Текст книги "Every Last Breath"

Автор книги: Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 20 страниц)

My heart swelled so fast and so big I thought I’d float right up to the ceiling and into the stars.

Maybe even to the Heavens themselves.

Roth’s fingers drifted up, his caress reverent. “It would always be you.”

Then he was kissing me again, and these kisses, these moments were precious, powerful and beautiful in their own way.

Roth’s lips skated over my cheek toward my ear, and he whispered words that sent a heady flush across my skin and caused my muscles to curl in a strange, delightful way. When he lifted his head, his gaze was questioning, wanting and a thousand other things.

I nodded.

One side of his lips tipped up, and then he said, “Thank you.”

Not a single part of me understood why he was thanking me, but then all thoughts flew out the window, because he kissed the corner of my lips, and then started a line of tiny kisses that trailed from my chin down my throat and then farther still.

My fingers dug into the comforter when he stopped, and then lingered, drawing a stuttered gasp from me. I really didn’t get why he was thanking me while he was doing this, because it should truly be the other way around.

His lips skimmed over my ribs. “I think we need to get you a tattoo.”

It took me a few minutes for his words to make sense. “A...a tattoo?”

“Yeah.” He kissed just above my belly button. “A familiar.”

“I can do that?”

Roth lifted his chin and grinned in a way that caused my heart to flop around. “I don’t see why not, and I know who can do one for you.” His gaze traveled down the length of me, sending a shiver dancing over my skin. “This would be a good spot.” He dragged his hand over the side of my ribs.

“Or here?” That same hand made its way under the band of my pajama bottoms and curled around my hip. His gaze heated. “I really like the idea of it being here.”

“Does it really matter where it’s inked on?” I asked. “It’s going to move anyway, right?”

“Oh, it matters.” He kissed the spot below my navel. “Mostly just matters to me.”

I laughed. “Okay, then.”

Grinning, he rose once more, climbing over me. His arms were huge and powerful and his hands came down on either side of my head. My breath caught as his lips took control of mine. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close. His tongue swept over mine, and the taste of him drove me crazy.

Roth went on the move again, sliding down once more. My fingers played in his hair, and I could no longer keep track of where he was heading, because he obliterated any comprehensive thinking skills.

I don’t even know how my bottoms came off or where they ended up. It was like magic. Roth was magic. He also had this delightful mischievous tilt to his lip as his hands traveled up the outside of my thighs. There was nothing between my skin and his hands, and I could feel every touch and even the softest caress was like being hit by volts of electricity.

“Shortie?”

I loosened my grip on his hair, letting my hands fall back to the comforter. “Yeah?”

“What about getting a tat here?” He kissed the side of my thigh, right above my knee, on the inside.

“It’s a very interesting place. I like it.”

I bit down on my lower lip. “I’m sure you do.”

His eyes flared a bright ocher. “You know what else I’ve been thinking?”

With him, it was anyone’s guess.

“I think I’m going to have to make it official. You know, me being the president of the demon horde Layla fan club.”

A laugh burst out of me. “What are you going to do? Make yourself a shirt that says you’re the official president?”

“And buttons. I’m totally going to make myself some buttons.”

I started to laugh, but his fingers found the thin material—the only thing left on me—and things were most definitely going further than they had before. I was nervous, but I also trusted him. I remembered what he’d whispered in my ear earlier. I knew this would only go so far. Before my nerves could get the better of me, his lips were where his hands were, and I was no longer thinking about anything. There was only feeling—just him and the crazy, beautiful rush of sensations he coaxed out of me. He was a master at it, absolutely brilliant, because I didn’t feel like me. I didn’t shake and tremble like this and those soft noises were so not coming from me. I was like a piece of cloth being pulled too tight, until suddenly all the tension broke, and I was caught in the whirlwind, thrown so very high, I could kiss the stars.

Roth slowly rose, wiggling an arm under me and pulling me against his chest. When I opened my eyes, he looked like he’d had his mind blown, but that was strange, because he was the one doing all the mind-blowing. I was the one on the receiving end.

“That...” My tongue didn’t want to work. “That was amazing.”

His smile was part arrogance, like he already knew exactly how awesome that was, but there was something boyish about the curve of his lips. He stretched out beside me, keeping me close. He lowered his head, kissing me softly, and I was boneless and weak in his arms.

His mouth was hot against my damp brow. “I want an eternity of mornings like this.” He dropped a kiss next to my ear. “An eternity.”

