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“But you do sleep, right?”
“Yes,” he assured me with a dip of his chin, “but I was also slumbering in a book for a few decades, so I’ve been a bit restless. I’m going to read until you fall asleep.”
He pointed to a large armchair that I didn’t remember being there earlier, but I let that little miracle go.
“You’re going to watch me sleep?”
He handed me a smaller towel for my hair then stepped back to give me space to finish drying myself off.
“No. I’m going to be reading. But if you prefer my eyes not leave you, I will oblige.”
For the first time since he rescued me, his eyes trailed down my body. Most of it was covered in a white bath sheet; nonetheless, my cheeks blushed and I tightened my grip on the barrier.
“What are you reading?Demon’s Digest?”
He snorted, and my chest swelled at the fact that I had elicited humor in a centuries-old entity.
“Actually, I’m catching up on the history of the world from my time away. Wars have come and gone. Countries formed then reformed again. I missed a lot.”
Boredom, sadness, and longing mixed on his face.
I couldn’t pin down why, but I wondered if he was more upset that he’d been trapped or that he’d missed the chaos.
“What year are you reading about tonight?” I stepped over to where the clothes he’d brought me sat on the counter and dropped my towel.
He opened his mouth, speechless, as I pulled a shirt over my head and down my torso. I picked up the pants and debated for a moment. It was warm on this side of the country and I was comfortable enough without them, but I’d rarely slept without pants around Duncan because he saw it as an invitation to fool around.
That made my mind up. I hugged the pants to my belly and walked toward a still-silent Vassago.
“Vass?”
The nickname snapped him out of his stupor. He moved aside but reached his hand out to my cheek.
“Vassago,” he corrected. “My true name has never sounded so beautiful than when you say it.”
There was a flutter of butterflies in my stomach again, but this time, it was paired with a weakness in my knees.
“Vassago?”
“Yes, my gift?”
Oh fuck. Maybe I did like his pet name for me after all. Especially when his deep, sexy voice whispered it.
“What are you going to do to Duncan after I fall asleep?”
He smiled, but his hooded eyes focused on my lips. “I’ve never been great with subtlety. I should have known you’d see right through me.”
I shook my head. It wasn’t a great leap to get to that conclusion, but I knew I couldn’t stop him from hurting or killing Duncan after what he’d done.
“It’s probably better if you don’t know all the gory details.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. A very human part of me wanted to save Duncan from the force of Hell who’d come to my aid. But a dark, primal side wanted to make him beg for death then mount his head on a pitchfork.
“I should come with you.” I knew how wrong that was. I was very mortal and would be the first suspect in any sort of misfortune that befell Duncan tonight.
“You were assaulted and he left in the middle of the night. Never to be seen again after the camera outside your neighbor’s door saw him walk around the corner.”
As if I needed a different angle to view his proposed alibi, I tilted my head and saw his appearance quiver. It was like his whole being glitched or vibrated for the quickest moment.
