Dream Warrior by Sherrilyn Kenyon Page B

forming, waiting to come inside and be seated. “No. Darice’s girlfriend works here and she used to bring food over to Darice during lunch. It always smelled and looked good so I wanted to try it.”
    Jericho paused as he became aware of what they were doing.… He was eating with a companion. He hadn’t done this in centuries.
    More than that, they were chatting. Sharing. Something he’d never really done with anyone.
    How strange.
    Delphine fell quiet as she waited for her food. She kept thinking of M’Adoc and Deimos, along with the others Noir had taken. What were they going through right now? She knew they were in pain and she couldn’t stop dwelling on it.
    And as she glanced around the restaurant, she wondered what would become of places such as this in the human realm if Noir succeeded with his plans. Would any of it be left standing or would he tear it all down?
    It wasn’t right or fair. None of the people who were laughing and talking had any idea that evil was around them. That they were on the brink of total annihilation and that one of the people who could stop them sat across from her not even caring.
    She watched as a couple walked out the door with their arms draped over each other. Frowning, she couldn’t take her eyes off them as they paused outside the window and kissed. They looked so happy and in love.
    What would that feel like?
    â€œYou look like you’ve never seen people kissing before.”
    She glanced back at Jericho. “I’ve seen it before. Just not in real life.”
    He watched the couple until they vanished out of sight. Then that penetrating gaze came back to hers. “Have you never kissed?”
    She gave him a droll stare. “Arik took me to the Vanishing Isle when I was fourteen. So no, I’ve never kissed. The Oneroi aren’t really big on affection. It goes against that whole no-feelings thing.”
    Jericho had to concede that point. Zeus had done a number on all of them. “Were you never tempted to go Skoti?”
    â€œIt has crossed my mind briefly, but no, not really. I would never become one of them.”
    Her adamant vehemence surprised him. He’d struck a nerve with her. “Why?”
    Her gaze saddened as she swirled ice in her glass with her straw. “There was a woman in my village when I was a young girl. Beautiful and sweet, she used to bring fresh bread to my parents and make doll clothes for me. Then one afternoon, I noticed how tired she looked. She hadn’t been sleeping for days. Every night her dreams worsened. Within two weeks, she’d gone insane from them, and that was before the Skoti had lost their emotions. Back when they preyed for nothing more than cruelty.”
    Delphine flinched; the memories were hard for her even now. “I can still remember the wails of her children when they found her. She’d killed herself to get away from the demons in her sleep. It wasn’t until Arik came to me that I learned it was the Skoti who’d driven her mad and why it was so important that we fight and stop them. Any time I ever considered allowing my emotions to rule me, I thought of Nirobe. I would never harm someone the way they’d harmed her. It’s wrong to prey on people.”
    Wow, he wished he had those convictions. But truthfully, he felt vindicated for any action he took against mankind.
    Still …
    She shook her head. “I don’t understand why people can’t be nice to each other. Why someone always has to push someone else around.”
    Unlike her, he got it completely. “It’s intoxicating to feel that power. To know that in your hands is their life or death. That no matter what they do or how hard they fight, they’re no match for you.”
    Her gaze turned harsh and condemning. “Do you really feel satisfied when you’ve crushed them knowing they were weaker than you? That they couldn’t fight back and win? Is