Elysia peered around Gage’s shoulder at the final scene.
Blood. Guts. Excrement.
Gage did not have a glamorous job, she decided. The smell started to waft in the heat of the small room, and she involuntarily gagged.
Smirking, he glanced back at her. “Yeah, you’re just an old pro now, aren’t you?”
Elysia cut him an unimpressed look. Not everyone could be known as Kava’s Shadow. The title had clearly gone to his head. “I need to talk to you.”
“Yeah, I kind of got that when you showed up in the middle of a job.”
Gage snapped out orders to his men, who were already dragging bodies and gathering previously unpaid coin that was now paid in more than full. He pointed to a set of wooden stairs. “Let’s go. I don’t want anybody to see you.”
“I don’t think there’s anyone left to see me,” she muttered as she stepped delicately over the human remains littering the old porous wood floors. Some stains never really did come out.
Wooden beams vaulted the ceiling and soft lanterns lit the upper room. Blazing in the back was a woodfire stove with a kettle hanging off to the side. A small bed covered with handmade quilts was tucked against the wall.
Gage sank into a chair near the fire. He stared at her, his face an emotionless brick.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
He pressed two fingers against his lips, incidentally smearing blood and grime on his skin.
Eyes downcast, he wouldn’t look at her. He stared atthe fire, the floor, anywhere but her. “I failed you. I never should have let you near that ball.You could have died.And I couldn’t do a damn thing. I knew, I knew I should have sent you away.”
Elysia was silent, her own eyes wide and soft. An unfamiliar ache took up residence in her chest. Gage carried no blame, she had made her own decision, but the fact that hecared. Her own parents had stood by like statues as her head almost rolled. While Gage, like every other decent parental figure before him, struggled not to bear the burden for her.
She put her hand onto his, wrapping her fingers around his palm. Finally picking up his head, Gage met her gaze, and it was enough for a dark wave of guilt to crash over her. Another unfamiliar first, she realized her choices had causedhimpain.
Voice breaking, his pain seeped out. “You disappeared. Into thin air, and I had no idea if you were okay. There was blood on Garrison’s sword. I just kept praying that you made it back to the death realm in one piece.”
She squeezed his hand. “I’m okay, look at me—all healed.”
“You look like nothing ever happened.”
Releasing his hand, she sat back in her seat and lifted her chin, so the faint pink line on her neck showed. “There’s still a few scars.”
Nodding, he pointed at the floral helm on her forearm. “You took the deal.”
“What other choice did I have?”
His dark eyes flashed at her response. “Fates know that you would have ended up there somehow.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Gage’s thick, dark eyebrows drew together, but he didn’t answer.
She tapped the arm of her chair impatiently. “I get it. You’re mad, but I don’t have time for brooding or coddling. I’m not supposed to be here, so if there’s something you need to say, then say it.”
The sound of a tinkling collar broke the tension, both of theirheads turning to the source of the sound. A small black, copper, and white long-haired dog bounded up the stairs, racing over to Elysia, where it sat down staunchly. With its lips peeled back in a fierce growl, all five pounds of the animal were menacing…and adorable.
Gage’s eyes grew wide, and he inhaled sharply. “What exactly is your proclivity for unnatural creatures?”
Elysia looked between him and the tiny dog in confusion. “You mean the raccoon? I’ve told you. She was Topp’s rehab project. The dog is unfortunately Aidan’s.”
Gage’s eyes hadn’t left the dog. “Not a terrible choice even if I don’t like it.”
“Yeah, because taking care of a dog is exactly what I need to be focusing on right now.” Aidan was going to be getting an earful when she returned.
