“I don’t know,” I replied honestly. “But he’s capable of doing anything to get what he wants.” I put on the gloves. “Lucifer’s reign.”
“Sleep,” he whispered, walking toward the bed and dropping down on the floor. He propped his arm on one knee while he left his other leg straight out. He leaned his head back and sighed. He looked exhausted. “You’re coming with me tomorrow.”
“What?”
“I’m not letting you out of my sight now,” he reopened his eyes and spoke. A thrill ran through me from his words. His heroism was sexy and continued to throw me for a loop. I’d never been protected. Only given away. Trained and beaten and used, but never met someone that wanted to help me.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked again suddenly more self-conscious in hundreds of ways.
“If you need a reason to help someone, Izzie, then you’re living wrong.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “Turn off the light and climb back in bed.”
I did as he said and slipped under the covers and fell asleep on the side of the bed he was propped up against. Icouldn’t see him in the dark, but that didn’t stop my eyes from trying to see him as I drifted off…
Nine
Sebastian
Agloved hand stirred me awake by shaking my shoulder. My neck cracked as I rotated it around. I groaned, ignoring the familiar sleepiness of my curse approaching. It made it easier to do with the stiffness I felt all over and Isabella behind me. I dozed off when I hadn’t meant to, which meant the curse was near already but not enough that I couldn’t be woken.
I thought back to how I’d seen the male on top of her in the bed, pinning her down and the anger gave me a boost of energy. I jumped to my feet, then regretted it because I swayed.
“Hey, are you okay?” Izzie asked, voice still husky from sleep.
I said I would protect her, but when my curse hit me I was fucking useless—a burden. If that happened when she needed me…Shrug that gloomy thought away.I needed to touch her again, but if I did that, wouldn’t I be using her? Turning around, I stared at her. “I’m fine,” I told her, letting my gaze travel over her. By now, she should be used to the way I blatantly ogled her. She was a tiny little thing. I’d almost bet both my hands could wrap around her waist, yet… My cock stirred in my jeans. She was really damn cute and getting my hands on her felt more like it was my duty: to get her underneath me. Even more than it was to get my energy. Sure, I needed it but I wanted inside her. Izzie might think my want to touch her was purely my needing energy from her, but that was only part of it. I mean,look at her.Her curves were easy to miss if you weren’t actually looking, they were subtle.Completely delicate despite her being powerful. And those dark eyes and lippy mouth, she was beautiful.I was an entity, but more or less that made me an immortal man and having her around and not wanting to fuck her? I wasn’t even about pretending I didn’t want her.
I was supposed to be helping her like I said I would. Not planning on how I’d get in her pants, but my mind had taken that detour last night in the living room. She was easing up on me, I could feel it. She was no longer hostile, but she was afraid, and she was still wary of me and everything else. It made me curious as to what Harvest had done to her exactly. I’d never seen anything like how her skin was last night. Black lines raced all over her creamy flesh and she had to turn off the light until they were gone… It was bizarre.
I turned to face the bed and materialized a change of clothes for her. “Get dressed, I’ve got Reaper work to do.”
She turned and eyed the clothes. It was a pair of black jeans and shirt. “Are you sure you want me tagging along?” I wondered how long it would take me to thaw her hesitation when it came to me. Not that I minded the adorable way she lowered her eyes and bit her bottom lip when unsure, an obvious contrast to when she was spitting venom at me.
“I’m sure,” I told her. “Besides, you can fill me in on all I need to know about your deadly touch and that ‘darkness’ as you call it.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“Because it’s what’s keeping me from touching you and I very much want to touch you.” I’d never been subtle in my damn life. I saw what I wanted and aimed for it. And right now what I wanted was her safety and her.Allof her. And instead of spending time on the whys like Izzie did with everything, I accepted things for what they were. I didn’t need a reason to accept that I’d beendrawn to her the moment my eyes opened and spotted her next to me. I wanted her, simple as that.
That didn’t stop the knowing, feeling inside me from bursting through. Isabella was more than want. Our static touch was only bringing it to the surface.
Her pupils dilated, and she quickly looked away, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. “You have no filter,” she replied with a faint voice. The attraction was mutual. I could see it, feel it, like it’s been there long before the two of us had even met.
I smiled, letting her keep to herself for now. “I’ve been told I’m the good guy out of me and my brothers. Barron is the quiet, brooding one that loses his temper, and August is the cunning, devious one.” I headed for the door. “So thank the lucky stars you encountered the good brother.”
“You bring them up a lot… Your siblings, I mean,” she hesitated. “Are you guys close?”
I paused at the door with a hidden smile. “Kind of hard not to be when we all work together.”
“That sounds…nice.” The sound of her voice gave a reason for me to look back at her. She was standing in the same place with her eyes on the floor, a frown on her lips, sadness in her eyes. “I hated my family but it didn’t mean that I didn’t wish for them to be different and for their fate to be different.”
“It was a fire, right?” I asked her. “That killed them.” Like I said, Reapers knew how everyone died.
She lifted her head. “It was my fault. I cried for them one too many nights while with him until their betrayal bled from me into him and he trapped them and burned them alive because he thought it’d make me happy.”
That was fucked up. No wonder she had so many reservations about me and anyone else that crosses her path. “Did it?”
“It depends on what part of me you’re asking—me or the darkness.” Her lips parted slightly before giving me a weak smile.
Did she need space? I looked away in case my hunch was right. “You’re mouthy for a witch that wanted nothing to do with me not even twenty-four hours ago.”
