“I don’t like seein’ you in pain.”
“I know, but just because you’re my soul mate doesn’t mean you have to take my pain from me.”
Russell’s eyes soften. “What about because I’m your best friend?”
“Nope. Not even then.”
Russell sighs. “Then spill your guts and tell me what Brennus was doin’ inside you.” Russell pulls his hand through his tawny hair in agitation.
“Here’s the short version. He drank my blood and wandered into my dream. I think he was a little surprised that he got there.”
“And he had your blood because...oh yeah, that’s right! Because you gave it to him. You freakin’ let that vampire in!” He points an accusing finger at me.
“Thanks, Russell.” Sarcasm drips from me as I frown, but I’m secretly grateful to fight with him. It prevents me from seeing how Reed is taking this. “I’ll deal with it.”
“How?” Russell asks, not giving me an inch.
“I don’t know yet,” I mumble, sitting up and dragging my feet to the edge of the bed so that my back is to Reed and Russell. “I’ll figure it out.”
“What did he do in your dream world?” Reed asks.
I glance over my shoulder at him before I look away. “He warned me that the Fallen plan to go to war over me. He thinks there’s another half-breed just like me...well, not just like me...a...err, a male...” I trail off, but the silence is short lived.
“How does he know?” Reed asks and it sounds suspiciously like his interrogator voice.
“Molly came across a fallen angel. Finn questioned him and found they’re planning a war.”
“Over you?” Reed asks.
“For me,” I affirm.
“And Brennus is your ally?’ Reed asks.
“I don’t know what he is. He’s my enemy one minute, and then he saves me from a fate worse than death in the next and I...” I look at Reed helplessly.
Russell’s wings flair out in agitation. “You trust him!”
My eyes narrow. “I trust that he wants me. I don’t trust him. There’s a difference.”
“There is a difference,” Zephyr agrees. “Just make sure you know it.”
Delayed shock sets in and I tremble. “I know it,” I whisper. My hand manages to gesture toward my sore chest. The wound has healed over now, but it’s still painful and raw. “I also know that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” And my “frenemy” is coming back again tonight when I close my eyes.
My stomach clenches in fear, making me nauseated. With the bed sheet still wrapped around me, I stumble to the bathroom. I make it just in time to vomit most of what I’ve eaten recently into the toilet. “Uhh,” I groan the sick sound people make when they finish puking. My wings retreat into my back, refusing to remain out.
Reaching for the handle, I push it down. As I rise from the floor, Reed’s hand grasps my elbow, helping me to my feet. Without a word, he leads me to the shower, turning it on. He pulls my sheet and bandages off before helping me into it, but he doesn’t join me. Instead, he walks to the sink, finds a toothbrush and smears a liberal amount of toothpaste on it. He hands it to me in the shower. Then, he closes the shower door and walks back to the sink, leaning against it with his arms crossed as he waits for me to finish. The loose-fitting pajama bottoms ride low on his hips. He’s obscenely handsome in a way that makes me feel weak for him.
I let the water rain down on me, parting my lips to wash away the taste of fear in my mouth. I glance at the shower wall where the broken tiles spider in a seductive pattern. Reaching out, my fingers glide over their rough texture. At the memory of how Reed and I made that mark, a small glow warms me, chasing away the bitterness.
The feeling is so unexpected, given what has already happened today. I turn the water off and open the glass door. Reed is there with a black robe. He takes the toothbrush from me and helps me into it. As I turn to look at him, I see his dried blood on his shoulder, the only remaining sign from where Brennus bit him, or I bit him, depending on how one looks at it. Frowning, I take his hand in mine and lead him to the sink. I wash away the blood from the bite and the other cuts that Brennus had made during the struggle. When I’m finished, I say softly, “I’m sorry.”
“That wasn’t you,” Reed replies.
“No, it wasn’t me,” I agree. “This is me.” I lean forward and kiss the spot on his shoulder where he was bitten, even though it’s gone now. Reed grows still. “And this is me,” I trail another kiss along his throat. “And this,” I say as my lips find his and kiss him gently, with love rather than passion.
Reed’s fingertips touch my cheek and trail a line down the sensitive part of my neck. It grips my skin. I shiver again with desire. His eyes darken at my response to his touch. The silk of my robe glides over me and slips off of my shoulder at Reed’s urging. His hand moves downward, tracing the side of my breast before it travels to my hip. I gasp as Reed jerks me to him possessively. I feel the fire for him everywhere.
He turns me to face away from him. My hands rest on the marble countertop next to the sink. I see him behind me in the mirror. He reaches around me, untying the belt of my robe and parting it. The slick fabric licks my arms as it slips to my elbows. I straighten them and the robe falls off of me to pool on the floor. My abdomen tightens as I yearn for him to touch me.
Reed’s hand sweeps my hair aside before it goes to the drawer next to us. Something glimmers in the mirror. I watch as he reaches in front of me and places the red diamond necklace he gave me for my birthday around my neck. The pendant is cool against my skin. It lies next to the ring that I gave him for our first Christmas—my uncle’s ring.
“Wait,” I breathe, stilling his hands before he can close the clasp. I work the ring off the necklace. It’s heavy in my hand. “Okay.”
Reed fastens the clasp. He leans forward, kissing me just behind my ear, causing every molecule in my body to come alive. His arms wrap around my waist. My hand covers his as I slip the ring on his finger.
“I missed my ring,” he murmurs as his hands move to my bottom. I find it hard to breathe; my wings shoot out of my back. They press against his chest, not to push him away, but more to seductively play against him. I’m not exactly aware of what they’re doing, they act in ways I can’t explain, but I think he likes it because it elicits a sexy groan from him. As soon as I hear it, I want to find a way to make him groan like that again.
His reflection in the mirror smiles temptingly, while his wings spread out around him to mimic what mine are doing. His arm wraps around my waist as he pulls me against him. The deep green eyes in the mirror have my pulse racing. My arms reach up to thread my fingers into his dark hair. He bends forward, nuzzling my neck. My heartbeat is spinning. I want no other life than the one I have with Reed.
Before I know that I’m saying it, I whisper, “Stay with me.” His threat earlier to leave me is still raw. I don’t know if he meant it, but it scares me.
Reed’s voice is sexy and soothing as he speaks to me in Angel. His mouth is so close to my ear that his warm breath does crazy things to me. The tip of his finger finds the binding mark on my heart: his wings. He traces the shape while he whispers something to me that I can’t understand, but it sounds like another vow.