by G. K. DeRosa
She shook her head and winced. Cillian’s healing power may have mended the slash across her neck, but the pain remained in the tight set of her jaw and the deep crinkles around her eyes. “I’m the one that dragged you out there. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s me.”
Cillian’s blue eyes seared into mine. For an angel, he sure could be intimidating as hell. “You were both irresponsible going out there. You knew very well what could happen.” Then he turned to Ash. “And you, you should have alerted the others as soon as you found her.”
“It’s not Ash’s fault,” I interjected. “He’s not my keeper; none of you are. The longer I stay here, the more I’m putting you all at risk.” I wrapped my arms around myself, letting the wretchedness consume me. “Maybe I should leave. As long as I have this thing on my chest, everyone around me is a target.”
“This is a non-argument.” Ryder’s thick forearms squeezed against his chest as he peered down at me. “There’s nowhere safer for you than here with us. Now that I’m back, I won’t leave your side. No one else will be at risk.”
The depth of emotion blazing from those impossibly black orbs resounded in his words. My heart staggered from its intensity. I rubbed at my chest, forcing it to continue beating.
Cinder laid her head back, her eyes closing once again.
“Come,” said Cillian ushering us out of the room. “She needs to rest.” He ticked his head at Ash. “Will you stay with her?”
He nodded quickly.
The hallway was quiet as we moved toward the fifth floor common area. It was well past curfew, and apparently most of my dorm mates had skedaddled from the woods and gone to bed before the demon showed up to break up the fiesta.
Cillian folded his big frame into the chair, and Ryder and I filled up the small sofa. His thigh grazed mine as he sat beside me, and tiny pops of electricity puckered the flesh beneath my jeans.
Ugh. I’d missed him way too much in the past few days.
“So what did you discover?” Cillian sat forward in his seat, his elbows propped on his knees.
“Dear old dad swears he has nothing to do with the mark. And for some reason, I believe him. He admitted there have been some rumblings among the six warlords of the Underworld. They’re not pleased with their people being banned from the human realm.”
“As predicted,” Cillian muttered.
“Father believes someone’s caught wind of what we’re doing here and wants to put a stop to it.”
“But how? Even within the walls of the academy, only a handful of staff knows what we’re trying to accomplish with the team.”
My mind flickered back to the marai demon and what Raine, Aeria and I had actually accomplished. I almost spilled the beans, but I ground my teeth together to keep the truth from slipping out. I’d have to tell Ryder when we were alone. My heart flip-flopped at the thought. Alone—with Ryder after so many days.
“There must be a traitor within our hallowed halls.” A glimmer of humor sparked in his dark eyes.
Cillian huffed and clasped his hands together. “What else did you find out?”
Ryder rocked back and forth, and the couch squeaked beneath his weight.
“Well?”
He loosed a breath before continuing. “Father is well versed in the dark arts, as I’m sure you know. He thinks we’re onto something with the seven of them—or actually eight.” He tipped his head toward me, and my eyes widened. “He believes that harnessing their combined powers could truly create an unstoppable force. And he’s not the only one to share in that belief.”
Cillian frowned, his light brows pulling together. “So that’s why she was marked?”
“It makes sense. She is the easiest target.”
I jabbed my elbow into Ryder’s side. “Hey! She is right here.” Ryder’s words plus the incident with the marai demon twirled around in my mind. “So they think by eliminating me, they’d destroy the team? But I barely have any powers. I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“Which is how they want to keep it,” said Ryder. “The stronger the eight of you become, the more you’ll be feared.” He pivoted toward Cillian, fixing his gaze on the headmaster. “Lucifer can’t control the demons slipping through the wards much longer. Once the team is ready, we will have to take them to the human world. If they prove they can handle themselves, we can train more teams. We’ll have a whole new generation of supernatural slayers. Some Underworlder must have figured this out, and they don’t want anything wrecking their fun.”
So it was true. The demons were getting into the human world like Jay’s dad thought. They were killing humans. My fingers curled into tight little fists. “So how do we get rid of this mark? They’re going to keep coming for me until we do.”
