Devoured by Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #7)(50)
Author: Alexandra Ivy

“A reminder of what?”

“That I can’t control everything.”

She slowly shook her head, a wrenching pain twisting her heart.

“No. You were punished.” Her gaze lifted to meet the honey gaze that was shielded by his thick tangle of lashes. In that moment she hated the Commission more than she ever had. “You were punished because you helped me.”

His hand pressed her fingers against the tattoo, his beautiful features impossible to read.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“If the Oracles knew of my existence then why did they hurt you?”

In answer he lifted her hand, brushing her palm with his lips before stepping back with an expression that warned he didn’t intend to reveal what had happened between him and the Oracle.

Stubborn, infuriating vampire.

“Where were you going, Laylah?”

She sniffed. Fine. He didn’t want her to feel bad he was tortured because of her, then she wouldn’t.

“I was trying to escape.” She shrugged. “I didn’t have the time or inclination to make out a full itinerary.”

“Don’t try it.” His lips twisted. “For better or worse you’ve bound us together. Lying is a waste of breath.”

Bound them together? Ha. He’d just acted like she had some control over him to lure her into a false sense of security.

“I don’t trust you.”

“Yes, you do.” Holding her gaze, his hand skimmed down her cheek before circling her upper arm in a possessive grasp. “You’re just not ready to admit it.”

She snorted. “Arrogant.”

He leaned down until they were nose to nose. “You’re going to the child, aren’t you, my sweet?”

“No one invited you along, vampire,” Levet muttered.

The golden gaze never shifted from her face. “Your assistance is no longer required, gargoyle.”

The shocking desire to close the small distance and press her lips to his had Laylah stepping backward.

Gods. He was making her crazy.

“I will decide whose assistance I want,” she snapped. “Levet is coming with me.”

“Merci, ma petite.” Levet’s wings fluttered as he flashed Tane a smug smile. “There are some who lack the taste to appreciate my exquisite charm.”

Tane’s eyes narrowed. “I also lack the taste to appreciate chewing on glass, being skinned alive, and reruns of the Rosanne Barr show. Call me crazy.”

Laylah heaved a resigned sigh.

Obviously there was no getting rid of the damned vamp.

Why not give into the inevitable and take advantage of his presence?

He was, after all, a powerful warrior who could protect her from most demons.

Even her crazy-ass aunt.

“Can we just go?” she demanded.

Smart enough not to press for a precise destination, Tane glanced toward a nearby farmhouse.

“We’ll need transportation.” He headed toward the surrounding field. “This way.”

They moved in silence, bypassing the barn painted a bright red with a tin roof, and the attached corral that held the pungent odor of pigs.

Laylah was swift to grab Levet’s wing, ignoring his squeal of protest. A gargoyle was like a teenage boy … always hungry and willing to eat whatever crossed his path. Even if it was still rutting in the mud.

She maintained her grip as they passed the henhouse and dog kennel, not releasing him until they entered a long shed that housed the tractors, combines, bulldozer, and shiny new Ford Expedition.

Tane yanked open the driver’s door, but before Laylah could protest his typical male assumption that he would be driving, he laid his hand on the steering column. Instantly the engine fired to life. Laylah lifted her brows. Nice trick.

“Shotgun,” Levet called, scrambling into the passenger’s seat.

His butt never hit the leather seat as Tane grabbed him by the horn and tossed him in the back. “Don’t even think about it.”

There was a flurry of French curses and Laylah was forced to hide her smile as she climbed into the seat Levet had nearly claimed and shut the door. The tiny gargoyle could always be counted on to lighten the mood.

Not nearly so amused, Tane gunned the engine and pulled out of the garage at a speed that made Laylah happy she had the blood of an immortal running through her veins. He slowed as they reached the road.

“Which way?”

She hesitated. For years she’d sacrificed everything to keep the child hidden. It wasn’t easy to risk revealing his location to anyone.

“South,” she at last forced herself to say, instinctively tugging on the seat belt as Tane stomped on the gas.

Laylah clenched her teeth to keep them from banging together as they hurtled down the rough road. The three of them off to save the world.

Or at least one helpless baby.

Not quite the Justice League, she wryly accepted. A brooding vampire, a stunted gargoyle, and a Jinn mongrel with trust issues.

Still, they had to be better than nothing.

Casting covert glances at Tane’s elegant profile that was caught in the glow of the dashboard, Laylah was relieved when Levet suddenly stuck his head between the seats.

She didn’t want time to consider whether or not she’d just made the greatest mistake of her life.

“You know, Laylah, if you intend to keep the child then you should really consider giving it a name,” the gargoyle gently chastised her.

Tane flashed Levet an annoyed glare. “What does it matter?”

Levet sniffed. “Because a mother who cares about her child gives him a name.”

If Laylah hadn’t been looking directly at the gargoyle she would have missed the pain that flared through the gray eyes.

Her heart wrenched.

Oh, dear God. Levet was intimately familiar with a mother who didn’t bother to name him. Perhaps she had even abandoned him.

Demons could be even more brutal than humans when it came to dealing with deformities.

“Yes,” she breathed, reaching to run a comforting hand down his wing. “You’re right.”

A wistful smile touched his ugly face. “Then why have you hesitated?”

“Because I’ve always known there was the possibility that the child belonged to someone else. And that one day they would come for him,” she tried to explain. “It wouldn’t be fair if I had already named him.”

“And less painful for you to give him away?” Levet asked softly.

She grimaced, knowing she must sound like an idiot. “That was the thought.” “And now?” Levet prompted.