Mira stared into Kagan’s eyes, seeing the passion and desire burning deep within their aqua depths. Part of her said she had to be imagining it all. This was all an act. One that was working as far as she could tell, but then she’d lost track of Argus the moment Kagan touched her. The other part of her wanted the past few minutes to be real, even if that was impossible.

The Scion sigil on his abdomen still glowed brightly through the tatters of his shirt, a reminder of his divine duty. A reminder that finally brought her back to her senses. He was an immortal warrior and he was definitely off limits. Regardless of how heavenly his body felt pressed to hers. She couldn’t fall for a Scion, no matter how sexy. There was no hope of this becoming anything more than a mission to him. She’d done enough research to know that truth, at least.

The song ended, and Mira glanced over to where her ex had been at the bar, only to find him gone. She stood on tiptoe to peer through the crowd but couldn’t locate him anywhere. Shoulders slumped, Mira stepped away from Kagan. “He left.”

He looked as disappointed as she felt.

Kagan buttoned his suit jacket to hide his ruined shirt and led her back toward their table, but she veered toward the exit instead. With Argus gone, there was no point in staying. Besides, the music had given her a headache and she’d had enough pretend romance to last her a lifetime. Her plan had originally been to get revenge on Argus, but she hadn’t considered the effect such actions would have on her.

“We’re leaving?” he asked from behind her, his deep voice making her insides quiver with lust. She wanted to be back in his arms, to nuzzle into his chest while he murmured sweet words in her ear.

Mira nodded and stopped at the check booth to get her coat then took the stairs up to the sidewalk. The night air was brisk, the temperatures close to zero, but the sky was clear and sparkling with stars despite the glow of the city around them.

“Would you like me to summon a vortex?” His words were pure temptation. She ached to nod and throw caution to the wind. Kagan stepped behind her, his heat chasing away the chill. Mira felt overwhelming urge to turn and kiss him until the fiery connection between them burned out. His breath tickled the back of her neck and he lightly placed his hands on her shoulders, making knees go wobbly. “I can transport us home.”

“I’m afraid,” she whispered.

Kagan slid his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him. “I was created to protect you, Mira. I will never let you go and I will never let any harm befall you.”

She gazed up at him over her shoulder, mesmerized by the truth in his vivid blue eyes. She could look into them for eternity and never be bored. Distracted, Mira gathered all her courage and nodded, turning to loop her arms around his neck. It was only a short journey to her apartment in the arms of a gorgeous warrior.

Nothing more.

Kagan grinned. “Now that I think about it, I have a better idea for our destination.”

He closed his eyes and spoke words in Latin. Suddenly they were surrounded by swirling rainbow light, traveling fast, yet standing perfectly still at the same time.

It was disconcerting. It was inconceivable. It was magnificent.

“Won’t people see us?” she asked.

“No.” Kagan focused skyward. “They cannot see you now.”

“You’re cloaking us? Like you did back at The G Spot?” She rested her forehead against his chest, eyes closed, feeling dizzy as the soared higher and higher. She didn’t dare look down for fear of being sick. “Are you sure this is safe?”

His laughter rumbled beneath her ear, warm and rich and deep as dark chocolate.

“Perfectly safe.” He squeezed his arms tighter around her. “Almost there.”

They touched down moments later atop the pinnacle of Willis Tower. It took Mira a moment to realize the motion had stopped. She blinked her eyes open to stare around at the glorious, glittering city of Chicago laid out below them. Twinkling lights stretched as far as the eye could see, like a myriad of jewels in the velvet darkness. This was incredible. Kagan was incredible. His grip on her felt sure, comforting, confident.

She trusted him.

It had been so long since she’d let someone in. Argus had never come close. And though she barely knew Kagan, this felt right, as though they were made for each other. Ridiculous, but true.

Kagan gazed down at her, his eyes nearly black in the twilight, and her heart stumbled. He was so beautiful. So brave and true.

Mine.

A strange power tingled sparked though her bloodstream. The same had happened back at the bar, right before they’d danced. A hot, possessiveness unlike anything she’d ever experienced. It urged her to claim Kagan, to conquer him, to make him bend to her will.

He looked past her, into the distance and the murky depths of Lake Michigan beyond, then closed his eyes, summoning another vortex. Soon, they were hurtling forward again. She curled against him as they gained speed, plummeting toward Grant Park and Lakeshore Drive, Michigan Avenue beautifully illuminated with holiday lights.

The miraculous view sent shivers down her spine.

“Cold?” Kagan gathered her closer and the swirling speed of the vortex slowed, their pace becoming more leisurely.

“No,” she whispered, daring to take in all the sights of her beloved city. “I’m fine.”

“I should get you home.”

“Wait.” She grabbed his shoulders. “The Hancock Building?”