A chill blew through me as my eyes popped open. The happy glow dulled and the haze scattered. I suddenly realized something very important, something that neither of us had even thought of at this point. Roth would never grow any older. For as long as he walked this earth, he would look as he did today, while I would age and die like any other mortal out there thanks to my Warden blood.

Roth had an eternity.

I didn’t.

eight

THE CHILLED, UNSETTLED feeling followed me the rest of the morning and I hated that, because Roth and I were finally on the same page for the first time, and what we had done—what he had done

–was frankly amazing and beautiful, and yes, I would want an eternity of mornings like that. Now I felt haunted, as if there was a shadow looming over us, turning infinite time into minutes or seconds.

Which was stupid, because I recognized that I had a long, long time before I needed to worry about the awkwardness of a hot guy spending time with me when I was well into my golden years.

But I kept picturing Roth looking as fine and fresh as he did this morning while he rolled out of bed and cast a knowing grin in my direction. In my head, I didn’t look like I did right now. Instead, I had gray hair, a face that rivaled one of those dogs who had wrinkled skin and a hunched-over back.

And instead of doing what we did this morning, we’d spend time playing bingo.

I kind of liked bingo, though.

Anyway, the whole thing went well beyond uncomfortable.

There were more pressing issues we needed to address now, which was why we were gathered in the kitchen with Cayman and another demon I’d never met before but who went by the name Edward. I seriously doubted that was the blond’s real name, because the name Edward really didn’t strike fear in the heart of anyone.

Cayman was sitting on the counter near the sink, swinging his feet like he was at the playground. I was at the island, having eaten my weight in sausage, and Roth was standing next to me. When we’d walked into the kitchen together, I’d half expected Cayman to whip out a camera and start taking pictures of us. His expression had been downright gleeful. I was doing my best not to look at Roth in that moment, because when I did, I thought about what he did this morning and what we hadn’t done, and then I went all red-faced. Things might’ve progressed further if Roth hadn’t sensed the other demon’s presence, forcing us to leave the bedroom to investigate.

Edward stood by Cayman and his eyes carried an odd light that was reflected when he tilted his head a certain way. He definitely wasn’t an Upper Level demon, and I thought he might be a Fiend.

“So, what’s on the menu today, kids?” Cayman asked.

Roth’s slow grin sent fire across my cheeks as he cast a long glance in my direction. He opened his mouth, but the look I sent him promised murder if he answered that question the way I thought he might.

He chuckled as he propped his hip against the counter. “I figure we need to hit the city, start searching out areas that we think the Lilin might be holed up in. The Wardens are doing the same, but I doubt they’re going to be successful.”

“The Lilin will sense them coming a mile away,” Edward agreed. “While we sort of blend in with the demon masses, at least until we get a chance to get close.”

I folded my arms across my belly, where Bambi was currently residing after making her way there when we left the bedroom. I thought about how the Upper Level demon reacted to me yesterday, then pushed the memory aside. “Do you think the witches that worship Lilith would be harboring the Lilin?”

Cayman shook his head. “I don’t think so. They’re obsessed with your mother, but they know how risky it would be to give something as evil as the Lilin shelter.”

Normally, having Lilith referred to as my mother would send me into an epic tizzy of unheard-of proportions, but now it was just...well, it was just the truth. Lilith was my mom, whether I wanted her to be or not. “But would any demon give it shelter at this point?” I asked.

“Not a smart one.” Roth shifted, placing a hand on my lower back. Though I wore a sweater, one of the horribly skintight ones Cayman had picked up from a corner somewhere no doubt, the weight of his hand still seared my skin. “They would have to know that not only will the Wardens be gunning for the Lilin, so will the Boss, and by extension, so will I, and they really don’t want to get on my bad side.”

“Aren’t you one bad mamajama—” Edward leaned back against the counter and his elbow brushed the coffeemaker. I jerked on the stool when the machine suddenly sparked, the smell of burnt ozone filling the kitchen as he glanced over his shoulder. The pot cracked straight down the middle as Edward faced us. “Uh, sorry about that.”

Yep. Most definitely a Fiend.

Roth scowled. “You’re going to have that replaced by tomorrow morning.”

The demon grimaced. “Yes, sir.”

Sir? Lowering my gaze to the countertop, I pressed my lips together to stop from grinning.

“None of the Fiends will help the Lilin. I can assure you of that,” Edward continued, shaking off his embarrassment, and I wondered if he was some sort of spokesperson for his kind.

