“No.” He nodded behind me, where I knew Lilith was watching us, most likely trying to listen in. “Take care of this shit-show first. Maybe a little better than you were a minute ago, I might add.”
Then he vanished in a blink, and the chaotic energy Lexi had unleashed disappeared a moment later. Tension lined every muscle as I turned back to see Lilith’s beautiful face contorted with confusion. I grit my teeth, the need to tear someone apart pulling at my gut. Scales threatened to burst through my skin at the thought of whatever Lexi might be doing with Nathan in retaliation for what she’d just witnessed, and suddenly it was his head I wanted to rip off.
“Who was that?” Lilith wrapped her arms around her stomach, over the spot I’d seen slashed open just days ago, and tilted her head toward the door. “One of your allies? She looked angry.”
She abso-fucking-lutely was. And so was I, for letting this happen. For getting careless. For letting my past cloud my judgment.
Because for all her exquisite acting skills, Lilith couldn’t hide the sparkle of amusement in her eyes.
Chapter 8
Lexi
I was pacing like a caged tiger, but I couldn’t stop myself. If I stopped moving, my apartment would pay the price. Nathan sat on the edge of the couch, and I felt his eyes on me like a lead weight. My magic boiled just beneath my skin, and it was all I could do to keep it contained.
All the progress I’d made the last few weeks went to shit the second I saw that woman all over Lucifer. Part of me wondered if I’d made some mistake in thinking I would be enough for the big, bad Devil. We’d never officially defined our relationship and the terms that came with it; I’d just assumed the fucking king of demons would, what, be monogamous? With someone who might be lucky enough to share a fraction of his lifetime?
What a joke.
A splinter of ice stabbed through my head and I doubled over, eyes squeezed shut against the sudden pain. Nathan’s heavy footsteps thudded across the floor, hands bracing me as my knees buckled. His voice was muffled, his words lost beneath the pounding in my ears. Pain pressed against the backs of my eyes, making them water, and I tried and failed to stop tears from spilling down my cheeks.
“I’m not crying,” I said through gritted teeth.
“I can see that.” A cool hand brushed my cheek lightly, as if wiping away the evidence.
My breath stuttered and I cracked one eye open to look up at Nathan. “My head…”
“What do you need?”
No complicated questions, no demands. His response was exactly what I needed. At that moment, I didn’t care whether or not Lucifer had asked him to babysit me. He was here, offering support when I was falling apart. His magic couldn’t heal whatever was broken inside of me, but his genuine friendship was a good start.
I released a shuddering breath and scrubbed my face as the ice in my head slowly retreated. “Nevermind,” I replied. “I think it’s passed now. Thank you.”
Nathan watched me dubiously, blonde eyebrows tilted up with concern, but he helped me off the floor and over to the couch.
Whatever that feeling was, I didn’t like it. It had only started once I began using my magic intentionally, and I knew it wasn’t a coincidence. Loki was unsure, and my mom had never heard of that kind of side effect of using magic within the coven. But calling it a side effect seemed wrong, too—though I had no clue what the hell else itcouldbe.
Now that it was gone, my leg started bouncing, the need to move rushing back into the space the cold had hollowed out. Nathan’s hand landed on my shoulder before I could stand up and pace some more.
“You’re going to wear a trench in the carpet.”
Frustration exploded out of me and the already damaged coffee table followed suit. Wood shards punctured the walls, the entertainment center, and the new TV Sophie had bought us after I destroyed the last one. Nathan pressed himself into the couch cushions, eyes wide as he stared at the damage.
“Um,” he whispered, then cleared his throat. “I think getting you out of here is probably a good first step.”
Guilt tinged the anger that still raged inside me. I needed an outlet before I took out the entire fucking apartment building. “You’re right. Let’s go.”
I watched my hand carefully as I reached out to drag him along again, praying it didn’t burst into flame like it had earlier. If I got someone seriously hurt because I lost control of my own abilities, I wasn’t sure I could live with myself. Nathan snagged his coat on the way out the door, and I glanced down at my own ripped jeans and black tank top, at least thankful I was still wearing my boots. The cold was never a problem unless you counted odd looks from other people.
“Where are we going?” He eyed my Jeep as walked past the parking lot. Loki hadn’t stuck around after we reappeared in my apartment, and that was probably for the best since he was the one who suggested I go with Nathan to check in with his Salem crew this morning.
We continued down the street, heading toward the harbor and the walking trail that bordered it. But it wasn’t the walking trial I was aiming for today. Old Harbor Park was home to a building I didn’t regularly visit unless I was dropping Sophie off.
“A gym?” Nathan asked when we crossed North Point Drive. “You didn’t strike me as the weight-lifting type.”
“I’m not.” I shoved the door open, heat rushing across my cheeks and bare arms, along with the tangy stench of sweat. It was almost noon during Thanksgiving Break, so naturally the place was busier than usual. “Sophie should be working today.”
He looked around as I headed for the room I thought I could find Sophie. “Lexi, this looks like a clubhouse-style gym. I don’t thinkanyoneactually works here.”
