“It is,” he replied without hesitation, and the way he said it, without mockery or teasing, made it impossible to argue against.
For a moment after he called it adorable, I found myself completely at a loss for words. The compliment lingered between us disarmingly, and in a way I hadn’t expected from him. Meaning, I suddenly felt far too seen in the quiet space of the car. I turned my gaze toward the window, feigning interest in the passing buildings, but the warmth climbing into my cheeks betrayed me.
I glanced his way, finding him watching me for a few seconds longer before speaking again, his tone gentler than it had been earlier.
“Tell me more about your family.” The shift caught me off guard and I stiffened almost immediately. The ease from moments before evaporating.
“I’d rather not,” I said, the words coming out sharper than I intended, and he went still beside me, but this time I couldn’t figure out why. Was he angry that I had denied him? Was he insulted? Disappointed? I didn’t know. But after a pause, he inclined his head slightly.
“Very well.” His voice lowered a fraction.
“However, I hope that, in time, you will begin to trust me enough to do so.”
A humorless breath escaped me.
“That’s a bit difficult when you’ve essentially kidnapped me,” I reminded him, and he shrugged slightly before agreeing.
“Fair enough.” A faint curve touched his mouth as he held back a grin, but the admission surprised me.
“But in time,” he continued, gaze steady on mine.
“You will understand why this was necessary.”
I huffed at that,
“You say that a lot.”
“Then you aren’t the only one keeping things close to your chest,” he replied calmly, making his own point, and the meaning was clear enough. I met his gaze fully then, recognizing the quiet challenge in it. He still didn’t know who had helped me that night. Didn’t know how I had escaped him that first time. But most of all, he didn’t know who I was protecting.
No, only I knew that.
And the irony was that neither of us truly knew why, despite the fact that I had asked myself that very question more times than I cared to admit. Why was I protecting Bo? Why was I refusing to tell Oblivion about him, even though I had been the one to start this, the one who had gone looking for him and put myself firmly on his radar? Yet here I was, shielding Bo without any clear reason.
I exhaled slowly and admitted,
“I suppose we both are.”
But I didn’t know what else to say, so I looked out of the window once more when I felt the car begin to slow. I hadn’t realized how far we had travelled, how gradually the buildings had thinned and the streets grown quieter. My stomach tightened as recognition dawned. The warehouse districtloomed ahead, stark and industrial, the same grim façade I had walked toward days ago with far less understanding of what waited beyond it.
The car pulled to a stop in front of the abandoned structure.
My breath caught.
“Oh no… no… What are we doing here?” I murmured, shaking my head instinctively. He turned toward me, his expression unreadable but not unkind.
“Be at ease. No one inside will touch you. You have my word.”
“Nobody?” I pushed, lifting a brow, purposely testing him, and the corner of his mouth tilted into a knowing grin. And my answer to this was a deliberate wink before he stepped out of the vehicle. The driver opened my door, but Oblivion was already there, offering me his hand. The street was quiet, the building looming overhead in all its bleak, decaying glory.
But I didn’t take his hand.
“This isn’t a good idea,” I said, panic threading through my voice despite my effort to control it.
“Isn’t there somewhere else we could go? Why have you brought me back here?”
He leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice so that it belonged only to us.
“Eliza,” he said softly.
