Bitter Sweet Love

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  Zayne. Wearing a light gray shirt, he was tall and built like all Wardens were, but he was an especially impressive specimen. His shirt clung to hard muscles and a lean waist. With that head full of blond waves and high cheekbones, his sculpted face could easily be mistaken for that of an angel’s. Zayne was divinely gorgeous, but my eyes... well, they’d always been focused on someone else.

  “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Layla.” Zayne walked right up to the half demon, displaying no fear whatsoever, and draped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to his side. “I’m ready if you’re...” He trailed off, his gaze narrowing on her and then flipping toward me. One look at me, and his handsome expression tightened in understanding. “Layla, why don’t you go wait for me in the foyer.”

  She lifted her head and glanced at me. A small smile appeared on her lips and then she scampered from the room, gliding as fast as a shadow.

  Zayne turned to me, legs spread and shoulders tensed, just the way Dez stood when he was angry. “Layla is nothing like what you think or have heard.”

  I didn’t even have to ask how he suspected that our little meet and greet hadn’t been pleasant. The fact that I was hiding behind a couch like a total tool, looking as if I wanted to fly out of the room, was probably a dead giveaway.

  He eyed me with cool, unfriendly pale eyes. “She won’t hurt you. The very idea of hurting anyone or anything would never even cross her thoughts.”

  Flushing to the roots of my hair, I opened my mouth, but he cut me off.

  “Layla’s not dangerous.” His gaze held mine, refusing to allow me to look away. “She’s more Warden than she is demon.”

  My skin pricked with uncomfortable heat. “I’m sorry. I just wasn’t expecting to see her. I didn’t even think she was real. She’s... she’s really not a threat?”

  Zayne stared at me for a long moment and then blew out a deep breath. As he finally looked away, he thrust his hand through his hair. “Unless you plan on kissing her any time soon, she’s not a danger to you.”

  “Kissing her?”

  “That’s how close you’d need to get for you to be concerned about losing your soul,” he explained. “It’s not like she just needs to breathe the same air as you. She needs to be close—that close.”

  Well, since that wasn’t in my future plans, I nodded. Shame still burned like a flame inside my chest. God, I felt like a bitch. If she took a soul in that manner... the poor girl could never kiss. “I really am sorry. She seems like... like a nice girl. She invited me to ice cream.”

  Zayne didn’t look surprised. “The other clansmen don’t want her in the main home with the other females and children. That’s why she’s here, in our headquarters, and there aren’t a lot of females that visit us here. She’s been excited to meet you since we heard that you were coming with Dez.”

  Yep. It was official. Now I felt worse.

  “I told Dez we were heading out. He said he wanted to come. You’re more than welcome to join us, but if you say one thing or act in any way toward Layla that is even remotely cruel—”

  “I won’t,” I said quickly. “I’d love to join you all.”

  He nodded curtly and turned. Feeling like a troll, I sighed and followed Zayne to the foyer. He went straight to where Layla waited in the corner, pressed against the wall and so incredibly small that if you weren’t paying attention, you wouldn’t have even seen her. My gaze followed hers to where Dez stood by the door.

  Relief poured into Dez’s features as he looked at me. “I’ve been meeting with Abbot. I would’ve come back earlier if I knew you were out of bed and—”

  “It’s okay.”

  “Are you feeling up to going out?”

  “I feel fine.”

  I glanced back at Layla. Curiosity marked her face. There was also trepidation, as if she expected an identical response from Dez. It couldn’t be easy for her living among Wardens. I knew that most had to have behaved the way I had. Sympathy rose inside me. That girl could not have had an easy life.

  Dez smiled at the young girl and though it didn’t reach his eyes, she smiled back—hopeful. He was wary, but he hid it a lot better than me.

  “Everyone ready?” As Zayne spoke, he reached down, wrapping his much larger hand around Layla’s.

  “Yep.” Dez looked at me in that intense way of his, and for a moment I forgot about my embarrassing reaction. “You sure?” When I nodded, he said, “We’re ready.”

  A different kind of heat flooded my cheeks as I glanced back at Zayne and Layla. The girl was staring up at the Warden, smiling in a way that was painfully familiar.

  She smiled the same way I had every time I’d seen Dez—that smile of adoration and love. There was something incredibly sad about that because the obvious love Layla harbored for Zayne would, no matter what, end in painful heartbreak.

  Chapter Thirteen

  We all stared at Zayne in varying degrees of morbid fascination, watching him happily take a Twizzler from a pack he’d brought into the ’50s-style ice-cream parlor and dip it into his chocolate ice cream.

  “That is so disgusting.” Layla watched him, her spoon hovering above her banana split. “I mean, there’re really no words for it.”

  “What?” Zayne laughed as he looked at her and held the chocolate-covered red licorice close to her face. “Just try it.”

  “Ew.” She jerked back, scrunching up her nose. “Get that away from me.”

