Chapter 22

I broke our gazes and stumbled back from him.

A frown creased Kraven’s brow, as if he didn’t expect this kind of reaction after such a seemingly passionate kiss.

“What’s wrong, sweetness?” he asked, his frown deepening.

“Don’t kiss me again,” I whispered. “Ever.”

A glimmer of clarity lit in his eyes. And the next moment his mental wall crashed down, locking me out.

I turned to face Bishop standing there rigidly, his jaw tense. Then I threw my arms around him. His heart pounded against mine as his grip tightened around me.

“I told you I’d find you,” he said.

I nodded, currently speechless. That had been close. Too close. I reached down to take his hands in mine, feeling that incredible electric spark between us. He let out a quiet groan as he squeezed his eyes shut, and I knew his clarity was returning.

But, just like mine, it wasn’t at one hundred percent anymore. Not even close.

He opened his blue eyes, which held much more sanity than had been there before. He cupped my face between his hands, his skin warm against mine. His thumb moved over my bottom lip and his expression darkened.

He hates that I can taste her when he  can’t.

Kraven thought that a minute ago, and by the look on Bishop’s face he might have been right.

“So let me guess,” Jordan’s voice trembled out from her corner, where she was currently huddled in a tight ball. “These are the guys you called here through that meditation thing you did.”

With effort, I tore my gaze from Bishop’s to look at her, relieved that she seemed unhurt. “You got it. Jordan. Meet Bishop and Kraven.”

“What are they?”

“Helpful Boy Scouts,” Kraven said, cocking his head. “Well, look at you. Almost dinner for our gray-girl here.”

The demon offered her a hand, but she ignored it and shakily rose to her feet on her own.

“Back off,” she snarled.

Kraven just looked at her blandly. “Charming.”

Along with my restored clarity, my anxiety returned. I gestured at the security camera. “Stephen probably saw you get here and escaped.”

“He didn’t escape,” Bishop said.

My eyes widened. “Did you—?”

“Come on. Let’s get out of here.” He led me out of the room. The door had been ripped right off its hinges. Bishop noted my stunned observation of this. “I’m stronger than I look.”

I was breathless as we moved away from my previous prison. Jordan silently trailed after us, but she was recovering and her gaze was watchful and fierce. Jordan might be a lot of things, but she didn’t take well to playing the victim.

Kraven was the last to leave the room. I faced forward so I wouldn’t have to meet his eyes again.

Now I knew for sure that his breezy exterior was only a mask he wore to throw people off. Underneath, he was every bit as dark, scary and devious as I would have expected a demon to be. His murderous, vengeful thoughts had chilled me down to my bones.

His hate for Bishop had been palpable. It made my skin crawl, even now.

“Kraven wants to kill you.” I said it loud enough for only Bishop to hear.

His jaw was tense. “I know.”

“You do? What are you going to do about it?”

He kept his attention fully on the dark hallway before us. “Let me worry about my brother.”

Easier said than done. I already worried, even before I’d read Kraven’s thoughts. But what I’d seen in Bishop’s memory—that betrayal of one brother by the other in such a brutal, final way...I couldn’t say Kraven’s desire for vengeance wasn’t justified.

Still, I truly believed what had happened back then had other causes. Bishop may have done the horrible deed himself, but he’d been used by someone or something else.

Kraven didn’t know that. Or if he did, he still blamed Bishop solely for what happened.

I followed Bishop up a flight of stairs, through another torn-open doorway and then we were outside. The cold bit into me, but I welcomed the fresh air. The cool breeze made me shiver. The sky was dark now. Clouds covered the stars and moon.

As I always did at this time of the day, I scanned the horizon for any sign of a searchlight. But there was nothing to be seen.

“Stephen!” Jordan gasped.

My gaze shot to where she was staring in shock—the super-gray himself was being restrained by Zach and Connor. Connor held Stephen’s arms tightly behind him, while Zach pressed the golden dagger to Stephen’s throat.

He hadn’t escaped.

Stephen’s gaze tracked to us and narrowed.

“They got to me before I changed your girlfriend.” I couldn’t keep the outrage from my voice. He’d try to force me to do such a horrible thing. He’d knocked me out and imprisoned me for more than a day.

I was surprised that instead of anger or rage in return, he just looked grim.

And was that...raw disappointment I saw in his eyes?

Some super-gray. For a sociopath, he seemed to have a lot of emotions to sort through.

Maybe love is the hardest emotion to  destroy, I thought.

Oh, please. Give me a break.

“Why, Stephen?” Jordan’s voice quavered. “Why would you try to hurt me like that?”

“I never wanted to hurt you.” He struggled against Connor’s grip on him, nearly breaking it.

“Hold still,” Connor snarled.