However, there was one other he wanted answers from.
* * *
Darci made her way to the kitchen after Michael had brought her back to the castle.
She needed a drink, something strong to brace herself before she faced Blaéz. She found a whiskey decanter on the kitchen counter and poured some into a glass. A sip and she coughed as the scorching liquid not only burned her throat but also threatened to choke her.
Movement outside the window caught her attention, followed by a plaintive meow.
“Stop squirming, you big pile of fur,” Blaéz muttered, trying to free Bob who was stuck in the diamond shape of the ivy-covered wooden frame. “You’re just making this more difficult. I cannot understand why you persist in climbing up there.”
Darci’s gaze drifted over him. His tee rode up at his movements, revealing a side glimpse of washboard abs and his scarred back. She wanted to kiss every ridged muscle, every scar he bore—more, she wanted to go out there and just hug him.
He finally freed the chubby gray feline from its prison.
She set the glass on the counter, opened the French door and walked out onto the porch drenched with the fresh scent of thyme, mint, and a fusion of other herbs.
“Go catch a crow or several,” Blaéz ordered Bob face-to-face before putting him down. “There’s plenty of that annoying species in this place.”
Bob hopped from his hold and waddled back into the kitchen.
“Dammit, cat, that’s not where the birds are—” He broke off when he saw her.
“That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen,” Darci said softly.
His mouth lifted at one corner, but the smile missed his tense gaze by a mile. He slid his hands into his pockets. “I can’t imagine anyone else using those words to describe me.”
“Probably not, but Iseeyou…” she whispered. “I see beneath that tough-guy exterior.”
Something flickered in his eyes as he searched her face. He closed the distance between them, drew her to him, and simply held her. Her arms tightened around his waist, she rested her head against his chest. It hurt to breathe as if a huge hand had compressed her lungs. God, she wanted a chance at a life with him, to hold him, to hug him a million more times before it was her time to leave this world. Not have it over in a blink.
“I looked for you,” he murmured. “Michael said he’d taken you to your brother’s home. He’s okay?”
She had no idea, hadn’t even thought to ask her brother if he was well after Blaéz had healed him. She ran her palms over his back, feeling the bumpy tissues there and her throat tightened with tears. Taking a deep breath, she drew back. “He’s fine. Blaéz, we need to talk.”
How did she do this? Just say:I have your soul.No, she had to lead into it carefully.
Again, he gave her that searching look. “You have that engagement party tomorrow night, right?”
“What?” It took her a moment to process what he’d said. He thought she was worried about missing Irina’s engagement? If only. “Yes, we do, but that’s not what I meant. It’s something else.”
“Can it wait a bit longer? I’ve an urgent matter to take care of—I was about to leave when Bob got trapped.”
“Yes, of course.” A tinge of relief spread through her at her moment of respite.
He gave her a lingering kiss and then dematerialized.
God, she was such a coward.
* * *
Blaéz headed for Dante’s bar downtown. He needed answers and Damon had made that cryptic comment about what he sought before he was yanked back to Hell a few days ago. He could elaborate on that statement, or Blaéz was quite willing to help him remember.
He stopped outside the bar near a row of Harleys. And there, through the huge glass fronts, he found his quarry, playing pool with the bikers. As Damon leaned over the table and cued his shot, his violet eyes met Blaéz’s. He smirked, almost as if he knew why Blaéz had come after him.
Blaéz walked in and made his way to the counter, got his whiskey from the bartender, and crossed to his usual table. With his back to the wall, he could survey everything.
Damon strolled over, pulled out a chair and straddled it, his white shirt stretching over his shoulders as he braced his forearms on the backrest. “Guess you have your answer, then?”
