Page 51 of Princess of Bael
He shook his head, that subtle action saying I didn’t understand. I wanted to argue, to tell him he knew nothing about me or my intelligence, but I was too captivated by his gaze to voice a complaint.
“Archangel bonds differ from those that exist between demons. Ours require life and fidelity, while demonic bonds are founded in protection and loyalty. Being in Hell shielded you from the fractures in our connection. I suspect that’s the real reason Bael kept you down there. Although, he told me it was to keep you from killing me.”
His lips curled with that last statement, causing my own to curve downward.
“He kept me there to hurt you,” I corrected him.
Ezra shook his head again. “No. He knew I would suffer regardless of what plane you resided on. He kept you there to protect you from experiencing the consequences of a neglected bond.”
His fingers skimmed the side of my face to run through my hair. I’d taken out my bun, allowing the strands to hang chaotically around my head. He seemed a bit taken with the color, his gaze following his movements as he combed through the knots at the ends.
“Just touching you helps,” he whispered. “It’s not perfect, and I’m nowhere near healed, but I can breathe a little easier when you’re near.”
It sounded like a confession, something he hadn’t meant to say, but a glimmer of satisfaction warmed his irises to a liquid gold as he returned his focus to my eyes.
“It’s not about siphoning your energy, Kayla,” he reiterated. “My reason for asking you to eat is to uphold your strength because I need you at full health. Whoever took Kristina’s power is going to be a force of nature unlike any I’ve ever faced. And I need to know my partner—my mate—will survive it.”
“You say that like you care,” I marveled, honestly stunned by his words. “But I know you don’t.”
He’d lied. He’d tricked me. He’d abandoned me.
Never once had he tried to reach out.
So why would he suddenly care now?
He considered me for a moment, his fingers still combing through my hair. “My instincts don’t listen to reason, Kayla. You’re my mate. If we’re in a situation where you’re in danger… I’ll struggle to focus on anything other than protecting you.”
I snorted at that. “I’ve been in danger my whole life.”
His smile was sad. “Your father would never have let anyone hurt you, little heiress.”
My eyebrows rose. “You clearly don’t know him like I do.”
“I know him very well,” he countered. “I know he had guards on you when living in the human realm before we met. Just as I know he would have tested your merit and skills in controlled situations in Hell. You’re his only progeny.”
“So you’re saying you didn’t have to worry about me before, but you do now,” I translated, unable to hide the incredulity from my tone.
“I’ve always worried about you,” he whispered, the words sounding like another confession. “But this is the first time in a very long while where your protection is my responsibility. Which is why I need you to eat.”
His touch returned to my cheek, his thumb drawing along my lower lip.
“I know you can handle yourself, Kayla. I felt your power earlier when you removed whatever shield you keep igniting. But I need you at full strength. I don’t want to find ourselves in a situation where I have to choose between you and the balance.”
“We’ve already been in that situation, and you made your choice perfectly clear,” I reminded him.
His gaze hardened, his lips flattening. “Being stubborn doesn’t make your point any louder, Kayla. All you’re doing is harming yourself through immature actions.”
He wasn’t wrong. But the notion of food churned my stomach even more. “I don’t want to eat,” I told him. “Not because I’m rebelling but because… because I’m unsettled by what happened today.”
He frowned. “Unsettled how?”
“Are you kidding? You already accused me of being the cause for all this, Ezra. You can’t think I’m okay with knowing what I’ve done, how myimmature actionshave essentially led to the collapse of the veil. I’m a lot of things, but a callous bitch isn’t one of them.”
I had a heart, too. I could regret decisions just like anyone else.
And I very much regretted my decision to use that device from Ashmedai.
Just as I regretted not trapping that Tracker and killing him.
