“You have?” Eve shook her head, trying to clear the buzzing sensation in there. If she fell down a rabbit’s hole and saw a grinning cat—well, she wouldn’t be surprised. Since she’d met Reynner, her life seemed to have gone off-kilter. But his words intrigued her. “What artifact?”
“It’s a mystical Stone of Light, one of the seven which disappeared millennia ago.”
Mystical stone?This had to be some kind of weird dream. “How can you be sure I'm the person you want?”
“Your blood tells me so.”
“M-my blood?”
“Yes. When you hurt your ear, your blood called to me. Then I tasted—”
“Tasted? Myblood?” Eve backed away in horror, felt as if the ground had shifted beneath her feet. “What-what are you?”
“I'm an Empyrean.” He prowled closer. “And yes, I tasted your blood. The second time when you cut your finger, I knew for sure.”
Hastily, she took another step back. Her stomach coiled tightly as the truth hit her. “That’s why—” she struggled to breathe “—that’s why you came after me.”
“Yes.”
Despite all the confusion and the chaos in her mind, that single word smashed her fragile hope like glass. How could she be so stupid?Thatwas the only reason he’d insisted she accompany him when he got hurt. And she thought…
God, she was such a fool.
“Eve—”
She shook her head and took a step back, unable to look at him, mortification burning clear through her brittle emotions.I guess that’s all someone like me can expect.
Biting her lip, she struggled to lock down the sudden ache in her chest. Hell, she’d just have to get over this, too. She was a survivor, wasn’t she?
Dusting her bruised pride, she met his gaze to decline. Instead, she found herself agreeing. “Fine, I’ll help you find your artifact.”
Obviously, she was an idiot, too.
His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean ‘someone like you?’”
Christ! She’d saidthatout loud? Was there no end to her embarrassment?
“It’s not important. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go home.” Eve spun for the door.
But Reynner caught her by the arm, hauling her back. She stumbled into his chest and breathed in his warm, heady scent. And the slumbering demon of desire surged again. She really didn’t want to be reminded of what she could never have. The brief taste of what could have been would haunt her for the rest of her life.
His hard, dark gaze trapped hers. “I asked you a question.”
“I chose not to answer.” Eve yanked at her arm in a desperate bid to be free and tripped backwards. She lost her footing and fell…into nothingness. There was no more ground to catch her. The mountains around her went spinning. A strangled cry of sheer terror rushed out of her, the sound swept away by the winds as she plummeted straight down to the gorge below.
“Eve!”Reynner’s horrified yell came from far away—too far. He couldn’t help her now.
No one could.
Caught in a vortex of spiraling air and roiling terror, she hurtled headlong for the rocks. Eve squeezed her eyes tight as death approached at a chilling speed.
Oh, God—oh, God, let it be quick.
The next moment, hands grabbed her. Her body slammed into something hard, and the familiar scent of cool forest flooded her nose. It couldn’t be Reynner. He wasn’t going to jump off a ledge and follow her into death.
“Eve, dammit! Talk to me—look at me.”
“What did you do?” she cried, flinging her arms around his neck, and tightened them in a deathlock. “Why did you come after me? Now we’ll both die.”
