Darius pulled me away to look me over.Even bloodied and bruised he was more handsome than he had a right to be.“Samantha, are you all right?”
Hearing that gritty voice relieved me more than I could say.I gave him a huge kiss, though I gentled my hug.“I’m fine.”
The tension visibly left his stiff frame.
“What about you?”I asked, wondering about his concussion, which hadn’t been helped by being thrown from the vehicle like a piece of trash.
The wraiths watched us with keen eyes and what looked like amusement.Or maybe hunger.Who could tell with these creatures?
“Oh, I’m getting all warmed up.”His eyes glowed, and he removed the contacts and tossed them, giving me a special view of those blood-red irises.
“Darius?”
He growled and stood without my help, glaring at our enemy.“I am done playing nice.”
Oh boy.What next?
Chapter25
Samantha
If the guy with the concussion could stand on his own two feet, I certainly could.
I hurried to stand next to him.He wiped a lot of blood from his forehead, and I saw a deep cut over his brow.
“That has to sting.”
“You think?”
I scowled.“Hey, bucko.Don’t go blaming me for this trouble.”
“I’m not.”He glanced at me, and his gaze softened.“I’m not.I just don’t like seeing you hurt.I’m angry.”
Seeing the real Darius with his bright-red eyes made me feel safer, but not as safe as I’d like.
“I hear that.”I strove for a casual tone, one that managed to hide my barely buried terror at the situation we faced.
We’d narrowed the wraith threat down to two, or so I’d thought.
Six of them now circled around us like vultures, appearing from out of nowhere.Their constant motion made me dizzy so I focused all my attention on Darius and projected an air of calm and strength.I hoped.
“Don’t worry.”He sounded confident enough.“I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Have you ever tasted a mortal female?”one of the wraiths rasped.“Such tender flesh, always succulent and brimming with terror.”It smacked its lips, causing the others to join in nauseating, high-pitched shrieks of laughter.
Darius drew me close, his heat bracing me to stand taller.To my surprise, he stumbled, needing me to hold him upright.Then he closed his eyes, and I nearly had a panic attack.
“Darius?Are you all right?”I whispered, wishing I could give him strength.As much as the wraiths terrified me, the possibility of losing Darius didn’t bear thought.A part of me know that without him, there would be no me.We’d connected on another level, and everything I’d ever believed about fate led me to believe he wasmine.
“My head is killing me,” he muttered and straightened, though his arm continued to sit across my shoulders.“I’m going to obliterate every last one of them.And I’m going to make ithurt.”
His anger made me feel better, though his pallor didn’t negate all my worry.
The wraiths continued to circle us, though they kept a healthy distance away.
Darius narrowed his gaze at the wraith nearest us, and it burst into flame…and continued to smile at us whilenot burning up.
My stomach rolled.
