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“What made you decide to open a brewery?” she asked, desperate to change the subject.
“I had to make a living somehow.” He shifted in his stance, pieces of his strands catching in the breeze and splicing across his face. He stared down at the empty glass vial between his fingers. “Turns out I’m good with business.”
She clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth. “Do you really make Avi clean mildew tubes?”
Ronin laughed louder this time, the sound smooth and humming through Naia’s bones. “Shithead annoys us most days. We like to remind him of his place.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “That is awful.”
“I’m just kidding. Avi’s oddly good at the job.” Ronin slipped the empty vial away in his pocket and licked his lips, creating a shine over their rosy color. “And the tubes don’t have mildew in them. That’s why he cleans them.”
Naia uncrossed her arms and joined her hands on top of the railing. “These tubes are used to brew beer?”
He rubbed his shoulder, peeking over at her. “Yeah, and then the beer is transported to local grocery stores and bars. If tomorrow wasn’t my day off, I’d show them to you.”
At the mention of tomorrow, Solaris invaded her thoughts. Could she continue to remain hidden from those who hunted her? The charity event was a little under a week away, and her faith in lasting that long was slim.
I’m in Hollow City. Full of mages. Deities would be leery if they entered the city. And who was to say Marina or Mira had even found her yet?
“We need to keep a close eye on our surroundings,” she added on a more serious note. “In case I am found again.”
“I knew it.” Ronin playfully flicked Wren’s tassel behind her ear. “You’re totally a convict.”
Naia rolled her eyes, bringing her hand up to itch the tickle on her neck. “I am no such thing.”
His smile deepened, bunching his cheeks. “We’re gonna get ambushed in the middle of the night by the fucking black ops.”
“You’re right,” she said in dry sarcasm, a small smile playing on her lips. “I am so dangerous that the top tier of the military is tracking me down. Expect them to burst into your apartment, guns blazing.”
He chuckled.
She tucked a strand of her fluttering hair behind her ear as the playful moment passed into a comfortable silence.
Their conversation on the train slipped into her thoughts, and how he had said he wasn’t willing to be real with her if she couldn’t answer any of his questions. She blamed the lingering warmth still humming throughout her veins in response to him. Undeniably so, the feeling had her considering spilling her truths.
“If I told you I have a complicated past…” Her pulse quickened and she rolled her lips. “What would you do?”
He remained still, quiet.
A long second passed.
She lifted her gaze, meeting his eyes, a pool of familiar glitter, as if he had waited for her to ask.
“I’d say you fit right in here in Hollow City.”
10
JAZZ DATE
Naia peered up at the ceiling, painted by the city’s light sneaking through the curtains hanging over the patio sliding glass door.
It had only been an hour since they’d come inside. She wasn’t sure if the amount of time was plenty for a mortal to fall asleep, but she assumed the sleep tonic had worked since Ronin was quiet on the couch.
Because a large bookshelf separated them, she couldn’t confirm if he was or not. Though a small portion of her—a portion delightfully unashamed to admit she did in fact care about him—hoped he was. The exhaustion he wore from their journey was palpable.
Naia turned over onto her side and her mind wandered back to the peaceful moment spent with Ronin on his balcony, a time she had no issue lowering her defenses and relaxing. The soft breeze, the gemstones dazzling in the night sky, and all in the presence of a man who sat quietly beside her. It was the type of silence she did not feel the need to fill, an enjoyment she hadn’t felt in a long time.
Perhaps she could stay a bit longer?—
