Page 20 of Origins

The hall lights flickered, making my search that much more difficult, especially because I didn’t remember Sulien’s apartment number. What I did remember was that the sheet of wallpaper beside his door was torn. Once I located the damaged paper, I knew I was in the right spot.

I stood in front of Sulien’s apartment with my hand poised to knock and my pulse thundering in my ears. The lights flickered above, causing me to jump and my fist to make contact with the chipped wood.

Before I could work up the courage to knock, heavy steps echoed from behind the door.

“I’m coming!” a gruff voice called.

My mouth went dry, and I folded my hands to prevent them from shaking. I knew Sulien’s voice very well, and from what I’d heard, the voice didn’t sound like Jace’s, either.

The door creaked open, leaving me face to chest with the scariest-looking man I’d ever met. He wasn’t as tall as Sulien, but he was brawny. His arms were coated with thick cords of muscle that twitched as his biceps pressed into the sleeves of his black T-shirt. Both his arms and neck were covered in dark tattoos, and a few scars marred his otherwise flawless tan skin.

“You gonna say something?” His whisper sounded like a threat, and I debated running.

I quickly rifled through his thoughts just to make sure I wasn’t about to get kidnapped or anything like that before deciding to stay firmly in place.

“I’m here for Sulien,” I said with my shoulders held high before realizing there was a small chance that my Sulien wasn’t the only one in the world. “Sulien Seo.”

The man in front of me scratched the dark stubble on his chin, hiding a smile beneath his massive hand.

So, this is the girlfriend.His thoughts rang loud and clear, and I relaxed a little, knowing I was in the right place.

“Hate to break it to you, but he’s not home.” The man leaned against the door frame, almost filling the whole space in the process.

“His car’s outside.” I pointed toward the vague direction of the parking lot.

The man shrugged. “He’s at work and likes to have a drink or two after. Dude won’t drive with any alcohol in his system, so he walks. Probably some weird, fucked-up hero moral.”

“Oh,” I said, trying to figure out where to go from here.

I could probably call my driver, but that would result in a lot of questions about why I was there. Mom would probably be happy that I was so enthusiastic about helping Sulien, but Dad would look deeper into it, and if he figured out that I was dating, I’d be in massive trouble.

The man in front of me seemed to sense my hesitation because, after a beat, his shoulders fell with a deep breath.

“If you want, you can wait here, but he won’t be home until late.” He offered, but I didn’t want to feel like a burden.

“That’s okay,” I relented. “Can you just tell him I stopped by?”

The man nodded and shut the door. I turned to walk away, but before I could, he had a change of heart. The door shot open, and his hand appeared on my shoulder.

I glanced back to see his dark eyes wide with a semblance of panic.

“How did you get here?” the words raced out of him.

I studied him for a beat before clearing my throat. “I walked.”

“Youwhat?”

His voice boomed through the hallway, bouncing off the dingy walls and drawing a distant“Shut the fuck up!”from somewhere in the building.

“Sorry!” The man in front of me called.

His tone was more respectful than I’d expected from him, seeing as the guy looked like he could literally bench-press a Toyota Prius. As soon as the apology was out in the air, the man completely focused on me. The warmth of his hand seeped into my shoulder as he refused to move.

“You walked, like by yourself?” He repeated, his dark eyes narrowing as if trying to figure out if I was serious.

“It wasn’t far.” I lied, hoping it’d ease the tension.

“Are you fucking dense?” His voice dropped to a rough whisper, and the man looked like he was one wrong word from exploding. “This neighborhood is a warzone! If Sulien finds out that you not only walked here but that I let you walk back, he’s kicking both of our asses—mostly mine.”

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