Page 48 of Terror at the Gates

“You okay?” Zahariev asked, his voice low, almost a whisper between us. It dripped down my spine, making me shiver.

“Yeah,” I said, blowing out a long breath, trying to suppress the nausea roiling in my stomach.

“Lilith.”

I tilted my head back, meeting Zahariev’s gaze.

“What?”

One side of his mouth lifted. “I just want you to look mein the eyes when you lie.”

I glared at him.

“Iwantto be all right, okay?”

His expression softened. “It’s okay to not be okay.”

“It doesn’t feel that way,” I said. I let my head rest against his chest.

His laugh was quiet. “That’s because you do not like to be contained.” He paused and then added, “Most wild things don’t.”

I pulled away. “Are you calling me an animal?”

His quiet chuckle warmed my chest. “No. Let’s go.”

Zahariev placed a hand on my lower back, guiding me to the door. I blinked against the light in the living room. It made my headache worse, but after a few moments, I was good enough to move. I spotted Esther on the couch, her head awkwardly resting against the arm, asleep.

“Where is Gabriel?” I asked.

Zahariev looked down at me and said nothing, though I didn’t need words to know what he was thinking.

Where do you think?

“You can’t keep sending Gabriel away from Esther,” I said. “She could go into labor at any moment.”

“Then Gabriel can tell me,” said Zahariev. “As it is, he was more than happy to get a look at the two men who hurt you.”

I moved to the couch. I didn’t want to wake Esther, but she needed to be in a real bed.

“Esther,” I whispered, shaking her gently.

She opened her eyes and then closed them.

“Hey, you need to go to bed,” I said, shaking her again.

This time, she opened her eyes and actually looked at me.

“Oh, Lilith,” she said, taking my face between her hands. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” I said.

“I was so worried,” she said, her eyes welling with tears.

“Don’t cry,” I said. I couldn’t handle it if she cried. “I’m fine, really. Zahariev is going to take me home, and you need to rest in a real bed. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay,” she said, pulling me into a hug. “Be careful.”

“Always,” I said, though those words rang false. I’d left here with every caution and still managed to find trouble.