“What?” He turned with her as she pulled some of the remaining long braids to thefront.
“So much burned off,” she whispered, gently touching the singed ends. He stared at it for a second. Right. He’d forgotten about getting them cut off. “How?” sheasked.
“When I tried to save you. The white glow emitting from you as the changes took place, exploded, and I got caught in the crossfire. My hair paid theprice.”
Her face fell. “I’m sosorry.”
At her distress, he drew her into his arms. “I don’t care about my hair. You are all that matters. I love you, Shae. I’d give my life for you, don’t you realizethat?”
“I know.” A smile hovered on her lips. “Let me even them foryou.”
He headed back into the dressing room, got a pair of scissors from a drawer, and handed them to her. With his mind, he undid his ropey hair then sat on a wooden chest. She gathered his uneven mane to the back, and the sounds of snipping echoed. Burnt ends and longer tails fell to the floor like black ribbons, but his chest constricted. She was so close, and he couldn’t sense her—couldn’t feel her spirit anymore, faint as their mate-bond hadbeen.
She set the scissors on the trunk and dusted his back. “There. Alldone.”
Before she stepped back, Dagan grasped her arm and rose to his feet. He drew her close and wrapped in his arms, wanting to keep her right there forever. When she died, their faint bonding had severed, probably aided by the damn mate brand on her wrist. But the loss clawed at hissoul.
As if sensing his despair, her worried gaze searched his face. “What isit?”
He shook his head. She pushed away and wrinkled her nose. “Ugh—I smell terrible, like charred dead things, and you didn’t tell me. I’m going toshower.”
“No.” He swept her off her feet, startling a squeal out of her as he headed for the bathroom. “We both are. You were in a healing sleep, how you smelled was of little importance, but to make up, I’ll pay careful attention to every part of you and make sure it’s allwashed.”
“Oh…” Then she smiled. “I like your idea far better, and I get to do the same.” She kissedhim.
A half hour later, they stepped out of the shower. Shae made her way into the dressing room, her face flushed from the intimacy they’d justshared.
Dagan inhaled deeply, rubbing a hand over his chest where her light resided inside him once more. Shae hadn’t even realized that their mating bond was back, probably because of so much energy churning inside her. Except Dagan felt the difference. It was still faint because of the damn mating mark obstructing the completion of their soul-joining.
It was almost midnight when they headed downstairs. Aware of the furtive glances she kept throwing him, he arched a brow. “What?”
“Nothin’...” A smile ghosted her mouth as she raked back her damphair.
Yeah, she was up to no good. He pressed her up against the balustrade with his hips, his hands on the railing, caging her. He lowered his head and ran his tongue over her pulse point. “Tell me. Or… I’ll biteyou.”
“Really?” She leaned back, casting him a sultry look. “Go ahead, I love your mouth onme.”
Amusement tugged his lips. Her smile turned into a sigh. She patted his chest and relented. “It’s just that you look so different. Before, with your long hair, you sported that dangerous, get-the-hell-away vibe. Now, you look really, really hot and sorta have this badass, please-do-melook.”
“Is that so?” He trailed his mouth over the faint lines where the bumpy scar had once been in a slow kiss. “Oh, I plan todoyou, Shae-cat. In every way possible, as soon as Ican…”
* * *
“Samael triedto kill me when I was a child?” Shae shouldn’t be shocked, considering all she’d learned about heruncle.
“Yes,” Jenna said quietly, her eyes dark with pain and anger. “I recall it all now. Samael was unaware that your father had cast a protection spell on you when he first attempted to end your life and failed. You were three. That incantation was to keep you from being detected by the archangel and thrones. But something must have released you from its protection…” She cast a glance at Michael before continuing, “He believes it could have happened when you met yourmate.”
They’d gathered in the kitchen. Dagan stood near the open French doors, his arms folded across his chest. The other warriors were still out on patrol, leaving only Michael and Hedori. Echo sat oppositethem.
As her mother revealed the horror of Samael’s reach—of him killing her father and wiping out Shae’s memories of the incident—Dagan’s expression turneddarker.
“Samael lied to me about Gus being killed in a mugging.” Her mother stared at the teacup she wrapped her fingers around. “He had Aza do it. An angel killing another would instantly draw Michael to him, and that he couldn’t have. He used to tell me all these things every time he came to the Dark Realm where he’d imprisoned me. I hated him. I wanted to hurt him so badly, but I couldn’t do anything, I-I was helpless—” She broke off, wiping her wetcheeks.
“He paid, Jenna, and he’ll be paying for eternity where he’s now trapped,” Michael said from the opposite end of the long dining table. “There is no escape fromPurgatory.”
After a long moment, she nodded. “He deserves no less.” Her gray eyes lifted to Shae’s. “You were fifteen when your father decided to fall. He didn’t want us to be hunted for the rest of our lives, and you had to be protected at all costs. It was a dangerous time for us. He trusted no one and wanted us shielded while he was gone to the Celestial Realm. We were going to tell you the truth after he came back,Shae.”
She pushed her cocoa mug aside and rubbed her brow wearily. After everything they’d been through, anger was so pointless when her parents were only trying to protect her. She lowered her hand. “I’m so glad you’re safe, but I wish I’d known about Dad.” Just thinking about her father, and her chest compressed. She’d known all about her parents’ first meeting, bumping into each other on the street, and it was love at first sight. “Dad waswonderful.”
