“Let me answer the door!” Lexi blurted.
“You can’t go in the sun,” her fatherreminded her.
Lexi almost slapped her forehead as sherecalledthatnot-so-happy detail. If she opened the door…if she steppedonefoot into the sun, she would ruineverything.
She may not be able to open the door, but shestill ran to Cole, clasped his hand, and squeezed until he fixedhis silver eyes on her. The lycan, whose mate was in jeopardy, wasalready trying to take over.
Lexi gulped. “Donotkill him. TheLord will make us pay if you do, and you just bought us time bybringing him Varo and Orin. We can’t lose that reprieve now.”
“It wasn’t much of a reprieve if Malakai ishere,” Cole replied.
“He could be here of his own accord. Thismight have nothing to do with the Lord. He has stopped by before;you’ve been here when he has.”
Maybe reminding him of this wasn’t the bestthing. However, she chose to believe Malakai’s presence here, sosoon after Cole’s visit to Dragonia, was merely a coincidence.
Call her an optimistic idiot, but shepreferred to hope for the best.
“And if the Lord did send him, it’s becausehe’s looking to bait you into a fight so he can punish you for it.You cannotattack him.”
Cole grunted in response, but at least it wasa response. Then his hand tightened around hers, and his eyesshifted back to their beautiful, blue color.
“I won’t attack him. I would never doanything to put you at risk. Stay out of the sun and out ofMalakai’s view.”
Lexi reluctantly released him and looked toSahira, who had crept up to join them. She was the only otherimmortal in the manor that others could see. As Sahira took upposition behind Cole’s back, she grasped Lexi’s shoulder and nudgedher toward the library.
“Go on now,” her aunt encouraged. “I have hisback.”
There was a time when Lexi never would haveexpected those words to come from her aunt’s mouth, and a time morerecently when she wouldn’t have been sure if she could trustSahira, but she had absolute faith in her now.
“Thank you,” Lexi whispered to her beforeretreating.
With a heavy heart, she stepped into thelibrary and shoved her knuckles in her mouth as the front dooropened.
CHAPTER 10
Cole braced himself for once again seeing theman he despised. When he recalled what this bastard did to Lexi inthe barn and the bruises on her face, everything in Cole screamedfor Malakai’s death.
As the memories ran through his mind, hetasted Malakai’s blood as, in his wolf form, he’d bitten down onthe vampire. He would taste that blood again, but unfortunately,today wouldn’t be the day.
No matter how badly he wanted to beat Malakaiinto a bloody pile of mush, hehadto keep himself undercontrol. If he didn’t, Lexi was right; the Lord would make all ofthem pay… and he would start withLexi.
Cole would get her to safety and hide hersomewhere the Lord would never find her before allowing that tohappen. But once she was out of his grasp, the sick prick would goafter the Gloaming.
Many of his people might have risen againsthim in the rebellion, but there were plenty more who hadn’t and whocounted on him to keep them safe. He might be able to get a lot ofthe dark fae out of the Gloaming before the Lord destroyed it, butmany would perish, including women and children.
Those innocents would not pay because he lostcontrol of his temper. He would not allow it.
With a hand far steadier than the rush ofblood pulsing through him would have indicated, Cole turned thelocks and opened the door. Sunlight streamed across him and intothe hall, but Lexi remained safely out of it.
Standing in the doorway, Malakai had hisforearm resting against the frame as he leaned a little forward.Because he was five inches shorter, he had to look up when Coleanswered the door.
Seeing the vampire’s dark brown hair, browneyes, and lean frame again was like a punch to Cole’s gut. In aflash, the lycan part of him tore free.
Joints and bones cracked and popped; thetransformation started to take him over before he had a chance toprocess it might happen. His jaw extended, and his fangslengthened.
Malakai’s smug smile vanished; he leaned alittle away as Cole started to suppress the lycan and regaincontrol. Cracks and pops filled the air again as his joints andbones shifted back into place.
Malakai no longer smiled, but Cole did.
