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“I promise you I can take care of myself just fine,” I repeated. Once again, he ignored me.
When I got close enough, Alek gripped my waist and lifted me onto the counter. I was absolutely certain I could have done that myself, but I also didn’t stop his hands from lingering on my waist.
“Band-Aids are in that cabinet,” I breathed.
Alek swiftly followed my instructions to find the Band-Aids but set them down beside me and grabbed a paper towel instead. He ran it under the kitchen water to dampen it. When he turned back to me, his face was completely serious. “This might hurt,” he said. He slid one hand to the back of my knee, and with the other, lightly dabbed the bloody skin.
Yeah, it hurt like a bitch.
I instinctively kicked out, but he gripped my bare leg with strong fingers and held it down. “Easy there,” he teased.
“Sorry,” I whispered.
Alek smirked and returned to cleaning the wound. His brows drew together in focus as he wiped away every drop of blood. When he was done, he placed the Band-Aid on my knee carefully.
Goosebumps electrified my skin at the soft touch of his fingers.
“All done,” he announced. His hands lingered on my knee, sending floods of heat through my thigh. “Do me a favor and don’t tell your mother you were bleeding all over the city with me tonight.”
His dark eyes met mine, the deep green in them seeing straight into my soul.
I laughed. “Theia won’t be hearing about any of this. Don’t worry.”
“Theia?” he repeated. “You’re on a first-name basis with your own mother?”
Shit.A chill ran down my spine. I cursed at myself for letting her name slip, but Alek didn’t seem to register anything. He had no reason to be suspicious, anyway. I’m sure there were plenty of women named Theia living in the city. Why would mine be the Goddess of Light?
If only he knew.I hadn’t considered that woman a mother in a very long time. “Something like that.”
Alek’s eyes darkened. I could tell he was curious, but he didn’t push, and I didn’t add anything else.
“I should get going,” he said. “Are you okay here?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Good,” he said, walking toward the window. “I’ll pick you up here tomorrow for your side of the deal. I’ll have another demon event for you to attend later this week.”
A groan escaped me. “How many events am I going to have to attend with you?”
“What?” he teased. “Tonight was so terrible?”
I questioned his words. “No, actually.”Shut up, Lyra.“It wasn’t.”
Alek’s eyes twinkled, and his mouth flashed a smile. “Good. I’ll call you with the details.”
“No way, my mother will know if you call me. That won’t work.”
Alek fished into his pocket and pulled out a small, ancient-looking cell phone. “Here,” he said. “This is for you. My number’s in it, and feel free to add your friend’s.”
I stared at his hand for a second, my mouth practically on the floor. “You’re giving me a cell phone?”
“Consider it a loan. Your mother doesn’t need to know everything we’re up to, right?”
My chest warmed.
If Theia found out about this, I would no doubt be back in that basement with chains around my wrists.
But a small ball of fire in my soul told me to take it. Take the risk. Take the cell phone.
