I was just standing on the ledge of a building, and that’s what he’s proud of?
The air around us felt charged, and I couldn’t blame it all on lingering adrenaline. Reaching out his hand, he pulled a wet strand of hair away from my cheek. His thumb grazed my jawline, setting off a warm feeling inside my chest.
“Nice job, Graves,” he said, his voice a low rumble. “Let’s get back to the dorm and dry off. Enough cat burgling for tonight.”
Chapter 9
Itossed Caden a fluffy blue towel. He caught it in one hand and used it to dry his hair. His leather jacket was spotted with rain, white T-shirt damp against his chest. We were both soaked after walking back to the dorms in the downpour. Even the fleece pullover I’d been happy with earlier stuck to my skin like a wet blanket.
After emptying my pocket of my phone, I used another towel to ring the water from my hair. I was still reeling from our break-in and subsequent high-wire act on the ledge of the building. If you would have asked me last week if I’d be forty feet in the air hiding from a demon, I would have laughed in your face.
“I can’t believe we just did that,” I said, kicking off my boots and removing the blade strapped to my ankle. Shoving my feet into my fuzzy cat slippers, I tossed the blade onto my nightstand. The purple stone glittered beneath the bedside lamp. “We could have died before I even got to use that damn thing.”
Caden frowned at my observation and took off his jacket. He hung it on the back of my desk chair and removed the cell phone charger we’d purchased at the store, placing it next to Professor Roberts’ cell phone.
“Be glad you didn’t have to. You’ve been a demon-hunter for a total of three days, most of which you’ve spent holed up in this dorm room eating cups of noodles and binge-watching Netflix.”
I slung my arms over my chest. “Hey, that’s not fair. You guys sprung a monumental life change on me. I was reflecting. Noodles are comfort food, and TV relaxes me. It’s called self-care—look it up. Besides, how many demons have you killed?”
“Plenty.”
“Sure, plenty. Convenient how I can’t check your file to confirm that. I guess I’ll just have to take your word for it.”
His frown deepened into a full-on scowl. I’d struck a nerve. Maybe I hadn’t killed a demon, but I’d killed his mood.So where’s my hunter’s trophy?
It was probably for the best. We were sharing a tiny room. He had the nerve to look hot soaking wet, and I still had the smoldering look in his eyes burned into my mind from earlier. Talk about a slippery ledge I had no business standing on. Throw in a mysterious past and fleeting instances of overprotectiveness and I was starring in my own YA fantasy novel.
He grabbed his duffel bag and strode toward the door. A sliver of my ego panicked, but I kept pushing.
“Leaving already? Decide to sleep with the rats after all? What happened to, ‘Strong teams are formed from strong bonds’?”
Caden slowed his steps and angled his head over his shoulder. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Graves? It’s been a long day. I’m going to take a shower. Looking forward to those witchy pajamas when I get back.” He winked and moved through the door, dodging the towel I flung his way.
“Can you believe that guy?” I grumbled to Loki, who’d curled up on the bed, watching us with interest.
Loki huffed out a snort that sounded like he was on my side then dropped his head onto his paws.
I sat next to him, wishing I could ruffle the fur behind his ears. “You did well tonight. You’re the best lookout on our team.”
Loki tilted his nose up into the air, preening from the praise.
“I wish we could have gotten a look at who was in Professor Roberts’ office. But at least we know what they were after.”
Reaching for my phone, I searched for the address that was on the card from Caden’s photo. The search results showed it was the Thornbridge Historical Society. Not too surprising for a history professor to have a connection to the historical society, but whatever that connection was had to be linked to her murder.
I stifled a yawn and padded over to my closet. Selecting a tank top and a pair of cotton shorts, I changed quickly then ran a brush through my still-damp hair. Tapping a fuzzy slipper into the floor, I sighed in resignation and unearthed the extra blanket buried inside my closet. I didn’t have an extra pillow. He’d have to use a rolled-up towel or something.
Next, I cleared a space for him on the floor. It wasn’t the most comfortable setup, but it would have to do. Though, compared to one of the decrepit rooms in the manor, my floor was the Four Seasons—minus the mints on the pillow.
Now, all that was left was to wait awkwardly for him to get back from his shower. This wasn’t uncomfortable at all.Should I read or pretend to do something cool, like sharpen my demon blade? Are you even supposed to sharpen it? I’d better not ask.
Grabbing Professor Roberts’ cell phone, I plugged it into the charger and climbed into bed. After a few minutes of charging, I was able to power it on. The device came to life with a little chime and a request for an alphanumeric password.Shoot. What would she have used? It was impossible to guess, but I tried anyway.
“Do we know her date of birth?” I asked Loki, drumming my fingers on the keyboard. We did! I retrieved her police file and scanned the report.June 25, 1963.I tried the date a few ways. None of them worked. The password wasn’t her birthday. She didn’t have any pets I knew of and wasn’t married, so no wedding anniversary. With no other clues, the possibilities were endless. It could be HistoryIsDaBest22! for all I knew. It wasn’t—I’d tried it—but guessing passwords was a waste of time. What we needed was a hacker. Someone on our team who could crack the code.
Oscar was out; cell phones didn’t even exist when he was alive. Loki didn’t have opposable thumbs. Which left Caden. Maybe he was the computer whiz on his old team, though I highly doubted it. He didn’t give off a tech vibe. He was more of a daredevil who broke into offices and jumped out of windows.
The door cracked open with Caden’s return. He had a towel wrapped around his neck, and he was wearing a sleeveless top and a pair of low-slung joggers. Holy smokes, had he walked through the halls like that? No wonder my RA agreed to let him stay. She’d probably petition the dorm to make him a permanent resident. He’d get my room, and I’d be the one moving into the manor with the rats.
