"The guy that's been waiting for you all my life. True love isn't my jam.” Even saying the words “true love” feels so sappy and icky. “We aren't going to live happily ever after and ride off into the sunset on unicorns. I'm not trying to break your big dog heart, so it's best to go our separate ways now."
Silence stretches between us, and I squint into the darkness, trying to gauge his reaction. His silhouette remains still, and I start wondering if that’s even him or just a very short tree. I could be alone in the blackness, waiting for a reply.
"Maybe," he finally acknowledges.
"Good, I'm glad." And totally not disappointed.
"Except for the part where splitting up means releasing a murder suspect into the night and going about my business. You're freebecause of me,"he reminds me. “You’re my responsibility."
I glare in the direction of his voice. "Told you, I'm innocent."
"Great. Then where's the proof?"
"If I had proof, I wouldn't be charged with a crime I didn't commit. I wouldn't be on the run."
"Then you're stuck with me," he says. "We're stuck with each other until we get this sorted out."
Dammit. Stupid stubborn wolf. Should I try ditching him?
Wynn's eyes suddenly glow, lighting up the darkness around us. I raise a hand against the sudden brightness, and when I adjust to it, the visibility he provides doesn't tell me much. Trees rise up around us, blocking out the moon and sky overhead. No idea where the hell we are. There's no point getting away from him right this second. I'd be totally lost and only waste more time.
"You said nobody believed you, so you didn't even bother telling the truth when we caught you." He sounds so serious for a guy with two headlights on his face. "So couldn't you use all the help you can get? Three heads are better than two."
"You're not going to budge on this, are you?" I ask warily.
"Nope."
"Fine, whatever." I don’t try to hide my irritation. "Not like you're giving us much choice."
"Great! Glad that's settled. Should we get going again?"
Staying together seems like the worst option, especially for Wynn. He's already taken a huge risk by helping a wanted fugitive like me. And now he knows the truth, that there's nothing in this for him. True mates or not, we're going our separate ways eventually. So why should he stick around, just because his pesky conscience demands it?
See, I knew morals were terrible things. Good thing I don't have them.
I hope my frustration with his insistence to team up hides that he's found one of my weaknesses. Even badass demons such as myself have a soft spot or two.
Three heads are better than two.Stupid wily werewolf, just casually including Iggy like that. How could I possibly argue?
And speaking of the gargoyle.
"Hold on a second," I say. "Guess it's time for introductions."
Wynn must realize what I mean because he doesn’t even complain about wasting time. He turns his glowing eyes to the gargoyle floating nervously above my shoulder. Iggy makes an involuntary “eep” noise and darts behind me, trying to hide. Except in my transparent state, Iggy’s still clearly visible, curled up into a ball with his wings flapping above him to keep him aloft.
“Wynn, this is my buddy, Iggy. Iggy, this is Wynn.” I leave 'the werewolf stuck babysitting us' off the end and make the introductions like everything's perfectly normal.
“Uh, hi. Nice to meet you,” Wynn replies, speaking to the tiny figure huddled behind me. “Iggy’s an interesting name for a gargoyle.”
“Short for Igneous,” I offer. “The type of rock he’s made of.”
The gargoyle mumbles something as he cautiously uncurls himself and peeks at Wynn. Ig's a little wrecking ball when he's excited, but we've spent so much time in the human world with him needing to hide, so he's timid whenever someone actually sees him.
“Come on, don’t be shy,” I coax gently.
Iggy drifts around me, hovering in the air in front of Wynn. He pipes up with a little bow and a surprisingly formal, “Thank you for your assistance.”
“No problem.”