  Beside me, Dez leaned back and smiled. Since he’d already devoured his cone, I expected him to start patting his belly. “That is gross.”

  Zayne scoffed. “Whatever. It’s the best thing ever.”

  “It’s not,” Layla said, scooping around the cherries. “You could try chips or French fries like a normal person.”

  “What fun is being normal?” Zayne countered.

  Layla pulled her spoon back as he reached over and plucked up a cherry, popping it in his mouth.

  There was no doubt in my mind that these two were close, probably as inseparable as Dez and I had been. And just like my younger self, Layla made no attempt at hiding how she worshipped him.

  The more time I spent in her company, the worse I felt about how I’d acted toward her earlier. She really was a sweet girl, and once she got comfortable around Dez and me, she opened up. The chick was spunky.

  “Abbot is letting me attend public school next year,” she told us. Excitement sparkled in her odd eyes and shone in her wide smile. “I’m so—”

  “I think it’s a terrible idea,” Zayne cut in, eyeing her. “You’re going to be at school during the day, when most of us are resting. If something happens, it will be damn hard for any of us to respond.”

  “Nothing is going to happen.” Layla rolled her eyes. “And besides, you can’t keep playing at being my teacher. There’re better things you could be doing.”

  Dez frowned. “Has Zayne been teaching you?”

  She nodded as she twirled her spoon around. “Yeah, he set me up with this homeschool stuff on the computer and checks my work, but come on. No offense, but I’d like a real education.”

  Zayne was quiet, gaze fixed on the old portraits of the ice-cream parlor’s previous owners adorning the walls. It was obvious, at least to me, that he was not a fan of this conversation. I didn’t know what to be more shocked over: that Layla would be attending a public school or that Zayne had been tutoring her.

  I knew Zayne had said the other clansmen didn’t want her in their home with their families, but there had to be a female overseeing her education. Someone who’d looked past what she was. “One of the older females isn’t teaching you?”

  Zayne scratched his cheek, answering for her. “The main house is outside the city, near Charles Town, where the females and the young ones are. Most of the females don’t travel here anyway, as I said.”

  Which was normal. It was the same for us. Our clan had houses in New York City, though the main compound where the mated Wardens and children lived w
as several hours north.

  “Not to sound rude, but why isn’t Layla with them?” Dez asked, and I winced.

  Layla laughed. “I think they’d throw themselves headfirst out of a window before they shared the same roof as me.” She shrugged as she took the last bite of her ice cream. “Obviously none of them are willing to teach me, and Zayne can’t keep doing it, so Abbot relented and is letting me go to public school. All in all, it’s a good thing.”

  I smiled at her. “I’m a bit envious. I would’ve loved to attend public school.”

  “It’s dangerous, though.” Zayne shifted in the booth. “You know how the demons like to come after—”

  “Not me,” Layla cut in. The smile faded from her face as she looked over at us. “Abbot doesn’t think it will be dangerous for me, and honestly, I’m not a huge asset to the clan or anything. I’m kind of defective.”

  My mouth dropped open, but Zayne’s reaction was a whole lot more explosive. He turned on her, eyes flashing a teal blue. His fingers wrapped around her chin, forcing her gaze to him, and he leaned down, his head inches from hers. Knowing what Layla could do, I stiffened—as did Dez, who must’ve known more about her ability than I did when I met her earlier. Zayne was too close.

  And he didn’t appear to be worried at all.

  “You are not defective. There is not a single thing wrong with you.” His voice was low, but there was no mistaking what he said. “Do you understand me?”

  Two pink spots bloomed on her cheeks as she held his gaze. “Yes, but—”

  “No. That’s it.” He dropped his hand, but didn’t move back. “I swear to God, I want to strangle you every time you say something like that.”

  The pink spread across her face as her gaze drifted over to us again. “I don’t have low self-worth or anything,” she said quietly. “I really don’t, but I can’t...” She took a deep breath. “I can’t phase.”

  Desperately, I tried to keep my face blank and I hoped Dez was doing the same. If Layla couldn’t phase, everyone had to suspect that any offspring of hers could share the potential... defect. None of the males would want her. Not that they could really have her even if she wanted any of them.

  I squeezed my hands together, until I felt my nails biting into my flesh. Sometimes I hated our world, and it became too hard to justify the reasons why things were the way they were. All of us, by our very existence, had our duties for the greater good, but...

  But it was total shit.

  “So...” Zayne drew the word out, clearing his throat. “How’s Danika?”

  The change of subject caught me off guard. “She’s doing well. She wanted me to tell you she said hi.”

  Dez snorted. No doubt he was remembering Danika’s real request, which involved a picture and Zayne naked.

  Kicking him under the table, I glanced at Layla, who was currently studying her empty bowl as if it contained the answers to life. This might be a better conversation for Zayne, but it wasn’t for her. The pink had completely drained from her complexion.

