Lexi said goodnight to everyone and dartedacross the hall. She shut the door, stripped out of her jacket,pulled the pins from her hair, and stepped beneath the showerheadjutting out of the concrete wall.
She used a forgotten shampoo bottle to scrubher hair and body before reluctantly leaving the water behind.
Since a towel wasn’t hiding behind thetoilet, there was nowhere for one to be, so she slid Maverick’sjacket back on. Her nose wrinkled when the potent scent of smokefilled her nostrils, but it was better than being nude.
She gathered her pins, opened the door,strode across the hall to the room she’d claimed, and closed thedoor. A torch burned on the wall beside the bed; it was the onlything with any warmth in the room.
Concrete walls, a small bed with no frame,and a single closet made her feel likeshewas in a cell.She almost flung the door back open, but she’d had enough ofdealing with anyone else today and simply required some time toherself.
Sinking onto the bed, which was morecomfortable than she’d expected, she shrugged out of Maverick’sjacket and tossed it over the metal chair in the corner. Shedropped her pins in the trash.
Wrapping the blanket around her shoulders,she buried herself in it as she settled in to wait.
CHAPTER 67
A thirst for blood pounded through Cole’sveins, swelled his muscles, and throbbed in his temples. Every beatof his heart called for more death.
Blood coated the front of him; it stuck hishair to his face, clung to his beard, and plastered his clothes tohim. The last time he was this covered in blood, it was hisfather’s, and it had repulsed him. Now, he barely noticed it as hestepped out of the portal behind Brokk.
Lexi’s strawberry scent instantly filled hisnostrils, and his racing pulse eased as his bloodlust ebbed. Thatsweet aroma calmed the shadows’ unquenchable vengeance, and theysettled down as they eased away from him.
For the first time since he beat Malakai todeath, the blood coating him was unacceptable and abhorrent. She’dseen him at the ball and the manor, but she couldn’t see him likethis again.
As soon as they exited the portal, Orinturned a corner and strode toward them. The apprehension on hisface made his cheekbones sharper. His black eyes stood out morestarkly against the pallor of his skin.
Varo emerged behind him, and the second hiseyes landed on Cole, he blanched. Cole kept his shoulders back ashe walked toward them. He could act as if he didn’t have a care inthe world, but he was aware something wasn’t right with him.
The shadows were changing him; he couldn’tdeny it, but he also couldn’t turn away from the power they gavehim. They would help him protect Lexi, which wasthemostimportant thing.
“Where is she?” he demanded.
“She’s in her room,” Orin said.
“She’s really upset,” Varo said. “They lither home and barn on fire… with the horses still inside.”
“Did she see that?”
“Yes, that’s why we risked our asses to savethem and why we now have two of them running around this place,”Orin said.
“Make that four,” Brokk said. “Torigon andAspri are here too.”
Orin looked to Cole and shook his head. “Youtwo tenderhearted morons are perfect for each other.” Then his gazeraked Cole, and he winced a little. “Or… maybe one of you isn’t sotenderhearted anymore.”
Cole’s eyebrows shot up as he brieflyenvisioned tearing his brother’s heart out. In response, theshadows stirred. Varo and Orin paled a little further but didn’tback away.
“You better control those things,” Orinsaid.
“What do you think I’m doing?” Cole demandedthrough his clenched teeth. “You let Lexi go into a burningbarn?”
“In case you forgot, Cole, your fiancée is abit stubborn and doesn’t like to listen to reason,” Orin retorted.“Believe me, if it were up to me, it wouldnothavehappened, but I was outvoted. Besides, she was the only one who wassafe in that barn. It was the rest of us who would have crispfried.”
Cole’s fingers dug into his palms as he tooka slow breath before releasing it. He had to calm down. He wouldn’thave been able to stop Lexi either; he shouldn’t expect them to doso.
“Did you save all of them?” he asked.
“Two of them panicked too much and had to beset free; whether they survived or not, I don’t know. I wasn’tsticking around to find out, especially once the dragon arrived andreleased its fire, but we all survived.”
“Good to know. What happened after that?”
