Ohhh…shit! Her stomach heaved as his words connected, her fingers flying up to touch her ponytail. With her light hair in this style—
“Me? I’m the unicorn? Because of my hairstyle?” She shook her head, laughter breaking free. “They can try. I’m not easy to capture.”
“I don’t care! They’ve already put a price on you!” His eyes burned with anger. “I might have killed one, but they’re just minions who work for someone far more powerful.”
Deciding not to aggravate him any further, she let it go. “Okay, but you know I’m not going to hide, right? I have a job to do.”
His mouth tightened. “I know.” He glanced around the place. “Let’s go.”
“I can’t. It’s dawn already. I have to head back. There could be a meeting. I’ll come by later in the day. You’ll be at the garage, right?”
Nate stood there, a tall silhouette in the shadows, his arms folded over his chest, not looking happy at all. “Not there, the cabin. It’s safer.”
From his enemies? “Okay. I’ll text you first.”
Before she could dematerialize, he grasped her hand. “Letting you go is damn hard to do.” He drew her to him, chest still heaving from his fight, and just held her in his arms. The gods knew she didn’t want to leave him, either. His unshaven jaw slid against her skin in a raspy caress, and a bolt of desire shot through her.
“I can smell your arousal, Ely,” he groaned, grasping her ponytail and kissing her. “Go, before I finish what we started in my room, right here in this damn alley.”
Her heart thumping wildly, Ely stepped back. Smiling was hard when she wanted to run back into his arms. She dematerialized back to the castle, aware of the endless wait until she could see him again.
First, she needed a shower to ease this damn heat within, and as much as it pained her, she had to wash Nate’s scent off her, too. For now.
CHAPTER19
Lights brightenedthe castle’s windows in the early hours of the morning, lending it a fairy-tale appearance as Ely reformed on the terrace near the TV lounge, where she and the girls sometimes hung out. She cut through the empty room, stepped out into the corridor, and headed for the back stairwell, needing a shower before the meeting.
Soft footsteps echoed, and Kira appeared from further down, coming from the direction of the library. The moment she spied Ely, she hurried over, eyes bright with concern, her spiral, auburn hair bouncing around her shoulders. “I’ve been waiting to see you. Are you okay? Echo mentioned you weren’t feeling yourself before she left with Aethan.”
Ely’s lips twisted in a wry smile. “As well as I can be currently.”
“Grounding didn’t help, huh?”
“No. Though I did fall asleep,” she said drily.
Kira laughed, her pretty dimples popping free. “When I heard about your problem, it made me think of mine.”
Frowning, Ely started walking again, and Kira joined her. “What do you mean?”
“Well, my father bound my powers so I’d remain undetected from his enemies.”
Yes, her sire was the all-powerful Sin of Wrath.
“Though I doubt yours is for the same reason,” she continued. “What I’m trying to say is we’re both immortals. My father blocked any ability I might have had while I was a child, until I reached twenty-five or my path crossed with my mate’s. But long story short, I went through the same rising temperature and fluctuating powers until Týr and I mated—” She gasped, her hazel-green eyes glowing with excitement. “Maybe you met your destined mate, yes?”
A sharp stab of pain splintered Ely’s chest, but somehow she managed a nonchalant tone, “Well…I’ve come across many, many males. But, alas, I kill most.”
“No.” Kira grinned. “I meant someone you met recently and who still breathes?”
Ely didn’t laugh. She couldn’t.
“Hey, what is it?” Kira stopped walking and grasped her hand, her smile fading. “If you need to talk, I’m here, you know that, right?”
“Aye. Thank you. I’m just feeling a little rundown and tired,” she evaded, rubbing her damp palms on her top, heat prickling her skin. “I need a shower. I’ll see you later.” Ely forced a smile, then hurried for the back stairwell. She couldn’t speak about this to Kira or even Shadow, who already knew about Nate. More, she didn’t want to put both her friends in any crossfire that was bound to happen once the news got out.
As she ran up the stairs, Shae came down, her gorgeous red hair pulled in a loose braid.
“Great, you’re back!” Her friend smiled. “Want to meet me in the arena this afternoon?”
