Lilian pushed to her feet and closed the distance between them, slipping her hand into his, unwilling to let his reach for her go unanswered. She wasn’t the only one nervous and on edge, feeling as if everything was about to fall apart and end. She knew it the second his fingers closed around hers and he held her hand so tightly that she wanted to plead him to never let it go.

No man had ever held her hand as tightly as Night was holding hers.

“Night—” she started.

“If I could have taken you somewhere else I thought you would be safe, I would have,” he cut in and his thumb brushed hers. “You’ll be safe at the house. Bastian will protect you.”

She frowned and stopped, forcing him to stop too. “Where will you be?”

The thought that he was going to leave her alone with Bastian had fear lacing her blood again.

Night turned his head slightly towards her and looked down rather than at her. “Grave… he needs to know what happened. I have to find him… or get a message to him.”

She wanted to be angry with him for deciding to leave her with Bastian, but she couldn’t be as she stared at him and realised that he wanted to help his brother. He wasn’t planning on just getting a message to Grave. He was planning to find him and help him.

He was planning to fight the demon who had threatened her.

The thought of Night facing that demon had her pulling him to face her, a wild and desperate feeling flooding her.

“I don’t want you to go,” she bit out.

He stilled and stared at her, surprise and conflict shining in his eyes. It turned to something else as he gazed at her, something she didn’t like.

“I know I said I would help you escape my brother and believe me, if I knew a place that was as safe, I would take you there,” he muttered.

She shook her head. “I don’t care about that… Don’t fight the demon, Night. He’s too powerful. I’m afraid that he’ll—”

She couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Night eased closer to her and feathered fingers across her cheek, his voice lowering as he murmured, “I won’t. I’ll stay. If I can get a message to Grave, then I’ll stay. Maybe my other cousin, Antoine. Snow has gone with Grave, and Antoine always keeps an eye on Snow. He’ll have a way to get in touch with him. Better?”

She nodded, barely moving her head an inch because she didn’t feel better. Keeping Night with her was selfish. Not only was he strong and could help his brother and cousin in their fight against the demon, but staying with her meant that he would be in danger from her coven.

He was better off away from her.

Then he wouldn’t bear witness to what she needed to do in order to fulfil her mission.

Her stomach twisted at the thought of going through with it.

Night led her out of the jet and crisp, cold air swept around her, chilling her bare legs and arms. She looked up as she reached the tarmac. Two black cars awaited them. A Bentley that was out of place given their remote location, and a Volvo that looked far more suited to handling the terrain.

The driver of the Bentley stepped out of it.

Night immediately waved him away. “You are not needed. You may return. I already arranged transport.”

She looked at the Volvo he pulled her towards. “Are we using this because it’s less conspicuous?”

Night opened the passenger door and held it for her. “No. I just don’t like being driven around like some entitled prick.”

He smiled for her, but this time it was strained and quickly faded.

Lilian got in the car and watched him as he rounded the front of it. The fact Night didn’t like being driven didn’t surprise her. He was right and he was different to Bastian.

Bastian.

She pressed her hand to her stomach as it squirmed. The thought that she was going to see him again had her falling silent as Night started the engine and they pulled away.

Lilian’s gaze roamed to him as they departed the airport and cut through the town, watching the way the lights flickered over his handsome face as he glared at the road as if he wanted to kill it.