Then she rested her cheek on his chest again. Her fingers absently caressed the barbell piercing on his nipple before trailing along his pecs to the tonal runes sweeping over his shoulder.
“Shadow,” he said quietly. “How did you not know you were a virgin?” She’d seemed more surprised than he’d been at finding out something so fundamental.
She lifted a shoulder. “Because I don’t remember my life before five years ago.”
“What?” Nik grasped her face, making her look at him. “What do you mean?”
A sigh escaped her. “I only know what Aba told me. He said he found me hiding out in the back alley of their garage behind the huge dumpster, and that there were men chasing me. He helped conceal me. A few days later, the horrible attack by the blood demons occurred.” Her fingers stopped their exploring. “Nate said it was probably the trauma of the assault that caused my memory loss. It seems I never told them why I was running, and I had nothing on me. No identification, just the clothes I wore…”
Anger rolled through him that someone would hunt her. “Those men never came back looking for you?”
“I don’t know. I never left the garage. I was struggling to adapt to what I’d changed into…” She swallowed. “In the early days, those demons I fed off, they would follow me. Staying at the garage wasn’t safe anymore.”
Nik gently stroked her back, pulling his fury deep into his gut. “So Shadow isn’t your real name?”
Her brow creased. “I think it is. It’s what Nate and Aba called me.”
“How long did you stay with…Nate?”
He knew he shouldn’t dislike the male, but he hated hearing the devotion in her voice every time she mentioned his name. Yeah, he was a possessive bastard, and he didn’t care.
“Nate wasn’t always around. He’d stay for a while, then leave and repeat the pattern.” Her brow scrunched. “Aba called him a restless soul… Anyway, I lived at the garage for a couple of months before I left. Aba wasn’t happy, but he understood why I couldn’t stay on. Nate was…upset, I guess. But he didn’t say anything. Being underground was safer…” Her voice hitched, and a sliver of pain darted through him—hers. And Nik knew why. Eddi.
“We’ll find who’s responsible for Eddi’s death,moró,” he said quietly, dragging the covers over them and mentally shutting the window against the early morning breeze. “I am sorry for what you went through, but you have me now.”
She pressed her lips to his pecs, didn’t say anything, her fingers back to tracing over his chest again. This time, she followed the slight ridges of the multiple scars he’d hidden beneath the ink, evidence of his time in Tartarus. Nik gently drew her hand away from the hated reminder.
“Nik?” She suddenly pushed up, eyes dark and anxious. “I’m sorry about earlier, for getting upset—for hurting you.”
He sat, too, the covers pooling around his waist. “Never apologize for how you had to survive. You didn’t ask for what happened to you. I admit I did not react well when you told me about your symbionts’ needs.”
“I guess you’re a better person than me.” A wry smile curved her mouth. She pushed back her heavy fall of hair. “Because I sure as heck would have wanted to kill the woman had you been the one who needed to feed.”
“Shadow…” He shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, then he laid it all out. “I’m not good with sharing, and I don’t know what will happen when the time comes. But we’ll talk about this later.” He drew her down to the bed, settling her against him once more. Unable to stop touching her, he stroked her back. “You’ve been through a helluva lot these past few days. Get some rest.” He pressed his mouth to her crown.
Out of habit, he threw his arm over his eyes, and instead of the constant battering in his head and the ever-present darkness and pain inside him, only a quiet remained.
Nik inhaled deeply and savored this peace, one only she gave him.
Chapter 17
The odd stillnesswithin him jolted Nik awake. Midday sunlight flooded his bedroom. He frowned, taking stock of himself…no rioting in his head, just unending quietness. Memories stirred, and what occurred last night flood him. Shadow. But her warm body wasn’t next to his.
His gaze rushed to the other side of his huge bed. He found her there, asleep, and almost hanging off the edge, legs and torso uncovered, a corner of the sheet barely concealing her delectable bottom.
His heart bumped hard in gratitude that he had her. He reached across and gently drew her back to him.
A sigh escaped her, then she mumbled something that sounded like “too hot.” But she snuggled closer anyway, her palm moving over his abs, her right leg sliding over his as if searching for every inch of coolness on his skin. “Mmm, you feel so good.”
And his dick rose to attention. Hell.
A brush of angelic power scraped his senses and grew stronger. No, not Michael. He never played the asshole and intruded. Damn Lore.
“What is that sensation?” Shadow murmured, burrowing her face in his chest.
“A pest. Go back to sleep.” Pressing a kiss to her head, Nik eased away from her and got up. He grabbed the used towel from the floor and headed for the bathroom. Lore could wait a moment longer.
After a quick shower, he dried off and pulled on black sweats. Feet bare, he walked out of the bedroom, heading to the stairwell leading downstairs.
