The hurt she tried hard to block out seeped free again. He shoved back his unbound hair, the silvery moonlight highlighting the taut lines of his handsome face. But the dried smears of blood on his hand snagged her attention. “You were in a fight?”
He ignored that. “Remember what I said about the demon after you.” His gaze skimmed her face once more, then he was gone, leaving her alone in the vast, snowy whiteness and tall trees.
Frustrated by Nate’s locked-door attitude, Ely glared at the spot where he’d been. Everyone was entitled to their secrets, but Nate used his to put a mile-high wall around himself. Damn difficult male!
Scowling, she dematerialized back to the Bowery, reforming in a backstreet—
She stumbled, another wave of heat sweeping through her. She flung out a hand, bracing against the brick wall of a warehouse, gulping in massive amounts of icy air. Her knees shook, and her entire being felt as if a brazier had lit within her.
Dammit! She fumbled open the buttons on her coat and fanned herself with the open fronts, her irritation growing. She didn’t have time for this. Whatever this indisposition was, she hoped it cleared up fast. Empyreans didn’t get sick. Ever!
She had to find and deal with the demon cur who hunted her before Michael heard about it and stuck her with babysitters. Ugh, a frustrated groan escaped her. She wiped her sweat-dampened face on the hem of her t-shirt and pushed away from the wall, trudging out of the alley.
Nate must have an inkling of who it was.
Ugh. Right now, she needed to find a way to cool the hell down because her ability to regulate her body temperature appeared to be on hiatus! Tomorrow, when she was in a better frame of mind and body, she’d go after that intractable demon and get answers!
CHAPTER11
Sporadic raysof late afternoon sunlight flickered through the window, bathing the castle living room with intermittent brightness. Soft voices drifted to Ely. Curled in an armchair, she paid no heed to her friends or the open book on her lap. However, she did turn a page so as not to draw attention to herself.
It was difficult enough dealing with her escalating heat problem, but now, alone with her thoughts, it was like her mind followed its own path, taunting her with memories of a kiss that refused to fade into the ether. A kiss so raw and primal, it dragged out a desire she never believed possible.
Urias!She shut her eyes and kneaded her temples.
She had to stop thinking about him, but how could she when only he could help her find the demon after her?
“Headache?”
Her head shot up to find Echo watching her, a concerned expression on her face. Shadow and Kira switched their attention from a Christmas movie on TV to her, too.
Vae.Ely’s heart pounded a little too fast as the darn heat shimmered through her again. “Not really. I’m reading the book you gave me.” She picked up the heavy tome ofA Game of Thrones. “I can’t make sense of it.” Heck, in her current state of mind, she doubted she would recognize her name on a to-go coffee cup.
“Yeah, it’s a tough one, but I kinda liked it,” Echo said, her brow still furrowed.
Kira snorted. “Just watch theGOTseries on TV like I did. Or, I could recommend some ofmybooks.” She winked.
Ely laughed. Kira was a die-hard romance fan. “Maybe, I will. I mean, I will watch the show.” She set the book aside, slipped her feet back into her sneakers, and rose. “I need to clear my head.”
She stepped out onto the terrace and into the chilly air. Ugh, flip it. She was too hot to care, and she hauled her sweater off, tossing it onto a nearby wrought iron chair. The bracing cold enclosed her, but the spiking heat didn’t relent.
Gods, she sank against the wrought iron table and scrubbed her hot face, wishing she knew what was happening. Aware, too, she couldn’t reveal to anyone that something was terribly wrong. Michael would have her off duty and castle-bound before she drew her next breath. No way would she risk being pulled out of patrol. She had demons to find. One to kill and the other…to aid her, then purge him from her thoughts.
Just recalling his mouth on hers, her blood heated hotter than the sun, and desire crawled through her veins to pool in her core. Biting off a moan, Ely jerked up from the table and tramped to the other end of the terrace, stopping near the bordering shrubs. She lifted her gaze to the thick bruise of clouds gathered above, consuming the noon sun with promises of more snow to come.
She rubbed her chest. Stars! Why did she have to feel this senseless attraction to Nate?
It was like her entire being pulled her toward him, and there was nothing she could do to stop it—
“Hey.”
She pivoted as Echo stepped onto the patio, her overgrown shaggy bangs dipping into her worried, bi-colored eyes. Darn, she hadn’t bought Ely’s ruse about the book.
“Man, it’s cold,” her friend grumbled, wrapping her arms around her body. “Kira and Shadow have gone to get snacks. You okay?” she asked, glancing at the discarded sweater, then back at Ely clad in a tank. “You’ve been out of sorts since this morning.”
“It’s nothing.” She rubbed her arms and made her way back to lean against the table. She couldn’t tell Echo about her problem or her attraction to Nate—a demon.
Bob wandered out and weaved between Echo’s legs. “Hey, baby…” she crooned, crouching and running her fingers through her pet’s long, soot-gray pelt. Her gaze lifted back to Ely’s. “You look a little agitated and flushed. Oh, no…” Her eyes widened, and she leaped to her feet. “Ely, do you need to Ground, too?”
