Daimon (Guardians of Hades #6) - Felicity Heaton Page 0,86

hurting his brother. It was understandable that his brothers would feel the same concern about Cass.

“Sure,” he mumbled into the phone, shutting out the sound of the water running in the adjoining bathroom. “Tell Marinda that Cass is fine… but next time she wants to do something as reckless as following me to Antarctica without the appropriate protective gear, someone better stop her.”

“Got it.” Ares paused, as if he wanted to say something more, and then added, “Laters.”

Daimon ended the call and sank back against the mattress, his breath leaving him on a long sigh as he dropped the phone on the bed beside him and stared at the ceiling.

He wasn’t looking forward to returning to Tokyo.

He could only imagine how badly his brothers were going to tease him, and Cass.

Daimon tossed the navy covers aside and rolled from the bed, and huffed when the shower switched off, his opportunity to join Cass there slipping through his fingers.

It was probably for the best. While she could use a spell to protect her from his ice when he touched her, he wasn’t sure that magic would protect her if he froze the water around her, and that was bound to happen if he showered with her. He doubted she would find the alternative arousing. Normally when he showered, he cranked the water up to the point where it would scald a normal person, and even then he would end up with the parts of him that weren’t directly under the spray of water covered in a fine layer of frost.

Cass emerged from the bathroom, tucking a black towel in around her breasts, and stopped. Her pale blue eyes lifted to meet his across the room, a small smile curling her lips, drawing him to her. He crossed the room and feathered his fingers down her jaw, eased her head back and dropped a kiss on her lips.

She made a small noise of appreciation. “I could definitely get used to this.”

When he went to kiss her again, she pressed her palms to his bare chest, her touch light but commanding. He looked down into her eyes and sighed as he caught the question in them.

“Ares offered to send a rescue team. He thought maybe you were holding me against my will.” He meant it to sound teasing, but her beautiful face blackened and sparks lit her eyes.

“All of your brothers think so ill of me.” She twisted away from him and her shoulders lifted in a soft sigh.

“Not true.” He shook his head when she cast him a glance that said it was. “They’re just being protective. It’s what brothers do.”

The light faded from her eyes and she looked down at her feet. “I wouldn’t know.”

“You don’t have any siblings?” When she hesitated to answer that question, a crinkle forming between her fine black eyebrows, he added, “Do you have any family?”

A tiny shake of her head.

She tried to smile, but it faltered, and gods, it broke his heart to see it and feel the shift in her mood. He hadn’t meant to hurt her with that question, with talking about his brothers so casually. If he had known it was a sore subject for her, he would have kept his big mouth shut.

“Eric felt like family,” she whispered, attempting another smile.

Her eyes glittered with emotions as she finally looked at him, with tears that tore at him, had him closing the gap between them again and wrapping his arms around her. He had been jealous of Eric before, too wrapped up in his own feelings to notice how badly hers had been hurt by his death.

“Sorry,” he muttered and stroked his fingers down her damp hair.

He pressed a kiss to it and cursed when he left frost blooming on the wet strands. He tried to pull back, but she wrapped her arms around his waist, pinning him to her.

“Don’t,” she murmured, clutching him so tightly that the ache in his heart worsened. “The spell will kick in. Don’t let me go.”

He didn’t intend to. Not now. Not ever.

He stroked her hair, caressed her shoulders, felt strangely vulnerable as he held her like this, as if he was the one who was hurting. Maybe it was seeing Cass, his indomitable sorceress, brought so low and desperate for someone to hold her together, for him to hold her together, that made him feel that way. He couldn’t remember ever being needed like this.

Daimon stood there, holding her, giving her the moment she needed