his gaze locked on the wall, as if Thanatos didn’t exist.
Thanatos stepped into the path of his gaze and the male dared to frown at him, revealing an emotion he shouldn’t possess—anger.
“What do you want?” Thanatos growled, his own anger getting the better of him as his mind whispered that he knew what this male wanted.
Who this male wanted.
The Messenger merely shifted his gaze to the right, ignoring the threat standing right before him. This wouldn’t do. Thanatos stepped forwards, intent on reminding the male who he was dealing with and putting him in his place.
He tensed when he sensed Calindria emerge from behind the wall, glanced at her as she stood just feet from him, her blue eyes locked on the Messenger, recognition dawning in them. Damn it. He had wanted to drive the male away before she could wake. His blood heated to boiling point as he looked back at the male and found him gazing at Calindria with a possessive light in his mismatched eyes.
The fact that the male dared to look at her while she was so skimpily dressed was enough to have Thanatos sinking into a rage. The fact the male looked as if he wanted her for himself propelled him past rage and into something far darker and far more dangerous.
Thanatos stretched his wings out, not to intimidate the Messenger but to cover Calindria, stopping the male from seeing her curves. She frowned at him and he cursed as she stepped around his left wing.
“I know the way home, my lady.” The Messenger kept his eyes fixed on her as he pressed his hand to the chest of his black tunic and bowed his head, ignoring Thanatos. “If you would come with me, I can lead you there.”
“I know you.” She sounded far too happy about that. “Gods, it has been so long. Do you still work for my family?”
Thanatos snarled, “No, he does not. He left the family.”
“I left it to search for you, my lady.” The Messenger almost spoke right over him, earning himself another growl from Thanatos. “I have been searching for you for six centuries. I knew you were not dead.”
Calindria gave Thanatos a pointed look. He scowled at her.
“Everyone believed you were dead. This male speaks lies.” He gripped his sword in both hands and stared the Messenger down. “None of his kind are to be trusted. They were involved in what happened with the gates, employed by Eris to work against your family.”
The Messenger was quick to shake his head. “No. I swear my loyalty is, and always has been, to you, my lady.”
Calindria looked between Thanatos and the Messenger, and he had the sinking feeling he had to do something and do it fast, or she was going to punish him by leaving with the male.
He couldn’t let that happen.
“Look at him, Calindria.” He lowered his sword and furled his wings. “Look at him and tell me he does not want you for himself.”
She frowned at him. “Messengers do not feel emotions like that. They do not have needs like that.”
The Messenger slid him a sly look, but the second she looked at him again, he schooled his features, his eyes emptying of emotion, and bowed his head. “I live only to serve you, my lady.”
Thanatos bared his teeth at him.
The bastard was lying. He knew it. Panic gripped him, the thought of Calindria going with this male swift to unleash that feeling inside him and he couldn’t stop himself from reacting. He lunged for her and grabbed her arm, desperate to stop her and make her listen to him.
Cold swept through him as she turned a black look on him, as he realised he held her wrist in a bruising grip, one that had pain shining in her eyes.
He shook his head and released her, but he knew it was too late.
Rather than making her stay, his rash actions had done the opposite.
She was going to leave him.
He was damned if he was going to let that happen.
Chapter 20
Calindria rubbed at her right wrist, massaging the pain away. Deep in her heart she knew Thanatos hadn’t meant to hurt her, but then she had the feeling he never did. He never meant to hurt her, he just kept doing it. His gaze seared the side of her face as she looked at the Messenger, as she fought a war with herself, torn between remaining with Thanatos and listening to the darker side of her blood.
That darkness