There was still so much I didn’t know about the demon population, and that made me squirm in my seat. I had tagged so many of them in the past, sentencing them back to Hell, and I figured that the Boss didn’t appreciate failure of any kind. Did the Boss punish Fiends like the one in the room with us, whose only crime appeared to be massacring appliances? Guilt churned.

Exhaling softly, I glanced up as I scooped my hair up and started twisting it for no reason other than to have something to do with my hands. “Well, this is a big city. We can’t just start roaming around aimlessly.”

“Damn,” murmured Cayman. He winked. “I was looking forward to that.”

I rolled my eyes. “What we need to do is start tracking any suspicious deaths—otherwise healthy people dropping dead. I doubt the Lilin is just going to sit around and do nothing. If it starts pulling souls, the bodies have to pile up.”

“Good idea,” Edward said.

“That’s my girl.” Roth placed his fingers under my chin, tipping my head back and to the side. His lips were on mine in a nanosecond, and at first, I stiffened. I wasn’t used to being kissed in front of others. I wasn’t all that used to being kissed, period. Our relationship was so new, less than twenty-four hours, but his kisses had this ability to melt reservations and concerns. I softened, and the room fell away. He kissed me like there was no one else around us, but we weren’t alone.

Someone cleared his throat, and then Cayman groaned, “Really, guys?”

My face was burning as I pulled away, but Roth was unfazed. “What?” he asked.

“While I’m glad you guys have decided to become the twosome of the year, I really don’t want to see you sucking face,” Cayman commented. I wasn’t sure I believed him since he was all Team Roth.

“It does things to my indigestion. Bad things.”

“I don’t mind,” Edward said.

My eyes widened. Okay. That was weird and...and gross.

Roth straightened, but dropped his arm around my shoulders. “Cayman, you can keep an eye out on the morgues and hospitals, and Eddie-boy, keep your eyes on the clubs throughout the city. Just don’t touch anything.”

The Fiend actually looked sheepish as he nodded.

“What are we going to do?” I asked, and when Roth’s eyes deepened, I knew what direction he was heading in. Reaching up, I placed my hand on his mouth. “Don’t.”

He nipped at my fingers and grinned when I pulled my hand away. “There’s a couple of places we should check out.”

We all started to part ways at that point, and it felt good to be doing something other than sitting around. I headed into the living room to grab a hair tie I’d left on the end table. Picking it up, I turned around to find Cayman standing a foot away.

“You still want to see Grim next week, Layla-Low-Bottom-Butts?” he asked.

I stared at him a moment, letting that nickname sink in, and then I glanced at the doorway. “Yes, but I haven’t said anything to Roth yet.”

“I wouldn’t, because he’s not going to be down with it.” He kept his voice low while he spoke fast.

“Remember, sweet pea. I told you that the Boss isn’t entirely pleased with him. He goes down there, they’re going to keep him detained. You don’t want that.”

My stomach hollowed as I stepped closer to Cayman. “Can the Boss just come up and get him if he wants to?”

He tilted his head to the side. “Yes, but it’s doubtful right now. Later? Who knows? I can distract Roth next Friday and give you time to get down there, but once you’re there, you’re going to have to hurry.”

“Hurry? In case you’ve forgotten, I’ve never been to Hell so I have no idea what the landscape is like,” I pointed out, trying not to freak out over the fact that I was going to go to Hell. Literally. “Need a little bit of direction here.”

Cayman grinned. “It’s easier than you think. Trust me, butterball. You’ll know exactly where to go once you get there.” Then he winked. “By the way, I’m proud of you. You made the right decision yesterday, choosing the future—choosing Roth.”

I opened my mouth, but he was gone before I could say a word. Turning slowly, I looked around the now-empty room. “I hate it when he does that.”

“What?”

Jumping at the sound of Roth’s voice, I couldn’t say I was that surprised to find him standing a foot behind me. “That! You guys just popping in and out of rooms. It’s freaky and unnatural.”

“You’re just jealous because you can’t do that.”

I rolled my eyes, but he was kind of right. I was sort of jealous of not having that nifty ability. If I did, I would be popping here, there and everywhere. Bambi chose that moment to switch positions.

She slithered around my waist, resting her head along my ribs. I’d also pop her butt on the couch when she got antsy.

“What was Cayman doing in here?” Roth picked up a strand of my hair and started roping the length around his finger.

