Page 31 of Martyr
Surely not.
“I bought a house here when I moved my sister to the island.”
Okay, Kade. We’ll pretend I have no idea who your sister is.
He tips his head deeper into the alley. “We can cut through this way.”
I exchange a look with Saint, but he’s useless. He scowls at me and throws his hands up as if to say,What do you want from me?I don’t know, Saint, a little clarity? An opinion?
Saint doesn’t give a shit about that, though, and sets off after Kade without hesitation.
Reese sighs. “May as well. He’s not gonna kill us in our sleep.”
I pause. I hadn’t thought ofthatoption.
“He’s not.” Reese holds out his hand to me. “He’s made a mess of your city, but I still do trust him not to stab us in the back.”
“That’s not very high standards,” I mumble.
He chuckles. I take his hand, his warm palm against my chilled one. He tugs me into his side and kisses the side of my head.
“This could even be a good thing,” he adds.
14SAINT
There’ssome interesting tension going on in this room.
I sit in an armchair, a mug of coffee pressed between my palms. I have phantom sensations lingering in unexpected places, which is pulling some of my attention. Mainly the ghost of Kade’s hand on the back of my neck.
We were just approaching the marina when the whole thing went up in a fireball. I was walking shoulder to shoulder with Kade, whose name I didn’t know at the time. I was going to figure that out sooner or later. It just didn’t seemparticularlyimportant when he seemed happy to see me. And then he offered to get me out of here.
Who was I to refuse?
Butno. The marina exploded, and Kade reacted quicker than me. He grabbed me by the back of the neck and dragged me down to the sidewalk. It happened too fast to register, but then the air settled, and all I could feel was his fingers digging into my skin.
My face heats, and I scratch at my throat.
Artemis is the only familiar one. My gaze stays stuck on her, perched on the edge of the couch like she’s ready to bolt. Her mug, supplied by Kade, sits forgotten on a side table.
Reese is over by a bookshelf, scanning titles.
I don’t know where Kade is. This place is lesshouseand morecabin in the woods. It’s a vibe, to be sure. Probably notmyvibe… definitely not Tem’s, judging by the way she seems stressed out.
There’s a minimal amount of dust on the surfaces, inferring that Kade probably has a cleaner out here a few times.
“We should go back,” Artemis finally says.
Reese glances at her. Can he feel how thick this tension is? I can cut it with a knife—and its sole source isher.
“Where did he even go?” she hisses. “He could be calling in backup?—”
“I went to get firewood,” Kade rumbles from the entryway.
He toes the thick door shut. His arms are full of chopped wood, which he deposits on a metal rack by the fireplace. He crouches, giving the room a view of his ass, and starts to build a fire.
Do I know how to build a fire? No. I know how to put one of those ready-to-go logs in and light the edges, but that’s about it. My Boy Scout training stopped there.
Artemis lets out a huff and settles back in her seat. “This is ridiculous.”
