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Greid and I didn’t speak for a while as we left the park behind and got closer to the city, but it wasn’t awkward. Which, in itself, was probably a little strange. I’d now had a grand total of two conversations with Greid. I’d met him less than twenty-four hours ago. Maybe I was comfortable with him because he wasn’t human, and I’d been surrounded by odd or shitty humans my whole life.
Or maybe it was just him. He put me at ease, probably because he seemed like a bit of a dork, despite his imposing appearance—the looming height, the long, dark hair, the claws and tail and refined, sharp features. He came across as a little shy, and I was the opposite of shy. I’d had to be to convince everyone at the cult that I was just as enthralled with the demiurgus as they were.
I’d gone into this arrangement for what I could get out of it—a safe way out of the cult, a chance to experience the real world and do what I wanted without the threat of homelessness—but now that it was actually happening, I wanted to fulfil my end of the bargain too. I thought Greid and I could become pretty good friends. We already seemed to get on well enough.
Being in his presence felt easy. Maybe that was because I could truly be myself around him—I didn’t have to constantly remember to keep up appearances. I didn’t have to lie.
But I was pretty sure it was also just him. He seemed like a weird blend of high-strung and laidback that amused me but also put me at ease. And he was a terrible liar, which made me feel safe with him—like we would both just be completely honest with each other. Because why wouldn’t we be? We were technically just two strangers who were going to be living together. We had no reason to hide bits of ourselves. Aside from Violet, he actually already knew more about me than any other person in the world.
What a strange thought. I glanced over at him as he drove, one hand wrapped lightly around the base of the steering wheel and the other fiddling with a loose thread on his sweater. He looked over and gave me a slightly nervous smile, the tips of his sharp teeth just visible. It softened me to him even more.
“Thank you for doing this, Greid,” I said. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am to be given this chance to actually, you know, live a normal life.”
“Oh. Um, it’s okay.” He coughed and gave an awkward shrug. “Well, hopefully it works out for you.”
“And you.” I couldn’t help but reach over and poke him in the arm. “I’m gonna be the best buddy you ever had. I’m gonna be glued to your side, pal. You’ll be wanting to send me back in a week.”
He huffed a little laugh, yellow eyes darting over to me before returning to the road. “You don’t actually have to do that. We can just…” He shrugged again shyly. “Hang out sometimes.”
“We will,” I declared, looking out the window as the city loomed closer, high-rise buildings gleaming black and silver in the sun. Some were human-made—uniform, with straight edges and neat windows—while others had been built by the demiurgus, their lines more fluid and organic. Like gigantic termite nests made from volcanic rock.
“What’s your house like?” I asked, looking back at Greid.
He hunched over a little further, ears fluttering. “Uh, maybe you should just wait and see.” Glancing over at me, he rushed to add, “It’s not dirty, it’s… I just have a lot of stuff.”
I grinned, thinking of my fairly spartan room at the compound. A big space with very little in it—just a wardrobe, bed, vanity, chest of drawers and a single armchair. No decorations or ornaments. No interesting pieces of furniture. Just blocks of blond wood.
“I don’t mind stuff,” I told Greid. “I bet you have a lot of interesting stuff.”
“That reminds me, where’s the rest of your stuff?” Greid jerked his chin toward the back of the car. “Did you want to come back for it another day?”
I chuckled. “Nope, that’s it. It all fit in two suitcases.”
He shot me an alarmed look. “Really?”
“Yep.”
After a moment of silence, he huffed and gripped the steering wheel tighter. “We can”—a slight shudder wracked his lanky frame—“go shopping if you want. Or you could look online and order some stuff.”
“I will.” I smiled at him. “When I have a job.”
I could tell he wanted to protest, but when he glanced over at me and ultimately stayed quiet, I knew he could sense how important it was to me. To become truly independent. To no longer take the easy route.
I already suspected that Greid would give me whatever I wanted if I asked, but I didn’t want to use him for that. I’d already be living in his home and eating his food. Maybe I could find other ways to pay him back before I got a job. I could learn to cook, or I could… I don’t know, be his jewellery-making assistant. Although something told me he was very particular about his work and would be horrified to have me pawing at it with my clumsy human hands.
I furtively glanced at his hands as he drove. They were nice hands. Masculine and elegant, his fingers much longer than a human’s, and with delicate veins winding under his black skin. His little claws were cute.
When his hand slid off the steering wheel to rest casually in his lap, I quickly looked away, my mind immediately conjuring memories of him telling me that the people at the cult had very, very wrong ideas about demiurgus anatomy.
He hadn’t explained, and it wasn’t like it would even matter, but… he was wearing grey sweats. I couldn’t risk looking in that general area for too long unless I wanted to learn more about him than he was willing to offer. Instead, I looked back out the window as the city drew closer and closer. The car was warm, but a faint breeze snuck in through Greid’s open window. It pushed his oddly comforting and slightly sweet scent toward me, and I found myself relaxing into my seat.
When I glanced back through the rear window, The Order’s hill was far, far behind us.
I smiled.
Chapter Ten
Beryl
