My attention turned to the woods where Evan had appeared. He’d known I was in danger and he’d come running. Ready to fight.
To save me.
Just as he was promising to do in the future.
I squeezed my eyes shut as heat burned behind them. Evan wanted me to get to know him, but I didn’t know how much that mattered. Not now. I couldn’t even explain it.
I knew I was falling. I shouldn’t have been. It didn’t make sense, but there was no denying that the little I knew about Evan told me that he was everything I’d been searching for. The prince to my hapless Cinderella.
Except the fact that he was a shifter. How I wished he weren’t. Everything would be different then.
But he was, so it wasn’t.
I felt rather than heard Evan appear behind me. For such a big bloke, he was light on his feet. Went with the territory, I supposed. “Do ye need any help packing?”
“No.” I traced a shape on the glass. An upside to having shitty windows that always got condensation was that you could tell when the temperature outside was dropping. Snow was definitely on the way. “It’s easier if I do it myself, but thank ye.”
“Well, that’s good. I mean, the bathroom was safe, but who knows what’s lurking inside your bedroom.”
I turned to face him. The knot of unease unravelled at the easy grin on Evan’s face. Maybe we hadn’t completely fucked things up. “Um, why would my bathroom be unsafe? Were ye worried in case you stumbled across a dildo?”
Evan barked a laugh. “Nah. I’d love the chance to check out my competition. I’m talking about the terrifying wee beasties you allow to share your home.”
“You mean the wee beasties that you could crush with your pinky finger?”
Mischief sparkled in his eyes. “Aye, but not the one from that night. He was a feisty fucker. Would’ve taken me down with him, I just know it.”
Whatever weirdness Evan had been feeling, he must’ve left it in the bathroom. As much as I appreciated his attempt to lighten the tension, it wasn’t as easy for me.
If it had just been my heart on the line, I probably wouldn’t have given a fuck.
But I wasn’t going to be so cavalier with Evan’s.
I patted his arm. “Don’t worry, Ev, I’ll keep you safe.”
He stiffened and I winced, realising what I’d said. Before I could backtrack or make a joke, Evan smiled. “Oh, I know. I’ve got my very own arachnid antihero where you’re concerned.”
“Antihero?”
“Well, you don’t kill them, so you can’t be the hero,” he explained. “But you rehome them, which gets them away from me…so I think that works.”
“I think not needlessly murdering them does make me the hero, but okay. Wait, what does antihero even mean?” I started to reach for my phone before stopping myself with a sigh. “No. It has to go on the list.”
Stepping away, I traced the familiar path to the fridge where my pad and pen awaited. My tongue stuck out as I added the question to the scrawl already there.
“Hang on.” Evan’s voice was filled with delight as he spoke from behind me. “You have a literal list?”
“Of course.” I capped the pen and returned it to the fridge. I never let myself walk off with it. God knew where it’d end up then. “What did you think I meant?”
“I dunno.” He rested his chin on my head as he tried toget a closer look. “Like a metaphorical one…or maybe something on your phone. This is so cool.”
I wrung my hands, suddenly self-conscious. “I just write them here to stop myself googling. Then, if I’m still curious about it a week later, I let myself look it up.”
I fell silent as I reread the list. I’d only started this one a few days ago, but I’d almost filled the page already.
What’s the difference between lager and beer?
How old is the oldest living tree on Earth?
