She laughed, her palms stroking his back. “I know, you told me this—”
“No, I mean, this blade is my destined mate’s dagger.”Only she can command it after she first touches it.
“Destined mate?” she repeated, eyes wide. “As in, I’m the only one for you?” Then she reared back as it hit her, eyes popping like saucers. “Are you talking in my mind?”
He nodded.Yes, we both can. With our souls joining, it opened our telepathic pathways. It means we can communicate this way no matter where I am in this world. Try.
Those starburst irises brightened. I feel you...Her faint voice in his mind grew stronger.Your warmth, deep inside me.
Good. He pressed his mouth to hers. “As immortals, we all hope to find our destined one. No one wants to live alone for all eternity. Some are lucky, others not so much. And I found you. I guess it’s why I reacted the way I did when I first saw you in the castle.”
“Oh, yes. You threatened to tie me to the bed.” She rolled her eyes, but he felt the joy cascading through her. She entered the shower, turned on the faucet, and hastily stepped back from the cold water to face him.
A smile tugged at his mouth. He rested an arm on the shower door and drawled, “If memory serves me right, I did, to a bedpost.”
“What memory?” She snorted. “That was last night with those stupid ice manacles.”
He laughed, watching as she stretched out her arm and tested the water, then grimaced. Probably still cold. “The obsidian dagger is amysticalweapon, Shadow, one given to all us Guardians after we swore our fealty to the ancient goddess, Gaia.”
“Gaia?” Her brow creased. “As in mother nature?”
“Yeah. I guess humans refer to her as such. After we were tossed out of Tartarus, we had nowhere to go…” He explained how he came to be living in this world. Mostly, Nik couldn’t get over that he found her—found his other half after a life filled with darkness. She stood inside the cubicle, drenched in water and the hellhound blood, staring wide-eyed at him as he spoke, and she never looked lovelier.
Inhaling a deep breath, he continued. “Since the pantheons banished us, Gaia offered us a place in this world, and in return, we swore our allegiance to her and became Guardians of the realm. Once we accepted, she restored all our abilities, stronger than before, and gifted us two of her mystical weapons. This sword…” He pointed to the myriad of symbols forming the rapier inked on his biceps amidst all his tatts. “And the dagger. Of course, at the time, we had no idea it was our destined mate’s weapon.”
“You can still use it, right?” She peeled away the gore-wet strands stuck to her neck. “I mean, I don’t want to take away something you need.”
“I’m good.” Nik couldn’t stop his smile. “And you didn’t. But I can’t call it any longer, if that’s what you mean. Only you can now. It will always come to you once summoned, and it’s deadly. It’s why the hellhound bled so much. In you go—” He removed her towel and tossed it aside. Then he adjusted the water temp before nudging her under the steaming spray. From the corner rack, he took his shampoo and started soaping her hair, and the cascading water drenched him, too.
“Nik,” she sputtered. “I can wash myself.”
“Why, when I can do it even better?” He was sure she rolled her eyes, but he couldn’t tell with all the soapiness. His mouth curved in amusement when something fundamental struck him. Shit. He had no idea how she’d feel about it.
“There’s one more thing, Shadow,” he said softly. “With us soul-joining, it means you will take on my lifespan.”
She opened one eye and peered at him. Her smile widened. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” This girl, she brought more smiles to him than he ever believed possible. “But if one of us does die, the other will follow.”
She swiped the water from her face. “Why would I want to live without you?”
“Me, too, Starshine. Me, too,” he said quietly.
After the water ran clear, he squeezed more of his shower gel onto a washcloth and scrubbed her free of the hellhound’s blood. Satisfied he got all the gore off her, he tossed the washcloth aside, cupped her face, and kissed her, needing to dispel the lingering fear still entrenched in him at how close he’d come to losing her.
She moaned, slicked her tongue over his. Her hands stroked his back. “Nik,” she said against his mouth, tugging at his t-shirt. “Maybe you should undress first, hmm?”
Nik sighed and glanced down at himself, his cock a throbbing ache, trapped in his wet jeans. Fuck. “Right.”
He stepped out of the stall, water flowing down, and grabbed the back neck of his t-shirt, pulled it off, and his stomach twinged. Then he saw the reason for his pain. Three deep gashes marred his abs. His irritation surged. And that brought his mind back to the situation. Damn fucking scourge.
“You’re bleeding.” Shadow hastily shut off the faucet and hurried out. “Let me see to that.”
“I’ll heal.” He grabbed a clean towel, wrapped it around her, and handed her one for her wet hair, then turned her to the bedroom. “Go and dress. I won’t be long.”
She didn’t move, clutching the towel to her chest, her wet hair dripping water down her face. “We’re leaving here, aren’t we?”
Hell, he hated disappointing her. More, he didn’t want to worry her with what he suspected about the damn hellhound—about it targeting her—probably sensing the energy of the vile souls she fed on. So, he merely said, “While this monastery is warded against supernatural evil, the surrounding area isn’t. I won’t be able to concentrate while I’m out on patrol with the hellhound already marking the area.”
