“Would it be a bad thing?” Eidolon asked quietly, and Shade shrank back, noticed Gem did the same thing. This situation was way too intimate for either of them.
“No,” she said, smiling with such radiance that Shade felt himself drawn to her, for the first time seeing what E had seen all along. “I just, well, what kind of lifespan am I looking at? How long do we have to make a family?”
“Soulshredders live for somewhere around two thousand years. Being a half-breed, you’ll probably live a fraction of that, a few hundred, maybe?”
“Good,” she said, sliding Gem a glance. “I have a lot of family time to make up for.”
Gem grinned, and Shade gagged, more of a self-preservation response to the aching yearning he felt for the same thing than true disgust. But no way in hell would he admit that, even to himself.
“Hell’s teeth,” Shade muttered. “Can we do the integration now, before I puke? There’s so much grinning and adoration and sweetness in here that the place should smell like fucking candy-covered roses.”
The door opened, and Skulk stepped into the room. Cocking her head, she stared at Tayla, her gunmetal eyes glinting with curiosity. “You’re fixed. Your aura. It’s bright.”
Tayla bit her bottom lip, and E shifted toward her, his need for her rising up in a cloud of scent. They’d require privacy soon, something Shade would be happy to give them. The little jaunt through Tayla’s reproductive organs had stirred him into his own state of arousal.
“It was dark before?” Tayla asked.
“Oh, yes. Very. But you’re all better now.” Skulk jammed her fists on her hips and scowled at Shade. “Now we just have to work on you.”
“No hope for me, little sis. Give it up.”
“I’ll never give up on you,” she said quietly. “We’re going to banish that darkness.” She slipped away then, as quiet as a shadow.
Gem looped her arm in his. “Come on, brother-in-law. Let’s turn my sister into a full-fledged demon. And then we’ll go out for margaritas.”
Yeah, tequila and salt sounded good right about now, both burning, stinging elements to put to a wound. He was happy for E. He was. But his brother’s success at finding a mate and keeping the life he’d always wanted only reminded Shade that his Change was coming.
And there was that little matter of the curse . . .
Lori found Jagger where she knew he’d be if he still lived; the two-bedroom house they’d rented nearly a year ago. Only the Guardians chosen to work with them knew of its existence. It had always been considered a safe house, a place to come when and if the worst happened.
The worst had happened.
“Jagger!” She flew into his arms, right there in the middle of the living room. He looked as if he’d gone ten rounds with a hellhound. He’d definitely come out on the losing end of the fight with Kynan. How he’d escaped alive and intact was a question she doubted Jagger would ever answer.
“Hey, babe,” he said, locking her against him with one arm around her neck. “I’m really frickin’ sorry.”
“I know. But I’ll go to Kynan, explain—”
Jagger stepped away, and at the same time, a sharp cramp in her gut nearly doubled her over. She palmed her abdomen . . . wet, warm stickiness coated her fingers. Stunned, her head light, she looked down. A knife hilt jutted from her belly.
“Like I said, I’m sorry. But you can’t go to Kynan.” Jagger caught her as she stumbled, her legs no longer working.
“Son of a . . . bitch.” Her words came out on a gasp.
“Yeah, my mom was a bitch. A whore.” He lowered her to her knees and sat on his heels in front of her. “I thought all women were whores, until I met you.” Her vision fuzzed as he lifted her chin with one hand, held her steady with the other. “I mean, you did fuck around on Ky with me, but shit, who wouldn’t?”
Anguish, physical and mental, washed over her. She’d cheated on her husband, who she loved more than anything. She’d betrayed him on so many levels, and for what? To die in the shithole where she’d screwed the man who was killing her?
If only she’d listened to Kynan that night, one year ago, when she’d been feeling ill but insisted on hunting anyway. He’d said she shouldn’t go, that sickness left humans vulnerable to spells and demon magic, but she’d kissed him and laughed, and had headed out on her own.
Wraith had come to her in Central Park, where she’d been hunting a Nebulous demon that had sucked the soul out of a cabbie a few blocks away. He’d merely looked at her and she’d experienced a rush of desire so strong her knees had trembled.
He’d worn an Aegis ring, had claimed to be an Elder, one of the Sigil who oversaw all Aegis cells worldwide. When she asked about his arm-length tattoo, he’d said that all Elders were similarly marked. Since no one knew the identity of the twelve Elders, she couldn’t very well ask for proof. But he had known a lot about the Aegis, and a lot about her.