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“What time?”
“My first class is at one o’clock.”
A curt nod. “I’ll meet you back here in the morning for training with Kat, then drop you off at the dojo.”
I realized that he planned to escort me to every place I planned to go for like fucking forever. I rolled my eyes. “You know, Kat said my illusion casting is perfect. Maybe I don’t need an escort everywhere I go.”
“Mmm. I am sure you think that.”
“Seriously, Jude, I can drive myself to your apartment.”
“I am sure that you can. Nevertheless, I’ll be here at eight in the morning. You have my number. Call me if you plan to leave the apartment.”
I nodded, glancing at my shoes for no reason at all. He stepped closer. I fought the urge to retreat. He tipped my chin up with one finger.
“Genevieve,” he said, the scary vibe back in his voice. “Call me if you plan to leave this apartment.”
“I will.”
Maybe.
While still staring into my eyes, he sifted out with a snap. That was a little disturbing, to put it mildly.
I sank down onto my bed, thinking of Malcolm. I’d promised him a movie date. Date. Yes, it would definitely be a date, and I was still trying to figure out how I felt about that.
I certainly didn’t want Jude tagging along, watching from the corners, making Malcolm want to spit fire. The idea of Jude hovering over us made me extremely uncomfortable. And I liked Malcolm as a friend. Maybe more.
Jude wanted to control my every move. For my protection, of course, but Kat herself said I was more than able to shield myself from demons finding me. But, what if that demon prince came back?
“Ugh!”
Okay. I’d have to tell Jude, but I was too cowardly to do it in person. So it had to be another text.
Me:I’m meeting a friend for an 8:00 movie tonight at the theater on Prytania.
Jude:A friend?
Me:Yes. Please be discreet, if you come.
A lengthy pause as I turned on the hot water in the shower. Finally, my phone bleeped again.
Jude:I’ll be there. You won’t see me.
I totally didnotget a smiley face this time. “Okay, then. That’s sort of encouraginganddisturbing.”
Taking a deep breath, I headed into the shower to get ready for my date.
13
“Istill can’t believe you threw popcorn at those girls texting in front of us.”
“They asked for it.” Malcolm leaned back in his chair and swigged his beer. “I mean, come on! How can you possibly do anything else while Thor is kicking ass on screen?”
I laughed, enjoying the chill vibe of this bar with its mellow music and Malcolm’s company. It felt sonormal. After the week I’d had, it was welcome and wonderful.
We sat across from each other at a small two-top in the back of the bar. “You Belong to Someone Else” crooned out of the jukebox next to the pool tables, where a few steroid boys yelled and laughed a little too loudly at their own antics. With the exception of a few other groups of two and three, the crowd was sparse.
I’d felt Jude’s presence all night—sometimes closer, sometimes farther away. Just as he’d promised, I never saw him. Even so, I continued to glance around, wondering how he hid from view so well, wondering what he thought or might say about my outing with my “friend.” The anticipation of our eventual tête-à-tête had my nerves on edge.
