Chapter 17
Hours later,Kira sat at the edge of the bed, rubbing the beaded turquoise and black bracelet she wore.
Rest? How could she? Even the shower she’d taken earlier hadn’t helped. The heat had made her too hot and edgy to even attempt sleeping. And worse, to avoid a mating she didn’t want, she was stuck in her darn chambers. God, why! And a near-hysterical laugh got trapped in her throat. Why would He listen now, considering what her father was?
Sighing, she rubbed her sweaty palms down the strappy, cotton dress she wore, glad at least someone had had the foresight to make sure she had clothes in this place.
A soft thud echoed from the other room, followed by a grunt. Kira jumped to her feet, fear freezing her in place. What if a demon found his way inside? She hadn’t closed the windows. Dammit! She sprinted to the nightstand and retrieved the dagger.
Her heart thundering in her ears, she quietly stole to the door and peered into the living room. With the place concealed in darkness, she tapped the small depression near the doorway. The recessed wall orbs slowly came to life, casting a soft glow over the furniture. Instantly, her gaze locked on the prone figure near the window—partially hidden by the coffee table. Well, if he thought her some docile mortal woman, he was in for a freakin’ surprise.
As the light reached its full power, she inched closer. Ugly, red burn marks scorched the visible skin on the intruder’s hands, and then her gaze shifted to his face. At the familiar, pale hair, her heartbeat faltered.
Týr!Her dagger dropped. She rushed to him, terror stealing her breath. This close, she realized just how bad his burns were.Oh, dear God!His beautiful face had suffered so much damage, scorched skin revealing the raw flesh beneath. Blood oozed, and tears clouded her eyes as she carefully pushed away a hunk of singed hair that had fallen onto his seared brow. He was barely breathing. What had happened for him to get so horribly burned?
“Týr…” she croaked. “Can you hear me? Please, speak to me. Oh, God, please be okay.”
Her first instinct was to yell for help, but she didn’t dare, and then she prayed that no one came. Her gaze darted to the closed door. Everything appeared quiet outside. Odd, that no one seemed to have noticed Týr breaking into her chambers. But she didn’t care, grateful for the reprieve.
She leaped to her feet, sprinted across the room and locked the door anyway, then dashed to the bathroom and came back with a wet towel. On her knees again, she carefully dabbed at the blisters on Týr’s skin, trying to cool him.His long, leather coat had fared worse than his body—thank God. Parts of it had even melted.
Soon enough, the horrendously charred flesh started to knit together, the fire-engine red fading. Even his hair shed the scorched strands.
Gently, she stroked his whiskered jaw. A harsh exhale exploded in the quiet, and Kira almost jumped out of her skin. Týr leaped up. His glazed eyes bounced all over the room as if trying to assess where he was, his expression tight. His focus swung back to her. Instant recognition chased away whatever confusion his healing had pulled him under.
“Kira?” He hunkered down in a squeak of leathers, grasping her upper arms urgently, his frantic gaze rushing over her face and body. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
“I’m fine.” Her heart expanded, her eyes drinking him in. He came for her, to the one place she knew he loathed more than anything. She basked in his caring, knowing it would be short-lived.
“Thank fuck!” He hauled her to her knees, hugging her tightly. “Let’s get out of here.”
He shoved to his feet, pulling her hand. When she didn’t move, just remained on her knees, he frowned. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go! I promise, I’ll make those bastards pay for what they did to you. I’ll kill them all. But first, I need to get you out of here.”
Kira sat back on her heels and bit her lip, feeling as if she were teetering on the edge of a cliff. “I can’t leave. And-and I don’t want you to kill anyone.”
“Why?” His expression turned dark. Dangerous. “What did the fuckers do?”
“Nothing,” she hastily said. How could she tell him the truth? It was all so complicated.
Suddenly, his expression changed. Hardened. “Is it because of that demon,Riley?” He spat the name.
Her heart in her throat, she nodded.
He went utterly still as if he’d stopped breathing.
“Týr—” She reached for him. He jerked away from her, stalking the length of the windowed walls. “So, you changed your mind about me, is that it?” He ripped off his ruined coat and flung it aside before storming back to her. “You want the demon? Fine. I don’t fucking care. But you don’t belong in this place—fuck!” His hard features contorted as if in pain, contradicting his cold words. “You have family on Earth. I won’t let you stay here!”
But the betrayal in his beautiful eyes stabbed Kira straight in the heart and had her scrambling to her feet. “Týr, no—”
He wheeled away from her and slammed his fists on the granite sill, his throat working as he glared out the window.
“It’s not what you think,” she whispered, her voice soft and aching with her own torment. She touched his charred sleeve. His entire body stiffened. Swallowing hard, Kira dropped her hand. “It’s much worse, and I’m terrified of what will happen—of what you’ll do when you hear the truth.”
He didn’t look at her. Or speak. His profile a granite mask.
She sucked in a deep breath for courage. “Riley brought me here to…to meet my father.”
If Týr were still before, now, his entire being froze. Slowly, he turned to her. Nothing showed on his intractable features. “Explain.”