The idea of lying to Roth, especially after everything, made me feel like I’d just bathed in grime, but I knew if I told him what I planned to do about Sam’s soul, he wouldn’t let me go down there alone, and maybe not at all. I couldn’t allow him to stop me. And this was more than just protecting Roth from an unhappy Boss. Saving Sam’s soul was bigger than what either of us wanted.

“He was just being Cayman,” I said finally.

Roth tugged on the strand of hair he’d wrapped around his finger, guiding me closer to him.

“That’s a loaded statement.” His eyes met mine, and my heart sped up. Leaning down, he rested his forehead against mine. “Guess what?”

“What?”

“If you behave yourself today, I have a surprise for you later.”

My lips curved up. “If I behave myself?”

“Uh-huh.” He kissed my brow as he straightened, letting go of my hair. “And by behaving yourself, I mean being as naughty as you can possibly be.”

Laughing, I gathered up my hair, twisting it into a quick bun. “I’m not sure I can be that naughty if we’re in public, looking for the Lilin.”

“There’s always time for naughtiness, Shortie.”

“I’m not surprised that you believe this.”

He shot me a look. “When have any of my beliefs been wrong?”

I arched a brow. “Many, many times.”

“I think you have a distorted memory,” he returned, and I laughed again, missing this—the playful banter—and I was relieved to see that it hadn’t been tarnished by everything it had taken us to get to this point.

“Keep telling yourself that.” I smiled when he pouted. “Before any surprises, I want to swing by and see Stacey.”

“Can do.” He lifted his hand, brushing his knuckles across my cheek, and it was another thing about Roth that had never changed, not even when we were apart. He was definitely a touchy-feely kind of demon. “You want to visit her alone?”

His thoughtfulness didn’t really surprise me anymore. Not that it didn’t still wow me, because it did, and my heart was doing that swelling thing again, but I couldn’t figure out how he didn’t see his own goodness. I stretched up and kissed the corner of his lips before settling back down. “I think she’ll be happy to see you.”

“Of course she will be,” he murmured, his gaze lingering on my lips. I shivered even though I wasn’t cold. Nope. Not at all. “Everyone is happy to see me.”

I shook my head. “You ready?” When he nodded, I smiled up at him. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

“I would, but that would ruin the fun.” He chuckled as my smile slipped into a frown. “Okay. We aren’t going anywhere. Well, anywhere in particular. We are going to roam the streets aimlessly.”

“Wow. That’s a stellar plan.”

He bit down on his lower lip as he grinned. “Actually, it’s pretty damn clever.”

“That’s yet to be seen.”

Roth grabbed my hand and started to lead me toward the front door. “Here’s the deal. I don’t think we’re going to have to look too hard for the Lilin. Actually, I don’t think you are going to have to seek the Lilin out.”

“And why’s that?”

He looked over his shoulder at me, all humor vanishing from his face. “Because I believe the Lilin is going to come looking for you.”

nine

NOTHING LIKE HEARING a psychotic demon that you’d unwillingly helped create would be looking for you to make you feel like you needed to enter the creeper relocation program.

But I hoped Roth was correct, because it would make finding the tool easier.

Since it was the afternoon, we drove into the city and parked the car in one of the parking garages.

We didn’t have great luck when it came to those particular structures, but hitting the sky was out of the question in the daylight. While the city’s human residents were all too aware of the Wardens and Roth was similar enough to them in his true form, if a human looked too closely at him, questions would arise that we weren’t prepared to answer.

Roth glanced at me as I opened the door. “You didn’t bring a jacket?”

I shook my head.

He closed the driver ’s door. “A scarf?”

“No.”

“What about mittens?”

My lips twitched. “Nope.”

He eyed me as I walked around the front of the car. “What about a little beanie for your little head?”

I laughed. “No, Dad. I’m fine.”

His eyes glittered. “I like it when you call me—”

“Stop.”

He tilted his head to the side. “On a serious note, it’s cold out there, Shortie.”

That much I already knew. Roth was wearing only a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, because like full-blooded Wardens, his internal temperature was somewhere between steaming and boiling. One would think because I was a mixture of both, I would also have a high tolerance for the cold, but I never did.

Until now, I guessed. It couldn’t be more than forty degrees. “I’m not cold.”

A strange look crossed his features as he watched me intently. “Odd.”

There were odder things about me, say, for example, my feathered wings. There wasn’t a damn thing normal about that, and as Roth and I safely made it out of the parking garage on F Street, I brought them up.

