Page 186 of Shadowblood Souls
I turn to see Riva stalking over to join him with a shadowkind man I haven’t seen before walking next to her. From her peeved expression, she didn’t ask for any special training.
My protective instinct tingles under my skin. I wander closer, wanting to keep her within reach of a short sprint.
The other guys drift to join me. Dominic peers at Riva over his shoulder.
“You can let her out of your sight for a few seconds,” Jacob says in an icy tone. “You’re not the only one who can take care of her.”
Dominic yanks his gaze back to us. Something in me bristles at the tightening of his expression, like he’s going to insist that actually he is.
But it fades just as quickly, and his mouth slants at an awkward angle.
“You know,” he says haltingly, “last night—it wasn’t something either of us planned.”
Andreas offers him a smile that looks a little sad to me. “It’s overwhelming. The first time, anyway. I don’t know… Something about our blood.”
Dominic holds his gaze, a mix of guilt and relief playing across his features. “Yeah.” His attention slides back to Jacob,and his back draws up straighter. “I’m not going to apologize. We didn’t do anythingwrong.”
Jake blinks at him. Then his stance droops, just slightly but noticeable on a guy whoneverbacks down.
He flicks his eyes downward. “I know,” he says tightly. “It’s good that she trusts at least one of us.”
A chilly shiver passes through me. What would have happened if she kept being wary ofallof us? Would she have left?
I can’t have her like that, but I still want to be with her in every way I can. As much as I can without fucking it up.
I might have said something to try to reassure Dominic that I’m not pissed off with him, but right then Riva raises her voice. My attention jerks to her.
She’s hugging herself and glaring at Rollick. Five other shadowkind have gathered around her, close enough that my wolf-man self niggles at my nerves.
“I told you I don’t want to,” she says. “So leave it alone. Just because you’re helping us doesn’t make us your slaves.”
Rollick looks vaguely amused, which only irritates me more. “I hardly think my suggestion was anything close toslavery. You asked for strategies to control your inner monster. We can’t find ones that will work unless?—”
“No,” she interrupts firmly. “Forget it. What I’ve already tried was bad enough. There’ve got to be other ways.”
“Look, if you’d just?—”
I don’t wait to hear the rest of his appeal before I’m marching over, anger coiling through my muscles. The other guys hurry with me, tension thrumming between us, all aimed at a source where we’re much more comfortable directing it.
My voice comes out in a growl. “She said no. You have to?—”
A screeching sound drowns out my voice—and a grid of lights overhead breaks off the ceiling and plummets straight at our heads.
Seventeen
Riva
At a thunderous groan from above, I fling myself to the side and duck at the same time, my arms whipping up to shield my head. Which is the right move, because an instant later, shards of glass careen through the air like shrapnel.
One sliver slices across my shoulder. As I grit my teeth, the pain shoots through my chest.
A hand clamps around my elbow and yanks me farther to the side. The jolt sends a fresh pang through my shoulder, sharp enough that I can’t suppress a yelp.
A voice I recognize as Jacob’s swears. There’s a clanging sound nearby that could be another assault or his power lashing out—I can’t tell which.
The parking garage has fragmented into wavering shapes. With the nearest set of lights shattered, shadows drape our section around the RV.
I glimpse Rollick and a few of his people tensed and staring off toward the garage entrance just before Jacob tugs me the rest of the way around the RV to relative shelter.
