Chapter 18
They steppedthrough the portal onto the Guardians’ island on Manhasset Bay, leaving behind the Romanian sunshine. Dusk and a chill enclosed them, night insects hummed in disharmony. The castle was ablaze with lights as if in welcome. Despite the warm feeling it gave her, her stomach remained in a knot after Harvey’scall.
“Remember, you can’t go back to the penthouse, Shae, not until we know what’s going on,” Dagan said as they headed toward thecastle.
Like she wanted to bump into Aza. A few dates, and now the delusional Fallen believed she was his mate.God.She rubbed her cheek. Could this day get anyworse?
“Dagan, wait. I have to call Uncle Lem, let him know I’m okay. What do I say about why I’m not at homeyet?”
His brow furrowed. “Text him that you’re delayed because of work, it should give us a few days leeway. We’ll go see him together, then you can tell him aboutus.”
“He’ll freakout.”
“Then I’ll just have to make sure hedoesn’t.”
Shae stopped in the shrub-lined pathway and shot off a text to Lem, praying that Harvey had found something they could use to locate the woman who might be her mother. If the lead didn’t pan out, then it meant her mom did hate her and had simply left. Much as it pained her, Shae preferred the latter. She didn’t want some evil demon holding her mother captive…hurting her—Christ!Bile burned her throat at thethought.
Dagan stroked her cheek with his knuckles. “It’s going to beokay.”
She looked into those bright eyes—so calm and steady—inhaled a deep breath, andnodded.
As they neared a terrace with a wrought-iron table and chairs, he put his hand on her waist and ushered her through the open French doors and into an enormous rec room. A flat-screen TV took up space on one side with leather recliners facing it. Adjacent to it stood arcade games and a foosballtable.
The blue-haired warrior, Aethan, looked up from the pool table, so did the one with the cropped black hair. Blaéz. He smirked. “And another one bites thedust.”
Snorting, Dagan crossed to the inner door then asked, “Is there a meeting thisevening?”
“Yeah,” Aethananswered.
“Right. I’ll see you there,then.”
The door shut behind them. Dagan led her down the softly lit passageway lined sporadically with paintings by old masters, along with rather authentic body armors from medieval times that sported dents and slashes. “I’ll show you to our quarters, then we can get an update fromHedori.”
“Hedori?” She frowned. “Shouldn’t we be talking toHarvey?”
Dagan didn’t answer as a tall, dark figure stepped out of the kitchen, chugging down asoda.
“Hey, Nik,” she called out, happy to see a familiar face. “When did you gethere?”
His gaze shifted to Dagan then back to her. “Moments before you two did. Youokay?”
She smiled. “Iam.”
Dagan remained silent, and Nik cut him an amused smirk that did little to warm the coldness in his eyes. “And the other?” heasked.
Her smile dimmed. There was still one treacherous ravine to cross. With Dagan as unbending as a steel arrow, she had no idea how to get him to change his mind about feeding fromher.
Ignoring Nik, Dagan tightened his grip on her hand and headed for the grand staircase in the front. Shae had to hurry to keep up. “He cares about you, you know that,right?”
“Yeah, it’s what saved his neck from my sword with what he let youdo.”
Sighing, she let it go fornow.
As they took the stairs up, the blond warrior who looked like the heavens had been having a seriously good day when he was created loped down. He slowed. Dagan didn’t even glance hisway.
Shae had no idea what was going on between them. Still, she couldn’t ignore him. “Hello.”
Sexy, masculine dimples appeared briefly, even though the warrior’s smile didn’t reach his toffee-brown eyes. “Shae.” And then he wasgone.
