“No,” she quickly assured him. Shaking her head, hugging her arms around her waist, she forced herself to finish before he got any more upset. The sight of his anger did strange things to her. It didn’t make her hide in terror, fearful for her safety, as she had assumed it would. Instead, it filled her with the urge to soothe him. To run her hands over him, speak softly, and to hold him, calm him.
And it made her feel protected.
Baffling.
“No, I never gave him the chance. When I realized what was going on, what he’d done to some of the other girls, I lashed out. He wasn’t expecting to meet the sharp end of a steak knife when he came to my room that night. He got twenty-six stitches, and I got taken out of the home and dropped into a placement facility.”
His expression still murderous, Gideon gripped the back of the chair hard enough she was surprised it didn’t splinter apart. “Those places—”
“I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong. Stonebridge Academy was the best thing that ever happened to me. At first, the adjustment was difficult. But the staff was really great, and I’d just turned seventeen. I was only there a year. They gave me a lot of tools to cope and helped me get started out on my own. I’m still in touch with a couple of the counselors, and my primary counselor still sends birthday and Christmas cards every year.”
Some of the livid color had begun to drain from his face. He no longer looked as if he wanted to massacre someone, so she took that as a good sign.
“I refuse to feel bad about hating Michael, and I refuse to apologize. I don’t believe for one moment he’s this beneficent being. Because if he were, he would never have left me in some of those situations. He would have been there to protect me. He gave me these gifts”—she made sarcastic air quotes—“made me aware of this world of angels and demons, and then he abandoned me. Again. He wouldn’t even show me how to fight, how to protect myself. Even when those demons showed up at the club, he wasn’t there to keep me safe.”
She fell silent for a moment as she studied the knees of her jeans. Then, slowly she lifted her gaze to his. Her brows were pulled tight in confusion, and she whispered, “But you were.”
Chapter Five
Gideon studied the Halfling. For a long moment, she looked so terribly lost, so wounded and confused, that he found it almost impossible not to reach for her, not to pull her into the shelter of his arms. The only thing stopping him was the knowledge that his arms would have ghosted right through her, as intangible as mist.
He wanted to promise her she’d never be alone again, never have to fear the shadows because he would always be there to protect her. But he couldn’t do that either, could he? Not when he’d already promised himself Oblivion.
With a tenacious resolve he couldn’t help but admire, she squared her jaw and stared him right in the eye. “Your turn. Why am I here?”
He drew a deep breath. Where to begin? He’d only ever considered the basics of this mission. Find the Halfling. Check. Rescue the Halfling from any potential demon threat. Check. Bring the Halfling to a secure location. Check—thanks to Sebastian’s nifty little cuffs.
He’d never stopped to consider for a moment that he might have to be the one to stay with the Halfling, let alone have to explain the current power play by a rebellious demon prince.
He’d also never imagined how badly he’d want this one particular woman for his own. His curse had been a nightmare before. Now?
Torment. Utter mind-blowing torture.
Oblivion, he reminded himself with more than a touch of desperation. He just had to get through this last mission. Keep the Halfling safe until one of the others could step in. And then, sweet Oblivion.
Where to start? “Long story short, you’ve been dropped into the middle of a demon rebellion.”
“What?” Her delicate features screwed up into an expression of complete disbelief. She clearly thought he’d lost his mind.
“Long ago, four Sacred Relics were created—” he paused, frowning. That wasn’t strictly true. “Three—three relics were created. The fourth relic comes later.” He held his hands up to fend off the questions he could see brewing. “Just bear with me here, I wasn’t planning on being the one to have to explain all this to you. Okay, where was I? Yeah, so, the relics are part of the Prophesy.”
At this pronouncement, she shook her head and let out a disbelieving snort. “A prophecy? Really? That’s the best you could come up with?”
Gideon ground his teeth together. “I didn’t make this shit up.”
“Uh-huh.”
He took a deep breath.
Control. Breathe in. Breathe out.
Damn irritating woman.
“You know, believe it or don’t believe it. I don’t really care. But you better understand the demon prince staging this coup does. Fanatically. And whether or not you like it, whether or not you believe, because of that prophecy, you are now in a great deal of danger.”
He had her full attention now. She remained silent for a long moment, her lips pressed tight together. Grudging cooperation flickered in her gaze, and her shoulders slumped in defeat. “So what does this prophecy say?”