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Until I saw his eyes.
That familiar, deep aqua gaze penetrated down to my soul. The knowledge of his presence here latched around my lungs, squeezing painfully.
Oh, schnitzel.
Demetrius, the captain of my father’s guard, stepped closer with his hands raised. “Princess Gabrielle, please?—”
“Stay away from me!” My outburst surprised even me, and I tripped over the uneven sidewalk. The side of one of my paper bags ripped, sending groceries tumbling in every direction.
The few people around us cast nervous glances in our direction but continued on their way as soon as I scrambled to grab anything headed for the street. Clearly, I wasn’t being attacked if I was worried about wayward vegetables.
I didn’t even notice Demetrius getting closer until he handed me a can of mushroom soup.
“Sending you is low, even for him.” I swiped the can from his hand. “I’m not going back. He doesn’t own me or Marissa.”
His smile was sad as he helped me collect the rest of my groceries, placing everything into one way-too-full bag. “King Proteus didn’t send me to bring you home.”
I scooped up the bag with both arms, hoping it would hold the rest of the way. “I’m not a child anymore, Demetri. Nor am I a fool.”
He chuckled and followed as I headed for home again. “No, you are neither of those things, that is true. But it is also true that I am not lying.”
We stopped at a red light, and I cast a wary glance at him. “Then why are you here?”
His eyebrows drew together in an expression I couldn’t quite read. “To warn you to stay away.”
I stared at him in complete bewilderment. Never in my wildest dreams had I expected that response. Relief was short-lived, however, as suspicion crept in. My father warning me to stay away was as likely as a dolphin growing a horn.
Demetrius nudged my arm, snapping me out of it enough to cross the street while we had the green light.
“I don’t understand,” I said plainly.
“There is some trouble brewing back home.” His words were carefully chosen. Only two buildings away from the gym, he stopped me and glanced up and down the street. “He wishes for you both to remain safe from any harm.”
Goosebumps prickled across my skin. “What trouble?”
“The details are not important. What’s important is that you listen and obey.”
I couldn’t help it, I laughed.
His startled gaze fell on me before he smiled ruefully, and deep crinkles formed beside his eyes. “Yes, I see the humor. If not to him, then listen to me, little Ree.”
My heart constricted, twisting until tears formed in my eyes. This man had been more of a father to me than my own. He’d been by my side since my birth, and he was there to patch the pieces of my heart back together when my mother died. Besides my sister, he was the only other person alive allowed to call me by that name.
And it was only because of him that I was able to escape with Marissa all those years ago.
I sighed. “Fine. I can only assume that whatever this trouble is isn’t as bad as you’re making it out to be if he let you leave his side.”
His smile drooped, but I didn’t get a chance to ask about the change in his expression.
Loud voices erupted behind me, and I spun around, still on edge. A group of gym members had burst out of Subliminal, laughing and talking excitedly. I chuckled and turned to ask Demetrius if he wanted to see where we’d ended up.
Except he was gone.
In a rare turn of events, my sister was home when I arrived. She sat on her cot with one leg pulled up and her chin propped on her knee while scrolling through her phone. But in true Marissa fashion, she didn’t offer to help me put any of our groceries away.
To be fair, I’d already put the cold stuff in the office fridge. There wasn’t much left to set on our makeshift kitchen cabinet, which was just a wobbly plastic bookshelf held together with duct tape.
I didn’t want to scare her by telling her about seeing Demetrius, but my nerves were still amped up from his unexpected visit. I needed to get some of that energy out, which meant training, as I’d done every night this week.
