This was not what I had in mind when I told Acherith I would do whatever it took to keep everyone safe, and I’m already regretting it as I shove away from the bus and fall into step behind her. I could follow her, leaving enough distance that she won’t even know I’m there; that’s probably better for us both. Much less of a headache.
But those damned shadows are getting longer and darker as she gets farther away, swallowing her. If anything happens to her, I’ll never hear the end of it.
With a grumble, I pick up the pace.
“Hey!” I call, realizing I’ve forgotten the woman’s name. It wasn’t important enough to remember at the time. “Wait!”
She turns to look back over her shoulder, rolls her eyes, and keeps walking. I’m not sure why I expected anything else.
I break into a jog, each of my long steps eating the ground between us until I catch up. When she looks at me, her brows are pinched together, her lips pursed.
“Can I help you?” she asks, finally stopping at the edge of the parking lot. There’s a sidewalk a few feet away that leads deeper into downtown, but I can’t tell which direction she was heading.
“No.”
She narrows her eyes. “So you just wanted to come harass me?”
Why did I come after her again?
Oh, right. Because I gave Sebastian my word, and if anything happens to this brat, it’ll be on my head since I was the last person to see her.
“I’m making sure you don’t get into trouble,” I grit out.
She scoffs a laugh. “I’m perfectly capable of walking on my own, thanks.” Then she turns and does just that.
Jaw tensing, I follow, staying just behind her and to the left.
“I’m sure you are. It’s not you I don’t trust,” I say,keeping my voice low as my eyes jump to the shadows lingering around the edges of the building up ahead. I don’t sense any dark demon magic, but that doesn’t mean a hellbeast can’t pop out of nowhere.
It’s happened before. Many times.
“Oh, so now you care?” She barks a laugh. “Your attitude is giving me whiplash.”
My eyes cut over in her direction, and I mentally trace the outline of her face. Her eyes are locked straight ahead, her lips still pursed in a way that I can tell she’s annoyed. Good. That makes two of us.
“I’m just saying, it’s late. It’s dark.” I hesitate. “There’s no telling what kind of creeps are out at this time of night, waiting to get you alone.”
“Like you?” When she looks over at me, a spark of rage flickers in my chest. Is she really accusing me of being a creep when I’m trying to keep her safe?
“Don’t worry that pretty head, sweetheart.” My jaw clenches, and I drag my eyes away from her. “If I wanted to be a problem for you, I would have by now.”
A stretch of silence falls between us, our soft footsteps lost to the sounds of the city. After a long moment, she asks, “Are you going to walk me all the way to my hotel, then?”
“If that’s what it takes.” I kick a pebble out of my way and into the road. “It would just put my conscience at ease if I knew you made it safe.”
“You have a conscience?” She presses a hand to her chest, feigning surprise. “Who would have thought?”
A growl rumbles in my throat as my annoyance skyrockets. “Believe me, I’m as shocked as you are.”
I jumped down Sebastian’s throat for his stupid ideas, but following this woman has to be my dumbest one ever. It’s like we’re competing for some sort of dumbass award and I, unfortunately, am now in the running.
Fucking hell. As we walk in silence, I remind myself over and over why I’m even doing it.
For Sebastian.
For Niki.
For my goddamn conscience that deserves to die a slow, gruesome death.
