Burning Dawn (Angels of the Dark #3)(56)
Author: Gena Showalter

A war cry burst from Thane. He shot toward the ground. The demons were too frenzied to notice him. He summoned a sword of fire the moment he landed and began hacking through the masses. Flesh sizzled. Heads rolled.

A heavy weight on his back. Fire-tipped claws digging into his neck.

Thane slammed his sword overhead, then tilted it back, the flames pressing against the spine of whichever demon had thought it would be a good idea to jump on him. The weight fell away, and Thane swung the sword forward, from left to right, right to left, his motions never ceasing.

Demon after demon died.

He spread his wings and rose to the same height as the fort, maneuvering his big body in front of Elin. “Put your arms around my neck,” he commanded, killing the four demons that dared edge too close.

He expected resistance. But she must have been more afraid of the demons than she was of him, because she obeyed without hesitation. He shot into the air. Higher. Higher still. He wanted her safe and well more than he wanted to kill the enemy.

“Can’t…hold…”

Her hands fell away from him, and she plummeted, screaming. Thane switched directions, his heart leaping into his throat. He caught her just before she hit the ground and jerked her against his chest, leveling out, then angling up, once again moving away from the grasping demons. Tremors racked her small body.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “This is my fault.”

“Yes. A-all y-your fault,” she agreed with chattering teeth.

“I’ll make it up—”

“Sh-shut up,” she whispered. “Just…shut up. Don’t want to…talk right now.”

Very well. When he reached the club, he carried her straight to his private suite. But the moment he realized he was headed toward the room where he’d once kept Kendra, the room where he’d had sex with the Harpy, he paused.

He didn’t want Elin in the same bed Kendra and the Harpy had used. He didn’t want Elin in the same bed he’d taken countless females. Hurt countless females. Didn’t want her to look at the shackles and think about what he might have done to her. Especially now, while she was cut and bleeding. So, he had three options. Take her to her own room and leave her with the barmaids, put her on his couch, or put her in his bed, where no other female had ever been.

He put her in his bed. And he liked that she was there, he realized.

He looked her over. She was in worse condition than he’d suspected. The cuts were deep. Bone deep. Black already oozed from them, indicating a poison had been injected. If left untreated, she would die the worst of deaths.

My fault. All my fault.

Working swiftly, he removed from the air pocket his last vial of Water of Life, and forced a mouthful of the clear liquid down her throat. She coughed and sputtered, and then her entire body bowed, a high-pitched scream ripping from her.

His chest constricted with another bout of self-hatred and guilt. “The pain will pass, kulta, I promise you,” he said, brushing his fingertips across her fevered brow. “The Water is fighting the toxin inside you, helping you heal. Sometimes it hurts more than receiving the injuries. Just a few seconds more and… There, see? The pain is already fading.”

She sagged against the mattress, her skin glistening with perspiration. Watching him warily, she reached up with a trembling hand and pushed a damp lock of hair from her brow.

He couldn’t stop himself from cupping the back of her neck, lifting her head and lowering his. “I’m sorry,” he said, and kissed her. He had to make her understand. “I’m so sorry.” He kissed her again. She stiffened and bit at him, but he never ceased his apologies. He had to win her forgiveness. “I’ve never been so sorry in my life.”

“Enough.”

Another kiss. “Please,” he said, willing to beg.

“No.” Scowling, she pushed at him. “Stop that. Right now.”

He straightened but didn’t leave her side.

“That’s not happening. That part of our relationship is over.” She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, as if she’d encountered something foul.

Words could be weapons, as powerful as actions, and hers were a direct hit. I earned that and more.

“I don’t want to be here,” she said, and tried to sit up.

“Too bad.” Gentle, gentle. “You’re here, and I’d like you to stay.”

“No way. I’m leaving. But I’m not leaving with the Phoenix, and if you try and make me I’ll scream until your head explodes.”

“You’re staying,” he said. “And the Phoenix are already gone.” He held her down with pressure on her shoulders, peering at her intently. “Close your eyes.”

“No, I—”

“Do it, Elin. Please. I’m not going to hurt you.”

She huffed and puffed at him, only to finish with, “Why do I need to close my eyes?”

“I don’t want you to see….” The blood. “Just do it. Please.”

Comprehension dawned, and her shudder rattled the bed. She closed her eyes.

“Don’t open them until you have permission.”

Her lips pursed. “I’m not one of your sex-slave girls in chains, nor am I your employee. If you missed the memo, I quit after I was thrown out. So, you don’t get to tell me what to do anymore. And FYI, I’m only doing this because you got me away from those…those…creatures.”

“Demons,” he said. “They were demons, and I’m proud of you for fighting them to the best of your ability.”

“Well, you can take your pride and shove it.” She laughed bitterly, but the laugh quickly turned into a sob. When she calmed, she sighed, and it was clear she was racing from one emotional extreme to the other. “Even a dog fights when it’s cornered.”

“No. Some run. But you aren’t a dog. You aren’t an animal. You’re…precious.”

At first, she gave no reaction. Then she slapped him. Hard. “How dare you say that to me!”

“Why?” He hated the sting. Hated what had driven her to such violence. “It’s true.”

“It’s not! I’m not precious to you. I’m disposable. I’m tainted.”

“No.” What a fool he was. He’d once relished pain, and considered whips and chains the height of exquisite punishment. But this…this was pain. And the blunt instrument delivering it was regret. He’d lost a prize worth more than gold. He’d lost Elin’s trust. “You’re precious,” he insisted.