“So…” I started carefully, “which do you like better? Your bike or your car?”
Silence.
“I mean—” I rushed out awkwardly, regretting my decision to talk, “they’re both incredible pieces of machinery, so obviously it’s hard to choo?—”
I finally looked fully at him and nearly jumped out of my skin. Rack wasn’t even touching the steering wheel. Both hands rested in his lap while the car turned smoothly on its own.
“What the hell?!”
He blinked at me, then down at the wheel, then back at me like he’d forgotten normal people couldn’t casually magic-drive.
“Why are you asking?” he asked instead.
“I—”
The old instinct hit instantly.Backtrack. Don’t pry. Don’t annoy the powerful supe. Halfway through shrinking into myself, I remembered I wasn’t human anymore.
The realization stiffened my spine, and I fully turned toward him this time.
“I was trying to get to know you,” I shot back. “You know, like we talked about?”
His brows lifted slightly, my fingers tightening on my thighs.
“But never mind. I guess I shouldn’t bo?—”
His hand slid over mine before I could pull away. Warm. Steady… and annoyingly strong when I tried to yank free.
“I like the bike more,” he admitted softly. He was acting like everything was normal, so I stopped fighting him. “The car’s just better for today.”
His mouth tilted slightly at one corner. “Maybe I’ll take you for a bike ride sometime.”
The thought sent a strange little flutter through my stomach, and his fingers loosened, slipping between mine more carefully this time.
“I’m not really used to this,” he admitted after a second.
“To what?”
“Someone wanting to knowme.”
The honesty in his voice made me look over.
“Most people,” he explained quietly, “only want to talk to me to gain information or access to Calix or the Syndicate.”
I hung on his every word, fascinated by this glimpse inside him.
“It’s my job to protect them,” he said, his gaze fixed ahead now. “So I usually assume people are after something when they try to get to know me.”
My shoulders slowly relaxed. That… actually made sense. Lark, being stunningly gorgeous, dealt with the same thing when we went out on the weekend. People always wanted something from her, and eventually I became the unofficial bouncer keeping creeps and the users away. I couldn’t imagine living like thatevery single day with every single conversation. That had to be tiring.
“Ask me anything,” Rack said suddenly. He finally put one hand back on the wheel, though the car probably didn’t need it. “I’ll answer honestly.”
Something inside me eased after that, so I started small.
Favorite color. Favorite food. Favorite music. Every answer came out easier, and I got a little more of him.
Sometimes, he answered immediately, but other times, he’d pause thoughtfully, brows pinching together while he debated between options seriously enough to make me laugh.
Somewhere between favorite movies and whether he preferred storms or sunny weather, I realized something quietly unsettling… I liked learning about him.
