“Same as always, how’s the family?”
“I’m still here, so same old same old.”
They both laugh softly like they’re saying something funny; Camilla’s laugh sounds warm and comforting while Cayden’s is deep and sends my senses on high alert. When he takes a step closer, I can smell his cologne. A mix of musk and pine.
“Darcie.” Cayden’s eyes meet mine, the softness in his voice gone, but it doesn’t leave his eyes, glinting from the lights above us.
“Cayden.”
“Oh how sweet, you two know each other. You take care of her, you hear me? She’s new to town, and I won’t have those cowards doing anything to hurt anyone else.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Cayden nods, his eyes still on mine. “Guess you’re mine now, Darcie.”
“I am not anyone’s.” I glare at him, holding his gaze, and his lips twitch in amusement. Camilla hands Cayden a bag in exchange for his trash, and he tips his head, expecting me to follow him to the next stall.
“You don’t like me very much,” Cayden observes, his voice filled with amusement.
“You’re not very nice.”
“You caught me on a bad day last time. I’ll be on my best behaviour today, promise.”
“Somehow I find that hard to believe.” This time, Cayden doesn’t hide his smile as we walk up to another stall. A middle-aged man stands behind it, offering out cups filled with an amber liquid.
“Here, try this,” Cayden says, holding out the glass to me before offering the man a coin. He turns back to me with amusement as I lift the glass to my lips and take a sip, immediately spitting it out.
“Aye, girl. Watch where you’re aiming.”
Cayden busts into laughter before turning back to the stall holder. “She’s new. Traditions are traditions, aren’t they?” The stall holder still gives me a glare before moving on.
“That is awful.”
“I know.” Cayden’s voice is still full of amusement before offering me a cup with a clear liquid I’m hesitant to believe is water.
“No thanks.”
“Don’t trust me?”
“You just tried to poison me. And besides, I don’t even know you.” Cayden’s eyes darken slightly. I watch as he shuts down in front of me, his walls going back up.
“Right.” Then Cayden takes a sip of the clear liquid without hesitation before holding the glass out to me. I wait and watch his face for any reaction, and when he has none, I take a sip. It was, in fact, water.
Well fuck.
“Thank you.” The words feel bitter on my tongue, but I say what I think he wants to hear. Cayden doesn’t acknowledge me. Instead, he takes the glass and places it back down before walking away. My mission just got ten times harder.
My target is mad at me, and for the first time, I have to care about it.
This sucks.
“I didn’t mean to offend you.” I surprise myself with the sincerity in my voice. Cayden seems to soften again, but only slightly this time.
“You could never offend me, and besides, it’s tradition to make the fresh meat drink some of Scotty’s rum.”
Rum? He made me drink rum?
“I thought alcohol was illegal in the zones?”
“Only if you’re caught.” Cayden winks before walking away.