“I’m still working on that, mini minx. Since the demon who placed it on you has been vanquished and the mark didn’t disappear, it’s a bit trickier than I’d hoped.” He turned his body toward me and squeezed both my hands. “But don’t worry, I promise to keep you safe in the mean time.” His piercing eyes raked over me, heat trailing in their wake. The intensity of his gaze made my breath hitch, and I swallowed hard to stave off the relentless clawing in my throat.
From the corner of my eye, I caught Cillian’s watchful baby blues on us. He cleared his throat, and Ryder dropped his gaze along with my hands. “We still have the abacor demon to deal with. We can’t have him running around the academy grounds.”
“Agreed. Unlike the two before him, abacors are higher-level demons. They’re smart and won’t be easy to track and kill.”
I stifled a yawn and leaned back against the couch. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, my limbs were aching. I knew I should care about the missing demon, but I was exhausted.
“I’ll have the team get on it first thing in the morning,” said Ryder. “It’ll be good practice for them—their first-upper level bad guy.”
“Very well,” said Cillian rising. His gaze settled on me before pivoting to Ryder. “You’re on guard tonight?”
“Yup. I’ll take her to my room now.”
Cillian’s bright blue eyes widened to the size of vast oceans, and I was fairly sure I mirrored his expression. “Excuse me?” he choked out. “You know students are strictly forbidden in faculty dorms.”
They were? I’d already been to my instructor’s room once before.
Ryder didn’t flinch. “Cinder is safe with Ash. Bringing Luna to her room will only put the girl in the line of fire once again. I, for one, do not want to have to explain to Fenix and Flare that we got their little sister killed.”
Cillian grunted.
“It’s late. Scarlett and the girls are surely already asleep. Let them have one night off from babysitting. Luna can permanently move in with them tomorrow. If anyone comes tonight, I’ll handle it.”
The word babysitting had my nerves bristling, but I kept my mouth shut. For now.
“Fine,” breathed Cillian, running a hand through his hair. “This is a one time exception.” Dark shadows lined the handsome angel’s eyes, and for once, he looked tired. Maybe healing Cinder had drained his angelic powers. “But Ryder—”
The demon raised his hand, cutting him off. “I know, Cillian.” The crease between his brows deepened, and his lips pressed together.
My gaze bounced back and forth between the two gorgeous men. Something unspoken passed between them, and Cillian turned to leave. “Sleep well, Luna.”
“Thanks, you too, Cillian.”
Chapter 24
Tension prickled my skin as we made the silent trudge to Ryder’s room. My mentor was unusually quiet—no silly nicknames, no sarcastic quips, not even a flirty wink as we traversed the still hallways.
After his extended absence, it irked me how much I longed to hear any one of those stupid things from his lips. Man, I needed to get over him. Nothing good would ever come of this.
When we finally reached his room, he held the door open and ushered me in. A small duffel bag sat atop his g
inormous bed with a few shirts spilling out. In all the commotion, I hadn’t even asked when he’d gotten back from the Underworld or how he’d found us in the woods.
A crackling fire hissed and sputtered in the grand hearth, and I instinctively moved closer. The traumatic events of the evening had left a lingering chill in my bones. I sank into the sofa, my limbs heavy and lids heavier still.
I could feel Ryder’s presence behind me before a soft blanket dropped across my lap. “You cold?” His breath tickled the back of my neck.
“A little.” My lips trembled, but it wasn’t from the lack of warmth.
He hopped over the back of the couch and scooted close beside me. Laying his arm across the cushion behind my head, his warmth encompassed me. His fingers danced a few inches from my shoulder—the near touch setting my nerve endings on edge. The proximity to his body did more to fuel the heat growing inside me than a dozen roaring bonfires.
