The Demon's Song - By Kendra Leigh Castle Page 0,53

and take here. I can’t put my life on hold indefinitely.”

“No,” Phenex said flatly. “You can’t leave unless I let you.”

Her stomach twisted at the way he said it. It didn’t sound like him, angry and petulant. It was possessive, but not in a way she wanted to encourage. “Oh, I see. So I’m a prisoner now?”

That seemed to break through, because she caught a flicker of regret on his face before he turned it blank again.

“No, of course not.”

“Then don’t treat me like one.”

Phenex shoved a hand through his hair. “I gave you my word I’d keep you safe. But it would be nice if you helped me out instead of actively trying to get yourself killed.”

She rose from the couch and settled her hands on her hips. “If I were trying to get myself killed, I wouldn’t even be arguing with you. I’d just go. Can’t you at least try to understand where I’m coming from?”

“No, I can’t. Not when where you’re coming from is a place that’s loaded with human pigheadedness. You told me you trusted me to keep you safe. Why can’t you just do what you’re told?”

She stiffened, his infuriated question hitting her like a slap. “Because I don’t belong to you.”

Phenex swore in a language—maybe more than one—that she didn’t understand at all. Then he threw his hands up and stalked toward the door. When he opened it, Sofia realized he meant to leave her here. All of the panic she’d managed to keep at bay hit her at once. Her chest constricted, her heart pounded. She didn’t want to be alone here. He was supposed to stay with her. And as mad at him as she was, she didn’t really want him to go. She could never stand to leave things unfinished. Even fights.

Sofia thrust her chin up and tried not to sound as though she cared. “Where are you going?”

He turned and glared at her from the open doorway. “Out. I’ll send someone to take my place for a while. Shouldn’t matter, right? After all, you don’t belong to me.”

She could hear the bitterness behind his words and realized that what she’d said had cut him. But Sofia didn’t think that Phenex understood how to have an actual relationship with someone, even a relationship as odd and impermanent as theirs was. And she didn’t know if she had it in her to fix that in a guy who’d been alive since before there were even such things as humans.

Disheartened, she wrapped her arms around herself and turned away. Maybe they both needed some space after all.

“See you later, then,” she said. What else could she say?

There was silence for a long moment, and she could feel his eyes on her. She thought he might say something, might bend just a little, the way he had when he’d asked her on what had turned out to be a sort-of date. But before long, she heard the door shut quietly, leaving her alone.

Sofia let out a long, shuddering breath and blinked back weary, frustrated tears. Phenex was impossible, in every way she could think of. This wouldn’t be the last time he walked away, she told herself. She might as well get used to it. He didn’t belong to her, either.

She only wished she didn’t want him to quite so badly.

Chapter Fifteen

He felt like shit the second he stepped out the door. Had he seriously just suggested that she ought to be a vampire because humans were worthless?

Yes. Yes he had. Awesome.

But that didn’t mean he was going to turn around and apologize.

He walked a few paces away from his house and took a quick look at who was still home. He’d known he would have to leave Sofia with someone else at some point, because there were things he needed to know that she didn’t need to hear. He hadn’t planned to do it so soon, but there was no time like the present. Especially when your charge was pissed at you.

Phenex was relieved to see signs of life at Raum and Ember’s house just across the street, so he headed that way. Of all his Fallen brothers, Raum was the least likely to get on his case about the situation with Sofia, probably because it wasn’t entirely unlike what had happened to him. Of course, his wife, Ember, was the half-demon daughter of Raum’s biggest enemy in Hell, so she hadn’t had much difficulty adjusting to life with a fallen angel. And