Whatever Shadow had done, she had healed him completely. He no longer attracted the dark souls that had been his fate since Tartarus.
The thought of her leaving skewered him like a dagger in his heart, the hope he’d hung onto smashing into fragments. There was no chance for them, not now—
No, chance?
Hell, she didn’t even want to try. And that gutted him.
A human coughing hauled Nik back to where he kneeled on the ground. Eyes burning, he pushed to his feet. The dead man lay under the tree where he’d fallen, night concealing him. With the village bordering the forest, his death would be chalked down to some wild animal attack.
Nik dematerialized and coasted above the village. He didn’t want to meet up with Race in the city, nor could he bear to see Shadow, knowing he would have to take her back to New York.
He picked up the revelries of the all-night party carousers leaving Club Samhain in the far distance, the club’s usual, blinking sign dead, indicating the end of the night’s frivolities. So, it was probably just gone five in the morning.
His mind in a roiling mess, he coasted away…only to find himself back on his bedroom balcony at the monastery. He reformed and then just stood there. Hell, there was no avoiding this.
Exhaling roughly, he opened the door and entered. The heart-stopping scent of wildflowers enfolded him, hurting him so fucking badly, knowing it would soon be gone. He leaned against the shut door, so he didn’t march over and beg her not to leave.
Fuck, he scrubbed his unshaven jaw. He was an outright mess. But there it was.
Shadow lay on her tummy asleep and facing him. Strands of inky hair spilled over her face and the pillow. Like a glowing star in the dark, she drew him. Nik found himself crouching at her side, the absolute knowing that she was his settling in his gut.
How do I get you to stay, Starshine?
He gently caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.
A whiff of sulfur wafted to him. Damn, he stank from his kill. Nik rose, dragged his t-shirt off, and headed to the bathroom.
What happens when she needs to feed?
Skatá!Not now. Later, later he’d deal with it.
Shower over, he dragged a towel off the railing and slung it around his hips. As he walked back into the bedroom, Shadow stirred then bolted upright, pushing back her heavy fall of hair. Her pale skin glimmered in the faint moonlight stealing through the window, casting a silvery, ethereal glow over her. “Nik?”
Her soft voice wrapped around him, tugging at him. “Yeah. It’s me.”
And like always, since the first time he saw her at the castle five months ago, then on the warehouse rooftop, and every time after that, the moment her gaze locked on his, it was like awakening from a long, dark sleep. His blood heated, thundering to his head, desire for her consuming him as he stood there, staring at her.
* * *
Shadow swallowed when Nik hesitated, and her heart knocked hard against her ribs. Was he going to leave? She wasn’t sure after the way things had ended with them earlier.
The bedside light came on, casting a soft glow over his damp, inked skin, and underscoring his silver nipple piercings. Her breath escaped in relief when he strolled over, the low-slung towel on his lean hips revealing his cut abs and pecs—muscles honed naturally from centuries of fighting and wielding his lethal sword, eliminating evil.
He stopped at her side, his intense stare skimming her face, and something deep within her stirred open, a feeling as old as time. She wanted him to sweep her off her feet, make her feel alive, and make her his. “Nik—”
He shook his head, grasped her arms, and dragged her up to him. The air in her lungs rushed out as she balanced on her knees and rested her hands on his cool, damp chest.
“If I don’t have you, I’ll lose my mind.” The words were torn from him, and his mouth came down on hers.
Shadow slid her arms around his neck. Between feverish nips and licks, she breathed, “I want you, too. So much.”
With a groan, he slid his pierced tongue into her mouth, sucking hers in firm, sensual pulls. A whimper lodged deep in her throat as she kissed him back with everything in her, wanting more, wanting every part of him. He banded an arm around her waist and deepened the kiss, demanding her submission.
And she gave it.
He slipped a hand under her t-shirt, caressed her bare bottom, then he pushed the material upwards, broke their kiss, and removed her shirt. He dropped it on the bed. Burning ice-green glided down her and up again. “You’re beautiful, Starshine.”
She glided her palms over his pecs, her fingers caressing his nipple piercings. “You, too,” she whispered. Now, even more so. He chiseled features no longer set in granite, but softer, passionate. And so gorgeous. Her pounding heart tripped.
