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He glanced over at me and grinned. “All you, baby girl.”
Deep breath, Sierra. You’ve got this. I tightened my grip on the stake and walked forward. No need to rush into what would probably be my death if Nathaniel weren’t here to play backup.
“Remember, keep your arms in. Use your whole body.”
The demon’s lips pulled back, and he bared surprisingly normal-looking teeth at me. His canines might have been a bit sharper than the average human’s, but I’d been expecting legitimate fangs or something.
He made a grab at me and I twisted out of the way.
“Good,” Nathaniel said, his voice as calm and steady as if we were back in the gym. “Next time, block and use it as an opportunity to get in closer.”
It went against every instinct I had to movetowardthe demon whowastrying to kill me no matter how much Nathaniel was treating this like a training exercise. But as the demon reached for me again, I twisted into the strike, knocking his arm away from me and driving the stake into his heart. Well, I tried for his heart. In reality I was about five inches low, but the demon still collapsed into smoke. I was beginning to think Nathaniel was right about it being a miracle that I’d managed to kill that lord of Hell nearly three weeks ago. I was beginning to think it would take me months or even years to be able to replicate that action.
“Are you okay?” Nathaniel was in front of me within seconds, his hands wrapped around my upper arms while he looked me over from head to toe.
“I’m fine.” I looked up at him, taking in the bright green eyes and the little crease between his brows, and smiled. “Thank you.”
“For?”
“Teaching me how to defend myself instead of just pushing me behind you.”
“Wouldn’t want to waste all that badassery you’ve got in your teeny-tiny body.” His wings curved around us like a hug, blocking out the rest of the world. “You’re not the damsel I was expecting when I went looking for you.”
Thirteen
Sierra
I was spendingThursday evening sitting on the couch with Nathaniel, trying to convince myself to get up and make dinner.
“So I have news,” Kylie said the second she entered the apartment, dropping her keys on the end table and pulling her hair out of its tight ponytail. “I’m going away for the weekend.”
“Um, okay…” I sat up straighter, scrambling to find some way to say what I wanted to without sounding insulting or judgy. “Kylie, are we ever going to meet this guy?” It didn’t escape my notice that I’d saidwe. It was purely a bodyguard thing, I told myself. Nathaniel went wherever I went. It wasn’t a scheme to scare away Mr. Help Me Babysit My Cute Nephew.
“I’m not going with him,” Kylie answered. “I’m visiting my mother. Her sister is having a baby shower this weekend.”
“Oh.” To be honest, Kylie’s family wasn’t much better than most of the guys she dated, but they were still her family and I could never tell her to cut them out of her life. Even if I did want to just adopt her into my family and forget that she hadn’t been there all along.
“I’m heading out after school tomorrow and coming back Monday, but I’ll probably just head straight to school from my mom’s.”
“Well, I hope you have fun at the shower. Do you want to do something tonight?”
She looked between me and Nathaniel. “Actually, I was thinking of getting my nails done and psyching myself up to spend a whole weekend with my mom. I would love to hang out Monday night though. I have a feeling I’m going to need to vent.”
I stood up and hugged her. “If you need anything at all this weekend, call me. I’ll come pick you up if need be.”
“And face my crazy-ass family?”
“I’d face anything for you. Besides, I have a scary bodyguard now.”
Kylie laughed. “I love you, Sierra.” She leaned in close to whisper in my ear. “Take advantage of having the apartment to yourselves. Please. The sexual tension between the two of you is getting hard to live with.”
I frowned, praying Nathaniel hadn’t heard that.
Needless to say, Kylie wasn’t convinced by anything I’d said after she walked in to find Nathaniel and me breathing the same air. Ever since Sunday, she’d been making comments and giving us pointed looks. I couldn’t really blame her. I felt that tension and chemistry too, but I also took Nathaniel seriously when he said we couldn’t go there. Not to mention, I didn’twantto fall for an angel who wasn’t going to stick around. So Kylie’s constant comments didn’t help.
“I love you too,” I said, choosing not to acknowledge anything else she’d said.
She smiled brightly. “See you later.” She pulled a sweater over her head and headed back out the door.
