It hadn’t been a hug back in the cell.
Her hands wereonhis chest, not around him. Somehow, she’d done something more than just calm the ruckus and pain when she’d touched him.
His heart hammering as if it would break through his ribs, Nik willed the door open.
Shadow spun around from the basin mirror, gripping the ripped sweater together, the scowl back. “Don’t you know how to knock?”
Nik shut the bathroom door and leaned against it, preventing any further escape.
He would find out what the hell had happened in the monk’s cell. How she’d silenced the darkness inside him so completely. Because he didn’t feel even a stirring from those vile entities, which should have started up again right about now.
* * *
Shadow pressed her spine against the basin, needing the support, and eyed Nik warily while he watched her like a hawk.
“What are you?”
A soul leech.
Ugh. She bit back the words. He’d probably toss her over the balcony then.
He folded his powerfully inked arms over his wide, tattooed chest, distracting her, drawing her attention to the silver barbells piercing his nipples.
Mesmerizing tonal ink of arid hills, ghostly faces, abstract designs, and runes covered his chest, arms, and pecs. More tatts ran down his obliques in some ancient script. And, of course, the too realistic snake inked on his neck, its body coiling down his shoulder and around his left biceps.
It all fit him. A deadly warrior. And one of the saviors of humanity, too. She should know, she’d seen him in action.
“Shadow, dammit,” he growled, rubbing his chest.
Her gaze rushed to his, and meeting his heated stare, for some reason, it gave her courage.
“I am human,” she huffed out. “You were in pain, and I couldn’t leave you to suffer when I could help.”
“I’m not upset—no, dammit! I was shit scared at what could have happened to you. Don’t you realize how much you matter to me?” he demanded. “You put yourself in front of me. My powers are precarious, and I could have killed you because I don’t have any control of them during these times—” He pinched the bridge of his nose as if trying to get himself together.
One part of her was ecstatic at his declaration, the other freaking out. “But you didn’t hurt me,” she whispered.
His hand dropped. Two steps and he closed the distance between them. He cupped her face in his callused palms. “Whatever you’ve done, thank you. You’ve given me something I’ve never believed possible. Peace.”
At his soft words, her guardedness dissipated, and she grasped his wrists. “I wish I’d known sooner, I could have helped you, but you were being a butthead—”
“Butthead?” His lips pressed together as if suppressing a smile, but it crept into his eyes. Then he lowered his hands to her arms, his gaze morphing to unwavering once more. “What did you do? How did you come to have this ability?”
Sighing, Shadow clenched her ripped sweater together again. “Like I told you, from the otherworldly blood transfusion I got, but it…it also left me with this anomaly.” Gently, she stroked the gauze-covered bumps on her breastbone. They remained silent now after the full feeding she’d finally let happen.
Nik’s brow creased, his focus dropping to her chest. “The nodes?”
“Yes. I have to nurture them with regular feedings. If I don’t, then-then they will devour their host instead.”
“Meaning you could die.” A tic started on his jaw. “Is that why you were at the club with that demon?”
Man, he was quick. She nodded.
“Why not humans? Why feed on the most malignant and treacherous species?” he demanded.
“Because humans don’t satisfy the nodes.”
“Nodes?” he ground out. “Those aren’t freakin’ nodes, but symbionts. They’re living entities and fucking demonic parasites! What the hell was the damn demon thinking, doing this to you?”
