Something felt off.
He scanned her, and her heightened energy battered him like barbed wire. Her heart pounded faster than normal, which could explain why her faint psychic vibration had also intensified.
She pivoted, still gripping the open fridge with one hand. Red patches mottled her pale cheeks. “The stores should be open now. Right?”
He had no idea. Maybe it was better to get out of there. “Perhaps. Let’s go.” He crossed to her and held out a hand.
Her gaze lowered to his palm, her lower lip caught between her teeth. She shut the fridge door, set her soda down, and gingerly touched his hand as if it were an asp about to strike. “I don’t like your mode of travel.”
“Don’t think about it.” He closed his fingers over her icy ones. “Shut your eyes.”
The moment she did, he flashed them, reappearing in the forest at the edge of the village. She blinked, her gaze meeting his for a fraction of a second, then she hurriedly stepped away.
It augured well for her that she remained cautious and didn’t trust easily. If Chamuel determined she was dangerous to the Celestial Realm, Lore would have no choice but to eliminate the threat.
Eliminateher…
“Why didn’t you use your wings to fly us down here?” she asked, drawing him out of his troubling thoughts.
“I’m sure you can figure it out if you try hard enough.”
“Yeah, yeah, we lowly humans aren’t supposed to see you winged beings, or we’ll be struck blind, yadda-yadda, whatever.”She snorted before stalking off through the trees toward the town.
No matter her wariness moments ago, this female had a mouth on her. It surprised him a little to realize he enjoyed goading her.
He caught up with her as they reached a cobblestone street lined with wrought-iron lights. She halted, eyes wide in wonder. Lore scanned the vicinity for danger…but couldn’t sense anything to mark as perilous.
The morning sun cast its wan rays over the little town, highlighting the sparse flora in the window boxes of the faded buildings, but doing little to warm the frigid air.
“Wow!” A puff of white escaped her lips. “How beautiful…”
Lore glanced at her and stilled. The glamour masking her rippled a little. He wasn’t surprised. Her stirring powers were diminishing the spell.
Dark streaks appeared amidst her pale strands. Another ripple flowed over her, and the glamour faded. Light hair gave way to a wavy, inky mane that swayed halfway down her back. She raked back the swaths from her face, revealing a lean feminine profile and honey-gold skin. Gold dots glimmered along the shell of one ear, and a tiny matching stud pierced her nose.
She dropped her hand from her hair and paused, staring at her tan fingers. “Oh… The glamour’s gone.” She cast him a wry look, her much lighter amber eyes appearing like gilded coins in the morning sun.
Lore froze. She was?—
“Surprise.” She scrunched her face, a smile curving her full mouth. “This is the real me.”
Asurpriseindeed.
His gaze lowered to the shallow indent in her chin. The oddest urge to touch it took hold, a compulsion he’d neverexperienced in his eternal life. He fisted his fingers to quell the impulse.
Heavens!Why did his thoughts stray to things like this when around her? He liked it not at all.
“Let’s get what you want before night falls, female,” he said, tone cool.
She shot him a killing glare and stomped off.
Indeed, she disliked being calledfemale.
Lore followed, his gaze still fixed on her, feeling as if he’d been struck by a lightning bolt.
By the dark stars!She was turning out to be far bigger a deal than what he’d first suspected, a revelation and complication he hadn’t foreseen.
Michael had much to answer for.
