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That made his impish little smirk fade. "Yeah, I guess that does put things in perspective. And here I was just thinking that I'd finally found a good gift idea. So you know, I suck at buying gifts. I'm horrible about remembering birthdays, anniversaries, or any important dates. So, if you expect me to get you something, please tell me ahead of time?"
Yep, of all the words that could define Thane, cute was becoming the most appropriate. There was something so honestly endearing about the way he said that, so she responded the only way she could. Dahlia wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him hard. This was going to work.Theywere going to work. It felt like he was trying his best to make sure of it.
"We didn't do gifts either," she said against his chest. "But that? The honesty? I think that's the best gift you can give me."
He smoothed his hand down the back of her head, encouraging her to look up at him. "Well, here's a little more honesty. If you're gonna keep pressing up against my naked body, then I'm going to forget to look up the Word to turn off the miniature sun in our bedroom. So, hand me the book, and let's see if we can clean up after your little…" He grinned. "Experimentation."
Stepping back, she offered him the book. He immediately began flipping through the pages, acting like he had a better idea of what was in there and how it was sorted then she had. Granted, he'd been able to look at it more times than she had, so that made sense. Not wanting to distract him, she turned to head for the kitchen, but only made it two steps before he stopped her.
"Don't even think about cooking for me, woman. I didn't marry you because you're the domestic type."
She giggled. "I do know how to work a coffee pot. And so you know, I also drink coffee. How about you clean up the bedroom, I'll brew the coffee so we're both actually awake, and then we can go talk to Cain?"
That caught his attention. "Why are we going to talk to Cain?"
She just pointed to the book in his hands. "Because I made one of the Words work. Thane, eidolon aren't supposed to be able to do that."
"Says who?" he asked.
"Says everyone," she replied. "Inquisitors speak their magic, while ours is used to keep us from dying. That's the balance. That's the way it's always been. Words hurt us and stakes kill us. Inquisitors attack and we run. That's why we've been losing. In order to kill or even hurt a priest, we had to make it through your Words and around your stakes in order to physically tear you apart."
"Yeah, but you seem to be pretty good at tearing people apart, Dahlia. I've gone up against plenty of demons that left a swath of destruction in their wake," he pointed out.
"And how many have you killed that didn't even lift a hand to defend themselves?" she asked. "How many were more compliant than aggressive?"
He ducked his head. "More than fought back, if I'm honest."
She just nodded her head, making it clear he'd proved her point. "Because Words are weapons, and our abilities are defensive. That? Knowing that we can use Words the same way you do? It changes everything."
He huffed as if he hadn't expected that. "Okay. You brew coffee, I'll turn off the lights, and then we'll see if there are any limitations on you eidolon using the weapons of the Inquisition against the Church."
Dahlia just wagged her finger in the general direction of his body. "And somewhere in there, you might want to put on pants. I mean, I'm enjoying the view, but I'm not sure everyone else would react the way you want."
He reached for the doorknob but chuckled. "Trying to say you don't want your friends diving for my dick?"
"Just trying to warn you that a guy can only handle so many blow jobs in a day," she assured him. "And not everyone who will be tempted is a woman."
"Trust me, I've already figured that part out," he assured her. "I mean, seems the only guy I'm hanging out with now wants to suck on my neck - and not in the vampire sort of way. I'm doing my best to be as open-minded as possible. Promise."
"And if anyone pushes you too far, then tell me," she said.
He shook his head. "It's not your job to protect me, Dahlia. I knew what I was getting into when I came here. You worry about everything else, and don't let me add to your burden."
She almost let it go at that. Almost, but she just couldn't help herself. "That may be true, but you need to know that I am the protector type. I may not be very good at it, because I couldn't take care of Mei, but that also doesn't mean I can just stop."
"Yeah, me too," he agreed. "So how about we just figure out a way to take care of each other, hm?"
"I'd like that," she admitted. "But you still need pants."
"Coffee, woman!" He shot back. "What good is having a wife if I can't have her brew my coffee?" He looked back to flash her a grin, proving he was joking, then turned the knob to enter their overly bright bedroom.
ChapterTwenty
CAIN
Cain had always assumed that there would come a time when he was tired of living. He'd seen far too many people give up, and every story about immortality was laced with the warning that it would be too hard to see everyone he cared about die while he kept going. Year after year, century after century, and millennia after millennia, he'd waited.
It still hadn't happened.
