New York City, present day ― Zoricah, the draconian demigoddess, has limited time to uncover a series of killings before one of her own meets the same fate. With the help of her team of female warriors, she is determined not to let that happen, but...
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Tardieh woke up with a start. He hadn't meant to fall asleep; he didn't want to leave her unattended. It had been over twenty-four hours since Zoricah had fallen unconscious since returning from Apa Sâmbetei.He had brought her straight to his quarters and settled her on his bed.
Just like the other chambers in the house, his bedroom was large with a high ceiling and decorated in a minimalist style; the only difference was that it was all in dark tones. The walls were dark slate-gray and the carpet a deep forest-green. Similar to the library, one of the walls was made of thick translucent glass so that the room was warmed by the moonlight. The walk-in wardrobe had a spinning rack that automatically turned on once the door was opened. It was rather annoying, Tardieh had concluded.
The bathroom was furnished with a large marble bathtub that had been brought over from Italy, and a matching toilet set; a double shower ran across the east wall. In front of his grand king-size bed was a living room with a round table, a pair of cushioned chairs and a chaise where he usually spent his nights watching the sky when he wasn't working in the library. Tardieh loved to watch the ballet of colors in the pre-dawn sky.
Tardieh gazed at Zoricah and let out a long breath. When he'd brought her to his quarters she was still unconscious, but breathing steadily, so he assumed she was going to be all right. But too long a time had passed and Tardieh was starting to get really worried.
He had been doing that a lot lately, he realized. Worrying, getting anxious, going out of his mind, losing his grip on sanity. He had a faint idea the reason for all that was lying on his bed at that precise moment.
Standing up from his chaise, he lifted his arms and stretched his tight muscles. By Apa Dobrý, he was stiff. He hadn't had a sound day's sleep ever since Hikuro and the others delivered that note from Zoricah. Damn female. Why did his father's murderer have to be so freaking irresistible? He wasn't used to females like her- gorgeously stubborn and dangerously independent. He was used to people-nations!-doing what he commanded. Damn female!
With a sigh, he turned his head toward the bed to check on the cause of his desperation for the fifty-seventh time.
His heart stopped. Her eyes were open. She had been watching him quietly.
"What's wrong?" she asked weakly.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" he asked in reply, as he walked back to the bed and sat by her side.
"Like a train wreck," she said with a tired smile. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing's wrong."
"You were frowning," she added, closing her eyes again.
Tardieh waited silently for her to fully wake. After a few moments, she opened her eyes again and took a deep breath.
"I think I need a shower." Her voice was still weak, but seemed to have recovered some of its beautiful low timbre.
