“Wait. Demons? As in Hell?” Ash gawked at her.
Kira scrunched her face. “Yup.”
“At least you knew how to fight even then,” Darci said wryly, the wan midday sunlight catching the gold in her messy cinnamon-hued bun. “Me, I like books. All my strenuous activities come from turning the pages.”
“What about Blaéz?” Kira wiggled her brow suggestively.
Darci’s creamy caramel skin turned scarlet. “Yeah, that, too. I meant sword fights and such—gah, Kira, you’re a pain in my butt.”
The women burst into laughter, the sound filling the kitchen with lightness.
As the sound faded, Nia asked softly, “What are you going to do?”
Ash picked up her fork again. “I?—”
Ash?
At the sound of Race’s voice in her head, her heart tripped, then careened in her chest like a bloody jackhammer.
He’d probably found another bloody reason why she had to stay behind.
She ignored him, stabbed a piece of bacon, and ate it. “When I stormed out of the basement, I was so furious,” she admitted. “I’m not letting him make my decisions for me.”
“Good for you,” Kira said.
“Absolutely,” Nia added. “When Lore fell from grace?—”
“What?” Ash’s gaze rushed back to Nia. “Your mate’s an angel?”
“Was.” Nia smiled. “When he fell, we didn’t know where he’d be. Michael didn’t want to take me with him in case it was bad, since not all angels survive the fall, but I refused to take no for an answer.”
“Your man needs to know he’s not alone,” Kira murmured.
“He knows.”
His quiet voice cut through the air. Ash’s gaze rushed to the doorway as silence swept through the open space.
Race leaned a shoulder against the door jamb, his silver hair pulled back in a low ponytail, his gaze fixed on her. “Can we talk?”
Her heart ached at how handsome he was…but so bloody stubborn. She lowered her gaze to her mug, wrapping her palms around it as if it were armor.
Ash, give me a moment. Please, heart-fire.
God. When he called her that, her stupid heart melted—the treacherous thing.
A deep breath, then she rose from the table.
“We’ll be here in the kitchen if you want to hang out later,” Kira called out. “You too, Race.”
He looked at her for a second, then gave a brief nod, and Ash had to bite back a smile at her big, growly dragon being forced to acquiesce.
Because of her?
As she neared him, he stood aside and let her pass, then shut the door behind them.
“You didn’t have to agree,” she said as they walked down the corridor. “I know you hate socializing.”
He exhaled deeply and caught her hand, pulling her to a stop. “Forgive me. I acted without thought in the basement. I never had anything in my life that mattered to me, not even before Tartarus. And now…” His voice roughened. “Now the very thought of losing you… Tartarus broke everything I was. But you—” He lifted his hand to touch her face, but then dropped it. “Flaeron will be waiting. And Malcarion, if he gets a hold of you?—”
