Still, he didn’t pull away from my touch.
My stomach knotted. “Are you… mortal?”
He snorted. “I’d be dead if I were mortal, Kitten. Look at me.”
That was true. Still, it seemed strange that he was so wounded.
“Things are changing,” he added. “The end of things also starts new beginnings.”
“Well, if you’re not mortal, then why do you look like sliced meat?”
He arched a brow, then tapped my head twice with his finger. “Did you hit your head again? And here I thought I was sacrificing my own to keep yours untouched.”
His words had me glancing at the top of his head, and I gasped.
One of his horns was broken completely.
I reached out and gripped the one that remained. “Not my handles.”
Luke’s hand on my calf gripped my flesh suddenly, and the action was so possessive my pussy spasmed, despite the aches and bruises.
“Handles?”
My cheeks flushed. I hadn’t meant to say that aloud. “What were you saying before?”
“Kara,” he uttered, forcing more flutters in my core.
“Are you being affected already?” I asked.
He sighed. “Of course, I am. And what do you mean by already. It’s here.”
My eyes widened. “What’s here?”
He looked ahead, and I followed his line of sight. Everything looked like rubble and ruin to me.
“The crossover. I can feel it. It’ll likely open within a day. Maybe more…or less.”
My heart sank, and I stiffened. Already? I knew what I had to do, but I wasn’t ready.
“Stop thinking,” he ordered. “Come. Let’s see what the end has done to my Hell.”
He stood swiftly, and with the grace of someone who didn’t look shredded to pieces. When I stayed in place, he shook his head and bent down.
“I suppose I shall carry you if your foot is sore.”
I tensed as he gathered me against his chest. Knowing how battered he was, I didn’t want to press against any wounds—though it was ludicrous, since Luke had no sense of touch.
“Why are you like that?” he asked.
I blinked up at him. “Like what?”
“So stiff. I might not feel it, but I can see it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Are you sure you can see that?”
After all, he sure couldn’t see how attracted I was to him. Anyone with eyes would know right away how well I responded to Luke’s touch—everyone but him.
He arched a brow. “Don’t be cryptic. Clearly, you’re snooty for a reason. Just speak plainly.”
