“Why?”
“Why?” he growled. “You, of all people, knowwhythis can’t go anywhere.”
The sensual haze trapping her dissipated, hearing the words of their reality, and a chill swept through her like she’d been dumped in the icy ocean. She straightened her bra and tugged her top down, covering up. “I am aware of the stumbling blocks.”
“They aren’t just stumbling blocks, but insurmountable mountains.”
“Only if you let them be. I won’t let the guys come after you.”
“Your fellow warriors are the least of my problems!” He raked back his damp hair and cursed when he hit his horns. “Nothing can change what we are. I can’t—Iwon’t—put you in harm’s way. Being a part of my life makes that inevitable!”
“And you forget what I am,” she shot back, desperate to make him understand. “The ancient goddessselectedme to kill those fiends you talk of! I’m not some weak or timid female playing at being a Guardian!”
“I know.” His gaze lowered to her kiss-swollen lips. Gods, she wanted his mouth back on hers, to wrap herself around him, and to feel his warmth again because right now, she felt chilled to the marrow of her bones at what was coming.
He shook his head, his expression morphing to inflexible. “I have enemies. Deadly ones. It’s not those scumbags who traverse to Earth to steal souls or drain their victims, but those who stay in the Dark Realm. Vicious doesn’t even come close to what they are.”
“And I’ve taken down Narakas,” she retorted. “Malevolent demons from the deepest part of Gehenna sent after Nik and Shadow.”
“What?” He went dead still. “I wasn’t aware of those things being here—”
“It was about six months ago.”
A tic started on his rigid jaw. “I wasn’t in this world then.”
“The Dark Realm,” she muttered. Gods! She’d disliked the damn place on principal, but with Nate and his shut-door attitude, she hated it even more.
Then he scowled as if remembering what they’d been arguing about. “We cannot change what is, Ely. There is no future with someone like me.”
“I see.”
“No, you don’t!” he snapped.
Of course, she didn’t, not when he remained as tight-lipped as a damn vault about himself, and wouldn’t explain why he and his demonic side were at odds, or what his symbionts were.
But the part that hurt the most?
The one time she dared to take a risk—she’d even been prepared to face her fellow Guardians for him—and he wasn’t interested enough to take a chance, to see where this could lead.
“I guess I really am not interesting enough, now that the chase is over.”
He slammed a palm on the bars, a few columns away from her, and shook his lowered head. When he remained silent and didn’t contradict her, it flung her into an abyss of pain—of her past and old wounds.
Dull. Boring.
Irek, her ex, had thrown those words at her after she’d learned of his betrayal from her so-called friends and had broken up with him.
Finding whatever remained of her pride, even though he’d trampled most of it to dust, Ely picked up her coat and potion bottle from the floor, the crater in her chest corroding like acid had settled in there, hurting—
“Nate?” A familiar voice hollered from above, and her gaze darted to the basement ceiling.
Ely froze.Aba?She’d been so wrapped up in her pain, she hadn’t paid attention to anything else. But Nate had, judging from his tight mouth.
“Down here,” he grunted, straightening, his red-streaked stare fixed on her.
Seconds passed before Aba responded, “Okay.”
Ely quickly pulled on and buttoned her coat. And said the only thing she could, “As you wish.”
