AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“As I said, I never go anywhere without a weapon.”
“I suppose I couldn’t see it then because I hadn’t ‘become aware’ or whatever.”
Somehow, this made me feel safer, knowing I could now see what might be coming for me around any corner.
It was nearly six a.m. as I followed Jude down the stairs and through the courtyard. Misty morning light barely lit the path to the wrought-iron gate. When I tripped over an uneven brick, Jude caught me around my upper arm, steadied me, and kept me close the rest of the way to the car.
His touch was firm but gentle. The heat radiating through his fingers banded around my arm, making me feel safe, protected, and something else. I slid into the passenger side, once again letting him take the driver’s seat. I wondered how often this would happen in our bizarre, demon-hunter-helps-demon-hunted relationship.
6
“You need to turn—”
Jude had already made a left before I could tell him exactly where to go. I stopped giving him directions. He made the next one—correctly—without a word from me.
“You know where I live?”
A stiff nod.
The fact that he’d stalked me to my home at some point should make me nervous. It didn’t, and that was worrisome.
“So,” I said, swallowing a little pride. “I’ve given it some thought, and I think you’re right. I do need preparation or training or whatever as a Vessel.”
Amusement played across his dark features, though he never took his eyes from the road.
“Of course,” he agreed with no hint of smugness, though I knew he was just hiding it well. Grand illusionist, this one. “When would you like to meet?”
“When are you available?”
He stopped at a red light. Obsidian eyes shimmering with flecks of gold held mine for a moment. He picked up his cell phone from the console and clicked on the calendar app.
“What time are your classes scheduled on Monday?”
Ha! He didn’t know everything about me.
“I’m open from noon to four.”
“Noon, then.”
He plugged in our meeting time and date, then set the phone back on the console. Okay, I’m not usually a sneaky or nosy person, but I couldn’t help it. He’d left his weekly calendar open, so I saw the appointment he had scheduled for tonight: Kat—Jackson Square—10:00.
Kat? Jude had a girlfriend? Inside me, the green-eyed monster narrowed her feline eyes, growling and spitting at the prospect.
What was I thinking? No matter my initial impressions of this guy, I knew he was not dating material. Kitty better retract her claws and get over it.
“Are you feeling all right? Do your stitches hurt?”
How did he notice my shifting mood so fast? He was like an emo-detector.
“I’m fine. Just tired,” I lied.
He pulled up the drive of our small duplex. David’s car wasn’t in the driveway, thankfully. I didn’t feel like dealing with the saccharine-sweet couple at the moment.
I suddenly felt on edge. Now that Jude had successfully saved my life, twice, I felt protected with him. As much as my pride bristled at being dependent on him or anyone else for that matter, the thought of being alone terrified me.
I’d been wondering if I should even come back here, imagining a red-eyed demon breaking in, abducting me, and killing Mindy in the process. Yeah, she was little, but she was feisty. No way would she cower and hide if my life were in danger.
“Can I call you if I have, you know, visitors?”
