“The world is unpredictable, and if you don’t immerse yourself in the unfamiliarity of it, you’ll never survive. Do you think you’ll always live in Cognito? Someday, Raven, you’ll move on. You’ll experience wanderlust, or maybe you’ll be seeking asylum. The world can change in the blink of an eye. War. Famine. Civil unrest.” He swung his gaze upward again. “Humans might find out about us someday and force us to leave. What if they close their borders and banish us to godforsaken places like the desert? That would be a sure way to kill us all.”
“Then I put you in charge of building our sand igloo.” I rested my forearms on the flat rail. “God, I’d kill for a hamburger and milkshake. It’s too quiet out here. I miss the sound of traffic. I even miss the smell of cigarettes in bars and trash in the gutter.”
Christian chortled. “Should I ask Reuben to bring you up a bin?” He pinched my chin. “How can you be sentimental over a crime-infested city when you have miles of gorgeous mountains?”
“Cognito is my home and always will be. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. It’s nice out here. Lots of sky, fresh air, and freedom. But it’s not home.”
He leaned on the ledge beside me. “So it’s chaos you like.”
I briefly thought about Houdini. It was hard not to think of him whenever the word “chaos” was uttered. Maybe moving somewhere would put the distance I needed between us. But why would I go through the trouble at the cost of my happiness? “What made you leave Ireland so young and travel across the world to a foreign country? Was your home that bad?”
“We were poor. I told you this story.” He gazed up at the sky. “People search for a better life when they have none. When they’re hungry or fearing for their life. ’Twasn’t a pleasant experience having to suffer poverty and rejection in a new land, one I thought would be filled with opportunities and hope, but it taught me a valuable lesson.”
“And what’s that?”
“Persevere. It’s better to take chances than to do nothing at all. Had I stayed behind, I’d be nothing but bones on a hill. We wouldn’t be having this conversation. I wouldn’t be looking at stars or saving your arse from lions.”
I nudged his shoulder with mine. “I killed one of those lions, or have you forgotten?”
“And I killed two.”
“If we’re keeping score, then I get bonus points for catching Joshua and Carol on the run.”
He chuckled softly. “And a lot of good that did. You went to jail and didn’t collect your two hundred.”
I stared into the dark woods, wondering if they had made it home.
“Perhaps I should go after them,” Christian said. “They can’t be far, and they’ll be on foot unless he managed to hitch a ride naked.”
I straightened up. “Nah. I think they’ll be okay.”
He looked over his shoulder and gave me a complicated look. “Why the change of heart?”
I shrugged. “If he really loves her, he’ll do what’s best for her no matter what. Joshua thinks he can give her a better life. Who are we to say he can’t? Maybe Carol would have been safer in that utopia they’ve got underground, but nothing beats family. She’s never had that before. This might be the worst decision she ever makes, but what’s the point of dragging her back if she’ll just find a way to escape? Reuben said this place isn’t a jail, but to her it will be. Besides, now that Viktor knows how to find Joshua’s family, I suspect he’ll be checking up on her.”
“To be sure.” Christian looked down at me with a hint of concern. “Maybe you should see a Relic.”
“For what?”
“That light show earlier with your hands. You might have a leaky battery.”
I rubbed my palms. “Real funny.”
Christian straightened up and faced me, causing me to do the same. “Do you see me laughing? I’ve not seen that color before—not from a Mage.”
Usually the light was blue or sometimes white, but sparkling gold?
“I’m just tired,” I said, blowing it off. “It’s been a long trip.”
“I’ve seen you knackered before, and never has that happened.” He tilted my chin up with the crook of his finger. “You’re mine now. You hear? That means I look after you.”
I folded into his embrace and relished the heat of his chest against my cold hands, which had slipped inside the rips of his shirt.
“Mmm, keep touching me like that, Precious.”
I felt his cock growing as it pressed against my lower belly. “Control yourself, Poe. I’ve got a job to do.” My lips touched his delicious skin. “I’m the night watchman.”
Christian’s hands cupped my ass and pulled me against his hard erection. He let out an anguished groan. “Then turn around and do your job, lass. I’ll be right behind you.”
