The sound of a tray hitting the table woke him. Marcus was standing in the antechamber of Ash’s apartments. He’d come in to serve him breakfast. He appeared close to a coronary, hopping back and forth from one foot to another as if he couldn’t decide whether to run away.

Ash sat up, pulling the sheet to cover Kara’s nudity before he turned back to his aide, who was staring at him with his mouth open.

Say something. “I’ll need coffee for two this morning, Marcus.”

“Oh. Of course, my lord.” His aide rushed away, pounding down the stairs two at time judging from the racket he made.

When he looked back down at Kara, she was awake, peeking out over the edge of the sheet, which she’d pulled up to her chin.

“I’m naked.”

So was he. “Believe me, I haven’t forgotten.” He stroked her hip under the blanket. “I’d like nothing more than to spend all morning in bed, but I think we shocked ten years off Marcus’ life. If we don’t want to make it twenty, perhaps we should dress.”

Ash stood, pulling on the loose pants he always wore while alone in his rooms. Kara followed suit, reaching across the bed to her discarded clothing on the floor.

“So…you have a manservant?” she asked, a hint of egalitarian disdain coloring her words.

“Not precisely,” he explained, pulling on a clean tunic. “Marcus was my aide-de-camp during the war. Now he’s just my aide.”

“He calls you ‘my lord’ and brings you food,” she said, a hint of a snicker in her words.

Her teasing stirred feelings of guilt and upper-class privilege. “I’ve tried to get him to call me Ash, but he’s not terribly flexible in that respect. The breakfast routine developed over the years. I stopped thinking about it after the first few. It does save me time,” he defended.

“Hmm.”

He wanted to say more, but Marcus came in at that moment, bearing a second tray. This one was a feast compared to Ash’s more spartan meal. There was fresh fruit and oatmeal, served with cream and a small loaf of crusty bread. A second coffee cup—this one made of dainty porcelain—was in the corner.

Ash stood and waved at each of them in turn. “Kara, this is Marcus, my assistant. Marcus, this is Kara. She’s…special.”

He could feel Kara’s glance turning into a glare. She gave him a surreptitious smack on his backside on her way to shake Marcus’ hand.

To his credit, Marcus made an effort at small talk, but his inquiries into her background made Kara clam up immediately. Sensing his blunder, Marcus made a few desultory remarks on the weather before excusing himself.

Kara rounded on him as soon as he was gone. “I’m special? Why don’t you just hang a sign on me that says Firehorse? You can add that my blood nullifies the curse in small script.”

Ash scratched his head. “I wasn’t referring to your gift. I meant you are special to me.” He glanced at the door his aide had just departed from. “I’m pretty sure that’s how Marcus understood it, considering the state he found us in this morning.”

High dudgeon interrupted, Kara looked down at the floor. “Oh. That’s all right then, I guess…I should be leaving now. I have to tell the others about Theo.”

“You can delay a half hour. Bad news can wait that long, at least.” He gestured to the table, pulling out a chair. “Eat something first. You need to keep up your strength.”

She looked askance at the table. “I can’t eat all of this and live with myself.”

Ash understood, of course. He couldn’t stomach a full meal after visiting the poorer districts in his city…and there were a lot of them.

“Then eat some of it and take the rest back to the wasteland. You’re welcome to pick up more from the larder on the way downstairs. But you still need something now.”

Ash stepped closer to the table, then poured coffee into the two mugs. He held one out to her. “At least have some coffee.”

That got her attention. Kara gave the mug a look that echoed the one she’d given him last night. She took the cup without further argument, inhaling the smoky brew with a deep sigh of satisfaction.

“I don’t remember the last time I had anything this good,” she said after a sip.

“Should I be insulted?” He grinned. “I know I was inexperienced, but judging from the sounds you made, I thought I handled myself reasonably well.”

Kara choked on a sip she was drinking. Her face was as red as sunset when she finally spoke. “Well, granted, I don’t have a lot of experience to compare to, but yes…” She looked away, adding in a mutter. “Kudos, by the way.”

Feeling lighter than he had in an age, he gave her a teasing grin. “Not a lot of experience, you say?” He bit open one of the peaches, swallowing it slowly before speaking again. “Because I would have guessed I wasn’t the only virgin in that bed last night.”

