Page 31 of Stalk the Dark
His lapels were flipped up as usual, shielding the lower half of his face and leaving his frosty eyes the most prominent feature. They raked over me, leaving a chill in their wake. He settled on the holster at my back where the hilt of my sword was visible over my shoulder.
“Bad idea,” he said.
“Maybe, but there is no way I’m going anywhere nearhimwithout it.”
He slow-blinked, his eyes gleaming like a cat in the lamplight. “You can’t kill him.”
“No, but I can maim the fuck out of him if he tries anything funny.”
“He won’t respond well to threat.”
“Oh, this is no threat. It’s a promise.” I smiled thinly. “A promise to saytouch me and lose a hand.”
His attention dropped to my lips for a beat before dragging up to my eyes again, and the pulse in my throat jumped. “He won’t like it.” But there was a look in his eyes, almost anticipatory.
“You leave that to me.” I brushed past him and down the corridor. “I assume Ordell is with the carriage outside?”
“You assume correctly.” He followed, so close that his body heat chased me down thecorridor. “Ready to walk into the beast’s den to protect the angelic operative.” He didn’t bother to hide his sarcasm.
While Ordell seemed fine with being here as protection for me, Hemlock seemed less so. Had his brother strong-armed him into taking the job? The last thing I needed was a reluctant bodyguard.
I stopped abruptly, and his hands shot out to grab my shoulders to stop us smacking into each other. My head tipped up in time to see the flare of gold rush over his irises, and the next moment I was shoved away with a little too much force.
I grabbed the banister. “What the fuck is your problem?”
“You,” he said coolly. “You with your overconfidence and smart mouth, thinking that you can tame a monster.” He approached slowly, a panther stalking prey, and I locked my knees, meeting his glare with one of my own. “You have no idea what you’re up against.”
“I have as much idea as you. I’ve read the journals. I know what I’m doing. This is my job, and yours is to watch my back. Period. Not question me. Not derail me. Not belittle me. Are we clear?”
His eyes narrowed to slits, and the hairs on my arms stood to attention. “I think you have it twisted,angel.” He said it mockingly, derisively, trying to ruin the pet name Ordell had given me. “Our only remit is to protect you, at all costs. We do it our way, not yours. We’re hunters. We deal with predators all the time. Weknow hownotto become prey, and we can teach you the same.”
“Really? Is that what your predecessors did?”
He flinched then drew back, his expression smoothing out like marble. “One can only work with the materials one has.”
So this was the watchers’ fault? No. No, Orina, do not go there. Focus. We had a job to do, and for it to be a success, we needed to work as a team. Common ground usually worked in these situations.
“Look, I don’t want to argue with you. I get you don’t want to be here. Trust me, neither do I. But we’ve both got a job to do, so let’s just do it. Okay?”
His brows flicked up. “Are you giving me a pep talk?”
Was that a hint of amusement in his eyes? “Is it helping?”
“Indubitably.”
I arched a brow. “A simple yes would do.”
“Undoubtedly.”
Why was I having to fight a grin? “Unequivocally.”
His mouth twitched, but he pressed it into a thin line. “Let’s get moving, Miss Lighthart.”
He brushed past and down the stairs, leaving a cedar wood and leather scent in his wake.
I followed. “Orina. My name is Orina.”
But he was already out the front door.
