Someone tapped lightly on my door. I hadn’t heard footsteps, so I knew instantly who it was. One giant blond pain in the ass coming right up.
“It’s open,” I called out. I actually wanted to talk to Alek. He’d been in and out of the B B over the weekend, but we’d never had a chance to be alone.
He closed the door behind him and smiled at me before detouring into my kitchen and setting down a bag on the counter. Garlic and soy sauce wafted over to me. It smelled like heaven.
“Is that Chinese I smell?” I asked, even though the bag that read Lee’s Magic Kitchen on the front was kind of a dead giveaway. “You are a god among men.”
“That’s a much nicer greeting than you gave me the first time we met,” he said. He came over and sat down on the couch beside me, close enough that his thigh touched mine. I didn’t move away.
“Yeah, well, you weren’t exactly nice either. I believe you called me a murderer.” I frowned as I said it. I hadn’t been one that day. I was definitely one now.
He studied me for a moment and then looked at my duffle bag. “Are you still leaving?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I’m tired of running. And as much as it really, really kills me to admit you were right… well… you were right.”
“What’s that? I’m sorry, I think I dozed off for a moment.” He was smirking again.
“My ex is still going to come for me,” I said, ignoring his teasing. “I’m not ready.”
He shrugged. “So get ready.”
“It’s not that simple. I’ll have to start using my magic. A lot. Training. I don’t even know where to begin. I should probably learn to use a gun, or how to fight, or maybe Kung-Fu. I’m not cut out for this, and I probably don’t have enough time before he shows up. He could be here tomorrow. Or in a year. I don’t know. It’s not simple,” I repeated.
“Yes,” he said, flipping to serious mode. “It is. I have been assigned to this region. The Nine want a Justice around here for a while. I can help you, if you’ll let me.”
“Even knowing what I am? Seeing what I did?” I bit my lower lip and held my breath. This was the conversation I wanted to have, but I dreaded it anyway.
“Two weeks ago, I was sent a dream by the Nine. In that dream I saw a beautiful woman with hair like smoke and eyes full of fire. A giant crow soared above her and on one side of her was a pile of corpses shrouded in shadows as far as my eye could see. On the other side there was a sea of woodland creatures who laughed and danced in a sunny meadow.”
“I think the humans have psychotherapy that can help with that,” I said, trying to diffuse the awkwardness I felt at his intense recounting.
“Hush,” he said. “That woman was you, Jade Crow. But she was not you, also. That night, in the circle beneath the full moon, I saw you choose the sunlight, choose life. That is a strength I am happy to encourage. A woman I want to know.”
Tears burned in my eyes. I was going to have to magically cauterize my tear ducts or something at this rate if I kept crying all the time.
“But I killed him,” I said, curling my hands into fists in my lap. “And I don’t feel bad about it. At all. I’d do it again. I want to do it again. To Samir. I want to rip his heart out and destroy him forever.”
“Good.” Alek wrapped his hands around mine and gently pried my fingers open, rubbing his thumbs over my palms. “Some people need killing. Not everyone deserves life. This is something they taught me at Justice Academy.”#p#分页标题#e#
I squinted at him. “Wait, there’s really a Justice Academy?”
He laughed, the sound deep and beautiful and clean. “No.”
“Fucker,” I muttered.
Then he kissed me. His lips were firm against mine and liquid desire raced from my mouth straight into my lady bits. I moaned as his tongue slid into my mouth and crawled into his lap as his hands wrapped around my back and tangled in my hair. After what felt like much too short a time, he pulled away. Looking into his eyes I saw only a warm summer sky shade of blue, none of the glacial ice I’d always compared them to.
“The food will get cold,” he murmured. “Do you care?”
“Yes,” I said as my stomach growled in a very un-sexy manner. “To be continued, okay?”
“If you are staying,” he said, and I knew he meant more than just here, in this moment.
“Yes,” I said. I could almost say it without feeling terrified.