Meanwhile, I fell to the ground like a slug, tugging at the tape that was constricting my ankles.
Niko approached and drew his sword. He carefully lowered it until it tapped against the tape, and then he sliced it apart with a gentle stroke. “They didn’t hurt you,” he said, relief in his voice.
I peeled the tape off my mouth, pulling as hard as I could to try to stretch it since they had wrapped it around my head. Niko looked nervous about his sword near my face, so I handled the tip and cut the tape in the front. He touched my head and then paced around me, feeling the large strip of tape still stuck to my hair and making downward slices with his blade.
“Who the hell carries around duct tape?” I exclaimed. “What kind of people do you hang out with?” I stood up and kicked off the last remaining strip that was clinging to my ankle.
Red marks blotted my arms, but luckily nothing had been broken.
Niko put his hand on my back and led me away from the scene. “We must go before someone calls the authorities.”
I snorted. “No crime was committed. Since when are you a master swordsman?”
“Perhaps you should have paid closer attention to the way I handled my butter knife at breakfast.”
As we neared the end of the alley, he pulled the hood over his head.
“Wait,” I said, gripping his sleeve. “Who were those guys?”
Niko turned. “How many enemies have you acquired in your short years as an immortal? Consider that I’m over a thousand years old. In time, you’ll see that this world is much smaller than you imagined. Your enemies will become shadows around every corner.”
“Who would want to come after you?”
That was a thought to ponder. Niko was one of the most sincere people I’d met, and aside from that, he was blind. How could anyone be enemies with a disabled person?
Then I had to laugh at myself when I remembered how Niko handled two swords like a man who was born with them attached to his wrists. This guy was an enigma.
“Is there blood on my face?” he asked, wiping at it again.
“On the left side.”
He cleaned it with his sleeve.
“Hey, what are you two doing in the alley? I’ve been looking everywhere, and my arms are killing me.”
I peered around Niko when I heard Gem’s bright voice and the crinkling sound of shopping bags. Niko must have heard them too, because he hefted the bags and collected them all before walking away.
Gem anchored her hands on her hips and gave me a teasing glance. “What did I say earlier about romance in the house?” She hooked her arm in mine, and we followed behind Niko.
“Does he know where he’s going?” I asked.
Her tall shoes clomped on the pavement. “He’s okay until he reaches the street. Cars make him nervous, but he can dodge people pretty well. Not so much fire hydrants or steps.”
“I just want to take a hot bath,” I murmured.
“Not yet. We have to make a detour for french fries.”
“Explain?”
Gem skipped a few paces ahead of me and turned around, walking backward. “Wyatt has an addiction. You’ll see. Did you know you have tape in your hair?”
* * *
After we arrivedat the mansion, Niko branched away from us and disappeared. Gem had tried interrogating him in the car, but he was evasive and said we simply ran into a little trouble. It wasn’t uncommon on the Breed side of town since juicers were rampant and someone was always looking for a fight. I’d been in my fair share of rumbles, and most of them weren’t even worth mentioning.
“Delivery girl!” Gem announced, dropping two sacks of fries onto Wyatt’s desk.
The dark room had a desk alongside the right wall, which held multiple computer screens, a laptop, keyboards, snacks, pens, toys, and gadgets. Straight ahead was a massive television and several beanbag chairs in front of it. To the left, an L-shaped black sofa with colorful pillows. The floor was a smooth stone, but the grey walls were like something you’d find in an ordinary house.
