I didn’t shy away from the golden embersburning in his eyes when he looked at me again. If my mother hadbeen standing before him now, he would have gutted her withoutblinking an eye.
“I couldn’t react to her,” I said instead ofanswering his question. I’d prefer not to recall those few timeswhen I’d been certain she would finally do what I felt she’d alwayswanted to do, and kill me. “I had to remain as calm as possiblearound her. She took my brothers from me when I did react to her,but with you, I can’t control my emotions sometimes. You make mereact before thinking.”
“I make you lose all control.”
I nestled against his side. “Yes.”
He rested his fingers against my face andbrushed back strands of my hair. “Why do you think that is?”
“I’m not sure. I’m comfortable around you, Iknow that no matter what I do…” My voice trailed off, I sat up as Itried to puzzle the rest out. “You get angry with me, you try toorder me around, but you’d never purposely hurt me. No matter whatI say or do, you won’t turn from me; you won’t try to punish andinflict pain on me. I pushed you away and you still gave me mybrothers.”
“I’d give you the world, Mah Kush-la, if Icould. And if I ever meet your mother, she’ll know pain.”
My breath hitched in at his words.“Kobal—”
“There is nothing you could do to stop mefrom loving you, that is why you fight me and disobey me.”
“Or maybe I disobey because I’m not meant toobey,” I replied.
A small smile curved his mouth. “No, you mostcertainly aren’t.”
I settled against him again, taking comfortin the warmth of his body. “No matter how much you infuriate me,there’s nothing you could do to stop me from loving you either,” Iwhispered.
He rested his hand on my shoulder and drew mecloser against him. I glanced at the closed window separating usfrom those sitting in the bed of the truck. “Do you think it wouldbe better if we told all the humans what I am?” I asked. “It mayhelp to calm them if they had an idea of what and who they arefighting for.”
His smile faded away. “No. There is no way toknow how they would react to the knowledge and we can’t take therisk they’d do something foolish. If it was only the ones with usnow, perhaps it would be best, but there will be other humansjoining us at the gateway and rumors will spread.”
“Being kept in the dark is often morefrightening than being informed.”
“And sometimes ignorance is bliss. Many mightnot like that they are fighting with and for Lucifer’sdaughter—”
“Descendent.”
“You don’t even like it. Are you willing totake the chance at least one of them won’t try something recklesswith the knowledge?”
“I don’t know, maybe,” I murmured.
“It won’t be today, so let’s discuss this atanother time.”
There were some battles I was more thanwilling to let go, for now. I tried not to drift off but the soundof the tires on the road and the warmth of him enfolded me in awarm cocoon. Eventually, exhaustion drug me into its unrelentingdepths.
The sun was in the middle of the sky when thetruck pulled to the side of the road. I stirred, pressing closer toKobal when his arm slid around my waist and he kissed my temple.“It’s time for a food break,” he murmured.
I reluctantly pulled away from him, but thepressure in my bladder and the rumble in my stomach had me slidingout the missing door. I made my way to the woods before returningto wash my hands with water and accepting my ration of beef jerkyand a can of beans.
“How much further is it?” I asked Kobal whenwe walked over to sit by the truck.
“A day at the most, maybe less,” hereplied.
I gulped down my cold spoonful of beans.“Almost there,” I muttered.
His hand rested against my arm. It seemed hesimply needed to touch me as his fingers caressed my skin before hestepped away. I climbed into the back of the truck to join theothers and sat on the metal siding.
Across the way from me, Hawk was propped upagainst the side. His skin was still ashen, and the white bandagecovering his chest had a maroon stain on it, but at least he wasawake again. Thankfully, he hadn’t required a blood transfusion.Erin handed him a can of beans and a package of jerky.
“How are you feeling?” I asked him.
“Like claws raked my ribcage and half a pintlow, but I’m alive, thanks to all of you.”
