Demon Fire (Angel Fire #3) - Marie Johnston Page 0,22
She hadn’t seen him without the flannel. Ropes of muscle lined arms decorated with black tattoos. She hadn’t had a clue that he had tattoos, pieces that would take her several minutes to trace if he’d quit moving. His biceps bulged as he tugged the white shirt over his head.
She didn’t know what he was doing, but his moves weren’t sexual.
A long scar ran down the left side of his abdomen. He outlined it with his finger. “I was shot with my own gun. Then they killed Phoebe with it. While I was operated on for ten hours and nearly bled out, they hunted down my son to send a message. I left as soon as the trial was over.”
A living nightmare. No wonder he was so restless when he slept. How long had he suffered before finding peace? “Human trials take years.”
He shot her a questioning look. “As opposed to what other trials?”
Mine.
It took a moment before she realized what she’d said wrong. She couldn’t afford a slip like that. Around Boone was okay. He might think it was odd, but in public, the wrong being could hear her. “It must’ve been awful.”
He dipped his head. “It was hell. I bought this cabin after Phoebe and I got married. I’d come hunt some years, and I kept it so I could take my son one day.” He trailed off and stared at his hands.
“Are you from Montana?”
“Not from Green Valley, but from far enough away that they don’t know who I am.”
Isolation had been her punishment, but he craved it. His honesty staggered her and fueled a healthy dose of guilt in her belly. “Boone, I got people hurt too.” His gaze shot to hers but it was her turn to be lost in the past. She’d mentioned it before, but he hadn’t pressured her. She wished she could give him the whole story. Let him decide if he should kick her out on the spot. “I thought I had no choice and I thought . . . I dunno. I thought I’d get away with it and no one would know.”
“But it didn’t happen like that.” It wasn’t a question.
“No,” she whispered. “Someone I admired very much got hurt and lost his job because of it. And I betrayed a lot of people close to me. I’m not proud of the fear that made me do it. There’s no way to take back what I did. I had a job where I did a lot of good and I guess all I want is to get back to where I can do more good in the world.”
“It’s not as simple for the ones you hurt.”
She dropped her head. “No. It’s not.”
It wasn’t enough to blend into the human world and exist. She wanted to keep stoking the good side of her. Her life would mean more than secrets and betrayal. She would never know how Director Richter was doing. If he’d been able to move on with his life, or move beyond his hatred for her. Would he find his own peace like Boone had?
Boone cleared his throat and looked around the room like he was seeing it for the first time in a long while. “What do you like to read?”
She sat straighter, the stretch in her muscles not painful like it used to be. They were both trying to move past their experiences. He didn’t know the details of what she’d done, but he wasn’t going to hold it against her. She appreciated it more than he could know, but she would do well to remember that she didn’t deserve his consideration.
“Programming for Dummies.” She allowed herself a small smile. “I already read that one.”
“You were into computers?”
“Yes. I don’t have a hobby otherwise.”
“You’re good at cooking.”
It wasn’t a hobby though. It was a way she could contribute. Otherwise, she’d been a warrior. Her life had been work. She’d spent her days monitoring humans and reporting to her team. “Cooking is fine, but there’s two of us.”
“We can go to town again later this week.”
She shouldn’t go and risk getting noticed by more creatures from Daemon, but she had to live this life. Navigating her place in this world was a necessity. She only wished she knew the cost.
Chapter 5
“Ohmigosh, look.”
Boone held back a groan as Sierra scrambled to her hands and knees to peer into a hole he’d drilled into the frozen bed of water. How could an ass be that fine through a layer