“You shouldn’t have gone out there tonight by yourself.” He kept his gaze trained on the fireplace as he spoke, the reflected flames dancing across the pitch backdrop of his irises. “You could have gotten yourself killed.” He ground his jaw, a tendon twitching just below the scruffy surface, and he finally turned to face me. “I was supposed to be keeping you safe, and I failed—again. I thought I’d found something I was good at, that I was finally doing something worthwhile. Maybe my father was right, and I have no business being here at the academy.”
My neck snapped back. I was expecting a lecture, not a confession. I peered up at his dark eyes and shook my head. “You’re the best instructor at Darkhen, Ryder. The way you’ve trained The Seven, they’re going to be a crazy supernatural force because of you. And if you weren’t here, I’d be dead at least a few times over. So don’t worry, you’ve kept your word to Kimmie-Jayne. I know you’ll keep me safe.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled at the mention of my sister. “It’s not just about my promise to her…” I felt a slight tug on my hair as his fingers closed around a few blonde locks. He twirled them between his thumb and forefinger slowly, and my heartbeat ratcheted up a few notches. “Gods, Luna, when I saw you in the middle of the forest with that demon, I lost it. The way his hands were on you, dragging you away and… All the walls I spend so much time building around my demon side crumbled in an instant. I wanted to rip him to shreds, gouge his eyes out with my nails, shove my fist down his throat and yank out his spine.”
My breath hitched at the graphic picture he painted. A hint of yellow flashed across his irises, but it vanished a moment later. My mind flickered back to the dark shadow in the woods, pummeling the crap out of the demon. He had seemed like a different person, and I couldn’t deny that a tiny part of me had been scared.
He drew in a deep breath, running his hand over his thigh. “For someone like me, control is everything, Luna. Without it, I’m nothing more than those monsters that have been coming after you. Hell, I used to be just like them.” He paused and glanced down at the lock of hair twisted between his fingers. “I’ve been having a hard time maintaining my control around you, and I’ll be damned if I know why.”
I gulped, all these unexpected confessions squeezing my lungs. I wanted to tell him about what happened with the marai demon and Drake’s guess about me being a darkblood, but I was scared to open my mouth. If I did, would he ever open up to me again?
“I wasn’t always this productive member of Azarian society.” His eyes flickered to the fire once more. “I spent a long time being angry—at my father for abandoning my mom and me, at my mom for still loving a man who’d ruined her life, and mostly at myself for not being able to control my darker tendencies. It took a lot for me to claw my way out of that doomed spiral. But I did it. And I can’t go back.” He exhaled a breath and pivoted toward me. “That’s why I can’t lose control, Luna. I just can’t. Do you get it?”
I nodded, the raw emotion in his voice stabbing my insides. My mind whirled to the episode of Hitched when he revealed that his mother had been a human who fell in love with the devil. She’d almost died while pregnant and instead of losing her, Lucifer turned her into a demon—a soul-sucking one. Things between his parents fell apart quickly after that. My heart constricted at the pain in his voice, knowing what was behind it.
He shook his head, running a hand through his mussed up hair. A dark lock tumbled over his forehead, and my fingers itched to brush it back into place. I held still, his intense gaze locked on mine as if my irises held the answers to some great mystery.
“Anyway, it’s really late. We should probably get to bed.”
My brows nearly reached my hairline, and heat flushed my cheeks.
He chuckled, squeezing my shoulder, a devious smile sparkling his eyes and revealing his sexy dimple. “Get your mind out of the gutter, mini minx. You get my bed, and I’ll crash here on the couch.”
And just like that, the old Ryder was back.
I grabbed a throw pillow and smacked him across the face. He laughed and chucked one right back at me. The next thing I knew, pillows were flying and I was ducking behind the couch, crawling on all fours to scramble for safety. Somehow the overwhelming sleepiness had vanished. I slid down behind a leather chair, nervous giggles fluttering in my chest. He’d amassed all the cushions on his side, and I was left without ammo.
“Come on out, mini minx. I’ve got you surrounded,” he teased.
I peeked over the edge of the chair, and Ryder stood on the opposite side of the coffee table armed with a pillow in each hand.
“Surrender now, and I’ll let you walk out of here alive.”