“So...” I drew the word out as I stepped around a herd of young kids in uniforms and soft, white auras being ushered toward a bus idling at the curb. The packed sidewalk was an array of colors and my attention was immediately drawn to those with darker shades, the crimson reds and plums. Most were suits, clutching briefcases. They had sinned, and sinned in a very bad way. My stomach tightened with need, but the urge was nowhere near as intense as it used to be, and that also confounded me.

Roth took my hand, threading his fingers through mine. My heart got all giddy. I remembered a time when I would’ve yanked my hand away from his so fast his head would’ve spun. “What?” he asked.

I was distracted by the fact we were legit holding hands, walking down the crowded sidewalk like a...like a real couple, a normal couple. Air hitched in my throat. This was the first time we were holding hands as a couple, and even though we hadn’t called each other boyfriend or girlfriend, we were so that.

A goofy, stupid grin tugged at my lips and as my gaze danced over the people rushing to get wherever they were going, I stopped fighting it. I smiled so widely there was a good chance my face would split right up the middle.

In that second, I didn’t think about the ugliness with Zayne or the Lilin or my feathered wings or the thousand other troubles waiting to pounce on us. That happiness in the pit of my belly spread rapidly, like a levee breaking, the warmth whooshing through me. My steps suddenly felt lighter, and I wanted to stop in the middle of the sidewalk, grab Roth’s face and plant one on him. How many times had I wanted him to do that before? Even when I’d been pushing him away, I’d wanted him. Now he was mine.

“Layla?” Roth squeezed my hand. “What are you smiling about? Not that I’m complaining. That’s a freaking beautiful smile, and it makes me—”

I did what I wanted to do.

Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, I ignored the harsh glances cast in our direction, and no one said a thing to us after receiving one look from Roth. I stretched on the tips of my toes. With my free hand wrapped around the nape of his neck, I guided his head down. Surprise flickered across his face, and then I closed my eyes, pressing my mouth to his. The kiss was brief, but when I pulled away, his expression made my day.

He stared down at me, his eyes wide and the pupils slightly dilated. His lips were parted and that bolt in his tongue glittered. The tops of his cheekbones were flushed. He looked... He looked gobsmacked.

“What...what was that for?”

My smile really was going to break my face. “Just because...well, there were so many times that I secretly wished you’d done that in the past, and I thought, why can’t I?”

His gaze searched my face. “I just want you to know that whenever you feel the need to do that, you do it. I don’t care what we’re doing, I’m always going to be down for that. Always.”

It was my turn to flush, but I focused on the important stuff as we started walking again. Knowing no one would pay attention to what I said, because they heard way stranger stuff on the streets of DC, I forged forward. “So, what do you think about my feathered wings?”

He gave a choked laugh. “I like the way you say feathered.”

I made a face.

“I think they’re kind of hot,” he added.

I rolled my eyes as we stopped at an intersection. “Of course you do, but that really doesn’t tell me much. I mean, that’s not normal, right? I know Zayne has seen them before, and so have you, but he said he’d only seen them once, on an Upper. And why now? Why would I look different now after all this time?”

A thoughtful look crossed his face as we waited for the light to turn. “Well, you only started shifting recently. Maybe this was how you were supposed to look.”

“Doubtful,” I muttered, and as the little green man lit up on the sign, I started forward.

“Yeah, I was just trying to be optimistic.” Roth slowed his long-legged pace as he scanned the crowds around us. A horn blew, followed by another, and the scent of roasted meat was strong as we passed a yummy-looking restaurant. “Look, I’ve seen wings like that before, but it doesn’t make sense.”

“Why doesn’t—?” I cut myself off as I caught a glimpse of brilliant white reflecting off the windowed front of an office building. I stopped, my heart speeding up as I searched for its source.

Roth immediately sensed the change. “What?”

“I see an all-white aura,” I explained, walking again as I strained to catch sight of it through the dizzying shades passing us. “It was dazzling, way too bright to be a human.”

“A Warden?”

I nodded. It had to be a Warden, unless it was an Alpha. Though I doubted the latter would be roaming the streets. As far as I knew, they looked the way they did all the time, and there was no hiding those wings.

Roth’s hand tightened around mine, and a general sense of alarm took root in my stomach. It could be any Warden, but if I’d caught sight of their aura, they could’ve sensed Roth and me in turn. If it was Nicolai or Dez out there, I thought they’d approach. Maybe not Zayne at this point, and that killed me to even acknowledge.

