The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld #2)(51)

She ushered him down an ice-covered road. Cars meandered by and people strolled along the snowy sidewalks, in and out of the cobbled shops. All around were those majestic mountains. The gods really had outdone themselves with this spectacular scenery.

This could have been heaven.

"In here." Anya tugged him into a shop named Machen Teegeback.

"Warm Muffins?" he translated, having mastered many languages over the years. "We just ate. And I thought we were shopping for a coat."

She chuckled. "This isn't a bakery, lover. It's an outlet." Inside were coats, gloves, hats and all the things he would need to stay warm. "Now, don't you worry. Anya will dress you just right."

With another delighted chuckle, she trekked through the store, throwing different colored coats at him. "This one will match your eyes. Well, one of them anyway." Pause. "This one will look great against your skin." Pause. "Mmm, this one has easy access to my new favorite place through the pockets." Pause. "Oh, score! Look at this." She held up the masculine version of the coat she wore before tossing it at him. "We'll be twinkies while we're climbing glaciers."

Unless he found that key, she would not be traveling with him. Selfishly, he was disappointed at the thought. "I only need one coat. Which do you - "

With a furtive glance at the cashier, she stuffed a pair of large wool gloves inside her jacket.

He frowned, certain he was mistaken about what had just happened. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Stealing." There was such relish in her tone, it was like a sexual high.

A shiver trekked the length of his spine. "You were not teasing about the food, then. Are you short of funds?"

"Hardly. I'm loaded." She anchored her hands on her hips and pouted up at him. "Don't tell me the big bad demon is upset. 'Cause you shouldn't be. I'll pay them back another day, Sally Sunshine. Maybe."

"Return the gloves, Anya." Is this the way to soften her? His jaw clenched. No, it wasn't, but he refused to back down.

"No."

"Very well. I will pay for them." Lucien dropped the coats Anya had thrown at him, gently clasped her arm with one hand and pinched the gloves with the other. His palm brushed the side of her breast. Gulping, burning up, he gathered one of every item he needed, strode to the register, and paid with the bills Paris had given him earlier.

As they walked to the door, Anya fumed at his side. "I have to do it, okay?"

Her intensity surprised him. "Why?"

"You have your compulsions and I have mine. I can either burn the place down or take a measly pair of gloves."

Understanding dawned. She had her own demon to fight, a dark nature she wished to control. He knew how hard such a thing could be. "I am sorry I took them away from you."

A pause. A sniffed, "No problem."

Carrying their purchases, he exited the building and stood at the curb, waiting for her to join him. Cold air slapped at him, but he didn't pull the coat from its sack. His skin was still on fire from having Anya next to him.

He wanted her next to him again, and it had nothing to do with getting his hands on that key. A minute passed, and she did not exit. What was she doing? He turned and walked forward with every intention of reentering the shop.

The door flew open, however, and Anya emerged. Her lips curled in a smug grin. His skin heated another degree.

"I might have to dig through the ice as I search for this artifact. I need the proper tools," he said. "Where can I acquire them?"

"Ugh. Digging will not be fun."

"Fun is not the purpose of the trip."

"Killjoy." She reached into her jacket and withdrew a pair of black gloves. Using her teeth, she ripped off the tags. Then, staring him in the eye, she tugged the leather over her hands.

"You stole them?"

"That's what I like about you, sweetcakes. You're an observant kind of guy."

Lucien shook his head, his lips twitching. He marched forward, forcing her to follow or be left behind. "Tell me why you must steal to prevent yourself from burning a building. You hinted, I deduced, but I would like to hear firsthand."

She kept pace beside him. "Remember those wars Reyes mentioned that night at the club? Well, guess what? I did start them. When I first walked among mortals, I was insane with my need for disorder and my every movement seemed to spur them into fury. With each other, not me. Worse, I couldn't look at a torch without knocking it over. Sometimes I didn't even realize I'd done it until the flames were dancing at my feet and people were screaming. And those screams, oh, gods, those screams." She sighed dreamily. "They were so delicious to my ears. Like auditory ice cream. More and more, I wanted to hear them. Needed to hear them."

"Anarchy means to be without law. Perhaps, deep down, those screams represented the chaos your nature demands."

"Yes," she said, eyes widening.

"The demon inside me is Death. For the longest time, it craved the absence of life, no matter what I had to do to accommodate that desire."

"You really do understand." She shook her head, her expression a little shocked. A strand of hair fell, and she hooked it behind her ear. "One day I caught myself reaching out, about to cut a chandelier from a ceiling just to hear the glass shatter and the people shriek, when a woman walked by. She was wearing a ring and the diamond winked in the light, brighter than any chandelier. Gods, I wanted that diamond. I followed her and stole it. The moment I slipped it on my finger, this grinding need inside me just...quieted somehow. I've been stealing ever since."