“I do.” Gratefulness tightened my chest as I stared up at this perplexing stranger who’d appeared out of nowhere twice today.
“Phoebe,” Brian growled, sliding around until he was only a couple of feet away. “You can’t seriously be going with this guy. He tried to kill me. You saw it with your own eyes.”
“The only thing I saw was Cain rescuing me from some douche who hurt me.” I cleared my throat and glared at Brian, who clenched his jaw. “And yeah, I’m going to the masquerade with him. And you know what? I’ll actually have fun for once and not have to babysit a grown man who can’t hold his liquor.” I snapped my mouth shut to keep the rest of my thoughts inside. No use in airing our dirty laundry when we were finished as a couple.
Cain gave a slight nod of approval or agreement. From under the dark hood, a corner of his mouth tipped upward.
Brian sneered then raked his gaze over Cain before turning toward me. “I didn’t want to go to the shitty masquerade anyway. Go ahead, be a slut.” He shot me the finger then raised his other hand and shot a second bird to Cain. “Fuck you both.”
He swiveled toward the parking lot, weaving a bit as he meandered to the overflow area around the corner. The sound of his revving engine and pealing tires on the asphalt announced his departure.
I sighed in relief.Hope he doesn’t wreck and hurt himself or someone else on the way home.
Turning toward Cain, realizing my fingers still clutched his arm, I released him with a smile. “Thank you.”
He nodded, slid his gloves off his hands and into a pocket, then removed the hood covering most of his face. His hair, shaved on the sides but longer on the top, shone under the streetlight.
“I don’t know what came over him.” Finally safe, I let the tension in my neck relax until I remembered Cain—my strange savior—also stole from me earlier today. “Hey. Give me back my necklace.” I pushed my hand out, palm upward. I should’ve been angrier he’d stolen it, but he’d intervened on my behalf, for whatever reason, and the action softened my irritation.
His face tightened. This close, his eyes were mesmerizing, the lashes so thick it looked like he wore black eyeliner, enhancing the pale, silvery-blue irises. Lowering his eyelids, he met my stare.
I pushed my hand closer. “Seriously. You had no right to take it.”
Tilting his head toward the sky, his stare roved the stars. “Very well.” He dug in a pocket, moving his unblinking stare to mine. “Do you really think this little trinket”—he flicked the tiny cross, sending it see-sawing back and forth—“will protect you from the evil out here?” It dangled from his fingers, tiny glints of gold reflecting the light above. “It is a symbol. Nothing more.”
“Well, Brian’s never hurt me before”—I snatched at it, but he jerked the chain away—“and this is the first time I haven’t worn it since I was little, so...” I balled my fists at my sides, refusing to play his game.
He stretched closer, leaving only a few inches between our faces, his left hand moving the chain high above my head. “There are worse things out here than Brian, so that’s not really a valid argument. He’s a pathetic plankton in a sea of sharks.”
I couldn’t tear my attention from Cain. Something radiated from him in dark waves, even though I couldn’t physically see it. A shiver ran from my feet to my neck. This close to him, I could almost imagine seeing miniscule wisps of blackness floating across his eyes and around his head.
Get it together, girl.I really might need to see a doctor if I didn’t stop seeing weird hallucinations.
Giving myself a mental shake, I propped a hand on my hip. “Worse things?” I tilted my head and tried not to let him see how much he rattled me. “Like what?”
His intense gaze caressed my skin, landing on my lips. He lowered his fist, but I didn’t try to grab the jewelry, afraid he’d pull it back. “Likeme.”
A laugh bubbled out of me. “If you’re so bad, why’d you save me?”
Dark emotion flashed across his face, and an age-old instinct awoke in me, urging me to choose my words and movements carefully.
He leaned forward, his cheek brushing mine as he put his lips to my ear.
The contact froze me in place. I became a rabbit facing a wolf.
“I didn’tsaveyou, Precious.” His warm breath slid around my neck, its scent fresh.
Out of reflex, I turned my head a tiny bit, needing to see his face. Our eyes met. “Then what would you call it?” I whispered, trying to suppress a swirl of fear rising in my chest.
“Returning a worthless piece of debris.” His lips remained straight, no signs of humor anywhere on his face. Stretching the hand with the pendant around to the back of my neck, he leaned closer, his fingertips brushing the nape.
I held my breath. His smell surrounded me, his warm breath caressed my throat, and his touch nearly made my knees buckle.
The cool chain settled around my neck as he clasped the chain. The pendant dropped to my chest, its weight cool and comforting. I let out a breath and closed my eyes for a moment, imagining a shield settling over my body.
“Who gave it to you?” His deep voice brought me back to the present.
“None of your business.” I stepped away because I needed distance. With him standing so close, I was out of my element and apparently in need of some romance if I was fantasizing about an honorable thief. I needed to put my foot down and create some distance. “You know, you don’t scare me, Cain. You’re actually kind of pathetic, stealing a stranger’s necklace and then stalking her under a lame excuse of wanting to return it.” I bit my bottom lip, regretting my words immediately.
