Page 24 of Demon Apathy: Sunderverse
Instead of endlessly debating whether or not to read the prophecy, I wished I’d looked at it right away and gone to bed. It would’ve saved me a ton of anguish. At least Nureen’s prediction wasn’t weighing on my mind anymore. I still had to struggle with my decision to go back to the new life and path I’d crafted for myself, though. Grant and Jenna asking me to stay had reopened the door to the possibility when I’d believed it sealed shut.
I was tempted. I wasn’t going to lie. I still wanted to be a demon hunter, much more than I wanted to be anundecided major. Way more! But if I stayed, I would always be wrapped up in Drevan’s game, and I didn’t need that.
At the front door, I stopped, feeling bad for leaving this way. I would have to call Jenna when I got home, and I would write her extra-long emails for an entire week to make up for not saying goodbye. The person posted at the front, an Indian girl with beautiful black hair—what was her name? Battula, maybe? I wasn’t sure—offered me a friendly smile accompanied by a curious glance that let me know she remembered me from before.
“Hi,” I said. “I’m leaving. There’s an Uber waiting for me outside.”
“Yes, the director let me know.” She went to the door and opened it for me. “Have a safe trip.”
“Thank you.” Clearly, Grant had told her enough about my presence here, more than it seemed necessary. Maybe he’d told her I was visiting to avoid any gossip about the apprentice who disappeared at the beginning of the semester.
Outside, I stood at the top of the stairs in search of my ride. To my dismay, I found no Uber, and instead spotted Drevan standing next to a ridiculously low sports car. It was a sleek two-seater, painted an obnoxious yellow, and sporting rims more expensive than anything I’d ever owned or would ever own.
He waved at me from across the street, flashing a devastating smile. I ignored him and continued to look for my ride.
Drevan placed both hands on his waist and shook his head, calling, “C’mon, we don’t have all morning.”
“Grant called me a ride. I don’t need you to take me, thank you.”
He crossed the street and stopped at the bottom of the steps. He wore a pristine white Henley sweater and black slacks. His face was smooth and his hair moist from a shower. His golden eyes held an amused expression as he wet his full lips, looking like some GQ model.
“Your ride isn’t coming,” he said. “I’ll take you.”
So he’d canceled my Uber.Great!I pulled out my phone and tapped on the app. I would call my own ride.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” I quickly ordered a new car. As I stood there staring at the screen, the new ride was canceled. I tried again. The same happened.
“Stop it!” I demanded. “I’m going to miss my flight.”
“No, you won’t. I promise to get you there in time.”
“Nah-ah, it takes forever to get to La Guardia, and later, traffic will just be worse. I need to leave now. I don’t have time for whatever this is.”
“C’mon, Lucia, it’s me. A little traffic isn’t going to stop me. Look, I just want to talk. We’ll go to this nice place, have a delicious breakfast, talk fondly about the past, and then you’ll be on your way.”
“You’re up to something. I don’t trust you.”
He put a hand on his chest. “You wound me.” He bit his lower lip as he rubbed at his pectoral muscle in a very suggestive way.
I glanced at the trees that lined the sidewalk, feeling my cheeks flush. Of course, spending some time with Drevan was also tempting. I had missed him so much and, many times, I’d wished to be able to hang out with him if only for a few minutes. I’d lost count of how many times I’d replayed in my mind the day we rode the cruise down the Hudson River, had lunch, and walked around Times Square, enjoying the sights. Not to mention the fact that breakfast sounded tempting. I hadn’t eaten anything since lunch yesterday.
He put both hands out. “So what do you say?”
“Okay, but you promise me you’ll get me to the airport in time.”
“Cross my heart, hope to die.” He made a huge X over his chest, smiling up at me, his golden eyes shining as if inside his soul were burning. And for all I knew, maybe it was, and that was the reason his touch seared my skin.
“All right, you promised, and your word is binding.”
“Correct.”
I bounced down the steps and joined him at the bottom.
He looked me up and down. “It’s unfortunate you’re still wearing the same clothes from last night.”
“Oh, now you’re going to get snobbish on me?”
“Well, the place where we're going…” He put his hands up and made a face, making it clear he was taking me to some fancy, crème de la crème place where I didn’t belong. Before, I would’ve been mortified about looking out of place. Ironically, pride had made me feel inferior, and now I understood that some of the things that worried me so much in the past weren’t really important.
