Though it’s the last thing I want to do, I take a small step back, giving myself and Lore a little breathing room. Her hand falls away, and I regret the movement even more, but now is not the time or place.
Lore pivots slightly and takes a hold of Egan’s hand, as if she was aware he was staring down the table next to us the entire time. She probably was. The connection between the three of us is growing and forging into an inseverable bond.
“I’ll be seeing ya.” Lore manages to make the cutesy finger wave she sends in the other demon’s direction seem downright menacing as she tugs Egan along behind her. The fact that the fallen allows himself to be pulled along only makes the image more frightening.
When I make it outside, Lore is speaking to Egan while standing next to her bike. Her palm is splayed out on his chest, with the angel’s hand covering hers as he stares down at her with rapt attention. “…long ride,” is the only part of the conversation I hear.
Egan shoots open his wings and flaps them once. The tiny hairs that have escaped Lore’s braid blow back from her face, and she snaps her eyes closed as the gust of wind hits her.
“Offering you another option is not an insult,” she drones when she opens her eyes. “I would be drained from a flight that long, so I would rather ride it. That doesn’t make me weak, it makes me smart for acknowledging it.” There’s a clear challenge in her tone.
“Where are we going?” I question after a few-second stare down between the two of them.
“I want to pay the coven near the mountains a visit,” Lore answers after another tense second. I see her arm shift as she tries to pull away, but Egan keeps her fingers trapped, holding her in place. “What?” she snaps with a little bark, glaring up at the fallen.
Egan
Lore’s head rocks back,and she scrunches her eyes closed as the gust of wind I created hits her. I watch her lips thin right before she opens her eyes again. It wasn’t my intention to piss her off, but it’s clear I did.
A ball of unease unfurls in my stomach. She tries to escape me by pulling her hand free, but I’m steadfast in holding her fingers and her gaze, waiting for the little creases in her forehead to soften. “What?” Her aggravation is unleashed in her voice.
Using my free hand, I point to my chest while shaking my head, then I point over to her bike.I don’t know how to ride, Iremind her.
“You don’t know how,” she repeats as if she heard me. I nod once. I do not like admitting weakness, and this is one. “I forgot. I’ll show you.” Her voice is much softer now. I like this tone better, but not the reason for it.
I tap the back of her hand once, thinking,We don’t have time.
“Not tonight, but soon,” she promises.
Reluctantly, I release her hand, but she leaves it in place a heartbeat longer, and it feels as if she’s showing me that she didn’t want to let go either. “I need to know you’re going to be okay before I can let you follow me that far.”
I feel my eyes widen.Let me?
The prince lets out a low chuckle, finding amusement in her words. “Have you asked him?” Modeus gestures to me.
Lore nibbles the corner of her lip as if she’s wondering if she should ask, or maybe she’s wondering if I will tell her the truth. “It’s at least a four-hour ride on the bikes,” she warns. I can travel much faster than the motorcycles, but not if I want to keep her in my sights. “Can you go that longsafely?”
I reach up and swat the back of her hand, which is still on my chest, twice. Her eyes narrow, and I regret letting my frustration show, especially while touching her. Lore jerks her arm away and steps back.
“Use the currents. Don’t fly low to watch over me.” She pivots abruptly and gets on her bike.
“You’re lucky it’s a long ride. By the time we get there, she might not want to rip your head off,” Modeus mutters lowly after the engine of Lore’s bike roars to life.
I bump the demon’s shoulder and point to his eyes, then at Lore. I know I won’t be able to resist watching over her from above, but I will have to fly much higher than I would like to and use the currents, just as Lore suggested.
“With my life.” The prince dismisses me without a backward glance and gets on his own bike to ride with her. I hate him a little right now for being able to give her something I can’t.
When I shoot off into the sky, a boom follows in my wake seconds after. I’m wasting energy that I should be reserving, but again, I’m allowing my irritation to control me. I suppose it proves I need more practice when it comes to dealing with my emotions.
Lore
As much asI enjoy riding, my ass is fucking numb by the time we reach the tiny town of Holton in the shadow of the mountains. We only have an hour or so before the sun will rise, which means we either need to find a place to sleep for the day or ride straight back to Delten.
Egan’s bare feet touch the ground the second I put down my kickstand. His lips are a purplish shade of blue, and I can see tiny ice crystals clinging to his lashes and hair. He must have been really high. I don’t think I could have sustained those altitudes, especially for hours.
I reach out and run my hands over his shoulders and bite back the curse that wants to leave my lips. He’s literally freezing. “I could smack you right now!” I snarl between my teeth, but keep my voice muted.
Egan reaches for my chin and lifts it so I’m forced to look into his eyes. There’s an unspoken apology in his gaze, buffered with true remorse.
