Raising an eyebrow, I give him a once over, silently calling him out on his failed attempt. The only color beyond his black clothes are the multitude of silver piercings, everything about the man screaming to the neighbors to keep their distance. Fair or not, people absolutely judge a book by its cover, and Kodiak looks like the sort of man who not only gets into trouble, but seeks it out.
The lip twitch morphs into a teasing smile by the time we reach the front door. “Fair point.”
Not even attempting to be subtle about it, I give my own mocking sweep of a hand, motioning for him to lead the way. The brief glance behind him as he searches the street once more is his only hesitation, and I mirror the action, scanning my surroundings with harsher scrutiny than I already was.
Fuck, this was a stupid idea. He’s looking for whoever else he expected to be here before I showed up early.Mentally smacking myself, I suck in a deep breath through my nose.Could be that it’s a trap, but could also be him making sure I wasn’t followed. It’d be stupid not to after I told him that helping me was dangerous.
Closing the door, I immediately twist the handle and reopen it, ensuring it didn’t automatically lock behind me. He tilts his head slightly before a shadow flashes across his dark blue eyes, temporarily transforming them to obsidian slits. His slip in control only lasts a fraction of a second, but I’m not stupid enough to write it off as a trick of the light.
Animalistic instincts are easy to predict, but that level of control is more dangerous than a shifter with a volatile temper.
“Here.” Bending down, he tugs up his pant leg and slides a small onyx throwing knife free from inside of his combat boot, passing it my way hilt first as he rises.
Hesitantly, I test the weight and wrap my hand firmly around the slim handle. “Why?”
Fiddling with one of the many silver rings in his ear, he carries on down the hall, leading the way through an archway to the left. “It’ll make you feel better having a weapon. If either of us does anything that makes you uneasy, but you aren’t comfortable speaking up, just stab us once or twice to get the message through our thick skulls. I promise, we’re quick learners with the right incentives.” He tosses me a teasing grin over his shoulder as we stride straight through the sparse dining room to the kitchen.
Alarm bells immediately go off in my head as it becomes abundantly clear that he doesn't really live here. Barely any furniture, nothing personal, and way too clean for two men.
If Kodiak was telling the truth about lying low and the other sells fake identities, it makes sense that they’d move around a lot or be ready to abandon ship at the drop of a hat.
As Avery nuzzles his face against my cheek, I tighten my grip on the tiny dagger, mildly annoyed that Kodiak was right; it does make me feel better. I’d stopped carrying weapons when I was forced to admit that I was giving my attacker something else to use against me the second I was disarmed. Fighting just isn’t my strong suit, no matter how much I wish it was. I’m better off letting my unthreatening nature work to my advantage so people will underestimate me, then make a break for it at the first opportunity when their guards are down.
It’ll be okay even if they’re a couple of skin-coat wearing sociopaths. I always figure things out, somehow. I’ll just convince them that my flesh is smoothest on the full moon, or some bullshit to buy myself time to come up with an escape plan.
The kitchen is slightly more lived in than the rest of the place; some dishes in the sink, a center island with a newspaper, and a basic spiral notebook on one end. But the most notable addition is the man currently cooking at the stove. Back to us, I’m treated to the view of broad shoulders tapering down to a slim waist, clad only in a pair of blood red pajama pants. Though his dark hair is partially tied up with a leather band, the ends still brush his shoulders, a few locks falling forward to frame his face. As he turns at the sound of our approach, grabbing a towel to wipe off his hands, his curious gaze pins me in place before I even realize I’d begun to retreat.
I’m used to unusual eye colors. Like me, not every shifter is blessed with the ability to blend in, but there’s something hauntingly ethereal in the way the grey twists and writhes like living smoke before my eyes. Mixed with the serenity radiating off the man, it paints the image of someone that’s lived long enough to become confident of his place in the world, a quiet intensity about him that captures my lungs in a vice.
Logically, I know we’re relatively immortal, but forever is an intangible concept that I intentionally keep in the back of my mind for the sake of my sanity. Life’s hard enough as it is, but imagining doing this... forever? Always looking over my shoulder until I’ve seen the world five times over? It’s depressing as hell to think about, so I try not to.
“Hey there, pretty girl. I was wondering when you’d come home.” Ignoring the way my muscles tense, the half-naked stranger lifts his arm, and there’s a slight jolt as Avery launches off of my shoulder. Gliding over, he lands near the man’s wrist, who doesn’t so much as flinch at the sharp talons digging into his skin, scratching under the falcon’s chin with a soft smile.
By some miracle, I manage to draw in enough air to confirm, “That’s your pet, then?” At his nod, while snagging a piece of his lunch to give to Avery, some of the pressure attempting to suffocate me eases up. “I thought she was a boy; now I feel like an ass.”
Rounding the island to steal some stir-fry off the stove, Kodiak snorts. “Nope, turns out Satan is actually a spoiled kleptomaniac.” Avery releases an indignant caw and he flinches away from the pan, shooting a glare at the bird and making a dramatic show of grabbing a box of cereal from the cupboard instead.
The last of the tension in the room fades as I attempt to hide my startled laugh behind a fake cough, and the stranger catches my amused gaze with his own, a subtle shift in the intensity of his eyes that I’d have missed if I hadn’t just been studying them so closely. “Don't listen to Kodi, he doesn’t understand that it’s flattering she tries to steal the hardware out of his face. Avery has a keen eye for quality, and in turn, is complimenting his taste in jewelry.”
Bowl full of dry cereal in hand, Kodiak leans back against the counter and grumbles, “No, that bird’s a fucking menace to society that has you under her evil spell. Witchcraft, I’m telling ya."
Rolling his eyes, the guy strides out of the room, returning a few seconds later without his partner in crime, finishing tugging a simple white T-shirt on. “My apologies, I thought I had more time before you were due. I’m Raiden. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Amara.”
I awkwardly wave off his apology. “No, you’re right, Kodiak said two. I’m early on purpose; easier to catch people setting traps this way.”
From the fridge, he withdraws a bottle of water that he slides across the counter. Whether it’s intentional on their part or not, I appreciate the way they’ve drifted to the opposite side of the island, giving me a small barrier between us. Sliding the notebook in front of him, Raiden takes a seat on the barstool across from me, frowning slightly. “It sounds like you’ve had a run of bad luck. If you’d like, I can give you a list of names that could help you out in the future if you’re not comfortable using the same contact twice.”
Drifting closer, I take the bottle of water, lifting it beside my ear before I twist the cap. When the snapping of the plastic seal proves it’s a new bottle and I’m more confident that it isn’t drugged, I nod. “I’ll take you up on that offer, actually. Might not use them, but options are always a nice luxury to have.”
Kodiak’s spoon clanks against his bowl, but he’s too busy aggressively shoving cereal into his mouth to meet my eye.
Clearing his throat, Raiden draws my attention back to him. “So, what can I do for you?”
Once again, I send a questioning glance at Kodiak. He hurries up and swallows before clarifying, “All I said was I had a friend that needed his services. Wasn’t my place to give him any other info, and I wasn’t sure what you were comfortable with sharing, so it seemed a safer bet to let you get the ball rolling.”
“That’s actually... really considerate. Thank you.”
Using his spoon to salute me, he returns to his lunch, staying in the room as a familiar face, but not taking point on the meeting like I’d originally anticipated. Shifting my weight to my other foot, I attempt not to fidget too much under Raiden’s scrutiny, forcing myself to stand straighter.
