Page 199 of Knight’s Retribution

“That’s better,” she said. “Keep going.”

“And the kiss with Uma…it was terrible. That’s how I worked out it wasn’t you, and why I stopped it as soon as I did. Kissing her was bad, it was like…like I imagine kissing Lucifer would be. Totally gross.”

Lucifer spun around. “I’ll have you know, I’m a fucking amazing kisser.”

Everyone ignored Lucifer, and Silas shuffled a little closer. “I’m so sorry, Ursula. Will you please help the knights get their brother and his mate home?”

She looked up, brushing past a still prone Silas. “Fine. How much blood do you want?”

Chapter 23

“How are you really doing?” Eve asked as they headed down the hall toward their apartments.

Kyler had lain awake all night after Lucifer and his handmaids left. She wasn’t sure how to adequately describe how she was feeling right then.

“I honestly don’t know,” Kyler said.

While Roc and Laz trained, Eve and Kyler had spent some time together, because this was big, this was huge, and they were both trying to come to terms with it all.

“I’d always wondered what happened to my birth mom,” Eve said.

“Me too. It’s weird knowing the truth. I’m sad she’s gone, like I feel this emptiness in my chest I never had before, even though I never knew her.”

“Right? I lay awake last night, and I felt this loss, but I didn’t know what to do with it.” Eve glanced at Kyler. “Then I’d remember I not only had a sister, but a twin, and I was…happy. I was a conflicted mess of emotions, which meant Laz was right there with me. I’m not sure he got any sleep either.”

“Yep, Rocco was watching me like he was waiting for me to suddenly flip out. I hated I was worrying him, but I couldn’t make my mind shut up.”

They were quiet for several minutes, then Eve turned to her and smiled huge. “I’m so glad you’re my sister, but I feel like I’m jinxing something by saying it out loud.”

Kyler understood that down to her bones. Before Lazarus and Rocco, they’d both never had anything that was this important. Kyler had never had anyone who truly cared in her life. Eve had been adopted by good people, but they’d died when she was a child and she’d ended up in foster care like Kyler until she met Laz.

“I know what you mean. I was so happy last night, and it was kind of scary. First, I get Rocco and everyone here…and now this.” Kyler couldn’t contain her own smile, then grabbed Eve’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m so glad you’re my sister as well. Before Rocco, I’d never had a real family. Now I have so much. You’re all my family.”

So much more to lose.

Eve clutched her fingers. “We’re not going anywhere, not any of us. I have to believe that. Whatever happens in the future, it ends with us, all of us here and happy.”

She nodded and hoped like hell Eve was right.

The apartment was quiet when Kyler walked in, and she headed to the bedroom.

Rocco stood in a damp towel, pulling clothes out of his drawers. Kyler’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of him, the scent of him, god, every gorgeous inch of him. He turned and smiled, immediately moving to her as soon as he saw her.

“Hey, pumpkin,” he said and pulled her in close, kissing her. “How you doing? How’s Eve?”

“I’m doing okay. We both are.”

His hands slid down to her butt, and he gave it a squeeze, making her laugh. “So I was hoping we could do something tonight, just the two of us.”

“Oh?” She pressed closer to his massive body. Rocco seemed to keep getting bigger by the day since they got home. He was so thick with muscle now. She ran her hands down his gorgeous chest. “What do you have in mind?”

He chuckled. “Do not tempt me, female. I have a whole date planned, and if I take you to that bed and fuck you, we’ll never get out of this room.”

“A date?” They’d had a few of those when they first met, but most of the time they’d hang at her apartment or Rocco would sit at the bar and watch while she’d worked her shifts.

“Yeah,” he said, his voice rougher. “Tomorrow is going to be kind of crazy, and afterward, if everything goes the way we hope. And if it doesn’t…”

If it didn’t, that meant they had no way of getting Tobias and Scarlet out of Hell. They’d still have a couple of vials of Kyler’s blood to use in the future, but without Golath’s bone they’d be screwed.