Just then, mine vanished. The growl that ripped from Luke’s chest was louder than the chaos crashing down around us.
“Fuck!” he barked, picking up speed. “Even Hell can’t crumble forever.”
Each rock that struck was a sharp, piercing reminder of how fragile I felt. Fear clawed through me. If I died here, no one would stop the monster currently crushing me to his chest. The thought alone made my eyes burn. He was taking the brunt of it all—shielding me. And yet he still tried to convince me he didn’t care?
How could he watch me fade if the idea of me dying terrified him so much?
A choked cry escaped me when something slammed into my foot. The boots didn’t help. It felt like my bones had cracked. The ache radiated up my leg. Luke shifted me in his arms, tuckingmy knees up as he adjusted his grip. He bent forward so much I couldn’t understand how he was still running at all.
“I think it’s slowing,” he yelled.
I clung to his shirt, breathing in his scent—sweet, burnt, something uniquely him. Comfort in chaos.
“What’s happening?” I asked, breathless.
“The end,” Luke muttered. “It’s not just the human world that’s changing.”
“You knew this would happen?”
“I knew change was coming. To me. To this place. But not like this.”
I hadn’t been able to see anything beyond Luke as he ran, but the world seemed quieter now as he slowed. He straightened as he walked, letting his fingers knead my legs like he was searching for something. The caresses were surprisingly soothing against my bruised skin.
He reached for my boot and tugged. “Let me see your feet. I know one was hit by a sizable chunk of Hell.”
I gave him an are-you-serious look, though he didn’t seem to notice—too focused as he yanked my boots off.
“Wouldn’t this be your home or room—or whatever you want to call it down here—that’s falling apart?” I asked.
“I don’t have a home. Everything that exists here is something I created. I can make anything disappear as easily as I brought it into existence.” He glanced at me, brow furrowed. “Do you really think I’d run through falling rubble if it was something I could control?”
I frowned. “But Hell is your domain.”
“And like I said, Hell is affected—just like everything else. It’s changing.”
He was admitting it—he’d lost power, just as I had. Just like the Reapers. My heart shouldn’t have softened because of that, but it did. Each beat now drummed for him.
The warmth didn’t last long.
He peeled off one of my socks. I hissed, trying to jerk away, but I was still tucked firmly against his chest. He dropped to the ground, letting his legs splay out, and sat me between them. Cradling my foot in one hand, he dragged his thumb over the large bruise.
“I should’ve known something might happen down here.”
I wiggled my toes. My foot throbbed, but I could move it. The pinch of his brow, and the tension in his jaw made me freeze. The worry bleeding into his features was so visible—so un-Luke—I tensed. I didn’t want him to notice how much he revealed. I had craved this attention and softness from Shadow for so long. I didn’t want to ruin it…even if that made me a fool.
He sighed, still staring at my foot like the bruise offended him.
“My Reaper powers will probably kick in soon,” I said, trying to soothe him.
“You shouldn’t have gotten hit.” He ran his hand up my pants leg. “Was that the worst one?”
“Yeah.” I couldn’t resist smiling—until my gaze drifted past Luke’s face.
Huge chunks of flesh were missing from his shoulders and arms. I could see bone bulging through his right forearm.
“Oh, Luke!” I gripped his wrist carefully, noticing the gashes across his hand too.
He grunted. “I don’t feel it. Why are you shrieking?”
