“Maybe there’s other family.”
“Perhaps.” Lark flipped a throwing knife into the air and caught the blade behind his back. “Regardless, he’ll have to deal with the premature deaths of both parents and the murder of his grandfather.”
“Children survive worse.” Jett’s words came out with more bite than he intended. He felt for the kid and wouldn’t wish this situation on anyone, but that didn’t change the reality of Lawrence. “And our responsibility is the archangels, yes? Above all else, even Lexine and Caza. Lawrence wants the twins. What we have to do is nonnegotiable.”
“I agree entirely. Let’s proceed with caution is all I’m saying. He doesn’t die in front of Drew or where the kid could find the body. If it can be made to look like an accident, all the better.”
“You think I’d just haul ass in there and slaughter the man on sight, whether the kid was there or not?”
Lark only stared, one red eyebrow cocked.
“Point taken.” Jett rolled his shoulders, trying to force himself to calm. “I’ll behave. Course, we could also explain to Andrew the truth of the situation. Make him understand exactly what kind of monster his grandfather is.”
“He’s not a day older than thirteen.”
“So? When I was that age, I…” Jett paused. Shit. He didn’t know much about kids, but he knew better than to think his own childhood was anything to draw comparisons against. The worst injury Andrew had probably ever known was a scraped knee, his father’s death and his mother’s sickness the only taste of how cold the world could be. Significant, but no reason to justify shoving his grandfather’s crimes in his face. “Never mind.”
“Timing is going to be crucial. Lawrence will run as soon as he realizes we’re on his trail. And, of course, we can’t both go.”
“I’m going. I need to see that son of a bitch die.”
Chapter Twenty-one
After her nightmare, Lexine spent a couple hours sitting on the top of a ladder in the orchard, staring at the stars. The evening air turned cold, but was warm compared to the chill inside her body. The nightmare had been so real, so potent, she could still smell the blood. Even the sharp odor of the rotting apples on the ground didn’t overpower it.
“Lex.”
She caught her breath as she spotted Jett approaching between the trees. He moved like a shadow in the darkness, his eyes reflecting the moon. If she’d had normal demon eyes, she’d have been able to see him clearly in the moonlight.
“What are you doing out here?” His voice held cutting disapproval. “It’s cold, and it’s dark. You can’t see—”
“I have a flashlight. I’ve lived with this disability for twenty-six years.” She didn’t mean to snap, but the turmoil in her mind made it impossible be calm.
“Sorry. I worry. It’s in the genes.”
She climbed down the ladder. Her feet hit the ground at the same moment his arms—so warm—came around her.
“I have to talk to you,” he said.
She missed a beat. She’d been about to say the exact same thing to him. “Is something wrong? You’re not supposed to have any time off training.”
“We have a lead on Lawrence’s whereabouts. I’m going to be leaving in a couple hours. He’ll be dead as soon as I find him.”
She should have felt relieved. Lawrence, after all he’d done to Jett and Bryce, and intended to do to the archangel infants, would meet justice. Everyone would be a little safer in a world that was anything but. However, at that moment, she only cared about the safety of one person. “Please be careful. Very careful.”
“I will be.”
She nodded. After all, the dream had shown him as her mate. That event hadn’t come to pass. With that horrible future foretold, he’d be safe this night.
Bittersweet comfort.
“That’s not what I came to talk to you about. Let’s go inside. You’re freezing.”
They made their way into her apartment. He ignited a demon-fire lantern, set her on the bed, and wrapped a blanket around her. In the flickering crimson light, he knelt on the floor in front of her, his hands on her hips.
She had to tell him about her dream, but he started speaking first.
“Lark and I have come to an impasse.”
She frowned, waiting.
“My position as a dedicated Guardian to the archangels would require me to forsake everyone else in an emergency. Including you.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“I cannot accept that. To me, your safety is every bit as important as the archangels’. The very idea that I wouldn’t be able to keep you safe if this colony came under attack again makes me ill.”
“But—”
“I’ve discussed it with Lark at length. I’ve given the subject a lot of thought. Now, I need your thoughts, before I decide to take the oath to the archangels or not.” He folded the soft blanket closer to her neck and rubbed her arms.
She swallowed. Hard. “Why?”
“Because I would have you as my mate one day, Lex. If you’ll have me.”
She froze. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. The scent of blood filled her nose, the nightmare still lingering.
“I would become a regular Guardian.” He lowered his hands along her arms and gripped her fingers. “Perhaps it’s too soon to ask, but waiting until after I take the oath to at least talk to you about this would be a mistake.”
She swallowed. Swallowed. Swallowed.
“Lex?”
She sobbed and dropped her face into her hands.
“Beauty?” he whispered, touching the side of her face.
“I want to, but I can’t.”
“What?” He leaned closer to her, tensing. His breath brushed her cheek. “I don’t understand.”
Words spilled from her mouth in a rush, punctuated by sobs and chokes. She explained her original dream—how she realized what it really meant when she saw his tattoo and scars for the first time. How she’d kept that truth to herself, afraid of scaring him off when she wanted to get to know him better. How the dreams had stopped, and she’d abandoned hope that they had a future. He listened in absolute stillness, his hands clamped over hers.
She told him how the dream had come back, changed. How he’d died in her arms.
“That dream can’t come true. You’ll die.” Her throat stung. “We need to stay away from each other. If we’re not mated, the dream can’t come true! You’ll be safe—”
“Nonsense.” His dark crimson gaze burned into her. “Consider the life I lead, Lexine. Staying away from you is not going to keep me out of harm’s way. Staying safe is not my goal. Killing my enemies is my goal.”
“But—”
He covered her lips with a finger. “Dream or no dream, my fate is not in your hands, and I need you to stop thinking that way. If I get hurt or killed, it’ll be the result of my own damned mistakes.”
She shoved his hand away. “These sorts of dreams are rare, Jett. They’re a legitimate glimpse into the future, not a goddamned a horoscope!”
Fisting one hand at his side, he reached up with the other and grasped her chin, his grip firm but not enough to hurt to her. “No dream is going to dictate my fate, tell me how I will or will not die, or who I will or will not be with. My future is for me to decide.”
“And for me to decide, in this case.”
“Lex…”
“I won’t be your mate, Jett.” She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips, which he didn’t return. “I’ve fallen in love with you. I won’t put your life at risk if there is anything I can do to protect you.”
“Protect me?”
“Yes. I’m a female, but I’m nothing like Caza.”
He leaned back. “You know what happened to Caza?”