“Footwear decoy. It was a tactical maneuver. All the hunters worth their blades are doing it.”
“Ah, so that’s why your shoes were tossed around the alley.”
“I used the left one for bait. A brilliant idea, if you ask me. It almost worked too. The demon fell for it. He didn’t even know I was hiding until . . .” I pressed my lips together and feigned interest in a piece of lint on the pillow.
Caden’s eyes narrowed. “You forgot to cloak your magic, didn’t you?”
“A little.” I rolled onto my back, punching the pillow beneath my head. There I went, ruining the moment with my absent-minded admission. “Go ahead and say it. I already promised the supernatural gods I’d listen to your lecture if I made it out alive. Well, it’s your lucky day. I’m not dead.”
I turned to catch his reaction and saw the hint of a smile ghost over his lips. Why shouldn’t it? Ordering me around was his favorite thing, and I’d handed him a prepaid reprimand on a platter.
“Come here, Graves.”
I heaved a sigh and scooted closer, shifting until we were facing each other again. Caden reached out and pushed the hair off my neck then smoothed his hand down my shoulder. The warmth of his touch sent a little tingle down my back. This wasn’t like any scolding I’d had before.
He waited until I met his gaze and then said softly, “Don’t be disappointed, but I’m not going to yell at you or tell you, ‘I told you so.’” His fingers skimmed across my arm. “I have something better in mind.”
My thoughts scattered as he found a sensitive spot on my elbow and massaged it with the pads of this thumb. “You’re going to withhold my morning coffee, aren’t you? The punishment doesn’t fit the crime.”
He furrowed his brow in mock horror. “I’m not evil, Graves. But I am going to start your combat training tomorrow. And you’re going to show up, again and again, until I never have to worry about you being alone.”
I poked him in the chest. “Ah, it’s time for my training montage.”
“Your training montage?”
“Yeah, like in the movies. I mean, I’d prefer a shopping montage, but it’s not as applicable.”
A laugh burst from his throat, and he dragged me against him, draping his arm across my middle. His shoulder pillowed my head, and I relaxed into his warmth, getting drowsier by the second.
“Fine—call it a training montage if you like,” he murmured close to my ear. “But I won’t go easy on you just because I . . .” His voice faded into silence.
“Because you like me? Find me irresistible?” I teased, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn.
“You’re impossible. Go to sleep, Graves.” He waved his fingers, turning out the light and the television.
Sleep didn’t take long. I was exhausted from the fight and running on empty. My muscles ached, and I was scared of the bruises I’d find in the morning, but for the moment I was content, happily wrapped up in Caden’s arms.
As my breathing evened and my eyes drifted shut, I almost missed Caden’s soft whisper.
“I do like you, Elle. A lot. More than I should.”
Chapter 16
“This is our training arena?” I stepped through the thick brush and into a small clearing at the back of the manor. Dropping my bag at my feet, I surveyed the landscape. Half the ground was littered with weeds and uneven dirt mounds; the rest was covered with overgrown grass and a thick layer of brittle leaves. There were broken beer bottles, a few old tires, and a sagging barbed wire fence that looked straight out of a horror movie starring possessed scarecrows.
Caden kicked an empty soda can and shrugged. “It’s a bit rustic, but it’ll work.”
“Rustic? No—rustic assumes some level of charm. This is straight-up abandoned rural gas station.”
“Well, we can’t practice fighting demons at the university gym with all the fresh-faced students wearing yoga pants and carrying around pressed juice, so this will have to do.”
I tightened my ponytail and rolled my shoulders. “Fine. You don’t need to be sarcastic about it. And there’s nothing wrong with my yoga pants.”
“They’re hot pink, Graves.”
“It’s hunting season, Caden. We’re in the middle of the woods, and I don’t own an orange vest.”
He snorted a laugh and glanced down at his black T-shirt, dark green cargo pants, and brown work boots. “I guess I’d better stick close to you then.”
