Words he’d heard many times in the training room, usually right before she’d work even harder to kick his ass, followed by her kissing the hell out of him.
He grinned at her and replied the way he always had. “Because you love me, you fiery wench.”
Her fury was still front and center and her hands shot outward, dislodging his hold on her, easy as that. Exactly how his Scarlet would have done it.
And as soon as he lost his grip, he went under, his spaghetti limbs unable to stop him. He went down with a huge-assed grin on his face. He didn’t float, he sunk like a lead weight. He never was a good swimmer.
Hands hooked under his armpits and he was hauled back up.
Before he could blink the water from his eyes, Scarlet was there, peppering kisses all over his face. His chin, his cheeks, his eyelids, his mouth, tears already running down her precious face.
“I remember. I remember everything,” she said, sobbing and trembling. “Oh god, you found me. You found me.”
Tobias forced his arms to cooperate and pulled her in against his body and held her, shaking and, fuck, crying with her.
When she lifted her head, she looked deep into his eyes, searching, seeing all of him. “Where did you go?” she whispered.
She didn’t mean physically, no, looking into his eyes she could see the scars on his soul. His female saw him, always.
Tobias clung to her tighter. “I’ve done such terrible things, Scar,” he said brokenly.
She cupped his face and shook her head. “Whatever you did, that wasn’t you. I know you, my love, I know you. I’ve seen right to the heart of you.” She pressed her forehead to his. “That wasn’t you, Tobias,” she said more fiercely, then she pressed her lips to his.
He kissed her back and hoped like fuck she was right.
Because whatever it took, whatever he had to do, he would never lose her again.
Chapter 30
The door to her room opened and Luna stumbled back, throwing up her hands, trying to lift her block. But Ronan’s power was too strong, the heavy weight of it clung to her, hindering her own.
Spencer ran to her, putting himself between her and her brother as he walked through the door.
Expression blank, Ronan’s gaze moved over her as Azel strode in behind him.
Luna recoiled, tugging Spencer back. If he got in between Azel and what he wanted, the fallen angel would kill her friend.
“I’ll die before I go anywhere with you,” she said, locking eyes with the male who had used her, manipulated and tortured her for most of her life.
The evil bastard moved up beside Ronan, his hand lifting to the back of her brother’s neck, fingers curling around it in a possessive way. Her brother’s reaction was small, but she didn’t miss the way he stiffened, the slight flinch at Azel’s touch. It made her stomach rebel even harder.
“Now, don’t be like that, Luna. I’ve missed you.”
“You’ve missed my power. You missed the power I gave you, Azel,” she fired at him.
He huffed a low laugh even as his eyes narrowed. “You call me Sir, and I don’t need you, little girl. You are lucky I showed an interest in you and your brother at all.”
Luna laughed as well, humorless and loaded with hatred. “You’re delusional.”
He went still, his gaze moving over her in a way that made her skin crawl. “You’ve changed.”
“You have no idea, asshole.” He’d suspected she was starting to feel something while she was locked in the basement, he’d made that obvious when he’d tried to break her by telling her Ronan had died. Now he would have no doubt.
He hissed. “You dare speak to me like that?”
“I’m sure you’re more powerful than me, a lot more, but not as powerful as you pretend to be. How much did the angels take from you when they threw you from Heaven?”
Azel's eyes flared.
Ronan frowned, looking between Luna and Azel. “Is it true? Are you an angel?”
“No,” Azel said through gritted teeth. “The knights have done something to her mind. She’s confused.”
“You’ve seen the scars, Ronan, just like I have. He had wings once, but they tore them from his back.”
Azel turned red, his face a mask of fury.
There was no escaping what was about to happen, not with her powers hobbled, but she would not cower to this twisted male ever again.
With rage lining his face, Azel threw up a hand, firing his power at