He smiled, giving her that up-down stare she so often received from demons as if trying to figure her out. Ugh, he no doubt sensed a taint of darkness in her considering she’d just consumed those malevolent souls from Nik.
“Get away from her.” The threat in Nik’s tone had the fine hairs on her arms rising.
The demon hastily stepped back, giving Nik a wide berth, and scurried away.
“Nik, he did nothing wrong. He probably senses I’m a little different.” Faced with his stony expression, she bit off a sigh.More, she understood why he was upset. “Nik—”
“Not now. We need to get back to the monastery.”
At his curt tone, a sliver of hurt slid through her. But he wasn’t paying her any attention, seeming to focus on the area around them. His grip on her hand tightened as he strode for the back alley leading to the forest beyond.
Shadow glanced about her. Even though nothing dinged her heightened senses, and she couldn’t see anything dangerous, unease trickled through her as they entered the forest.
A few minutes later, they rematerialized on the monastery courtyard. An incredibly tall stranger—animmortal—rose from the bench. He wore his hair in a half ponytail, and it gleamed in the evening sunlight like obsidian stones. His striking features were set in stern lines, and dark aviator shades concealed his eyes, but Shadow picked up the swirling energy coasting through him. He didn’t possess the kind of darkness her symbionts needed.
“What’s up?” Nik asked him. “Sensed you were here.”
The warrior’s gaze lowered to their joined hands. Shadow tried to pull free, but Nik didn’t let go. “Michael, this is Shadow. My mate. Michael is our leader,” he told her.
With that aura of deadliness and power, how could he be anything but the Guardians’ front-runner?
“Hello…” The word rasped through her dry throat.
“Shadow.” Michael nodded at her, then his focus shifted back to Nik. “It’s good to see you about. We need to talk.”
Whatever it was, it sounded serious.
“Shadow, do you mind giving us a moment?” Nik’s tone was quiet, but his expression remained hard.
“Yeah, sure.” Shadow took the packages from him and hurried into the abbey, heading upstairs to their bedroom. She tossed the bags down on the floor and dropped heavily onto the wooden chest near the window, her stomach knotting.
If Nik couldn’t tolerate a demon even looking at her, what would happen when the time came for her to feed? A wave of dread surged.
Her feeding would drive him to hate her. And that she couldn’t bear.
Feeling as if the walls were closing in on her, she leaped up and hurried out onto the balcony. The crisp air did little to wipe away her apprehension.
I need to get out of here. Need space to think.
Her heart pounding too hard, she grasped the pillar, scrambled up to the roof, and sprinted across, in the opposite direction from the courtyard.
Chapter 18
His mouth tightened.Nik stared at the doorway Shadow had disappeared through, aware he’d messed up badly. She’d practically run from him to escape his shitty mood. But the hurt in her eyes replayed in his head like a fist to the heart. He wanted to go after her…and say what?
That the thought which never strayed too far from his mind was fucking killing him?
For her to live, she had to keep her symbionts thriving, which meant seeking out demons. Touching them. Feeding off them—theós. He wanted to strangle the bastard, Nate, for what he’d done, but it would be like damming himself. Then he would never have known Shadow.
“You good?” Michael asked, dragging Nik’s attention away from the door.
“I’m fine.” The urge to rub his chest took hold. Instead, Nik removed his shades. Best to find out what the Arc wanted first, then go find Shadow.
“I need a drink.” Michael swiped his sweaty brow, pushed his aviators to his head, and strolled to the kitchen door. Nik followed.
Michael got out a Coke from the fridge and popped the tab. Bracing an arm on the open fridge door, he took a deep swallow of his soda. “We have a situation. My contact down in the Dark Realm informs me there are rumblings of a hellhound sent to this world. No sense of it in New York and my warriors stationed in other parts of the realm haven’t picked up anything, either. I spoke to Race, and he hasn’t felt anything here.”
Nik frowned, setting his sunglasses down and leaning against the counter. Was that what he detected down in the village, that feeling of unease? “Hellhounds usually go after a target. Or hunt souls that belong down under.”
