Ifit was, I had to admit I didn’t think he needed to apologize. Hisnature caused him to act the way he did when he killed Eileen, andmy humanity caused me to be a bit disturbed by it. He shouldn’thave to apologize for who he is. His actions hadn’t been right tome, but they had been right to him. For him to apologize for thatwould be like expecting a shark to apologize to a fish after eatingit.
He continued to stare at me expectantly, butI was still trying to figure out what he meant when he turned onhis heel and walked away. “You will be riding with me.” The wordswere thrown at me over his shoulder. “And if you think aboutarguing or doing something different, I’ll have you strapped intothe vehicle in front of everyone.”
I should be mad over his high-handed command,but he’d given me back my brothers, if only for a little bit, and Ifound I didn’t have any anger in me right now. I was certain thatfeeling wouldn’t last long.
***
Kobal
I couldn’t look back at her as I strodeacross the grass passed where the vehicles that would take us fromhere had been parked. The tears in her eyes tore at my insides, andthe cries of her youngest brother resonated in my ears. I’d neverbefore felt any sympathy for a human until River walked into mylife. I never would have gone out of my way to make one of themhappy, because their happiness meant nothing to me.
Now all I wanted was her happiness, more sothan finally claiming my throne—a throne I’d worked my entirefifteen hundred sixty-two years to claim. The gateway had to beclosed, Lucifer had to be stopped, but right then, I would havewalked away from it all, given Bailey back to her, and taken herfar from here.
The seals would eventually break open,Lucifer would one day feel his growing army was strong enough towalk the earth and take on the obstacles he would face here, andthe wall would fall, but River would be happy until then.
And then she would die.
My claws tore into my palms when I fisted myhands. I would do what must be done, like I had from the second ofmy creation, but instead of doing it for my throne, I would do thisfor her. I would kill that bastard once and for all to give her thelife she deserved, even if she never allowed me into her lifeagain.
Finally feeling stable enough to look at her,I glanced over at her bent head. Her gaze was on her boots as shefollowed me across the grounds to the tents. Pulling the flap of mytent aside, I waited for her to enter before following herinside.
“Gather your things,” I said, far morebrusquely than I’d intended.
My eyes fastened on her mouth when she tiltedher head back to look at me. I recalled the sweet taste of her lipsas the fresh rain and earthy scent of her filled my nose. My cockswelled as my desire for her increased.
The fading marks on her flesh almost causedan involuntary snarl to tear from me. My hands fisted, my clawslengthened as I resisted the impulse to grab hold of her and claimher again. Demons would still recognize her as my Chosen without mymarks on her. They would scent me on her, but I wanted the humansto know too. She wasmine.
“What are you doing?” she cried when drops ofblood spilled from my palms to fall on the earth. “Kobal, stopit!”
I snatched my hand away from her when shewent to take it. Her touch was too much right now; I couldn’thandle it. “Don’t!” I hissed from between my teeth. “Don’t touch meright now, not unless you’re going to welcome me inside of youagain.”
The color drained from her face as sheglanced between my hands and my face. She radiated distress, yetthe scent of her increased with her growing hunger for me. She mayhave told me to get out of her life, but she would never be able todeny her attraction and need for me.
“Kobal—”
“I am on the verge of taking you right now,River, so either say yes and I’ll have you naked faster than youcan blink, or get your stuff and let’s go.”
Her body swayed instinctively toward minebefore she took an abrupt step back. Disappointment crashed throughme. All of my demon instincts screamed at me to take her, to claimher, to mark her once more. Beneath my skin, the hounds rippled asthey howled their discontent.
I didn’t know how, but somehow I managed tokeep myself restrained from dragging her against me and crushing mymouth to hers. Unable to deny the desires of her body and her demoninstincts, she would yield to me, but then I’d only have moments ofrelease before her human side came back into play. Her anger withme would return, and she’d hate me more for it.