His brilliant smile rivaled the rainbow lightshow around them and her pulse fluttered anew, her body responding to the feel of his hands on her, awareness of how close they stood flooding her bloodstream, the intensity of his gaze scorching every fiber of her being.

“As you wish.” They zoomed lower, over the surface of the Chicago River, then upward toward their destination. The tourists nearby, still snapping pictures at this late hour, didn’t seem to notice a thing. Mira laughed as they blasted by, stirring a breeze which caused the tourists to clutch their coats tighter around them. Seemed they really were invisible. The freedom that knowledge created delighted Mira.

The Hancock Building loomed before them now, it’s distinctive triangular shape and glass surface dazzling in the darkness. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for her, but Kagan could do this every day if he wanted. All he had to do was close his eyes and summon one of these vortexes. Her analytical mind filed the details away for later research. She suspected it was some kind of time travel not yet discovered by human scientists, a sort of Tardis come to life. Without the phone booth, of course.

Kagan spiraled upward, toward the flashing antennae at the top of the building and she gasped when he landed atop one of those spikes, his feet holding both their weight without any apparent effort at all.

It was more than she’d ever hoped for and nothing she’d ever imagined. She nestled into him, not because she was cold, but because it felt so good to be close to him. “It’s so beautiful.”

His arms tightened around her, warm and infinitely protective. “Yes, beautiful.”

Mira looked up and found him staring down at her instead of out at the spectacular view, his head tilted to one side and his eyes curious. She wondered what he was thinking. He’d looked nearly the same right before he’d tried to kiss her in the club. The thought he might want to kiss her again now heated her blood like a lit match to gasoline. She wanted him to do it, more than anything, because it wouldn’t be an act. Argus wasn’t anywhere around.

It was just the two of them up here at the top of their little world.

His gaze lowered to her lips.

Mira forced herself to look away, still hesitant. She didn’t want to be hurt again. She’d been disappointed so many times before in her search for love she wasn’t sure her battered heart could take another blow.

Kagan sighed, his voice tinged with defeat. “You are getting cold. Time to go.”

Unexpected sadness cut deep inside her. She wanted to tell him she didn’t mean to be distant, tell him she desired him, so badly she ached, but she couldn’t find her voice.

He closed his eyes and whispered the magic words and soon they were surrounded by light again, rocketing toward the ground so fast Mira gasped and clung to his neck, afraid they would plunge to their deaths. Kagan pulled up at the last minute, sending them soaring over the city again, heading toward her shabby little apartment above a liquor store on Chicago’s south side.

He remembered the directions from earlier, steering them confidently toward her home. Her heart felt heavy as concrete and her head pounded with recriminations. She had no idea what she was doing anymore. She’d never been the sort to flirt with men or have quick, meaningless flings. Still, with Kagan, this felt like more than an affair, more than a simple booty call, despite only knowing him such a short time. But how could it be, with them from two separate realms?

He landed on the rooftop of her building and the vortex around them vanished as they touched down so gently she barely felt it. Kagan released his hold on her and she looked up at him, trying desperately to figure out all her conflicting emotions. She smoothed a hand down the front of her coat, doing her best not to fidget and failing miserably. “Thank you.”

“For bringing you home?”

“No. I mean, yes. And for helping me tonight too. It was very kind of you.” After what had happened at the nightclub, she wasn’t sure how to act around him now. If she’d been a braver woman, she would’ve hurled herself into his arms and begged him to take her, consequences be damned. As it was, she simply stared down at her toes while snowflakes drifted from the sky.

Kagan crossed his arms. “Your vengeance is not complete yet.”

No, she supposed not. Argus had been jealous at the bar, she’d seen it in his eyes, but how much farther was she willing to go to make him suffer? The strange tingling power inside her flared hotter, along with the birthmark on her shoulder blade, urging her to make Argus suffer as he’d made her suffer, to make him feel the same pain he’d caused her. Kagan hadn’t lied when he’d accepted her mission. She was certain he’d do terrible things to Argus if she asked. If she commanded him to do so.

She shuddered, shoving aside the gruesome images filling her head. This was all getting out of hand. If they continued this charade, Mira would only get hurt. She should tell him it was over and send him on his way back to Heaven.

That would be the smart thing, the logical thing, the safe thing.

She couldn’t do it.

“Where will you sleep tonight?” she asked.

His smile widened—handsome, charming, devastating. Her knees buzzed, and her chest squeezed with want. Her heart raced at the thought of continuing what they’d started on the dance floor, only in her bedroom this time. She’d never taken the lead sexually with Argus, he’d considered it unmanning. Thinking about doing so now, with Kagan, was…interesting.

Perhaps they’d skip the bedroom altogether and make love right here on the rooftop.

Or not, considering her nose was already numb and she could barely feel her toes.

