Page 19 of Tears of Ruin

“It might be in your best interest if you didn’t know, Noam. Some things are best left in the dark.”

“Where they fester.” He dropped into the chair. “For the first time in my life, I had an amazing time. I felt free, whole, and actually laughed. And now that I’ve had a taste of that kind of freedom, I don’t want to lose it.”

My brow arched. One early-morning adventure with them, and now Noam was confident enough to speak his mind? Even so, I was witnessing Noam make a decision for himself, causing a warmth in my chest to spread.

But I couldn’t allow myself to get attached, knowing what happened when I cared too much. Moving deliberately, I sat in the chair next to his, watching for any signs of agitation. He stiffened slightly but didn’t move away from me.

“I have to leave, Richard.” He glanced at me before looking away, but I caught the yearning in his hazel eyes. “I have a job that I can’t afford to lose, no matter how much I want to stay here.”

Freedom meant staying out of debt. Although his determination to uphold his responsibilities was admirable, I worried about his wellbeing. “And where would you stay?”

“It might be in your best interest if you didn’t know.”

He was slightly trembling, but he’d still thrown my own words back at me. As impressed as I was, his safety still concerned me. If he insisted on leaving, I would keep an eye on him, if only to ensure he wasn’t being harmed.

You just keep digging yourself in deeper.I had been doomed from the moment I’d laid eyes on him, but after hearing his laughter and seeing his unbidden smile, there wasn’t a chance in hell I could keep my distance.

* * * *

It turned out I didn’t have to become Noam’s official stalker. For the past two weeks, I’d taken him to work then picked him up afterward to bring him back to the castle.

Our rides remained mostly quiet, especially when Noam had to work at the crack of dawn. I quickly discovered he wasn’t a morning person, but I wasn’t exactly one either, especially before my cup of coffee.

I reached for my phone when it rang, rolling my eyes when I saw it was Kyson calling me. “Yes?”

“How much longer are you going to surveillance Noam’s job? A guy could starve waiting for you to pry yourself away from him. Does he even know you sit outside in your car and watch the place while he’s working?”

“I’ll have dinner ready as soon as I get home.”

“So you’re not even going to deny you never let him out of your sight?” Kyson snickered. “You got it bad, my man. Bring home some snacks since you’re sitting in the parking lot of a grocery store. Ooh, and some chips and dip. Dane and I need snacks for our card game later.”

“Is that all, or should I bring you some binoculars as well?” I shifted in my seat, my ass numb from sitting in a car for the past seven hours.

“For what?” Kyson sounded confused.

“So you can get an even better view into my personal life.” I hung up and set my phone on the passenger seat.

Kyson was like the pesky little brother I never had, even though I was eight hundred years old. He was a pain to deal with at times, but I cared deeply for him. While he had struggled to put his life back together after being tortured by a demon, he’d spent endless hours in the kitchen, most of the time hiding from Giovanni.

He’d grown on me over the years, although a large part of our time together was spent in silence. He enjoyed my company because I’d never pushed him to talk. I’d just given him what he’d been looking for.

A quiet place where he felt safe.

Until he was attacked and killed in that very same kitchen.My jaw clenched. The demon couldn’t have timed his attack any better. Giovanni hadn’t been home. Malachi was tucked away in his chambers with Dane, and I had lied when Giovanni had asked where I’d been during the attack.What shocked me was the fact Malachi had vouched for me, even though he had no idea why I hadn’t been there.

But I would’ve rather given him the lie about regenerating than what I’d actually been doing. Truth or lie, it wouldn’t have changed the fact Kyson had died a horrific death.

I could find solace in the fact that I’d been able to bring him back to life. Though I hadn’t told Giovanni just how close Kyson had come to staying dead. Time was always of the essence, and his need to clean the blood off the human, to completely erase the attack, had nearly cost him Kyson’s rebirth.

The spirit only lingered in the body for so long before it moved on. Malachi had risked his life with the oath he’d given his brother. If I hadn’t dropped a tear into the wound in time, Kyson wouldn’t have come back, Giovanni would’ve killed me for failing then Malachi because of the oath. Then he would’ve walked into the sun, leaving Dane behind to mourn all three.

That had been one hell of a close call.

I sat up straight when Noam exited the store an hour before his shift was supposed to end and some guy approached him. The stranger had a menacing stance but smirked when Noam looked as if he would shake apart.

Oh, hell no.I was out of the car in seconds, my long strides quickly closing the distance.

Whoever the guy was, he’d picked the wrong person to fuck with. He towered over Noam, his vicious amusement spilling into the air around him. The guy was feeding off of Noam’s fear.

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