  As much as I wanted my sister to be happy—and the good Lord knew that she’d be happy with Zayne—my heart ached for the girl sitting across from me. She couldn’t be with a Warden. And she couldn’t be with a human either without putting them in danger. That left only demons, which was completely out of the question.

  Layla only had a future of loneliness ahead of her.

  “She still training to fight?” Zayne asked, completely oblivious the way all guys were.

  I wanted to kick him now because with each question he asked, Layla grew quieter and quieter. By the time Dez suggested that he and I check out the city, the young girl practically had her face in her bowl. We said our goodbyes and headed past the line stretching nearly to the door.

  We stepped out in the late-evening air and the warm breeze lifted the hair off the sides of my face. The wind carried an odd scent—a musky-sweet smell that reminded me of dark chocolate and sinfully wicked things that were done at night, between soft sheets.

  Whoa.

  That thought came out of nowhere.

  My cheeks heated as Dez stopped at the curb and glanced down at me. His brows knitted. “Are you okay?”

  I dodged the foot traffic and stood beside a late-blooming cherry tree. “Yeah.”

  “You sure?” His fingers brushed my cheek. “You look flushed. We can go back if you need to rest—”

  “I don’t need to rest.” I moved closer to him, tipping my head back. “I’m fine.”

  He stared at me a moment and then he dipped his chin, bringing his face close to mine. “I know our seven days are up, but I’m glad to help you fulfill your conditions anyway. We can do whatever you want, but I can’t support the whole demon-hunting thing.”

  I opened my mouth, but he rushed on.

  “I’m sorry. I know it’s what you asked for, but whether you believe it or not, you’re not completely okay. And after seeing how hurt you were from a tiny bite, I can’t stand by and let you put yourself in danger just so you can prove something.”

  “I know. I don’t have anything to prove.” The moment those words came out of my mouth, I knew they were the truth. What would hunting demons do for me? I’d held my own against the Terriers and had a near-fatal encounter with a pukwudgie. I’d say that ran the gamut of demon experiences. And honestly, I didn’t care about the stupid conditions right now or even seeing the city. “I think we need to...”

  The sweet, heavy scent teased my senses again. “What is that smell?” I turned, my gaze crawling over the people and the glass storefront of the parlor. I could see Layla and Zayne inside, still sitting side by side. The wide smile was back on her face as she laughed at something Zayne said. “You don’t smell that?”

  “No.” Dez placed a hand on my shoulder. “All I smell is exhaust and humans.”

  I frowned. The odd, pleasing scent was stronger than those elements. How could he not sense it? Shaking my head, I started to turn back to Dez, when my gaze snagged on something.

  I don’t know what it was about the boy that caught my eye, but once I saw him, I couldn’t look away.

  He was leaning against the brick wall of the ice-cream shop, only his profile visible. He was tall—taller than Dez and Zayne, but not as broad. There was no mistaking that his body was nothing but powerful, lean muscle. The black shirt he wore revealed the sinewy strength in his arms, but it was that tattoo that held my attention.

  The image was of a snake, but... each ripple in the skin had been shaded so that it actually looked three-dimensional, the underbelly gray and the scales defined. It looked real, like a thick copperhead had crawled up the boy’s body and wrapped itself around his arm.

  The boy’s artfully messy hair was so dark that it reflected blue in the fading sunlight. The one eyebrow I could see was arched in the middle, as if he was enjoying a private joke. Although I couldn’t see his face fully, the high cheekbones and the tilt of his lips were set in a visage I knew would be beautiful—too beautiful. Like the pictures of all the fallen angels in the books my father kept in his library.

  Somehow I knew that scent was coming from him.

  And I was also pretty sure he was watching Zayne and Layla—namely, her.

  Chills danced down my spine as the boy turned toward us, the sardonic twist of his lips spreading. My insides knotted as I lifted my gaze. Two eyes the color of polished amber locked with mine.

  I sucked in a startled breath and stepped back into Dez. The eyes! There was no mistaking what the boy was. Only one thing in this world had golden eyes like that. My stomach dropped and my heart kicked into overdrive.

  He was an Upper Level demon.

  Chapter Fourteen

  No sooner had that thought crossed my mind than Dez shifted so that I was behind him and he was between the demon and me. My heart pounded against my chest painfully. How long had he been there, watching us? That was one of the many problems with Upper Level demons. They could cloak their presence so we couldn�
��t sense them, giving them the advantage. The fact that I’d picked up on the sweet smell had been rare, and most likely he’d allowed me to. I didn’t want to know why.

  “Get out of here, Jasmine.” Dez’s voice was low and hard. “Go now.”

  There was no way in Hell I was going anywhere without him. I balled my hands in the back of his shirt. “I’m not leaving you.”

  Dez cursed. “Go. Please, God, go.”