Kagan shrugged, drawing her attention back to him. “I will not return to my quarters in the heavenly realms until my mission for you is complete.”

“Oh.” She rocked back on her heels, not sure what else to say. Good manners dictated she offer him her couch for the night, seeing as how she was one who’d brought him here in the first place. But that would be far too tempting for her own good. She shuffled her feet to restore some circulation and stared at the red brick warehouse across the street. “You won’t get in trouble?”

“No.” He stepped closer, shielding her from the snow, his broad build making her feel small. “I have disappeared before.”

She tipped her head back to see into his eyes. “What happened?”

“I was assisting our commander, Xander, on a Seal related mission and was taken prisoner by Lucifer. He imprisoned me in Hell for nearly three hundred years, tempting me to abandon my Scion vows and join his minion ranks.” He walked to the edge of the roof and stared into the distance. “I proved my courage and honor by not giving in. He eventually sent me back to Divinity. But my other Scion brethren have chosen to pass their years in the arms of the mortal women they loved. Our habit of watching humans can make celibacy difficult, if not impossible.”

He looked back at her over his shoulder, his gaze drifting over her slowly. She felt it like a physical caress.

“Sex is allowed then? With mortals?” she asked quietly as she walked over to him.

He chuckled, the fire in his gaze brighter, threatening to consume her if she stepped too close. Kagan reached out to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. “As I told you before, we are Scion, not saints.”

“Right.” She watched his lips, imagining what it would be like to kiss him, to have his mouth on her neck, her breasts, lower still…

“Some of the Scion serve their duties from Heaven, as I have done, while others choose to remain on Earth. Both require great sacrifice.” The backs of his fingers grazed her cheek. “Today has been hard for you. I will let you rest and return tomorrow.”

“Where will you go? Are there other Scion here in the city?”

“No.”

He was strong, so much stronger than her and she didn’t doubt for one second he could destroy any foe if he put his mind to it, but he didn’t scare her. He’d given her no reason to fear him, only to trust him and feel safe around him, and more time they spent together, the more she felt that way.

Decision made, Mira smiled. “Stay here, with me.”

He raised a brow at her suggestion.

She rushed to clarify. “On the couch, I mean. I have blankets, pillows, whatever you need. I’d offer the guest room, but it’s full of stuff right now.” She stopped her nervous babbling. “It’s better than being alone, right?”

His gaze raked over her again, giving her the impression he was thinking of sleeping somewhere other than the couch. Then his passion melted away, revealing something darker, sadder. She placed her hand on his forearm and he covered it with his, the skin-to-skin contact increasing their bond and allowing her a peek inside his warrior’s heart.

Loneliness.

He was lonely.

A pang of yearning stabbed through her.

“The couch sounds good.” He lowered his head. “I have not slept in a long time.”

“You don’t sleep in Heaven?” She led him over to the stairwell and down into her apartment. The place was dark, she’d forgotten to leave a light on. Her leg bumped into the old wooden kitchen table on her way to the light switch and she cursed softly, rubbing the area. That would leave a bruise tomorrow. Kagan remained near the door, taking in her surroundings with a clinical eye. She’d noticed him doing that earlier when they’d been here, as if he was always searching for a threat. Given his Scion calling, it was probably an occupational hazard. She looked around her kitchen and dining room, trying to see it through his eyes. It wasn’t much. The white walls needed a new coat of paint to make them vibrant again and there was a stack of dirty dishes in the sink waiting to be washed. All her books were stuffed into shelves lining the walls, overcrowded and crooked.

“My duties come first,” he said at last. “I sleep only when Divinity gives me leave to do so.” Kagan stepped into her tiny dining room, dwarfing the space. Mira crossed into the living room. “The last time I slept was in Hell. It was my only solace during the torture.”

Compassion burst like fireworks inside her, but she turned away toward the closet. If she touched him now, held him, she might never let go. “Let me get you some clean bedding and blankets.”

Mire felt his gaze on her as she gathered the items then carried them to her threadbare sofa. The door to her bedroom was to the right of the television, directly in front of the couch. If she left it open, she would be able to see him while he slept. She tucked the sheet over the cushions then grabbed one of the pillows from her double bed and a dark red blanket from the bottom of her wooden wardrobe.

Kagan sat on the couch when she returned. She handed him the pillow and blanket and he gave her a grateful smile.

“Um, I tend to get up early. I’ll try to be quiet if you’re sleeping.” She lingered near the other side of the coffee table in front of the couch.

“Thank you.” Kagan nodded. “Goodnight, Mira.”

She loved the sound of her name on his tongue, warm and sexy. “Goodnight, Kagan.”

Mira wandered into her bedroom and shut the door behind her, pressing her back against it and closing her eyes. Sleeping with him in the next room would be impossible.