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I land on a marble sidewalk outside the destination I’ve had in mind, and I give Ro’s shoulder a tap to let her know she can let go.
Unlinking her ankles, she puts her feet on the ground, but she stays close.
“This is the City Hall.” I turn toward the structure with a long veranda lined by six tall columns holding up a balcony on the third floor. “It has the most rooms out of any other building in Sterling, which gives us an advantage. We can take refuge here until the lycans come for us.”
“Until they come for us?” Ro emphasizes. “How do you know they will? We didn’t leave a trail on the ground.”
I sigh because she’s not going to like my plan. “Lycans are extremely good trackers, and once they become fixated on a target, they get obsessed. They can pick up scents from miles away. They will hunt us down. It’s a certainty.”
Ro’s gawking so dramatically that it’s almost comical. “And then what?”
“I’ll be ready for them,” I reply, avoiding specifics on purpose. “Let’s get inside before it’s too late.”
Ro
As we walk up the stairs to the City Hall, I get a whiff of Kai’s cinnamon scent. It’s coming from him, but I smell it on myself, too. We’ve had a lot of physical contact, and it’s rubbed off on me.
I like that a lot. Too much.
I have to stop swooning over Kai.
I’m not this person. This pathetic love-struck fool.
It was ridiculous to think we could be together in the first place. Because what would we do? Date?
That’s not the fae way. It’s all or nothing with these people. You’re either casually fucking or in a serious, life-long relationship. There’s no in-between.
If it’s the latter, commitment isn’t taken lightly because binding yourself to someone for up to thirty thousand years is a big decision.
Of course Kai doesn’t want to be tied down. If he did, he could’ve found someone. Instead, he offered up his solitary servitude to Kirian, and I’m not delusional enough to think I’m so awesome that I’d be able to persuade him to leave his career.
And he can’t have both. Warriors don’t take wives for a reason—they’re gone too often, and they’re in constant danger. It’s not fair to a spouse.
The only time they don’t have a choice is if they find their fated mate. In that case, they have to leave the military because if they get killed in action, their fated mate will suffer a slow and painful death.
As mystical and magical as that is, I don’t think I’d want to be in that scenario. Because that’s a shitty obligation.
Be with me or else you die.
No, thanks.
A lot of people think being soul mates is incredibly romantic, but if I ever end up with someone, I want that person to be with me because it’s what they want more than anything, not because fate forces them to.
With a grunt, Kai yanks at the double doors of the City Hall. The metal groans, jammed up from all the grimy debris that’s filled the cracks, but it dislodges on his second try.
Dust rains down and billows out from the darkness of our temporary shelter.
Swatting at the air, Kai gives it a couple seconds to clear.
As I’m waiting, I look at the town square behind us, expecting to see the monsters stalking us.
No sign of the lycans yet.
In the middle of a roundabout road, there’s a huge dry fountain, some gazebos, and several statues. Four different streets lead to the circle, and each building lining them has its own unique architectural style. Cookie cutter houses don’t exist here.
Putting his hand at the small of my back, Kai gently guides me into the City Hall.
Once he shuts the door, I cough a little from the heavy, stagnant air.
