“And you can both fall?”

“Yes. Though, when a Sent One falls, he loses his immortality. When an angel falls, he becomes the epitome of evil.”

“Like the demons we fought?”

“No. Demons were living in your world long before humans. Long before dinosaurs, even. The fallen angels came much later. And I doubt you’ve ever encountered one before. Many are now chained deep in the earth’s core.”

Clearly intrigued, she said, “So the demons... They consider the world their home turf?”

“Yes. And humans their toys.”

“And you Sent Ones are supposed to...what?”

“Police them. Hunt them. Kill them.”

“And the angels...”

“Do the same, but they are servants of the Most High, meant to assist us.”

“That’s cool. If cool is the new word for white-hot.”

“Why, Ms. Vale,” he said, and tsked. He was the one to circle her this time. “Does power excite you?”

“Maybe a little,” she admitted, pinching two of her fingers together. “What other differences are there?”

“While angels are created beings, Sent Ones are born.”

“So you have parents?”

“I had parents.”

“You mean...”

He nodded. “My mother was killed by demons, and afterward, my father wasted away.”

A tinge of sadness returned to her eyes. “I’m sorry. How old were you when this happened?”

“Six.”

“Just a baby. What happened to you?”

“I had already been sent to train as a warrior. My life wasn’t disrupted at all.” Not in the physical sense. He’d hardly known his parents, but still he’d mourned their loss. “My life didn’t change until a hundred years ago, when I was locked in a demon prison.”

“Xerxes said you’ve won all battles but one.” She said this hesitantly, as if she expected him to shy away from the topic. “Was he referring to your time in the dungeon?”

She was his woman. He would share everything with her, even his past. And he would trust her to like him—please, love me—anyway. He fingered the ring of scars at his neck. “No. Even though we were tortured, I consider the experience a win, as we eventually killed our captors. What he refers to is a battle I lost...against myself. Bjorn, Xerxes and I had just escaped imprisonment, and I wanted to feel something physical. I...slit my own throat. Xerxes and Bjorn used the Water of Life to heal me. I was angry, so I slit my throat a second time. They were out of Water, and had to doctor me back to health. Every day of my recovery, I saw anguish in their eyes and it affected me. They’d suffered enough. I asked the Most High to leave the scars around my neck as a reminder that I wasn’t alone, that others relied on me, and He granted my request.”

“Oh, Thane.”

He continued. If he stopped, he might never start again. “The dungeon changed us.”

“How did you end up there?”

“I was captured when I was sent on a mission. They chained me in a cell and later brought in Bjorn and Xerxes. Things were done to them...horrible things they survived only because they are immortal. But me...me the demons left alone, and I never understood why until much later.”

“Why?” she asked softly.

“They were feeding off my guilt, fury and hopelessness.”

Her eyes widened. “Though you try to hide it, you feel more deeply than the average person. That explains so much.”

He dunked under the water for a moment, cooling his face. “I was forced to watch, desperate to help the males but unable. I wanted so badly to hurt the demons and, barring that, wanted so badly for the demons to hurt me in their stead.”

Her hand fluttered over her heart, as if she sought to dampen a sudden pain. “How did you escape?”

“I struggled so forcefully against my bonds, I broke both of the wrist and ankle cuffs. I also broke my wrists and ankles, and dislocated both my shoulders, but I somehow found the strength to unhook Bjorn from overhead and yank Xerxes from the wall. By the time the demons returned to us, we had healed. We were able to fight.”

“Oh, Thane. What you endured... I’m so sorry.”

He reached out, brushed away one of her tears. “No sadness or sorrow. Not for me. The experience broke me, yes. But the pieces were eventually welded back together, making me stronger than I would have been otherwise. And now I have Xerxes and Bjorn. Something beautiful from something dark.”

“Beauty from ashes,” she said, the words she’d given him once before. She propelled into his chest, splashing water into his mouth as she enfolded him in her arms. “But, Thane?”

Peering into her eyes caused the most exquisite ache. “Yes, Elin.”

“You also have me.”

* * *

ELIN TOTALLY GOT Thane’s need to hurt and be hurt now. His past had shaped him, and what he’d been denied had become what he desired most, somehow becoming entangled with the most passionate part of his life. Sex.

All of her insecurities and reservations about that part of his life died in that moment.

“If those urges ever return—” she said.

“They won’t.”

“You don’t know that. So, as I was saying. If those urges ever return, come to me. Let’s talk about it. Let me be the one to satisfy you. I’m not afraid anymore,” she added when he opened his mouth to protest. “Not even a little.”

His features softened with adoration. “It isn’t just about your fear. It’s about my abhorrence of the idea of harming the one I’m meant to protect...of marring the woman I cherish most.”

She knew her smile was laced with every dream and secret fantasy she’d ever had. “I’m sure there are ways to do it that won’t truly harm me.”

His eyelids went heavy. “Yes. I can punish you the way you punish me.”

Her nipples puckered as she rubbed against him. “I’m looking forward to it. But right now, I’m more interested in giving you a severe tongue-lashing....”

* * *

THANE CLUTCHED ELIN to his chest. She’d given him a tongue-lashing all right...and like the warrior he was, he’d somehow found the strength to endure.

Wicked, wild woman. She pushed him to heights he’d never imagined possible.