“No.”
ThankUrias! “That’s Týr,” she said then. “He’s, er, rather protective.”
All the guys were, treating her like a younger sibling, but she had her brother for that. Though she understood Týr’s antipathy toward demons, especially after being incarcerated in Tartarus with brutal jailors, not all were vicious, malevolent beings.
“Yeah, I got that,” Nate muttered, his fingers moving carefully over her cell display, then deleting and retyping a few more times.
How hard was it to type his name and number? Frowning, she held out her hand. “Let me do that.”
His lips thinned, a tic working his jaw. Then his cell rang, and he handed her phone back. He’d put himself down asLaika’sfollowed by a heart emoji, which made her smile. She found him saving her number on his device.
“C’mon. Let’s get out of here.” He pushed his phone into his jeans pocket. “We need to talk.” He grasped her hand, his warm, calloused fingers lacing through hers, causing her heart to clip hard. He flashed them to the garage and ushered her into the workshop. The metal door shut behind them.
Oh, heavens. This was truly happening. He was putting her first, giving them a chance, and a grin started. She didn’t care what roadblock the castle household would erect against her being with him, and the dangers she would face—heck, she was a Guardian and equipped to handle anything—
What he said registered. “Talk about what?”
“Your favorite thing. Me.” His smile was shameless.
Gods, this male! Cocky to the bone. But her insides melted. Still, she couldn’t resist. “Why not me?”
His smile became a laugh, low and seductive as he opened the door into a dark, silent living room, a faint smell of metal and paint lingering in the air. “Oh, we will.”
She deserved that. But tell him about the dull girl she’d been? Ugh, talking about ants crawling on a sidewalk would be more exciting. Scrunching her face, Ely scanned the garage and the surroundings, but all remained quiet. “Where’s Aba?”
Nate switched on the lights, illuminating the couch, armchair, and coffee table scattered with car magazines. Nothing personal in here at all.
“At the cabin. He refuses to go back to Exilum.”
“I can’t blame him. He cares about you.”
Nate shrugged off his coat. “Yeah, he does.”
At his clipped tone, the truth struck her. Her heart sank. “He’s not happy about us, is he?”
“Not for the reasons you think.” He tossed his outerwear on the armchair and headed for the kitchen. Lights came on.
Ely untied her belt, removed her trench coat, leaving it on top of his, and followed him into the small kitchen. She leaned against the cupboard near the door as he put on the coffee pot and rubbed her bare overheated arms, wishing for a little respite from her intensifying temperature problem.
He faced her and stilled. His stare went slowly down her body, then up again. “You’re wearing a skirt.”
“What?” Oh, right. She’d forgotten she’d changed into that and a sleeveless top for work. With the incessant heat consuming her, it seemed like a good idea. But the damn fire wouldn’t be beaten.
“I felt hot.” She brushed it aside.
“You have a tattoo?” He smiled now. “Not something I expected.”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t.”
“Yeah?” He strolled across and traced a fingertip over her bicep. “Then what’s this?”
His touch slid goosebumps over her skin. Frowning, she glanced at her upper arm, and her mystical Gaian weapons inked there. Oh. She lifted her gaze, aware of how close he stood. And since he’d already shared more than she had… “What do you think?”
His brow furrowed as he continued tracing the crossed staff. “Damn,laika. This is your weapon of destruction?”
She huffed out a laugh. “Something like that. The goddess gifted it to me when I took my oath as a Guardian. It can transform into glaives.”
“I recall.” He nodded. “Good. You’re never defenseless, then.” He went back to the spluttering coffee pot.
