Kas was dead?
A wave of relief had her stumbling a step.
Oh, thank God!
Lore rose, in all his unnerving angelic grace, wings spread wide. Inhumanly beautiful. A searing glow surrounded him, and Nia had to shield her eyes. With a wave of his hand, the immobilized horde on the patio imploded and crumbled into ash, then dissipated.
Nia gawked, finally seeing Lore’s true, heavenly form.
Her heart constricted with despair. She had to let go of her longing for him. He was way,wayout of her league.
Lore crossed to her, his divine light fading, his wings disappearing with a whoosh. He touched Ginger’s broken hindquarters, healing the kitten. With a little purr, Ginger butted his hand, then leaped down and crept out through the open door to investigate the ruined backyard.
“Thank you,” she whispered as Lore followed the kitten and shut the door. Though his expression remained even, she was starting to know…to understand him.
He wasn’t as calm as he portrayed.
But the distance between them knotted her belly. Didshedo something?
“Are you angry with me?” she finally asked, her mind shifting back to the bar and his cold fury when she was dancing with Zayn.
“No.”
“Then what’s wrong? You’re treating me like a stranger.”
“Nothing.”
Not knowing what else to say, she asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” His attention remained on the yard, where Ginger pawed through the debris. Then, the kitten darted through the gate and disappeared. In a blink, the garden was set right as if nothing horrifying had taken place.
She glanced back at Lore, still feeling on edge. He wasn’ttalkingto her, just responding with clipped one-word answers, like when she first met him.
Fine.Nia squeezed between the window and his big body, her gaze flying over him and settling on the burnt hole in his shirt. She touched the crisp edges, through which she could see his chest and smooth skin. He’d healed completely. No blood smears remained, either.
She blew out a shaky breath and said, “He…Kas said he wanted me for a lifetime supply of my blood, to be stronger, and to claim his place as Lord of Eurymos’ Run, whatever that is. You called him Bakasura?”
“That’s his true name. He’s a vicious species of demon. They thrive on blood and some on flesh.” He slid his hands into his pants pockets. “He probably wanted to take over the blood demon’s territory in the Dark Realm. But he needed to be sane to rule. He believed the light in your soul would be in your blood and give him the power to hold onto his sanity. It’s a curse most blood demons face.”
“Dear God.” She rubbed her face, helpless laughter escaping her. “Only me. Maybe Nan was right. I’m not good. That’s why that evil spawn was drawn to me.”
His remote gaze lowered to hers. “You aren’t evil—” He grasped her arm. “We have to go.”
Before she could ask why, he flashed them.
They reappeared in darkness, on the snow-covered courtyard of the Romanian abbey. Snowflakes drifted like confetti.
Morbid laughter caught in her throat. The only thing celebratory was Kas being dead. But staying here with Lore?—
A slash of heat cut through, and she bit back a moan as the needy ache within her rose. Lore stood there as distant as these mountains, and she didn’t even care. She wanted to yank off her clothes, wrap herself around him, wanted him to touch her…
Instead, she pivoted and glared up at the looming abbey because, deep down, she knew none of that could happen.
God, she couldn’t stay there alone with him.
Without anyone around to be a buffer, it would be disastrous. For her.
“I have to go back.”
