Page 37 of Realm of the Wicked

Smirking, Damien watched the cat run off.

I debated if it was worth running after my cat or not. Luna seemed to be as gentle as I’d been told, and Archie was fairly adept at finding his way back to me. Deciding it was a lost cause, I looked up at Damien. ‘What’s up?’

‘Can you turn down this… what do you even call this? I can’t hear myself think.’ He grimaced, waving toward the speaker.

‘Music. I thought you knew what it was.’ I smirked and turned the volume down, trying to ignore just how good he looked leaning in my doorway. Exhausted and utterly beat, absolutely. But still one of the most striking things I’d ever laid my eyes on.

Too bad he was such a jerk.

‘I’m glad you found your gift.’ He shook his head. ‘But this is… not music.’

‘Truth be told, I’m more of an Arctic Monkeys fan myself, but this is what was on the music player and beggars can’t be choosers.’

My gift. So Damien had purposefully given me a gift. I felt slightly bad about thinking he was a jerk. But only slightly.

Damien blinked. ‘Arctic… monkeys? Monkeys don’t live in the Arctic. At least they didn’t last time I checked.’

I rolled my eyes. ‘It’s a band. Thank you for the speaker, though.’

He nodded, although I didn’t miss the way his dark eyes lit up briefly. ‘I…’

I waited, but nothing followed.

Damien ran a hand through his hair. ‘Fuck. I don’t know why I’m so bad at this. I’m sorry. For being so hot and cold.’

‘It’s okay. I doubt you have to be nice to too many people.’ I pulled my knees up to my chest.

‘I don’t. But I want to be nice to you.’ He rested his head against the doorway, staring at me with so much intensity, I wanted to look away. ‘What you said last night got to me. I… I’d like to be your friend. If you’d let me. I probably won’t be very good at it, but I want to try.’

My friend.

I smiled up at him, the knot in my chest loosening the tiniest bit. ‘Luckily for you, perfection isn’t a requirement of friendship.’

‘Thank fuck for that.’ His lips quirked up into an almost smile, and I found myself wanting to kiss the corners of it. Would it make it spread? Would he kiss me back?

‘I still hate you, though. You know. Just for the principle. You did kidnap me, after all.’

‘Fair. Although it’s been a while. Can you be friends with someone if you hate them?’

I nodded, keeping my expression serious. ‘Of course. That’s the most esteemed kind of friendship there is. The frenemy. Where you hate each other, but act like you don’t.’

‘I don’t hate you, though.’ His voice was quiet and raw, and I finally had to look away.

We were quiet for a moment, and I couldn’t bring myself to look back at him, despite the fact I could feel his gaze on me, searing right through me.

Finally, Damien rapped his knuckles on the doorway. ‘Well, I have things to do so I’ll leave you to it. Enjoy your… music.’

I jumped to my feet. ‘Wait. I’ll come with you. I wanted to find Agatha anyway.’

‘Very well.’

As we passed the corner where the Nihil spoke to me, I gave a quick look in their direction.

‘They don’t tend to come out during the day,’ Damien said. ‘Neither do the Remnants.’

‘I wasn’t worried.’ Only kind of concerned.

Damien gave me a look over his shoulder that told me exactly how much he believed me. ‘Is that why you wanted to walk with me? So I could protect you from the Nihil?’