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“We’re going to go get your things from that dump you were living in. You’re moving in with me for now.”
I did a double take. I’d wanted to leave the Under for as long as I could remember. But was this too fast.
“To better protect you, I need you close to me,” Jalik said. “No arguments. You’re coming whether you like it or not.”
I tried very hard to suppress a smile. If this handsome Vinduthi was going to force me to move in with him, who was I to argue?
Usually, walking to the little place that barely constituted a home brought me nothing but anxiety. Always watching my back and trying to shrink into the shadows so as not to be noticed. But not today.
Maybe it was because I knew that I would finally be leaving this place. Maybe it was simply because Jalik was with me, but either way, I couldn’t help but smile.
I glanced at Jalik and a small smile of his own appeared. My heart leaped at it, and I quickly turned away.
As we approached my little hovel, I noticed something strange about the front of it. As we drew closer, I gasped as I realized what it was. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jalik go still.
There, sprayed crudely on the door, was a short but equally crude message.
You’ll be mine sweet songbird.
I swallowed hard. My hands began to shake. They knew where I lived. They were here last night. If I hadn’t gone to stay with Jalik…
My head began to swim, and I wanted to run just like I did last night. I wanted to run and find another deep dark place to tuck away into. Or better yet, I wanted to be back in Jalik’s bed surrounded by those soft blankets and him right beside me.
I hadn’t even realized I’d wrapped my arms around myself until I noticed just how hard I’d dug my nails into them.
Jalik muttered a curse beside me, and I glanced at him to see his face was contorted in barely concealed rage.
“Jalik.” My voice was barely a whisper.
He set his jaw. “Let’s get your stuff and get out of here. You are not coming back here. They may even still have someone watching the place.”
My blood turned to ice. Suddenly, nothing in there seemed all that important. But I knew I couldn’t just run. So, steeling myself, I forced my limbs to move and I walked inside my hovel in The Under, Jalik at my heels.
In ten minutes, we packed everything that mattered into a few pitiful bags. Neither of us spoke the entire time. Jalik kept glancing around like he could find out who wrote the message just by looking at my room. He even stepped outside at one point to order some of his men to get down to The Under and investigate.
There were no more small smiles and playful banter.
“You are not coming back here,” he muttered one more time as we left. It sounded like he was saying it more to himself than to me, though.
I nodded. “I know.”
His face softened ever so slightly as he looked at me. “My men will find whoever’s behind all this, and then, well, I’ll make them regret messing with you in the first place.”
It didn’t escape my notice that he used I instead of we. Meaning he was going to personally see to it. My heart beat a little faster, and this time, not from fear.
“Thank you.”
His head jerked in a nod, and he quickly looked away from me.
When we got back to his apartment, he helped me unpack what I needed right away, showing me where each item could go. As much as I appreciated his help, by the time I was done, I almost wanted to collapse.
“Come on, time to go,” he said, just as I sat down in a chair. “We’ll need to get to the gym if I’m to have enough time to get my workout in before tonight.”
I opened my mouth to ask what he meant when realization hit me. He had another match tonight, of course. The world wasn’t going to stop just because I had a bad night.
Reluctantly, I got up from my chair and followed him.
The gym was a lot more impressive than I imagined. It looked like a mix between a cave and a dojo and had all sorts of equipment I’d never seen. Jalik, though, was obviously very familiar with all of it.