He took another bite and grinned.

Her eyes fixed on his mouth for a long beat before she gave herself a little shake. “Well, well, well. Look who is a quick study… How annoying.”

Ash laughed, stealing a kiss before she could stop him. Blushing, Kara sat at the table, reaching for a bit of the bread. They finished their coffee in silence.

“We should meet later at the demon tower,” he suggested when the moment of levity passed. “I want to look around again, and I want you to come with me this time.”

“Why don’t we start with the books you have?” she asked, turning as if looking for them. “Are they in the closet?”

“No, you can’t store that many occult texts in one place. I scattered them all over town. They generate their own tainted aura,” he explained. “We can get to those later, once we scour the tower together. I’ve done it on myself a dozen or so times, but perhaps you’ll see something I missed.”

She looked skeptical. “All right. I’m willing to try, but I’m not sure what you expect me to find if you’ve been looking all this time.”

It was a grudging acceptance at best. Of course, it is. People avoid the tower for a reason. It’s painted in human blood, you idiot.

“There’s no reason to be afraid to join me there. I’ll be with you the whole time.”

Kara reached over to smack his arm, then winced when she accidentally hit his armor. “Damn it.” She sucked on her fingers. “I’m not afraid of the tower. I live in the catacombs, for crying out loud. Do you know how many dead people are down there?”

“Roughly ten million,” he said helpfully.

Her mouth dropped open. “Really? That’s a few more million than I thought.”

He looked at the table, but didn’t really see it. He was lost in memories. Too many bad ones. “Many more were added after the Collision.”

Somber now, she nodded and continued to eat.

“Kara, there is something else I’d like to ask you. You can say no if you want.”

The crease between her eyebrows deepened. “What is it?”

“I would like a vial of your blood.”

She blinked. “I thought you were immune to the curse because of the whole having wings and being an angel thing.”

Ash shook his head. “I’m not actually, or at least, I don’t believe I am.” He snorted. “I guess my presence doesn’t move the needle in terms of progress.”

And why would it? Human progress was just that…human.

“Move the needle?” she questioned.

“It’s an antiquated expression, back from when they used to measure earthquake strengths.”

“Hmm.” She didn’t ask why they had stopped measuring them. What was the point when they had so many, all designed to create maximum damage?

Kara took something out of her pocket. It was an apothecary vial like the ones her band wore. She must have raided an old shop for the stock. “Do you have a knife?”

He held up a hand. “I’ll get a syringe.” There was one in the med kit downstairs.

Ash performed the blood draw, making sure to clean the area with alcohol first. He filled the vial with it, but hesitated with the little remainder left in the syringe.

“Do you want a second one? Maybe for Marcus?” She lifted her sleeve to offer her arm again.

“No.” The answer was immediate and instinctive.

She frowned. “Don’t you want to protect him, just in case?”

“I do,” he said. “But the more people who know about this,” he said, holding up the vial. “The more dangerous it gets.”

He could picture the mob now. If they had an inkling what her blood could do, they’d be baying after her like a pack of wolves. Those animals wouldn’t hesitate to tear her apart.

“Your safety is the most important thing.”

Kara scowled, snatching the syringe from his hand. She stuck the needle in the crease of her arm, and withdrew another vial’s worth of blood.

“Here,” she said with a bite in her voice. “You’ll need it for the next Firehorse at least.”

Ash hesitated before taking the second vial, acknowledging her gift with a bow. Then he took her hand and kissed it. “Come meet me tonight after you talk to your people.”

Breaking the news about Theo wouldn’t take long, but he’d been a valued member of their gang. They would need Kara’s comfort after losing one of their own.

Ash also had his tasks for the day. Making sure Bastille kept running was a full-time job for ten angels, but they only had him.

She agreed and parted with the food he pressed on her. Once she was gone, he held up the vials to the light. The sun shone on them, revealing their color as closer to onyx than ruby.

Which makes sense if it’s what you suspect. He pushed the thought away, pocketing the precious vials in his tunic before dressing in his armor and preparing for the day.

Having a spare for the next Firehorse was a good idea, but he wasn’t using the other for himself or for Marcus.

No, he had other plans for the blood, ones Kara could never know about.