Page 45 of Find My Way Down to You

“Who says I am?” I ask, defiant.

Cary flicks one thick eyebrow up at the hospital. A quick, silent, challenging motion.

“My dad works here,” I spit.

Again, he taunts me with quietness. His head cocks as if he’s not convinced. Or I’m not giving him the answers he wants.

But I’m not telling him what I really want. Not yet, at least.

After a beat, Cary starts to turn away. “I do not have time for this.”

I move with him, keeping us face-to-face. “How do you get here from…there?”

A knot forms between his brows. “There?”

“You know.” I point downward.

“Do I?”

I groan. “Why are you so difficult?”

“Me?” He looks incredulous. “You are the one who refuses to answer my question.”

“I already did,” I sigh. “My dad works at the hospital. I was visiting him.”

“You never come here.”

That makes me pause, my mouth slanting. “How would you know?”

Something crosses his face. A little flash behind his eyes. “What do you want of me, August?”

Even in his exasperated voice, my name comes out differently. Beautifully, like a C major 7th chord. For a second, it unnerves me, but his hard eyes bring me back to my goal.

“I want to go back to Aides,” I admit.

“No,” he says coolly. Firmly.

“Why not?”

“It is no place for mortals.” His eyes run up me. I shiver. “Especially for one like you.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning”—he steps left—“I am leaving.”

“Take me with you,” I all but demand.

Frustration pulls at the angles of his face. “I will not.”

“Fine.” I cross my arms and his eyes briefly dip to my biceps. Heat skitters across my skin. I fight it off. “Then I’ll follow you.”

I doubt that it’s possible. He’s fast, godlike. Already, I’m struggling to keep up with the way he sidesteps me. But he’s the only one who can get me to London. Desperation feeds my determination.

“Where you go, I will go,” I say, smiling. “I’ll be like your shadow. You’ll never get rid of me.”

“I am sure”—he lets out a long exhale—“I am not the first who has tried.”

I ignore the urge to punch him. “I want to go back.”