Well, who could blame me?
His gaze sharpened as something crossed his mind. But he kept his gaze on the forest.
“If you ever go up against Lucifer…”
A shiver swept through my body, my mouth went dry. As Vas shifted into the wind, I let him think it was the cool air that made my shoulders hunch.
“Yeah?”
“Leave the assassin for me.”
“Vas–”
“He killed my parents, Danica. He left me lying in their blood. I owe him.”
Something wrenched in my chest at the desolation in his voice. Vas never talked about his family, about what it had been like to grow up here, knowing his parents were killed before Ag managed to get him out of the underworld.
I took a deep breath. “If I ever go up against Lucifer, the chances of me living through it are minimal.”
He shook his head, and his eyes finally met mine.
“Swear it.”
“I swear.”
* * *
DANICA
To say that Samael wasn’t pleased when I finally fell asleep was an understatement.
“You’re growing weaker,” Samael said. “I can see it, even here.”
“I’m just tired, that’s all.”
“If you get too tired to function–”
“I don’t want to talk about this.”
He showed me his teeth. “We will talk about this.”
“I’m doing everything I fucking can.”
I’d been looking forward to falling asleep, wanted nothing more than for Samael to wrap his arms around me, to reassure me that it was going to be okay.
Instead, he was looking at me like I was a limb he was considering cutting off.
“Youpromised,” he snarled.
I reached up and cupped his cheek. His eyes slid closed before opening to slits.
I couldn’t help but smile. Both of us were so goddamned stubborn. “I know you’ve been putting plans in place to break the bond. I know you talked to Ag.”
He stiffened. “You won’t convince me otherwise,” he warned.
Warmth unfurled in my chest. Even now, while he was literally falling to pieces, his only thought was of protecting me. What had I done to deserve this man? And why hadn’t I recognized who he’d be to me sooner?
“I don’t need to convince you of anything,” I told him. “Yes, I’m tired, but that’s because I’ve had so many adventures over the past few days.”
