He turned, his remote stare flickering over her furniture.
Nia pushed back a spike of irritation. So what if the blue pillows were frayed and chewed—courtesy of Ginger, herneighbor’s frisky kitten who always stalked her place and kept her company—and the couch was a hand-me-down from Saia’s family, or that a mish-mash of photo collages of her friends and her crowded the walls?
She loved her apartment.
Yes, it was small, but she’d gotten it at less than minimum rent from her other best friend, Niki, who owned the building. So, she didn’t care if the decor didn’t meet His Mightiness’ approval.
Still, hehadrescued her from Kas.
Setting aside her antipathy, she put Nan’s civility lessons to good use and tried to be pleasant. “Would you like something to drink?”
Those otherworldly, silvery-green eyes shifted to her. He shook his head.
Well, so much for being polite. She grabbed a soda and hip-bumped the fridge door closed. “How long will this bodyguard thing last?”
“For as long as need be.”
Jeez. Was it so hard to give her a little more info?
She popped the tab and took a deep swallow of her drink, eyeing him. The chilled liquid slid down her throat, but the tension along her nape grew worse as the minutes passed.
The words were out before she could stop them. “If you’re gonna be here for God knows how long, sit, for Heaven’s sake!” His brow lowered at her cussing. She didn’t care. “You’re looming, taking up all the space?—”
Her cell rang, cracking through her irritation. She set her can down, grabbed her phone from the counter, and answered. “Sai?—”
“Are you okay?” her friend demanded.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine.” Head lowered, she rubbed her brow. “I’m back at my place.”
“Jesus, what a mess. Thank God for Riley and Zac. Where’s the angel? Riley said that’s what he was.” Well, that confirmed her theory. “I’m coming over.”
Nia blew out a tired breath. “Sai, I’m okay. Really.”
“He’s still there, isn’t he?”
“Yep.” She looked up, connecting with his impassive stare. “Says he’s going to keep me safe.” She deliberately rolled her eyes and added, “We’ll see.”
“Honey, he appeared so suddenly, you don’t know if he’s trustworthy?—”
“It’s fine, Sai. I mean, he could have let Kas take off with me to Hell or some other horrifying place.”
“Since you’re speaking to me and not shackled somewhere…” A deep exhale drifted down the line. “Okay. Call if you need us.”
“Is he dead?” Nia asked her, hopeful.
“The angel broke his neck, but he regenerated and vanished with all his cohorts in the chaos. Riley’s hunting his ass. Zayn will be there as soon as he can.”
The call ended. Nia dropped her cell on the counter and sighed.Wonderful. The hellspawn will be back.
“And I will know.”
“Stop reading my mind!” A wave of heat swept through her. She pushed up her sweater sleeves, trying to cool down.
“You project your thoughts as loudly as your conversation, and that’s probably how the demon found you, no matter the glamour you wear.”
Shit! He knew? Ugh!
Her brain rattled inside her sore skull. She blanked her mind, swiped her soda off the counter, and pressed the cold can to her hot cheek.
