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His eyes widened in shock. His hands popped open, and I wiggled free.

“Who am I, you ask?” I strode forward, puffing out my chest, trying to make myself look at least halfway formidable. “I’m Leda Pandora, the Angel of Chaos.” I pressed my index finger to his chest, demanding, “Who the hell are you?”

Nero moved like lightning. His hands closed around my wrists. But he didn’t trap me. He lifted my fingers to his lips and whispered, “I am Nero Windstriker, your husband.”

CHAPTER 5

PANDORA & WINDSTRIKER

Icupped my hands around Nero’s face. “You remember?” My eyes burned with anxious, cautious, happy tears.

His eyes locked with mine. “Yes.”

“You’reyou?” I asked, blinking back the tears.

Nero pressed my palm to his heart, then he set his hand over mine. “Yes.”

I threw my arms around him, hugging him. “Oh, sorry,” I said when I realized I was squeezing him as tightly as Sierra squeezed the cat. I backed up.

“I am very durable, Pandora,” he reminded me, his voice low, teasing—and yet serious too. Angels were, after all, proud of their strengths.

“I’m just so happy that you remember me!” I exhaled. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day. Granted, my day thus far has consisted of waking up on the floor of a shady bar in Purgatory, finding out the monsters are back—awesome news, by the way—and then being attacked by a thug I caught way back in my bounty hunter days. Did you realizewhenwe are, by the way? It’s the day we met. Met for the first time, I mean.”

Nero nodded. “I am aware.”

“You can’t imagine all the insanity I had to go through just to see you! First off, I had no money, so I had to sneak aboard a train bound for New York. It would have beensooomuch easier to fly here, but I don’t have any wings because, guess what, I’m not an angel anymore.”

“Just because you don’t have any powers,” replied Nero, “that doesn’t mean you’re not an angel.”

I wiggled my finger at him. “Stop flirting with me. It’s adorable and makes it hard for me to concentrate.”

“Good.” Nero brushed his hand down my face.

And, yeah, I got a bit fluttery. Andveryflushed.

I planted my hands on my hips. “This is serious, Nero.”

He snorted.

I wrinkled my nose at him. “What isthatsupposed to mean?”

“Oh, nothing,” Nero replied, his voice light, almost playful. “It’s just amusing to hear you lecture me about being serious.”

“Yeah, I know.” I rubbed my head, which was still pounding from my encounter with Masher.

Nero tapped my temples with his magic fingers, and the pain vanished.

“Thanks,” I told him.

“Always, Pandora.”

He was so cute.

“I just want us to get back to our time, our lives, and our daughter,” I sighed.

“We will.” He kissed me on the forehead, then backed up a few steps.

Which was good. Being so close to his body was going to give me heatstroke. On the other hand, he was just far enough away from me now that my eyes could truly appreciate that beautiful body.