“All for a good cause.” He smiled, but that happiness faded as he stared at Val. “She wasn’t being cruel, you know. You have some decisions to make. Both of you.” He looked at Khent. “Remember what Shai told you, reaper. The time is coming for you to hold to your pledge.”
Khent stiffened. “I am a reaper with honor. My sire is Ahmose, son of Adjib, a son of Hor-Den. We honor our promises.”
“See that you do.” Morpheus sounded serious. “Now get some rest. And try not to kill more of MEC than you have to tomorrow. I think I’m going to need the demons when I talk to Loki again.”
“Wait. What?” Val turned to Khent. “Did he say Loki? Like, the Norse trickster?”
Khent was staring after Morpheus, who left them to rejoin the beautiful women beckoning him in the corner.
She stared at Khent’s wings, seeing them solidify from energy and smoke to feathers and then scales. Reaching out, she touched one. He shifted, and her finger slid across a razor-sharp edge.
“Ouch.”
Khent turned to study her. He noticed the blood on her fingers with interest. The way he cocked his head unnerved her. It felt birdlike. No, lizard-like. His pupils narrowed and lengthened, the color of his irises bleeding to cover his eyes in a blackish red that turned gold. A nictitating membrane blinked, and he laughed and opened his growing mouth, showing such sharp teeth.
Rows and rows of fangs that could decimate a small human in one little bite.
She felt heat stemming from deep inside him.
“Valentine?” He chortled, and a ball of fire flashed up and out of his throat, coating her in a blanket of fire…
Val shot up in bed,a scream caught in her throat as her world turned to ash.
Next to the bed, Khent stood staring down at her, dressed impeccably as usual. “Valentine? Are you all right?”
Heat flared across her lap, and she glanced down to see Sparky blinking up at her with sleepy eyes.
“Holy crap.” She sounded hoarse.
Fortunately, none of that had been real. Not like that mess in Irkalla where Morpheus had dragged her into another plane. Here, Khent stared at her as if she had mental issues while a salamander made her feel on fire, not some vampire boyfriend turned mythical dragon.
Khent left and returned with a cup of water she graciously accepted.
“Thanks.” She drank it all down. “Man, talk about a nightmare.”
“Oh?”
She described it all, right down to Khent’s dragon wings. Because that had been what she’d seen before he’d incinerated her. Her reaper lover turning into a dragon, intending to devour her.
Unfortunately, Khent didn’t laugh off her subconscious. “It would be best if we told no one about this. I don’t want Mormo or Hecate digging into our minds for hints of meaning and more nonsense.”
“Trust me. I have enough weirdness in my life. I don’t need more.” As if the goddess of the moon would visit good old Val in her dreams. Yeah, right. But even more incredulous, that Khent would ever lower himself to wear a tee-shirt and jeans. She should have known from that alone that she’d been the only one in her mind.
She snorted.
“Something funny?”
“Ah, no. I need a shower. I’m sweaty.”
He looked her over. “That you are.”
So of course he helped her get clean in the shower, after which he made her dirty and sweaty all over again. And if he sipped from her blood and fed some of his bloode into her mouth, increasing her arousal, who was she to complain? A mere human at the mercy of her sexy vampire lover.
When they finally entered the kitchen to get some food, she saw that they’d slept past sunset by a few hours.
“Want to meet Grizz and Aisha?” she asked him.
The sweet smile he sent her had her melting for him all over again.I have got to stop acting so weak around this guy. He’s going to own me if I’m not careful.
