“Hey, that’s wonderful!”
She gave her friend a wan smile. “I guess it is, but I lashed out at Nik in my pain.”
Kira’s brow creased. “Why? What happened?”
“We’re okay now,” she hastily said. “But I…I accused him of being partly responsible for my twin’s death.” In halting breaths, she told her friend what happened seven years ago.
“I’m so sorry about Olivia,” Kira whispered, her expression soft with sympathy. “It must have been devastating…” She hesitated, then added quietly, “There’s something you should know, Shadow. As immortals, their laws are very harsh. Nik must have told you about them being imprisoned in Tartarus for failing to protect the Goddess of Life?”
“He did.”
“If you look at it literally, they did everything they could on that day, fought off the demons, and there were hordes of those vile creatures at the goddess’ temple. But as Inara’s protectors, they were still found guilty for her abduction and sentenced for life in Tartarus because of their pledge to protect her life with theirs. Now, if Nik deliberately harmed a human, what do you think would happen to him?”
Shadow stared at her.
Kira sighed. “It’s a part of their oath: harm no human. Secondly, mortals can never know about immortals living in this world, unless they’re a destined mate, so I don’t think Olivia would have known she was speaking to an immortal.”
Shadow blinked her burning eyes, guilt flaying her. “No, she wouldn’t have.” She leaned her chin on her knees again.
“If she was anything like you, she must have been beautiful.”
Shadow huffed out a laugh. “Back then, I wasn’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was sick. Too thin…” She explained about her illness, the marriage deal, then the first time Enzo hit her, and the plan she put into action later, making a fake hairdressing appointment. “I had some cash on me and took a cab downtown. I realized Enzo’s men were following me, and with my weak heart, I couldn’t run far, so I hid behind a garage and a huge dumpster.”
She reached out and ran a finger through the mist on her glass. “An old demon appeared out of nowhere. Maybe he sensed my fear or saw my tears, but he said, all will be well. Enzo’s men ran straight past him as if they couldn’t see Aba or me. Aba saved me.” She lifted troubled eyes to her friend. “And they say demons are bad when some humans are the worst.”
“Every species has their dirtbags,” Kira muttered.
Shadow took a sip of her grape nectar, trying to ease the constriction in her throat. “Anyway, I stayed with Aba and Nate. Then, a few days later, blood demons broke into the garage and attacked. Aba and Nate were caught in the fight, and some of the demons dragged me outside… Th-they not only tore my throat in a feeding frenzy but part of my face and chest, too. Nate found me in the alley where they’d left me. I was dying. He saved me.”
“Oh, my god,” Kira croaked, her face paling. “That’s awful.”
“It was.”
“I’m really happy this Nate saved you.”
Shadow managed a little smile. “He transfused me with otherworldly blood to heal me. Weeks later, when I came out of it, I was whole. My face, my heart, even my eyes were different. A reaction to powerful blood, I suppose. I took it for granted it was how I looked until my own brother didn’t recognize me.” She sighed and fingered her front locks. “This wedge of purple hair? It’s white. I dye it purple.”
“It looks great on you.” Kira smiled. “On the positive side, at least that horrible Enzo wouldn’t have known you’re still alive even if he passed you in the street.” Her smile dimmed. “But, Shadow, if anything had happened to you back then, Nik would have been alone forever. For immortals, there is only one destined mate.”
She stared wide-eyed at her friend. Yes, Nik had told her this back in Romania, but it hadn’t seeped in, not when a hellhound had just attacked them. But now, aware of his dreadful past with his parents, then his horrible imprisonment, and her stomach heaved, bile tracking up her throat. She sipped a little more of her juice.
“Hey, you’re here with him now, and this is all that matters,” Kira said softly. “So, what’s your real name?”
“Gemma.”
“Gemma, the badass. Wow.”
Shadow grimaced. “I prefer Shadow. Gemma reminds me too much of how frail and scared I once was…” A soft smile started. “You know, my brother used to call me Shadow. Well, Shady Shadow when he was being a little imp. Said I was gloomy like the night, while Olivia was bright like sunshine…”
“You have a brother?”
“Yes. You know him. He helps at The Shelter. Liam.”
“Liam?” Kira gaped. “He’s your brother? Whoa. I love the guy!”
“Yeah, me, too…” Shadow’s smile faded. “You can’t tell Liam about me if you see him, at least not yet…” She explained about Enzo being Liam’s guardian, and why. “I don’t want Enzo to know I’m still alive until I’m a little stronger.”
“What do you mean? Are you still sick?”
“No…” Inhaling a deep breath, Shadow set the glass down and tugged the neckline of her shirt lower. “These here?” She touched the red nodes on her sternum. “They’re not jewel stones studded in my breastbone. They’re symbionts that appeared after Nate gave me otherworldly blood.” She smoothed her neckline back in place. “They need dark energy as nourishment. They keep me alive.”
“Wow.” Kira hauled her gaze from Shadow’s chest back to her face. “So, you consume demon souls?”
“Not exactly. But I need to touch a male—a demon male’s bare chest—to extract some of their souls’ energy. Just a little.”
Kira’s mouth formed an O of shock. “And Nik, he’s okay with this?”
“No.”
“Yeah, I thought not. Bonded males are extremely possessive. And can get aggressive and dangerous when other guys come onto their mates.”
Didn’t she know it?
She would need to feed soon, and dread griped her at the thought of the possible outcome. God, couldn’t she and Nik have a break for a moment, be together with nothing coming between them?
Nik stood in the gloom of a side street, his gaze fixed on the soaring, luxurious building on Park Ave, home to Enzo Argo, the human Shadow despised. He’d watched this place for the last hour, hoping the fucker would turn up soon. But his mind remained on Shadow and the return of her memories.
Hell, he had no idea he was tied so intricately into his mate’s past, and more, of how much his decision back then would cost her.
“So, you gonna tell me what exactly we’re staking out?” Týr asked, glancing down the busy street heavy with traffic even though it was long gone midnight.
“If we know a crime’s been committed—by a human—do we ignore it and go on as we were, since we only signed on to fight supernatural evil? Or do we deal with it?”
“This have anything to do with why we’re here, watching that building?”