“Not a chance!” I ducked down as mystical words filled my mind. The pages of my spellcraft book came to life and danced across my vision. “Venite ad miem,” I whispered, and the pillows shot out from Ryder’s clutches and landed in my hands.
His eyes widened as I sent them flying back in his direction guided only by my magic. He sat there wide-eyed as they smacked him right on the forehead. They slid to the ground and he growled, “Impressive; looks like someone’s been practicing while I was gone.” He shoved them aside and an evil smirk tugged his lips up. “But you’re in big trouble now.” Leaping across the room, he pummeled straight into me. His big body pressed me to the floor, and all the air squeezed right out of my lungs. “What are you going to do now?”
His corded arms caged me in as he hovered a few inches above me. My arms were trapped at my sides, useless. His chest rose and fell quickly, nearly touching mine with each inhale. I struggled beneath him for a minute or two before my body relaxed, giving up the fight. He glanced down at me with a pleased expression across his handsome face. “You surrender?”
“Never!” I squirmed again, this time able to wiggle a few trapped fingers. I grazed his upper thigh, then my fingers moved higher and… oh! My fingertips brushed a hard part of his anatomy.
A raspy growl vibrated his throat, and his eyes jolted wide open. His entire body tensed, and I took advantage of the momentary distraction, refusing to focus on the burn of my cheeks. Wrapping my leg around his torso, I pushed myself up and twirled us around so I was now on top of him.
Triumphantly sitting across his hips, I threw my hands in the air. “Winner!” All my combat lessons had finally paid off.
“Well done, mini minx.” He laughed, pushing himself up to a sitting position and something hard poked against my short shorts.
Ryder froze, the easy laugh dying out in his throat. I gulped. The feel of his body beneath mine made my insides clench, and fire rushed my core. His eyes flashed a brilliant citrine, and his arms snaked around my waist. My breaths came in shallow pants as his lips inched closer.
My tongue darted out, wetting my bottom lip, and he let out another sexy growl, his eyes locked on my mouth. I blinked. He closed the remaining distance between us, and his lips crashed into mine.
Heat swirled in my belly as his tongue engaged mine in a fevered dance. His kisses were frenzied, demanding, and out of control. It wa
s all I could do to keep up. He cupped the back of my neck, angling it to deepen the kiss, and I moaned against his lips. A blazing fire ignited in my chest intensified by every touch, every heated caress. His hands moved to my lower back, skimming the hem of my shirt, and I arched into him.
He kissed me like the world was ending, and each second was precious and finite. And it was… because as much as I tried to bury the niggling thought, I knew what was coming after this. After the lusty haze fell away. He’d basically just warned me in his emotion-fueled confession.
My heart tripped over itself, and I pulled back. Ryder’s obsidian irises glowed above me, a brilliant gold outlining the darkness. He clenched his jaw and pressed his kissable lips into a tight line. I wanted nothing more than for him to capture my mouth once more, but he didn’t.
He huffed out a shaky breath and splayed his hands on my hips. A second later, I was no longer straddling his lap. Instead, I sat on the plush carpeting, my eyes glued to the creamy beige color. I refused to look up at him because I knew what would happen once I did.
We remained in silence for a few interminable moments longer, neither meeting the other’s gaze. Finally, Ryder loosed a breath and slid his arms around my shoulders and beneath my knees. Hauling me into his chest, he zipped to his bed and lay me down.
For the briefest moment, his eyes met mine, a dark storm brewing beneath the obsidian surface. His lips brushed my forehead, and he whispered, “I’m sorry.” He spun away in a dark blur, disappearing into the bathroom, and my heart broke into a million pieces.
He didn’t need to say more because I already knew. He said it all with those two words. I rolled over and curled into a ball. Hot tears pricked my eyes, but I refused to let them spill over. Not here, not in his bed, surrounded by his musky, sandalwood scent.
So I squeezed my eyes shut and willed myself to sleep, ignoring the stabbing pains in my heart as deep fissures tore across the surface.