Page 17 of Delphine's Dilemma

“It’s just those animals,” another said.

I heard a thump against the side of a crate. Muffled growls rang out in an echo. My heart ached. I grabbed the front of Arven’s shirt and gripped it tight to keep myself from going out there and beating that man on sight. This wasn’t right. Everything about it screamed wrong, but I wasn’t a hero.

I was just a bounty hunter on a job. This wasn’t my fight.

Arven, though, vibrated with unbridled rage. He twisted his head to peer out the narrow crack in the sarcophagus lid, the thin beam of incoming light illuminating the furious twist of his lips and the deep knot between his brows.

I didn’t expect such empathy from him. He kept one hand on my hip and another over the little beast in his shirt, as if he needed to protect both of us at all costs. The sensation of being protected confused me. It was all at once amazing and revolting.

I could protect myself, but the little creature in Arven’s shirt couldn’t, so I sat there and bit my tongue while we listened to the footsteps of the men weaving their way closer to us.

“This one’s open,” the first man said, a confused lilt to his tone.

Arven growled low. I yanked his shirt and dragged his attention back to me.

His eyes said it all. He hated everything about this. It came as a shock to me, that the man who’d ordered the destruction of my home would be so enraged that there were animals kept in wooden boxes. My breath hitched.

This was not the same man.

It couldn’t be.

He leaned away from me as the footsteps came even closer. They paused outside the sarcophagus. My heart leapt into my throat. I could feel the tension readying Arven’s muscles for the attack. If I didn’t find a way to stop him, then this would be a lost cause. We would have to fight our way out.

So, I did the only thing I could possibly think of. I rose on my tip toes, grabbed the side of his face, and kissed him. It shocked him so much that he went slack beneath my touch. His lips parted. I didn’t mean for it to go this far, but when he pressed into me, I let him.

Fire sang through my veins. It was hatred. It was desire. It was repulsion. It wasneed. My hand slid to the back of his neck so I could hold him in place with my claw-like nails dug into his skin. He made a low noise that I swallowed greedily as his tongue pushed into my mouth.

“There’s nothing here.”

“See! I told you.” The other man scoffed. “Looks like one of the beasts got out. We can cut our losses and seal this thing shut for now. Come help me.”

I broke away from the kiss with my heart thundering in my ears. I almost couldn’t hear the men outside. Arven’s eyes glowed red in the dark of the sarcophagus. When I remembered the lid was open, I reached up and covered his eyes before they gave us away.

The men hammered nails into the lid of the crate again before grumbling to each other on their way out. I breathed a sigh of relief, but the inside of the sarcophagus had grown hot and cramped. The little creature in Arven’s shirt started to chirp uncomfortably.

The grumbling outside paused. I panicked, unsure of what to do. This time, I tensed for the fight. Arven came to the rescue and reached into his shirt to comfort the small furred thing. Its squeaks subsided.

I strained to hear beyond the confines of the sarcophagus while my pulse raced. We waited a few moments more, all while Arven let the little beast snuggle up to his unshaven cheek.

This couldn’t be the man I’d been running from all my life. There was no way, and yet I knew it had to be. This was Arven D’Or, the Golden Beast of the Gold Court.

And he was my mortal enemy—who I’d just made out with.

Life was freaking stupid.

Once I was sure we were in the clear, I shoved the lid open and stumbled out into the fresh air. I needed away from him. A part of me considered stepping in-between if only to fling myself to the other side of the mortal planet. There was no realm far enough away from Arven, and the man he’d become in the past few moments.

I glanced back at him, still comforting the small creature in his shirt. He held out his finger for the little thing to wrap its paws around. Every gesture was soft and gentle like he knew that if he moved wrong, he could break it.

Swallowing hard, I forced my attention forward. From here, I could hear the two guardsmen talking to one another outside. We couldn’t take that exit, and stepping in-between could get us tracked if we weren’t careful. I spun around, grabbed Arven’s arm, and led him to another exit.

At the door, I paused and strained to hear anyone on the other side. The sound of an engine pulled up near the two guardsmen. A chill raced up my spine. Locke’s voice drifted in. If I wanted to, I could go and kill him right this instant. The mission would be over before he knew what happened, and I would be free to keep running from Arven.

So, why didn’t I? Why did I pull Arven out a narrow door with me? I yanked him between the other warehouses until we reached the city streets. If Locke had a tracker that worked on scent, they would get confused once we stepped into the city. Urban areas were full of smells, not all of them great.

Which meant we couldn’t head back to my apartment or my realm yet. We needed to stay and let our scents mingle with the city. Together, Arven and I wound through unfamiliar streets, heading in no direction in particular so that our tracks would become messy and unpredictable. When I grew tired, I groaned and rolled my eyes, but there was a franchise restaurant nearby. It would hide us for the time being.

Arven managed to get the animal into the back collar of his shirt so that it was barely noticeable when we greeted the bored hostess at the front. She did give Arven a long up and down look, which I didn’t blame her. Still, I warned her that he would be a waste of her time.

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