We walked another block, silent and on alert. Just as we were several feet from an alley, I felt the awareness. The Warden was nearby.

Roth’s chin dipped down. “You feel that?”

I nodded, and as we crossed the mouth of the alley, I caught sight of brilliant white again, and my head swung sharply to the right. All the way toward the back of the alley, there was a huge source of pearly goodness. The aura faded and I caught a glimpse of what existed beyond the glow.

Ice shot down my spine as I sucked in a sharp breath. Even from across the distance, I recognized that face. Who wouldn’t? The jagged scar that sliced from the corner of his eye to his lips was unmistakable.

It was Elijah.

My father.

In the back of my head, it registered somewhat dimly how misleading that white aura was. He had wanted me dead my whole life, his own daughter. But Wardens had pure souls, no matter what sins stained them.

Slipping my hand free from Roth’s, I didn’t think as I shot down the alley, racing toward the back where I’d seen him. I didn’t know why I was even chasing after him. I hadn’t seen him since he’d ordered his son, my half brother, to take me out. When Petr had vanished, Elijah had disappeared, and back then, I’d been under the protection of my clan. Not so much anymore.

But I didn’t need their protection now.

Right now none of us needed Elijah skulking around the city. We had enough problems, and if he was here to mess with me, which he had to be, I’d rather deal with him now instead of looking over my shoulder, waiting for him to strike.

“Dammit,” I heard Roth growl just before he took off after me.

I was fast when I wanted to be, but as I rounded the back of the alley, my target wasn’t there. My head jerked up. Elijah was scaling the fire escape at a rapid clip, the dark trench coat he wore whipping out behind him.

“This could be a trap,” Roth reasoned as he caught up to me, staring up toward the rooftop. He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know. “Layla, we need to think about this.”

“We don’t need to deal with him haunting us. It’s bad enough that his son has been doing so as a wraith.” I turned to him. “That’s the last thing any of us need to be worried about.”

“Shortie...”

I met his stare for a moment and then I spun around. Running to the fire escape, I jumped and caught the rail. My body swung to the side and then back. My feet hit the ladder.

“Okay,” Roth called out from behind me. “You’re crazy, but that was also crazy hot.” He grunted as he landed on the ladder behind me. “Just thought I’d share that with you.”

I flew up the ladder, determined. It took only seconds to climb what had to be at least ten stories, and in the back of my mind, I wondered how that was possible. I’d always been faster and stronger than a human, but not like this. Now just wasn’t the time to really delve into why.

Reaching the top of the ladder, I propelled myself over the ledge, landing in a crouch. My eyes widened as I took in the scene before me and my stomach dropped a little.

Ah, Roth might’ve been right.

He landed beside me, cursing under his breath as we both rose. Standing at the other end of the rooftop was Elijah. He wasn’t alone. Three Wardens were with him. I recognized them from when his clan had visited the compound.

Wind whipped across the roof, blowing Elijah’s jacket out around him as his cold gaze centered on me. An ugly, hateful emotion rose within me, spreading through my veins like battery acid. “Hello, Dad.”

Surprise etched into his harsh features. It was brief, gone when his lips curved into a sneer, distorting the ragged scar. “Do not call me that.”

“Why?” I asked as Roth moved closer to me, but I was focused on this being who was supposed to love me. Wasn’t that what mothers and fathers did, like innately? Why were mine the exception to the rule? “You’re my father.”

One of the other Wardens, a tall, dark-haired man, glanced at Elijah questioningly. Did they not know? A horrible smile pulled at my lips and it was without any warmth. Instead, it was full of scorn and seventeen years of wondering. “Yeah, maybe you remember how you hooked up with Lilith– the Lilith—”

“Shut up,” he hissed, his hands forming meaty fists.

A low grumble of warning rumbled from Roth as a blast of heat rolled off him, but my smile, it spread. “And the two of you produced little old me. What? You didn’t think I knew?”

Two of the Wardens behind him exchanged uncertain looks. “What?” I repeated. “They didn’t know?”

“That doesn’t matter.” His nose began to flatten and his jaw lengthened, extending to make room for the massive fangs that could cut effortlessly through steel and marble.

“It doesn’t?” I knew I was pushing him. His fury was a tangible third party on this rooftop. I could practically reach out and touch it, but I was too focused on my own anger to be afraid. After all this time, I was finally able to confront him. It was like a secret fantasy of mine was finally coming true.