Page 23 of Stalk the Dark
“Bye, Micah.” I ended the call and sat back in my seat. “Looks like I won’t need to go into town after all. I’ve been asked to hold off on any confrontations.”
“I heard,” Ordell said.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I didn’t just come here to babysit Ezekiel. There are people here who need protection, and I won’t let the Sangualex stop me from helping them.”
“Oh, I believe you,” Ordell said.
Was he biting back a smile? “You think this is amusing?”
“The situation? No. But you sure are awfully cute when you’re all fired up.”
“You can’t flirt with me when I’m mad.”
“Why not?”
“Because…Because…Urgh.” I couldn’t help but smile.
“And there it is,” Ordell said. “That radiant smile. Angelic.”
And I was blushing? What the fuck?
The carriage came to a halt between two empty parking bays, and two stable hands rushed over to untether the horses.
“Two hours,” Ordell said to them. “Maybe three. Give them a massage too.” He handed over some cash before hopping out of his seat. “I have an errand torun,” he said to me. “You can sightsee for a couple of hours if you like. I can drop you in town.”
Sightseeing wasn’t my speed. It was something Quinn, my bestie, would do, dragging me and Nyx along with her. “I’ll come with you.”
He looked up at me, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “I don’t recall inviting you.”
I arched a brow. “Do Ineedan invitation?”
And I was totally flirting.
His summer blues warmed as he considered this. “You can tag along.”
I stood, intending to climb down. He grasped my waist and lifted me to the ground easily, but he didn’t release me right away. I swallowed past the sudden dryness in my throat and lifted my chin to look up at him, expecting to see a smile, but his gaze was troubled and filled with shadows.
“Ordell?”
He sighed. “It’s probably best you see. As the new head of the chapter, it’s something that you need to be aware of.
“O-kay…”
“But please don’t ask any questions until we’re done.”
I nodded. “Fine.”
Now I was intrigued.
Chapter 9
The carriage park and stables were the switch-over point for anyone headed into Old Town. There was even a clothing store a few doors away providing authentic wear for the older part of the territory. Exemptions were required if you planned on wearing anything that wasn’t from the era the noble houses preferred.
I’d made sure to get mine.
Ordell and Hemlock wore a combination of styles, so I wasn’t sure if they were simply trying to fly beneath the radar, but the vehicle he led me to wasn’t a contraption that could fly underanyradar. It was a house on wheels, and the driver’s cabin was large enough to seat five of me.
This time I needed Ordell’s help to get into my seat. It was comfortably worn, the headrest a little too high,but I was able to adjust it, peeking back into the gloom of the main cabin where cushy seating and a small dining area and kitchenette were visible. They lived in this?
