“You okay?” he asked quietly.
Shadow brought her attention back to Nik. “Thank you for everything.” Her smile faltered. “If you hadn’t been with him…”
“No,agápi, your instincts let us be with him this evening.”
“Eddi called it my sixth sense.”
“And he was right. You came to me in Romania. Saved me,” he said quietly.
Remembering that time, her chest tightened, and she hugged him.
“Much as I wish I could remain with you,” he murmured against her head, “I gotta get going before Michael kicks my ass.”
“He can’t fire you, can he?” She pulled back, searching his face to see if he was teasing, and met his heartwarming smile.
“No. At times, I think he wishes he can just throw in the towel and storm off into the sunset.” He cupped her face and pressed those tempting lips to hers. “I’ll see you in the morning,agápi.”
She sighed as he let her go and stepped back. Nik dematerialized in a swirl of molecules.
“Man, that sure is cool.” Liam stood in the doorway, staring at the spot where Nik had been. “So, he’s your boyfriend?”
Boyfriend? Smiling, Shadow slipped her arm through her brother’s and entered the kitchen. She had so much to tell him.
* * *
The damn long night had been a dead end. No sign of the bastard, Tolvi. Exhaustion and frustration weighing him down like lead, Nik walked into his bedroom in the early hours of the morning. His gaze settled on Shadow asleep on her stomach in the center of the bed.
He crouched at her side, his heart pounding against his ribs as if it would escape him just to be with her. This female, his star, she’d changed his life so damn much. He couldn’t imagine living it without her. He reached out to stroke her cheek, then stalled. Hell, shower first before he could take her in his arms again.
Ten minutes later, he toweled off and strolled to the bedroom. Sliding in beside her, he drew her warm body to him. Of course, his cock had ideas snuggled against Shadow’s panty covered bottom. But she had to be tired after the evening she had. Nik pressed his mouth to her nape instead, breathing in her calming, feminine scent.
Despite the problems awaiting him, he let her warmth, the peace he found in her, slide through him and shut his eyes…
A soft moan reached him. His eyelids snapped open. Shadow?
She winced, brow crunching as she rubbed her chest.
Instantly, Nik scanned her and frowned, then he tracked her warmth within him, where her soul’s energy took up space. Its glow appeared dull.
No, no, no—fuck, no!Not so quickly. She couldn’t need dark energy so soon. It had only been a few days. His tiredness dissipated, and his chest compressed as if a giant vise had constricted his lungs.
“It’s okay, baby, I have you.” He drew her close and stroked her back, trying to calm her down, her thrashing heart matching the racing beats of his own.
She shifted, and her eyes flickered open. A smile lit her striking eyes as she focused on him, no sign of her earlier strain. “You’re back. I tried to stay awake, but I must have fallen asleep.”
“Yeah, got in a short while ago.”
She pushed up at his frown. “What is it?”
“Areyouokay?” he countered, shifting to sit, too, the sheet sliding to his waist.
“I’m fine, stop worrying.” She brushed it off with a wave. “We have days yet—oh, I have an idea.” Her playful smile grew. “You know, to take your mind off things?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“Mm-hmm…” She climbed across him and straddled his hips. “This seat, so much better.”
Nik bit back a laugh and grasped her hips. His cock stirred at her backside pressing down on his shaft. He nipped her jaw. “Is that so?” he asked huskily.
