Those pale gray eyes flared briefly before he dematerialized.
Blaéz didn’t follow, not with Darci alone—a terrifying thought hurtled through him.No!In preternatural speed, too fast for human eyes to track, he took off. Seconds later, he entered the elegant interior of the cake shop. The sharp squeaks and sudden intakes of breaths barely made an impact as he scanned and homed in on Darci, who stood near a tiny, bird-like woman with short, spiky, blond hair tipped in pink.
Thank fuck! She was safe.
At the tense air, he stilled. Darci kept shoving her hair back, appearing agitated as she spoke to the woman. The acrid scent of dejection rolled off her. Blaéz strode across and put his hand on her lower back. “What is it?”
Dark, distressed hazel eyes flickered to him. “The person who canceled changed her mind. They can’t do the cake at such short notice, and she says they’re fully booked right into March of next year.”
“I’ll take care of this.” He glanced at the woman staring blankly at him. “My ma—er, fiancée has set her heart onyoudoing the cake,” he said quietly, drawing Darci close. The woman’s mouth opened then shut. Used to females’ reactions to him, it scarcely registered. All he saw was the disappointment in his mate’s eyes. “We’ll double the payment—whatever you want—if you will do this for us.”
The woman blinked as if in a daze, then nodded. “Yes, of course. We’ll find a way—make a plan,” she said hurriedly before smiling at Darci. “Let me take your details, my dear, and we can get down to the type of cake you want.”
She hustled off like a busy little beaver into an office on the far side of the shop.
Darci cut him a quick, grateful look, and just seeing the relief on her face, hell, it was worth whatever this would cost. However, instead of following the woman, those striking eyes examined his face. “You told me to stay here, what’s wrong?”
Why ruin this moment for her? There’d be enough time later, and he would tell her about Finnén because she had to know of the probable threat.
He ran his knuckles tenderly over her cheek. “Nothing that can’t wait. Go, get the cake order pinned down so we can leave.”
After another search of his face, she nodded. “Okay.”
As she walked away, Blaéz rubbed his chest and stared after her. It still felt as if he’d taken his very first breath every time he saw her.
Inhaling roughly, the overly sweet aroma of spicy candy and baked goods crowding his nose, he pivoted for the storefront, and away from the humans and their gawking stares—and found himself face to cake with a seven-tiered, black-and-red monstrosity taking up space on a white-draped, circular table near the window. He skirted the thing, hoping like hell Darci chose something less ominous looking, and gazed out into the busy street.
His shoulder muscles tensed again, his mind back on Finnén.
His childhood had been a cursed one. Raised as a servant in the Celtic pantheon, Finnén had taken pleasure in ambushing and beating up the skinny boy Blaéz had been back then because The Morrigan had taken an interest in him. Years later, he’d joined The Morrigan’s army, and there’d been a ceasefire for a short while, before it started all over again. Not long after, Blaéz had been reassigned as a protector to the goddess of life in the Sumerian pantheon…
Now, Finnén was back, still filled with the same hatred.
Blaéz realized, he had to put an end to this feud.
