I would be dead right now if the man currently collecting my shoes while I had a mini-panic attack hadn’t saved my life. And what about next time? Because there would be a next time. If Ivy and an elite team of demon-hunters didn’t make it out alive, what chance did I have?
Yes, I was spiraling, but could you blame me?
“Got them. Let’s go.”
Caden let me use his shoulder while I slipped on my shoes, and then he held out his hand. I forced myself to follow him out of the alley without looking back.
Inside his car, he turned up the heat, blasting the vent in my direction. When I didn’t move, he reached across the seat to buckle my seat belt. Numbness had settled in, and Caden understood. Maybe he was the only one who could. He tuned the radio to a soft rock station and smoothly merged the car into traffic, but the music sounded too familiar to the strange ballad filtering through the speakers in Jake’s van. I shivered uncontrollably and reached forward to change the station. A blast of eighties pop music filled the car. I settled back in my seat and closed my eyes to the catchy song.
Neither of us spoke on the ride back to my dorm. When he unlocked my door, he helped me gather my plastic tote of toiletries, my shower shoes, and a fresh change of clothes, then led me down the hall.
“I’ll wait right outside. Take as long as you need,” he murmured, handing me a towel outside the shower stalls.
The hot water soothed my aching muscles and made my cuts and bruises sting. I twisted the faucet higher, ratcheting up the heat until I couldn’t take any more. Steam fogged the stall, and I rested my forehead against the tile, taking shallow breaths so Caden wouldn’t hear me cry.
A half hour later, I was a wrinkled prune in a comfy set of pajamas. Caden flicked on the small TV sitting near my desk and fed Loki another one of his magical treats. I watched as he dug around in my closet and retrieved the extra blanket. He draped it across the floor and kicked off his shoes.
“You’re staying?” I asked, feeling my throat tighten at the protective gesture. I thought I was all cried out, but the prick of tears stung my eyes. Mortified, I swiped a hand across them.
Ugh, I was such a mess! A single demon attack, and I couldn’t stop blubbering.
“Yeah, and before you list all your excuses, I get it. It’s against the rules. There’s only one bed. I don’t care. I’m still not leaving you alone.”
The room filled with silence. I inhaled a deep breath and glanced at the bed.
“We could share.” I felt my face color the second the words left my mouth. It took everything I had to hold his gaze, and even more when he moved toward me.
“Are you sure?”
I nodded.
Was that relief in his eyes? It was relief in mine when his hand grazed my hip and our bodies inched closer. I didn’t realize how much I needed to be close to someone—him—after what happened tonight. The attack was the ground shifting beneath my feet, and Caden was the aftermath of the earthquake. The shelter. The stability that promised, even if the ground shook again, I wasn’t alone.
We walked backward until my legs hit the bed. I crawled onto the mattress and slid to the side against the wall, taking comfort in the solid structure. There was nothing quite like a wall to watch your back, and with Caden between me and the door, I felt safe.
Caden climbed in after me, dipping the mattress with his broader frame. Still inches apart, we faced each other as we did on the first night, except this time I could see his features clearly in the low light. There was tension around his eyes, and he watched me with a look of concern, probably wondering if I planned to crack under the pressure.
I liked to think I was made of stronger stuff. Sure, I might fail in the moment, and maybe I wasn’t as gifted as Ivy, but if I kept trying and learning I might just prove everyone wrong.
“Thank you,” I whispered, afraid I might break our cozy spell with the sound of my voice.
“For what?”
“For letting me touch the radio in your car.”
He laughed, and his hand inched across the narrow channel between us. My hand followed of its own volition, fingertips brushing tentatively against his.
His gaze warmed, the concern melting into something more inviting. “That’s all I had to do to win your appreciation? Wow, I went way too far by killing a demon and paying for dinner.”
My first real smile, post-demon attack, spread across my lips. “Overachiever. But thank you for those things too.”
“Anytime.”
His fingers tangled with mine. We were closer now, the space between us almost non-existent.
“I originally had a plan, you know, and for about five seconds I had the demon subdued by magic.”
“What was your plan, Graves?” Caden asked, humoring me.
