Empower Read Online Free PDF Page B

up.
    I shook my head. ‘A hot shower and bed,’ I said, standing up as well.
    He smiled, showing his dimples. ‘I can work with that.’
    Gray was suddenlybeside me, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me close. I fought the instinctive urge to throw him into the far wall and kept breathing.
    ‘Won’t be any room for you, mate.’ He glanced at the rest of the guys briefly. ‘We’ll talk more tomorrow.’
    With that, Gray walked me through the back door and up the narrow staircase to my tiny apartment.
    ‘Thanks,’ I said once we were inside.
    He shrugged. ‘Not a problem.’
    Rogues had a tendency to get a little handsy after a few drinks, and in our mix I was the only girl. I didn’t think any of them seriously liked me, but alcohol often meant heavy flirting and a little too much presumption. Neither of which I handled well. But no one would tread on Gray’s territory, so to keep me from having to explain things I couldn’t, every now and then Gray would leave the bar with me to make the guys think we had something going on.
    I knew we’d have to do the same thing again in a couple of months, and sometimes it annoyed me that it had to be done at all. But I didn’t want to have to move on again. Not yet. So, this was the easiest and most peaceful way to deal with it.
    ‘You gonna tell me what that was tonight?’ Gray asked from behind me as I switched on my tiny espresso machine.
    I knew he’d have something to say. He’d seen my reaction to the bald man, and he’d covered for me when I’d told the other Grigori I hadn’t got a good look at the exile who had taken out their leaders.
    Waiting for the machine to heat up, I kept busy, pulling out my blade and cleaning it. ‘I’ve seen him before.’
    ‘Who is he?’
    ‘I don’tknow,’ I answered honestly. ‘But he’s strong, powerful and …’ I closed my eyes, knowing that this last quality was the most frightening. ‘He’s smart.’
    I let the information sink in with Gray. Exiles aren’t often smart – it’s hard to be when you’re completely insane and ruled by emotions you can’t control. But very rarely, an old exile comes along who can control the madness. Like Lilith.
    ‘And he wanted to put on a show for you,’ Gray said. It wasn’t a question.
    I gripped the hilt of my dagger tightly, guilt burning my conscience. He might as well have said that Clive and Annette were killed because of me. I pushed my emotions down, bit my lips and nodded jerkily.
    ‘Is this only the beginning?’ he asked.
    I had a bad feeling we both already knew the answer to that so threw out a different question. ‘Have you noticed how the tournaments are becoming less random?’
    ‘Like they’re gearing towards something? Yeah. You think he’s behind them?’
    I shrugged. We’d been hearing rumours from Rogues who passed through. Organised battlegrounds like the one tonight were popping up all around the world. Something was brewing. And seeing the bald exile gave me an all-round bad feeling.
    ‘You hanging out here for a while or heading home?’ I asked, turning back to the espresso machine to make my coffee and dodging the questions I couldn’t answer. Sometimes Gray stayed a while and then went back down to drink with the guys. It didn’t bother me either way. I knew he never once spoke to any of them about what was – or wasn’t – going on between us. He just wasn’t the type to use our situation to boast.
    I could feel hiseyes on me but I didn’t turn. Eventually, I heard him moving about and I knew he was putting on his jacket. ‘Nah. I’ll slip down the outside stairs and head home.’
    ‘Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow at five, then,’ I said, noting Gray’s usual groan in response.
    ‘Come on, princess. Surely I just earned myself a week’s reprieve?’
    I shook my head. ‘No way.’
    ‘Damn it, can’t you find someone else? We’ve been going at this for almost a year now. I’m starting to grow girl parts.’
    I