He backed up, engine snarling. “And what do you think you’ll accomplish by leaving? Other than getting yourself killed.”
“I guess I’ll deal with it when the time comes.” Despite the cheeky tone she managed to muster, she found her footsteps slowing. Bits of gravel clacked against her sneakers.
Darien accelerated backward, snaking the vehicle around to block her path.
“You know as soon as you walk out those gates, the people who are tracking you will see where you are,” he said. “And you’ll not only be endangering yourself, but you’ll also revealmylocation. Everyone will know I’m helping you.”
Loren tossed her hair over a shoulder and edged around the car. But before she could make it beyond the barrier, she stopped, wondering how big an idiot she would be if she actually left.
Where he sat in the vehicle watching her, Darien said, “Get in the car, Loren. I think I know where we can begin our search.”
Loren stood there for a long time as she deliberated. The clouds began spitting rain, the cooler temperature slicing through the muggy heat.
Whatwasshe doing? She wanted to help her friend more than she wanted to breathe, but she couldn’t do it without this bounty hunter. The city was simply too big, and without that Sight of his, there was no way she could rescue Sabrine. Maybe he was right: maybe their best chance at finding her lay in figuring out why that blond Darkslayer and the warlock had wanted Loren to begin with.
Loren breathed in deeply, the heady fragrance of jasmine and rain filling her lungs. And then she spun on a heel, marched up to the backdoor, and swung it open. She tossed in her suitcase and purse, slammed the door shut, and then got into the passenger’s side. The rain picked up as she closed her door; it drummed a steady rhythm on the roof and dripped in through the driver’s window.
Darien was glaring at her overtop his sunglasses, elbow braced on that open window, the sleeve of his black leather jacket sparkling with rain.
“What’s your problem?” she bit out.
Dark brows lowered over eyes that were grayer today than they were blue. “Don’t do that again,” he warned. The Devil flicked open the centre console and rummaged noisily through the mess inside. Metal lighters, matches, mint tins, brass knuckles, knives, boxes of cigarettes, and sealable plastic bags of Stygian salts, the latter of which he threw around as if they had the same value as potato chips.
Loren gave a low whistle. “The only thing you seem to be missing is condoms.” The jest had floated from her lips before she could stop it—before she remembered who she was speaking to. She was so used to joking around with Dallas and Sab—the only two friends she’d ever had—that speaking Darien was an entirely new thing for her. In fact, speaking tomenwas pretty new to her in general, especially one like Darien. The guys at her school tended to fall more under the category of boys than they did men.
“They’re in the glovebox,” he said with a poker-face. Irritation glinted in his eyes as they flicked up to meet hers for a millisecond.
Loren couldn’t tell if he was joking. Regardless, her cheeks reddened. Once again, she should’ve kept her wise mouth shut.
Finally, he produced a gold chain. Attached to it was a small pendant covered in ancient runes, a closed eye in its centre. “Put this on,” he said.
Loren crossed her arms. “Umm, thanks but no thanks.” Darien looked like he wanted to throttle her, so she added, “Not until you explain to me what it is.”
He shoved his sunglasses onto his head, the motion pushing the few locks of his undercut that had fallen astray back flat. “It’s an Avertera talisman. It’s one of the only known artefacts that can block the Sight. It’ll hide your location and the trails of your aura from Darkslayers for as long as you’re wearing it, or until the magic runs out.”
Which meant it would stop any new slayers from discovering where she lived, where she worked, what school she attended. It made her feel a tiny bit better about this mess, though not entirely, for if the Darkslayers who were tracking her yesterday had managed to tell anyone else that she worked at Mordred and Penelope’s Mortar and Pestle… Well, she didn’t let herself think about that. If she did, she just might have a heart attack.
“And how will I know when the magic runs out?” she asked.
“Easy: the talisman will disappear.” He offered it to her, and after another moment of deliberation, she closed her fingers around the chain. But he wouldn’t let go, and his gaze bore into hers as he said firmly, “These are not only rare but they’re also expensive, so don’t take it off and don’t lose it.” Only after she’d nodded did he release his hold on it.
Loren undid the delicate clasp and hooked it around her neck, feeling queasy as the magic shivered over her skin. It felt like putting on an invisible coat.
She crossed her arms and stared straight ahead, out the rain-streaked windshield, refusing to say thank you just yet. With reluctance, she mumbled, “How expensive isexpensive?”
He shifted into reverse and spun the car around to face the gate. “Three hundred thousand.”
She whipped her head around to face him so quickly, she swore she gave herself whiplash.“Goldmynet?” she bit out. Darien wouldn’t look at her. “I hope you don’t expect me to pay you back, because you’ll be waiting a really long freaking time if you do.” Correction: she would be in the grave long before he ever saw so much as half of that money.
“Don’t worry about it,” he muttered. He flicked on the windshield wipers and sped through the gate.
He became quiet after that, concentrating on nothing but the road before him. Loren began to feel like an idiot as she realized Darien had left that morning to go and get this talisman. And she’d planned on ditching him, entirely unaware that he was off forking out three hundred thousand gold mynet solely for her benefit.
Loren cleared her throat. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “You didn’t need to do that.”
“No, I didn’t,” he said, his voice cold and clipped. She didn’t blame him for this, especially after how rudely she’d just treated him. Shame colored her cheeks.
“May I ask where we’re going?”
