Page 35 of Falling for Famine
He lifted his head and the beauty of him stole my breath away—and to think, I’d only just gotten that back. But I was a womanenchanted. His smile was so warm and full of affection, it choked the words right out of me.
But then his eyes jerked upwards. The colorful cuties were glowing and flickering, moving with intention around us. Even I read the alarm in their actions. His face was suddenly the impassive mask I’d grown used to.
I didn’t see him move, but I was dressed and in his arms before I knew what was happening. I was left standing in front of him without having felt either of us move at any point. My brain had trouble keeping up with the suddenness of everything.
Until Ghost was peering down at me, whispering, “Arms around me and don’t let go, Nomi.”
Confused, I did what he asked. He brushed hair from my forehead and dropped a kiss on my head, his hold on me bruising. Then the world tilted and shifted. Only it wasn’t like before. My stomach twisted in a nasty way as everything came to a dramatic halt and heat consumed the air around us.
I heard the fight this time, the sudden swarm of voices calling for a swift attack. It terrified me how quickly silence and bliss had become angry shouts and growling snarls.
I turned my head, faced with demons and angels alike. They moved quickly, attacking out of nowhere. I didn’t recognize the area, but it was a field of some kind and a storm raged overhead. It looked like a scene right out of a movie with the sudden appearance of feathered wings and swords and massive shadow forms with red-orange eyes.
Glacies was already in a million pieces, freezing the ground and the surrounding demons with it. Ignis was radiating heat that sparked and summoned a wall of fire, a chorus of the afflicted crying out as soon as the flames hit.
Ghost turned my face to look at him, his stare a lethal beam. “I won’t let them get you. You don’t have to be afraid.”
I hadn’t realized how much I was shaking until he muttered his gentle promise. His knuckles brushed my cheek, looking nowhere but me. The world around us continued to burn and cool in brutal shifts, but he didn’t look anywhere else.
“Shouldn’t you—”
“Your cuties have it handled,” he teased, another brief smile stealing my heart. “It makes them happy to protect you.”
“Oh,” was my staggeringly clever reply. “That’s nice of them. They make me happy, too.”
They really did. They’d become my wispy babies next to my fur babies, Ferguson and Mr. Pugsworth. I’d love them forever.
I tried to turn my head when another wave of shouts erupted, but Ghost had a firm hand on my face, keeping me from whatever was occurring around us.
Maybe he was worried if I saw everything, I’d want to run away. He’d done the same thing when I was first attacked. He didn’t want me to see what was happening. It was unbelievably sweet, but also completely unnecessary.
I’d faced down an abusive father who made my life scary from the day I was born. I’d lived in the shadow of fear for sixteen years, but I didn’t let it alter me the way he wanted. I lived, loved, and sought happiness without fear. I might not fight like the heroines in my fanfics, but I was made of strong stuff. Felix always told me so, and after all of this, I believed it.
“I’m not scared, Ghost.” I kept firm eyes on him. “I know I don’t need to be with you here.”
His gaze softened, the glow a gentle gleam. “Good.”
The terrifying temperatures faded, and his hand slipped away. I peered around, and every demon and angel I’d first seen was gone. The cuties flashed over, rubbing against my cheeks as if to ask me if they’d done a good job.
“You two are so strong and smart,” I muttered as they flickered happily and pounced on my head. “I couldn’t have asked for a better pair of protectors.”
My hair was dripping wet by the time they were finished with me, but it was their version of a hug, and I’d enjoy it every time. I giggled and stroked both of them with a finger, feeling the brief bite of hot and cold but ignoring it.
It was crazy how a week ago I’d been trying to live a normal life. Now I’d been attacked by the forces of good and evil in an attempt to stop the end of the world. All after I’d gotten my pussy plowed by a literal Horseman.
Weird didn’t cover the feeling.
A hand smoothed down my hair, heat drying the water slicking through it. I stared up at the gorgeous man in front of me, but his face was closer than I expected. His eyes trailed up to mine, asking, but I didn’t hesitate. I gave him my answer by going onto my toes and kissing him.
Chapter Fifteen
Limos
Nomi was curled against my side, her head tucked under my chin after another relocation. The travel bothered her mortal stomach, even though she tried to hide it. I couldn’t gether to eat before she fell asleep. All she managed was a cup of tea.
I thought that satiating my lust would mean I could focus, but if anything, it’d made everything a hundred times worse. I was consumed by her. It didn’t matter where we were or what we were doing, I needed to touch and kiss her whenever the opportunity presented itself.
I’d never thought anyone beautiful, not in a way that served as a distraction, but Nomi was every poetic interpretation of the word. The reason men fought endless wars. What humans sung about in every generation, no matter how many generations passed. The reason that kingdoms fell and angels lost their wings.
