Page 121 of Legacy of Chaos

He should. He didn’t owe Cyan anything. She’d lied to him and put the entire world in danger with that lie. She was also pregnant with another male’s spawn.

Pain and jealously zapped him in the heart like an electric shock. Extra shocking because he’d never wanted children. They were annoying little time-sucks that would take him away from important work.

But right now, he’d give anything to be the father of Cyan’s baby. His child wouldn’t be a time suck. It would be an opportunity for him to learn, teach, and atone for his mistakes.

And whatthe fuckwas wrong with him? Wanting to be a father? Maybe his cardiac episode had come with a side of brain damage.

Masumi’s hands slid up his inner thighs as her lips nibbled his neck, and for once, his libido didn’t spin up, even though his body needed sex. If anything, he kind of…deflated. Not his cock…that bastard was aching.

No, what deflated was his initial thought that he should let Masumi help him. He couldn’t. He didn’t want her. He only wanted Cyan, that lying, traitorous—

“What the hell is going on here?”

He cranked his head around in shock at the sight of Cyan, standing in his doorway in jeans and a black blouse, snowflakes swirling around her, her hair whipping in the cold wind. Her eyes, normally a deep, rich amethyst, were now glowing with reddish-gold spokes, and anger had turned her expression into a hard-cut mask.

“Cyan?”

She stepped inside, and the door closed behind her with a bone-jarring slam, which was bizarre because he’d programmed it for complete silence.

“How did you operate my Harrowgate?” Surprise and anger made his voice harsh. “How’d you get past my security measures?”

“I’m a fucking technomancer, you ass!” she shouted. “I’m one of the most powerful Cyberis demons in the world. You think I can’t counter your tech and magic-based measures?”

He lifted Masumi to her feet as he came to his in a surge of temper. How dare she break into his house and accusehimof wrongdoing? “You have no right to be mad at me—”

“Are you kidding me?” She tossed up her hands, gesturing furiously as she went off. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for hours, knowing you needed me. Knowing you wouldn’t be stupid enough to use an injection again. But you didn’t answer any of my missives, so I came here, thinking maybe you were in trouble again…and here you are with a fucking injection in your hand and Masumi in your crotch!” She waved at Masumi, her expression contrite. “Sorry, Masumi, I’m not angry with you. He’s the one being a self-centered ass who isn’t thinking of anyone but himself.” She rounded on him again. “People are worried. They’re scared, Stryke! And you can’t bother to let anyone know you’re not dead?”

She might have a point, but he wasn’t ready to acknowledge it. Not whenhetook the trophy for justified anger.

“You have no right to be angry aboutanything!” He snatched up one of the photos of theSea Storm’sdrill casing and threw it at her. “You lied about the portal, Cyan. You lied to my damned face and put the entire world at risk! I took you into my confidence, and do you know how often I do that?Do you?”

The fury drained out of her face. Her mouth fell open. Closed.

He pounced while she was still taken aback. He’d found that people were the most honest when their brains weren’t working.

“Nothing to say about that?” He wheeled around and thrust his hands through his hair, needing something to do with them before he punched a wall. “Dammit, Cyan, why? Who are you working for? Do you know what’s going to happen when Heaven finds out? When Gabriel, a fuckingArchangel, finds out? How am I going to keep you safe?”

“Keepmesafe?” She blinked at him, bewildered. “That’swhat you’re worried about?”

“Well, yeah,” he shouted, dropping his hands to his sides. “I’m not going to let Heaven assassinate you. I’m an asshole, but I’m not a monster, and I’m your best shot at staying safe.” She stared at him in disbelief, which made him hit another level of furious. “What? You think Parker can protect you from Heaven?” He swore. “I’m really pissed off right now, so answer my questions. Why did you leave the Gehennaportal intact, and why did you lie to me about it?”

“Okay.” She held her hands out in a calm-down gesture that didnotcalm him down. “Okay. I didn’t want to lie to you, I swear. Gabriel made me. He said that if this got out, you could be in danger. I was only supposed to tell you the truth if you decided to drill or sell the rig.”

It was his turn to stare at her in disbelief. “Gabrielknows?”

She came closer, bringing her sexy, copper-silver scent with her, and his body, already throbbing with need, responded with a fresh wave of lust. For a moment, his brain short-circuited, filling his mind with erotic images of Cyan in his bed.

Her voice brought him back, but he didn’t know how much longer he could remain rational.

“…when we were underwater,” she was saying. “Once we got to the site, he told me to repair the breach instead of destroying the portal, but he didn’t say why. I’m sorry, Stryke.” The plea in her voice, in her eyes, stabbed him in the heart. He’d always enjoyed when people groveled, but dammit, not Cyan.She shouldn’t be groveling in front of anyone, least of all him. “Gabriel’s an Archangel. I had to believe he knew what he was doing.”

In his opinion, the fact that Gabriel was an angel was a good reasonnotto believe the guy. But Cyan couldn’t have known that. She’d been put into an impossible situation and had done her best with the information she had.

Frankly, he no longer cared about the damned portal. Or Gabriel. Or anything but the female in front of him. Right now, all his blood and energy had been diverted from his higher brain to his basest instincts. It was this response that he’d always hated. He disliked any core need that took him away from using his mind, but this one was the worst.

At least, it had been until now. Now, he just wanted to be with Cyan. He wanted to let his brain rest and his heart and body do all the work.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Masumi slip inside her vase, leaving him alone with the only female he’d ever wanted to be with.

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