Page 223 of Shadowblood Souls
A gloomy silence descends over us all.
Dominic adjusts his pack against the bulges on his shoulders. “Maybe we shouldn’t go back right away. It wouldn’t make sense for Rollick to dock for a five-minute errand. We can give the other shadowkind a little time to believe that we’ve left for good and go back to whatever they’re usually doing all day.”
Zian frowns. “What do we do until then?”
Andreas glances toward the street. “I’ve heard good things about Cuban street food. Who’s up for dinner?”
“Will they take American cash?” Jacob asks doubtfully.
A flicker of a smile crosses Andreas’s face. “Dom and I got Spanish lessons in the facility. I guess they were counting on sending us places like this to do battle with shadowkind while blending in with the locals. I don’t have a ton of practice, but I’m sure I can manage to get some money converted. We’d just need to find a bank.”
I ease toward the wider street and peer down it at the signs on the buildings. Even my limited grasp of the language doesn’t prevent me from guessing whatBancomust mean.
“I think there’s one by the corner,” I say, pulling back.
Dominic glances at the rest of us. “Maybe you three had better stay here where you won’t be too noticeable. Drey and I can handle dinner.”
My body tenses at the thought of watching them walk away, but I’ll always know exactly where they are. And Dom has a point.
“Be fast,” I say.
Dominic steps over to me and raises his hand to the side of my head to tug me close. He kisses my forehead and thenmanages a reassuring smile that soothes my anxious spirits just a little.
“I wouldn’t stay away from you for long, Sugar,” he murmurs. “We’ll be right back.”
The new nickname sparks a welcome warmth in my chest, followed by a flicker of heat across my cheeks when I realize where it’s come from.
Sweeter than a sugar cookie.
Dom shoots me another smile that’s somehow both shy and sly and steps away from me with obvious reluctance.
“I’ll look after her,” Jacob says in his commanding way.
I don’t bother to hold back my snort.
As Dominic and Andreas slip out into the busier street, I lean against the smooth stone wall behind me. The faint pulse of my marks traces their journey away from us.
Jacob shifts his weight on his feet. “Riva.”
He waits until I look at him. It’s the first time he’s spoken directly to me since I told him off in the party room last night.
My jaw tightens automatically. “What?”
He holds my gaze unwaveringly. “I know you hate how I treated you before. I hate that guy too. If I could kill him, wipe him right out of existence, so you never had to think about him again, I would. But if I did that, then I wouldn’t be here to stand between you and the assholes who are still around. That’s why I’m here. It isn’t enough, but I’m giving it everything I can.”
My throat closes up. I yank my eyes away, my hand rising to grip my pendant.
“Youarethat guy,” I say. “Realizing you were an asshole doesn’t turn you into a whole new person.”
Jacob scowls. “No. I guess it doesn’t. But if I can find a way to turn myself into one, I will.”
He says the words so vehemently that I can’t help believing him.
The trouble is, I don’t think that way exists.
Zian clears his throat, cutting through some of the building tension. “The guys didn’t even ask what we wanted for dinner. I hope they get something good.”
A laugh tumbles out of me despite the ache around my heart. “I’m sure they know what you like by now.”
