“Yes, I get that…” Well, there was one way to get this intractable angel to move. “Are you saying you can’t keep me safe? Fine…” She tossed back her hair. “Get Zayn here. He’ll do so.”
His eyes flared into silver flames, the sudden emotion startling in its intensity. “That threat doesn’t work with me.”
Damn. “Look, since I’m staying here for who knows how long, I’m going to need some warmer things and probably food, too.”
He frowned, then looked back at the abbey.
Aaandthe cell came out again. He glanced at it… A beep sounded a moment later.
“There will be food. Let’s get your clothes. There is a village at the foothills.”
“Now?”
“You asked.”
“Yes, but…” She bit back a smile. He truly had no idea how the human world worked. She couldn’t resist. “Breaking and entering. Is that what we’re going to do? I mean, the storeswill be closed this early in the morning. Man, I love living dangerously. Let’s go.”
At his narrowed stare, Nia burst out laughing. Who knew her teasing would get more reaction than her irritation? “It’s maybe a half hour or so before the stores open.”
“This is not a game.” Lore pivoted for the door.
Of course not. How could she forget for even a moment when he was there to remind her every second of the day? The dread she’d lived with since she first discovered Kas stalked her returned in full force.
Irritated, she followed him.
Oh, she wasn’t done with this angel and his superior ways. No, not at all.
The female was clueless and mocked what she didn’t understand. He might not have revealed exactly what he was, but she should show her reverence for a higher being.
With a flick of his hand, the massive front door creaked open. Lore strode into the abbey.
“Oh, stop being so sore over a bit of teasing,” she called out, her footsteps echoing as she hurried after him. “Hey, do you know your shirt’s ripped down the back, both sides?”
A growl caught in his throat. With a thought, he changed his shirt. “This is why humans find themselves in trouble. They have little control and are often impulsive.”
“Yes, we love living dangerously.” Her voice brimmed with mirth. “Where’s the fun in hiding because you’re scared that you’ll scrape a knee or something, huh? Oh, BTW…” Her voice dropped low, husky. “I seriously liked your ripped shirt. So very sexy seeing peeks of your pale, pale skin…”
Pale?He wasn’t pale… Then he clenched his teeth, ignored her baiting, and headed along the corridor to the living room.
“Man, you’re no fun at all.” She laughed. “Lighten up, dear angel, or your eternal life will be lackluster and utterly dull.”
Do not react.
He cast his stare over the sunken room. He’d been here a few times in the past years, and nothing had changed. As the day built, sunrays highlighted the worn brown leather couches, armchairs, and scratched coffee table. Water stains marred the walls and part of the towering, muraled ceiling. The place was a rundown mess.
She halted next to him.
A tantalizing scent of apple orchards merged with flowers wafted to him. And it belonged to her. Beneath it all, another acrid smell lingered, teasing his sensitive nose. Lore frowned, glancing at her.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” She stared up at the frescoed ceiling, finally acting a bit more normal. He forced his gaze away from her, and she gasped. “Arcade games!”
She sprinted across like some maddened human, leaping down the few stairs into the living room, across the space, and up the three steps. Indeed, she would be like those exasperating Guardians, loving those pointless pastimes.
With a wide grin, she halted at the tall black machines set against the wall, leaving behind her taunting apple grove fragrance. “Wow, Pinball—Pacman!” She spun to the flat table adjacent to the game machines. “Air hockey!”
Beaming like she’d entered paradise, she pivoted back to the clunky contraption again and turned it on.
Her pale cheeks heightened with color, she flipped back her light hair, and he wondered what she truly looked like beneath the glamour. While he had an image of dark hair and light browneyes, as Chamuel’s missive and his own brief glimpse in the dark evening had initially revealed, he couldn’t see much else.
