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Thomas that he can’t take proper care of his wife’s needs? Not that he ever was a ball of fire, but I don’t remember his previous wives complaining. Mind you, they were all a fairly stolid, boring bunch, not a live wire among them. I think you might have more fire.”
    If he thought the mention of Thomas’s previous wives would wound me, he was mistaken. I hadn’t a jealous bone in my body. “What’s wrong with Thomas is that he’s dead. He was killed in a battle with the Nephilim.”
    I’d hoped to shame him, but he didn’t even blink. “How long?”
    If he’d released my hand, I would have punched him in the mouth myself. “Seven years. Would you please let go of me?”
    “And have you punch me in the mouth? I don’t think so.”
    His words shocked me, and I froze. How could he possibly know what I was thinking? I was adept at keeping my face a polite mask, and I’d been wary of this man from the start. Even Thomas hadn’t been able to penetrate all my defenses—I’d always kept a part of me locked away. In Sheol, bonded mates could sense each other’s thoughts with varying degrees of accuracy, but I had always resisted that particularintimacy. And now this dangerous stranger was sensing what I most wanted to keep hidden.
    “Why do you say that?” I asked carefully.
    “Because most people want to punch me in the mouth after being in my company.”
    I could feel my shoulders relax. “True enough. However, I’m here to heal you, not to make things worse. If you’ll let go of me, I’ll find you an ice bag to bring the swelling down and some dry clothes.”
    His thumb still rubbed against the softness of my palm, slowly, mesmerizing me. “My mouth will heal on its own, and my clothes are almost dry already. I think I’d rather hold your hand.”
    That was enough. I yanked myself free, and this time he let me go with a soft laugh. “You are far too transparent, Mary.”
    “Martha.” This cheered me. If he thought I was transparent, then he was underestimating me, always a good thing. I summoned a deceptively calm smile. “What you see is what you get.”
    “Not exactly.” He smelled of sun and salt water and warm male skin, the scent potent and arousing, bringing all sorts of strange feelings alive inside me. Ones I was more than capable of ignoring. “How long do we have until we’re supposed to meet Raziel and the others?”
    “We should be there now.”
    He cocked his head. “Too bad. I was thinking Imight like to take you to bed, just to see if I could rattle that alarming self-control of yours.”
    He’d meant to shock me, and he had, but I didn’t show it. I laughed, sounding genuinely amused. After all, it was simply an empty bluff. “Don’t be absurd. If you’re in need of a woman, Raziel can make arrangements for you. You don’t even have to leave Sheol.”
    “I have no intention of leaving Sheol, at least not right now. And I can find my own woman.” His eyes slid over me like a cool, wicked caress. “You’d do for starters.” And before I realized what was happening he’d moved, faster than my eyes could follow, and I was backed up against a wall, his body pressing against mine.

CHAPTER
THREE
    I T WAS SO EASY IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN boring, Cain thought. He’d always liked a challenge, and the seer, Martha, was reacting just as he’d intended. He crowded her up against the wall, his body barely brushing hers, just to see what she’d do. Whether she’d put her hands on him in an effort to push him away. And whether he’d pretend to let her, or not.
    She was nothing special, particularly compared to the kind of woman he usually had. She was small and curvy, with a cap of short brown curls, big hazel eyes trying to look fearless, smooth skin, and a soft, vulnerable mouth that belied all her attempts to appear unmoved. She was a fighter, though. He had to grant her that. She kept her hands at her sides.
    “We’re due in the assembly room.” Her voice was completely