It feels honest, the way he looks at me.
The truth is, it would be stupid of me not to accept his help. Whoever this person is, they broke into my house. They’ve been watching me, following me, threatening me.
That’s not something I can ignore, not anymore.
And Kai… well, he’s smart. Probably the smartest person I’ve ever met. It wouldn’t hurt to have someone like that.
He may be using me, but who’s to say I’m not using him, too?
“Fine,” I say, letting out a slow breath. “If you want to know everything, I’ll tell you. But don’t pretend you’re doing this for me.”
There’s a flicker of something like calculation in Kai’s eyes. It’s a brief moment of thought, so fast you could miss it if you weren’t already looking.
Then his expression shifts, and suddenly there’s amusement on his face. “Do youwantit to be about you?”
My shoulders stiffen before I can stop them. I look up at him, narrowing my eyes just slightly. “Why would you say that?”
He watches me for a moment, then shrugs. “I’m not the hero here, Adeline. I never said I was,” he says softly, casually. “But I’m not your enemy either.”
He takes another step, and now he’s standing right in front of my face. Close enough that I can smell the faint trace of whatever expensive soap he uses. It should be overwhelming, but it’s not.
“So,” he says quietly. “Do you trust me?”
I hesitate—about to say the safer answer. About to sayno.
But just as I open my mouth, I feel something tug at my foot.
“Wha—” I look down just in time to see my sock slowly sliding off. “Hey!” I shout as the culprit—Percy the ferret—takes off at lightning speed, my sock dangling from his mouth.
Kai doesn’t even flinch. “He’s a crafty little thing,” he says. “I was wondering where the socks were going.”
I glare at him before getting to my feet. “Percy! Come back here, you little…” The ferret darts under a cupboard, vanishing into the shadows. I crouch down and peer underneath. I gasp when I lay my eyes on a surprisingly impressive mountain of stolen goods. Socks of
every colour scrunched and tangled, but that’s not even all. There are pens, hair ties, a bank card, and… is that a spoon?
“Oh my god,” I groan. “Is that my mascara?” I swear I put that in my bag. I reach in, trying to grab at something, but Percy darts further into the pile, his little nose twitching as if mocking me and demonic eyes staring at me likeIjust seriously offendedhim. Unbelievable. Although I don’t know what I was expecting from the child of someone like Kai.
He clearly doesn’t know how to raise an animal.
Speaking of Kai, he’s now currently in the kitchen. Making a… sandwich? And watching the scene unfold with a look that’s far too amused for my liking. The nerve. “I don’t think he likes you.”
I shoot him a glare. “Are you going to help me, or just stand there?”
“You seem to have it under control,” he replies, his lips twitching like he’s holding back a smile.
I choose to ignore his rudeness, wriggling my arm deeper under the cupboard. “Percy, you little thief, come out here!” I manage to grab the edge of a sock and tug, but Percy pulls it back. Never did I know ferrets were this savage.
“You know,” Kai says, walking over to me, sandwich in hand, “he likes to trade. If you give him something he wants, he’ll bring the sock back.”
I look up at him, incredulous. “Trade? What is he, a pirate?”
Kai shrugs. “It’s effective. Try it.”
Sighing, I dig into my pocket and pull out an old hairband. “You want this?” I say, holding it up to the cupboard. Percy pokes his nose out, sniffing curiously.
“That’s it,” Kai says. “Now toss it to him.”
“This is ridiculous,” I mutter, but I do it anyway. The hairband lands just in front of Percy, and, to my surprise, he grabs it. A second later, he drops my sock at the edge of his lair.
