Page 61 of Commanding Flame and Shield
He let out a breath I hadn’t noticed him holding. “Good. Thanks.”
I smiled as reassuringly as I could manage.
“You’re all welcome to stay at my house tonight. Alec said there was work to be done in the morning?”
I hesitated. Not because I wasn’t curious to see more of August’s real estate acquisitions, but because Bash and Sky’s empty eyes were still fresh in my mind, as was the image of them sailing away on flaming boats, destined for a watery grave. I felt my heart speed up against my ribs. He heard the change and narrowed his eyes.
“It wasn’t your fault, Ally. You have to let it go. If you feel better going back to Grayshell, we can, of course. I just, I like the time with you here. It feels like we really get to know each other.”
I forced my breathing to regulate and pulled up a blanket of calm from my center, before letting a small smile play at the edges of my lips. “And getting to know each other is important?”
“Incredibly.” His response was unflinching, so I decided to press.
“Why?”
“Becauseyouare important to me, Ally. Because I want to get to know you. You are destined to be in my life, aren’t you? Karmic companions. Isn’t that what you call them?”
I nodded softly, my heart back to its thunderous sprint in my ribcage.
“You’re important to me too, August. Just…shields down, tonight. Okay?”
“I’ll do my best.” He winked in a way that sent my heart skittering even faster. There was a weight to the motion, an insinuation in the way he leaned towards me. His smile broadened as he heard my heart galloping away. I focused, and realized his was nearly matching the pace.
“Then yes, August Porter. I would love to see your home.”
“It’s one of my favorites,” he said with a shrug. “We called it the lake house.”
I realized the “we” he referred to was most likely him and Layla, and I pushed away the thought. The sinking it brought in my stomach was most unwelcome.
I cleared my throat. “One of?”
“Yes.One ofmy favorites.” It was the first time his expression had hinted at arrogance. The confidence oozed from his body, his eyes completely sure as they locked with mine. And while his sweet, humble nature was endearing, there was something insanely appealing about the credence in him. He had worked his ass off for all that he had, and if anyone deserved to be proud of all they’d accomplished, it was August.
We were in the city now, and the flickering shadows of buildings across the jeep brought that October chill to the air. He closed the top, and abruptly swooped into a parking space that had just been vacated by a soccer mom van, with a little stick figure family in the back window. I turned to survey his expression, and noted a peculiar seriousness to his eyes, and set of his full lips. He put the jeep in park, and turned his body towards me, intensity emanating off him.
“Okay. I have a favor to ask of you now.”
“Oh. Do you now?” I asked skeptically.
“I’m serious, Ally.” He really meant it. I could tell by how tightly he set his jaw, and the way he lowered his eyes to lock on mine. His energy was unmistakably protective, and I raised my eyebrows. “I can’t shake the feeling that if I let you out of my sight, something awful will happen. And I won’t be able to do anything to help you. I know you’re a badass, and there isn’t a human that could touch you. But my imagination has gotten…larger, these last months. So please be careful. Will you summon Alec and Fae before you do any demon warding or hunting or anything?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. I’d taken care of myself for centuries before he had even been born.
Seeming to sense what I was about to retort with, he reached out and pinched another piece of my hair between his fingers, spinning it around his index before releasing it gingerly, and then added, “For me?”
“Well since you asked so kindly, I suppose I may be inclined to acquiesce your request.”
“Thank you, my lady,” with a flourish of his hand, he bowed forward, mocking my formality in his tone. “But really, Ally. Thank you. I mean it. Nothing stupid tonight, okay?”
“Sheesh,mom. Nothing stupid.” I put my hands up in mock surrender and blinked pointedly. He smirked, and I returned the playful expression before turning to jump out of the car. The street was bustling but not packed like it had been the day we’d found him, and I melted into the crowd, making my way to Alec’s favorite bookstore. August’s eyes pressed into the back of my head until I reached the door and turned to give him one last smile and wave before he drove away.
Nothing stupid, I echoed back to him.
TWENTY-SIX
THE PUB
ALVARA
