Laughing, she swiped an oatmeal cookie from the tray, took a bite, and chewed. “No, I mean, whatareyou? Angel,elf—”
“I’m fae. You arehuman.”
“And she’s not a collectible,” her nemesis said, coming into thekitchen.
Shae wheeled around and nearly choked on the cookie she’d just taken another bite of. Heat suffused her face when she recalled cuddling up to him as if he were her own personal heater. “Collectible?” sheasked.
“It’s what faes do. They like to keep humans as possessions. They steal them and whisk them off to Exilum, a place just beyond the veils of thisworld.”
Jeez. She arched an eyebrow at Angelus. “Really? Nothappening.”
He smiled and shrugged. “I know. You’re important here and off-limits.”
Rolling her eyes, she faced Dagan again, struggling not to blush. “Thanks for lastnight.”
He stared at her for a second. Something dark flashed in those sun-bright irises and disappeared as fast. “Just make sure the windows are shut at night,” he said, heading for the side door to thebackyard.
She frowned. But shehadshut them. Then shrugging off the thought, she hurried after him. “Dagan,wait.”
He slowed. Those broad shoulders lifted then dropped as if in a weary sigh. She rounded to his front. “Will you teach me tofight?”
“No.”
“Really? Justno? I’ll have you know, Mr. I Am-the-Man, chauvinistic tendencies died last century, and I need to keep up mytraining.”
He sidestepped her and continued around the building then jogged up the narrow, crudely mined granite steps. Undeterred by his rebuff, she followed, the chilly breeze barely soothing her heatedface.
“Why are you being so difficult?” she wheezed when she finally reached the top, swiping her sweaty brow. Then Shae’s jaw dropped. Her eyes widened. “Wow!” She spun around on the plateau-like surface of what must surely be the top of the world. Clouds hung so low, she reached up, and her fingers glided through the smoky miasma. “This is really awesome… Anddamp.”
She wiped her fingers on her jeans then hurried to the edge some distance away and hastily leaped back. The forest appeared like a green smudge far,fardown below. “Whoa! That’s quite the drop. A slip-up, and I could end up splattered on therocks.”
“Youwon’t.”
Yeah, he’d probably leap after her with all his superpowers. She pivoted and nearly swallowed her tongue. He’d taken off his tee. Wearing only jeans, his muscle-packed chest bare, he was a mind-numbingly sexydistraction.
“What are you waiting for?” he asked, braiding his long hair into a single rope. The low clouds above appeared to risehigher.
She narrowed her eyes. “You were bringing me here to teachme?”
“No, I’d planned to put in some hours in my workplace until you railroadedme.”
“What?” She blinked. “Youwork?”
“Why the surprise? Did you think I just guard the realm?” He rolled those tough shoulders, thick with corded muscle. Before she could continue her questions, he said, “You want to fight, thenlet’s.”
The threat in his stance made her a little wary, but she wasn’t backing off. “Let mechange—”
“No. Trouble comes at any time. It doesn’t wait for you to dress appropriately.” He circled her. “C’mon, hellcat, what are you waitingfor?”
The tag rankled. “I scratched you once, and you stick me with that annoyingname.”
“Once?” A dark eyebrow lifted. “If I didn’t heal as fast as I do, I’d be pitted with trails of scars as proof of being hit, bitten, and let’s not forget, having water bottles flung atme.”
Heat scorched her face. She sniffed. “Yeah, well, you made me mad. Look, I don’t want to fight you. You’ll crush me with your huge size. I only need you to demonstrate your techniques. Besides, Harvey has already shown me just how fast you immortals move. He usually trainsme.”
“I see.” His tone dropped to a worrying sub-zero. “Did ithelp?”
She eyed him cautiously. “Some. I think guns would bebetter.”
