Page 5 of Saving the World and Other Bad Ideas (Grave Concerns 3)

“Are you okay?” I asked instead of focusing on his question.

He froze, that unnatural stillness no human could imitate. “Of course,” he said after a long moment. “Now, if we’re done.” He took a step around the counter, as if to show me out, but I pulled back.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

This time I was sure of it—he wasn’t right. He was trying to rush me out before I saw it, before I realized it.

I went for the light switch on the wall. A cold hand set on top of mine, and he stood behind me, not touching anywhere else but so close I could feel him.

His skin was far cooler than usual, which couldn’t be a good sign.

“Don’t.” His voice had dropped to nearly a whisper.

“If you won’t tell me what’s wrong, what choice do I have?”

He sighed, his breath sliding across my neck. “You won’t let this go, will you?”

“You should have forced a less annoying girl to work for you if you wanted privacy.”

He released a disgruntled sigh before releasing me.

I flipped on the light, then turned.

I didn’t bother to hide my gasp. What was the point? He’d hidden from me, then made the house dark. He obviously knew how he looked.

His eyes had a much thicker rim of red around them, and his veins had grown dark, almost black, giving him the appearance of someone diseased.

I reached out, then froze when I remembered the last time I’d touched him when he hadn’t expected it, when I’d come to understand his boundary.

Right, he isn’t a touchy-feely sort of man…

No reason to further complicate this.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing to concern yourself about.”

“Are you hungry? Can’t the coven get you someone? I’m not really good bait—I don’t think I give off the sexiest of vibes—but I can help find someone to eat.”

He shook his head and pulled away, turning his back as if he didn’t like me seeing him. “I have fed.”

“So what is it? Some vampire STD?”

He didn’t even chuckle at that, but I guess that wasn’t all that uncommon. He didn’t appreciate my jokes nearly as much as he should.

“It really isn’t anything for you to worry yourself about.”

I slid around him, careful not to grab him. He was already on edge, and even though I wasn’t afraid of him, I knew better than to push my luck. “Talk to me, Kase.”

He took a deep breath before lowering his gaze to mine. “You recall I fed from Troy.”

My cheeks heated at the memory, at how I’d ended up sleeping with both of them afterward. “Yeah, I remember.” I hoped the words didn’t show just how much I thought about that.

“I believe I explained to you the risks.”

That made me pause. “Addiction? But you fed from a human afterward. In fact, I remember the far-too-pretty woman Lucifer provided for you.”

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