Page 30 of The Bonds of Indigo

Like she knew I was coming for her.

She scrambles to her feet just as I do. Her wrists are raw, bruised, red, and bleeding. Guess she squeezed out of the cuffs. Had I really been in the shower that damn long?

“Why?!”

I suck a sharp breath through my nose and tilt my head. “I don’t trust you not to… do something stupid. Like try to kill me.”

Her mouth drops open, shock flashing across her face. “Are you kidding me?! You did that on some presumption that I’d—oh my Gods!”

“Do you really blame me?”

“Yes!”

She grabs the nearest thing, which so happened to be the TV remote, and throws it at my face. I dodge easily, letting it smack against the hotel door behind me with a loud thump.

“Fucking Vampires.”

“Where’d you get the knife anyway? I didn’t order room service…” I muse.

“I’ve done nothing to warrant your mistrust!”

“You did seven years ago.”

That stops her cold. The color drains from her face, and the faint darkness under her eyes seems to deepen.

“Oh yeah,” I add, voice low. “Did you forget you’re a fucking child murderer, slayer?”

Her voice comes out small. “It’s been… seven years?”

That makes me pause. She doesn’t know?

When she shakes her head and looks down, something in my chest twists—not sympathy, I refuse to feel that for her. It’s just curiosity.

“Yeah,” I say finally. “Seven years since you killed hundreds. Including children.”

Her eyes lift, and I brace for the denial, the excuses, the tears.

Instead, she says quietly, “I remember. Just surprised it’s only been that long. Feels like longer.”

She wraps her arms around her waist and turns away. That’s when I notice how thin she really is—the prison gown hanging off her like it’s swallowing her whole. Malnourished, fragile-looking… But considering she took me off my feet, she’s not as weak as she looks.

“You need to shower,” I say flatly. “I can’t have you smelling like shit. It’ll bug me.”

“Fucking asshole.”

“Wow, that’s bold of you.” I let the words hang. “I could snap your neck without a thought. I’ve honestly contemplated it, given what you did. But lucky for you, I need you.”

She gives an unamused groan and a dry laugh. “Right… Whatever.”

“It’s not whatever. It is what it is.”

“Okay, grandpa.” She rolls her eyes. “I’ll get cleaned up. Do you have any spare clothes?”

“We’re leaving tomorrow to put some distance between us and your cell. We can grab you something then. In the meantime, you’ll borrow a shirt.” I move through the room, careful not to touch her, and unzip my duffel.

“Why tomorrow? Can’t we just leave after I’ve cleaned up?”

“Don’t you want some sleep?”