Total pages in book: 188
Estimated words: 185811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 929(@200wpm)___ 743(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 185811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 929(@200wpm)___ 743(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
Ivar closed his mouth, and Abby gave a slight chuckle. “I agree,” she murmured, her body relaxing for the first time that afternoon. “But it was a kind offer earlier. I haven’t laughed in a long time.” Her entire face lit up as she smiled, the sight genuine and alluring.
Ivar finished the fruit and started on another one. “I overheard something about mental discrepancies. What’s up with that?”
Her face lost color.
Noah cut Ivar a hard look. “Dude. Manners.” Being alone for centuries fighting through hell worlds was no excuse for being rude to a tiny human.
“Oh. Sorry.” Ivar kept munching. “My bad.”
The hair on Noah’s neck prickled, and he turned toward the road to see a new and shiny gray truck drive by. The window rolled down, and Raine Maxwell gave a short nod, obviously keeping an eye on them.
“We’re gonna have to take care of him,” Ivar said quietly.
Abby’s head jerked. “What does that mean?”
Noah growled. “I liked you better when you didn’t want to talk, Viking.”
Ivar shrugged. “None of this was my idea, and I might as well enjoy my brief time here. Before I go back.”
“To hell,” Abby murmured. “That’s what you said in group. Does that mean you want to go back overseas? Into combat?”
Ivar finished the second apple. “I left a buddy there, and I have to go get him. It’s that simple.”
“Oh.” She reached out and patted his arm.
What a sweetheart. Noah was oddly jealous of Ivar for the briefest of seconds. What was her touch like? He purposefully turned his attention on Ivar. “You really going back?” The Realm was apparently searching for a way to get him back through dimensions to rescue another member of the Seven by using some sort of teleporting ability that many demons held, but rumor had it the mission was a one-way deal. If that. Noah had always been thankful he didn’t have the ability to teleport. It seemed way too possible to get caught between dimensions. “Ivar? You’re leaving here?” he repeated.
“Yes,” Ivar said, turning and looking at Abby. Really looking at her. “Well now. You’re an enhanced one, aren’t you?”
Ah, shit. Noah bit the inside of his mouth. Of course she was. That explained why he was drawn to her. Well, that and the fact that she was smart, soft, apparently kind, and very pretty.
She blinked. “Enhanced?”
Yeah. Enhanced human females had special gifts like empathy or psychic abilities, and they could mate immortals. Some thought they were cousins to the witches, but Noah had never paid much attention. “It’s his way of giving a compliment,” he said.
Ivar chuckled. “Yeah. Isn’t it though?” He patted her hand and then leaned over to dump the rest of his apples in Noah’s bag. Then he took all three bags. “Meet you in the truck. I have to call in.” He nodded at Abby and stepped lightly over the cracked asphalt to Noah’s truck.
Abby cleared her throat as the wind picked up force. “He appears better already, although sometimes he seems to be in some sort of alternate world. You know?”
Yeah, he did. Noah finally gave in and pushed a piece of wayward hair away from her cheek. Soft and silky, just like he’d imagined.
Her mouth pursed into a small ‘o’.
He smiled. Small cascades of energy came from her. Very light. Was she psychic? Probably not. Maybe empathic? Who knew? Sometimes the gift was so light the human didn’t even know it was there. But it was—without question. Not that it mattered to him. He had two missions on his shoulders right now, and he didn’t have time to dally with a human. “Ivar and I are going to grab a pizza. Would you like to join us?” His mouth worked independently from his brain. What was he doing, asking her out?
She blinked and inched away from him. “Thank you, but I need to get home. I, um, work as a waitress at the Badger’s Bar and Grille, and I have to run home and change into my uniform first.”
Probably a good thing. He nodded and waited until she’d gotten into her car, secured her seatbelt, and driven off, watching her the entire time.
Ivar opened the door of the truck and leaned out, another half-eaten apple in his left hand. He wiped off his mouth. “You coming? I’m starving. We can talk about taking out the vampire over pepperoni. Man, I hope you like pepperoni.” He slammed the door shut.
Noah bit back another growl. He didn’t have time for any of this. “Of course I like pepperoni,” he muttered, stomping toward the truck. Who in the hell didn’t like pepperoni?
CHAPTER 4
Abby drove up to the dingy two-story apartment complex and quickly scanned the parking lot, not seeing Monte’s car. Good. She parked beneath the carport in front of her place and stepped out, quickly gathering her groceries. The complex was old and weathered, but the owners kept the grounds manicured and the lights on, so she was grateful to have a roof over her head.