Chapter 25
A towel wrappedaround her shower-wet body, Kira shuffled into the dressing room, cutting off another tired yawn. Exhaustion was a pain in the ass, along with acclimatizing to Earth hours again. In an odd way, she missed Stygia, but she was darn happy to be back home.
Týr had gone off to meet Michael, and she loved that he’d left her a note so she knew, considering that this was her first night here as his mate.
Kira opened the closet, and a smile touched her lips when she found the few things she had left in the guest room whenever she stayed over. They were now stored next to his stuff.
That reminded her, she had to get her clothes, along with her grandmother, and bring them to the castle. Man, that was another hurdle to cross. She straightened her spine in determination as if she would ever let Gran stay alone at the brownstone. Or spend Christmas by herself. It was a time of joy, and she wanted the people she loved in one place.
As she changed, her gaze drifted to the weapons closet at the back wall. As if her feet had a mind of their own, she found herself near the twin doors. She opened it. The obsidian dagger lay on the shelf where Týr had tossed it, amidst the other weapons.
Another thought struck her, stealing her breath. With Wrath being her father…
Kira grabbed her cell, hit speed dial, and started pacing the length of the dressing room.
Riley answered on the second ring. “Kira?” His warm voice coasted down the line. “What can I do for you? If you’re checking on Tomas, he’s fine and asleep.”
“That’s good to hear. So, he likes New Orleans?”
“Early days still. He’s here with Saia and me at her parents’ mansion. We’re leaving tomorrow to go back to the Quarter, so we’ll see. Kira…?” At his quiet tone, her fingers tightened on her cell. “You should be aware, a blood demon fed on him. Some of the venom from the bite still lingers in his blood. It could fade, or it could cause Tomas to be drawn to the one who marked him. I’ll keep an eye on him and let you know.”
“God, I hope it’s not so…” She bit her lip. With Tomas unaware of what his future could be, here she was, worrying about the stupid length of her existence.
“So, why the frantic phone call?” Riley asked.
She sighed. He must have picked up on her anxiety. “This feels so pointless now—”
“Kira, what is it?”
“I was wondering…” She pushed back her damp hair and grimaced. “Wrath’s immortal, so what does that mean for me? I mean, about my lifespan.”
“It’s not pointless to be curious.” She heard the smile in his voice. “It simply means you’ll have a longer life—”
“How long?”
“I’m not really sure. Maybe the next time you’re in the citadel, ask him. However”—he paused as if contemplating—“with demons who mate humans, I do know their offspring tend to live around two hundred years or so, depending on how powerful their sire is. But a Sin isn’t a demon, so it’s hard to say.”
“No…” Her knees buckled. She collapsed on the chest near the weapons closet.
“What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy.”
“I-I am,” she whispered. “Tell Tomas I called, okay? I’ll talk to you later.” She rang off and stared at her cell. A few decades she could get by and have a life with Týr. Now, what the hell did she do?
Týr could cross paths with his destined mate. And what if he couldn’t fight the compulsion and was drawn to this nameless person?
Feeling as if she couldn’t breathe, Kira leaped to her feet and slammed the closet shut. The doors bounced back open, and the weapons went crashing to the floor.
With watery eyes, she stared at the obsidian dagger lying amidst the other blades, hating it with everything in her heart. “Why couldn’t it have been me?” she whispered.
Before Týr saw her abusing his weapons or witnessed her torment, she scooped up the iron daggers, along with the obsidian blade, and put them back on the shelf. She shut the doors and leaned against it, rubbing her damp eyes. The tingling in her hands hiked. Dammit, not now. She fisted her fingers—God! She couldn’t deal with her roiling emotions and her stirring powers.
Týr lovedher! If he found her like this, he’d be upset. She had to calm the heck down before she met her friends and accidentally hurt one of them. She still couldn’t believe the ability she’d always considered the bane of her life could be so perilous.
Sighing, Kira rubbed her hot face. Maybe after she’d eaten something, her dizzy head and churning stomach would settle.
With no idea how long Týr’s meeting would take, she made her way downstairs to the kitchen to wait for him. Her friends would probably be there. And she wanted to see Gran as soon as possible. And only hoped she didn’t shock her into a heart attack with the news of her parentage.
The decadent aroma of something delicious wafted in the air as she opened the kitchen door. Hedori walked out from the pantry and halted, a smile crinkling the corners of his pretty, orangey-green eyes. “It’s good to see you again, Kira.”
