walked back into the monastery.
So he said. I hesitated, torn. I didn’t want to leave Zane with these jackasses. He was too vulnerable while the sun was up. And I couldn’t help but think of the car that had driven past, and the glimpse of brightly colored hair I’d seen as it had zoomed by. What if Phryne was here, just waiting for a chance to strike? “I don’t know, Noah.”
Noah paused as he passed Sophie, giving her a long look, eyeing her amber skin covered in tattoos, her weapons, her wild ponytail. She met his gaze with a frank, open one of her own that seemed to irritate him. He glanced back at me and saw I still hadn’t moved. “Jackie, come.”
Goddamn it.
Gritting my teeth, I moved to follow after him, compelled.
Remy followed close behind me, bouncing with every step, her eyes incredibly blue. “Can we move this along, already? I am Itching like mad.”
The Serim glared as I passed by, and one moved forward to scoop his hand off the ground. The others didn’t look thrilled either. Combine that with a pissy ex-boyfriend and the fact that Zane was unable to rise for hours?
“Promise me that Zane is going to be safe,” I blurted.
Noah didn’t turn around, didn’t stop walking, which meant I had to keep moving forward as well. “I make no such promise,” he said. “Nor will I. My brothers are free to do as they please.”
That was
exactly
what I was afraid of. “I will hate your guts until my dying days if you let something happen to Zane.”
“Undying days,” Remy said helpfully, still bouncing in place, unable to contain her excitement at seeing Ethan.
“Undying,” I corrected. “I’m not leaving Zane unguarded.” Just the thought made me skittish as hell. Not that I could stop from following Noah after he’d commanded it, but sometimes you had to push him to get the point across.
“Do not worry,” Sophie said in her calm, accented voice. “I will remain outside with him. He will be safe with me.”
As I looked at her in surprise, she twirled her sword, as if admiring the way it gleamed in the sunlight. Or admiring its ability to lop off heads? Who knew with Sophie.
“You’ll stay with him?” I glanced back at the car where Zane slumbered, then Sophie’s tall, statuesque form. I wasn’t sure that I trusted her, but I couldn’t think of anyone better qualified to guard Zane than a six-foot-tall Amazon, bristling with weapons.
Who had also just cut off the hand of the nearest immortal. I had to admit, that had pretty much rocked my world.
She gave a firm nod, planting the tip of her sword in the ground in front of the car and standing straight and tall behind it, as if daring any to approach.
“You’ll be cool out here?” Remy asked.
Another firm nod. “You may send someone my way to tend to my needs later.” And she gave a blatant look at Noah’s retreating back.
“Dinner?” I asked, because I was afraid of the mental image otherwise.
“Sex,” Remy stage-whispered.
“Thanks for that,” I muttered dryly.
Remy moaned, holding her own breasts. “Can we just go inside already? My body is dying here.
Dying
.”
“You’re not dying because you’re a few hours overdue,” I grumped, casting one last look behind us at Sophie as we followed Noah into the monastery.
“Says the woman who we had to wait on this morning.”
I was surprised to find myself blushing, especially when Noah turned back to glare at the two of us. Awkward.
All of that was forgotten as we entered the cool marble foyer and Ethan appeared at the end of the hallway, his long black hair pulled into a taut ponytail atop his head. He wore a plain white robe, belted at the waist—a far cry from the too-tight Diesel jeans and tees that Remy insisted on dressing him in.
She gave a little squeal at the sight of him and bolted down the hall, bounding toward him.
Ethan stoically put his arms out for her and she leapt into them. Her legs wrapped around his waist and she climbed him,