Grace and Glory (The Harbinger #3) - Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,71

you’re right, because I didn’t want to when it came to you.”

“Thank God,” I said. “You’re...you’re badass, Zayne.”

His lifted his head. “I thought I was badass before.”

“You were. Like you were badass, but now you’re bad-period-ass-period,” I told him. “I’m kind of having sword envy right now.”

“It doesn’t really bother you, does it?”

“Does what?”

“What I am now. What I’m capable of. Because this is me.” He placed his hand over his heart as he walked forward, stopping in front of me. “But I’m different now. I can feel that. There’s this... I don’t know how to explain it, but there’s this coldness in me, and that need...that need to dominate is still there. It’s not directed at you. It will never be again, but I don’t know if there’s more about me that has changed.”

Staring up at him, I knew what he was saying wasn’t a case of him being overdramatic. He was different. How he spoke to the demon wasn’t like Zayne—like the old Zayne. There’d been a taunting quality to his words that said he was going to enjoy what he was about to do. The way he took out the Nightcrawler was another example. Old Zayne wouldn’t have chopped off an arm. He would’ve gone straight for the kill, and the old Zayne would’ve taken out Purson no matter what the demon claimed or tried to barter. There were differences and there could be more, but I also knew that I would always be safe with him. Hell, I was beginning to think that I’d actually been more safe with him when he was Scary Fallen than I even realized before.

And that coldness he felt? I wondered if it was the loss of his Glory he was feeling, which was sort of equivalent to a human soul. I had no idea what that meant for him long term, and that worried me, but I knew that no matter what, I would still love him and his lack of Glory didn’t stop him from loving me. We’d figure out whatever else may have changed together.

I met his gaze. “The only thing that bothers me is how unfair it is that you have two swords and I have one. That’s BS.”

A wide, beautiful smile broke out across Zayne’s face. He laughed, the sound deep and familiar and warm like sunshine, stealing my breath. That was another thing I didn’t know if I’d ever hear again. His laugh, and it was beautiful.

My lips twitched. “I have a feeling you’re laughing at me.”

“I just told you that I know that I’ve changed and I don’t know exactly how much, and all you can think about is that I have two swords and you only have one.”

“Well, yeah. That’s a big deal. I’m an envious kind of person.”

He laughed again, the sound lighting my whole chest. “Only you would respond that way.”

That could be true.

A warm breeze caught the strands of his hair, lifting them from his bare shoulders as he looked around. Come to think of it, the abnormal chill was gone from the air. It wasn’t unbearably hot or muggy, but it was far more seasonable.

I watched him, wondering if he had something to do with the weather. How strange would that be? But it couldn’t have been a coincidence that it had been twenty or more degrees cooler than normal up until he’d been restored—well, mostly restored—to who he’d been before.

“This is the...what—third demon that’s come for you? Have there been more?”

“It’s only been the Ghouls, the ones from the other night and this dork,” I told him, thinking it was probably best not to mention that two out of three times I left the house I’d had a run-in with a demon looking for me.

“Why isn’t Dez with you?”

“The Crone told me that a Warden or demon’s energy could mess with the spell.” I started to reach for my phone. “I should call him. Share the good news.”

“We can do that later. Right now I want to get you home.”

Home.

The new apartment that Zayne had barely spent any time in, where he’d placed glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling for me. Home. My chest squeezed. Before it was just walls and a roof with my clothing still half-packed away in luggage. The stars had made it feel more, but it wasn’t until now that it felt like a home.

Before I turned into a weepy mess all over again, I got my mind back on track. “Gabriel obviously knows where