“Who shot you?”
Her expression immediately shifted. The warmth faded from her face as she turned away from me, her arms wrapping around herself while she exhaled heavily through her nose.
“I don’t know.”
Bare feet padded softly across the tile while she paced a few restless steps, then turned back toward me again, frustration written all over her face.
“The last thing I remember is me packing up my stuff at the shop. I was planning on—” She paused, biting her lip as her eyes flicked up to mine. Leaning back against the counter, I made a show of settling in and waited for her.
She huffed, putting her hands on her hips. “Look, don’t get too pissed off at me, okay? I really don't want to start off on a bad foot with my maker.”
My eyes went up, and I took a moment to think about it before I said, “Fine. I won't get mad at you.”
Her eyes narrowed on me, and when I cocked my brow at her, she shook her head and continued.
“I was packing up because I was going to leave.”
My brows furrowed. “Like the shop?”
“No.” She shoved her hands into her hair, looking away from me as she said, “Leaving the city.”
I straightened so fast the counter dug into my spine. Something dark and territorial surged through me before I could stop it, and I distantly realized that I was towering over her.Leaving? Without telling me? Without letting me find her again?
Something on my face must’ve spooked her because she snapped, “You promised not to get mad!”
My nostrils flared, but I forced myself to lean back against the counter again instead of grabbing her, ensuring she stayed right where I could see her.
“Why?” The word came out tighter than intended. “Why were you leaving?”
She exploded after that, her hands flying everywhere while words poured out in a furious mess.
“Oh, I don’t know, Cal!” she barked sarcastically. She dramatically spun away, then whirled back toward me again, her eyes alight with fire. “Maybe because I had a psychotic fairy breathing down my neck twenty-four-seven, threatening everyone I care about unless I worked on his stupid car for free!”
My jaw clenched hard at the description of Manshu, but she steamrolled right over my reaction.
“And on top ofthat,” she continued, stabbing a finger toward my chest, “I slept with a vampire who conveniently forgot to mention he was Calix fucking Winstale!”
I opened my mouth, then closed it again, because she wasn’t wrong.
“He let methinkhe was just some normal vampire guy!”
Normal vampire guy. The phrase would’ve made me laugh if I wasn't already in such a crappy mood. Instead, I crossed my arms and watched her pace.
“It just…” Her voice cracked, but it was softer this time. The fight leaked out of her all at once as her shoulders slumped, hands dropping uselessly to her sides.
“It just felt like everything was spinning out of control.”
The anger entirely disappeared from her face then, leaving behind something exhausted and raw enough to make my chest ache.
Her voice came quieter after that. Smaller.
“And I thought…” She swallowed hard. “Maybe it’d be better for everyone if I just… disappeared.”
Something inside me snapped viciously at those words. Before I even realized it, I moved, standing directly in front of her again.
“No.”
The word came out sharp enough to make her blink.
