Page 42 of Wicked Enemy

When Eve emerged from the cottage, there was no longer any evidence of hurt on her face. She just looked back at me with cool detachment. As if I was worth less than the dirt beneath her feet.

Without a word, she climbed up into the saddle and grabbed her reins as well. It looked as if she wanted to just ride away without me, but she of course couldn’t do that since she had no idea where we were. Tightening her grip on the reins, she clenched her jaw and cut me a sideways glare.

I raised a hand in thanks to my lookout before turning my horse around and starting up the slope. Eve fell in beside me.

The ride back to Malgrave was a deadly silent one. I could almost feel the thick tension vibrating in the air between us. But Eve only kept her eyes on the path ahead. I did too.

When we at last walked through the gate, she lengthened her stride as if she was planning to stalk away from me without another word. She only made it two steps before I grabbed the front of her shirt and yanked her into the nearest alley. A huff escaped her throat as I slammed her up against the wall.

“What the fuck are you—”

“Shut up,” I snapped.

Anger flashed in her eyes. With my fist still buried in the collar of her shirt, I forced her back harder against the wall as I stepped closer into her space.

“You owe me your life now,” I said slowly, letting my voice drop to a dark threat. “Which means that you do whatever the hell I say.”

The buildings around us were so tall that the morning sunlight slanting over the horizon didn’t reach in here. Only a gloomy alley, completely empty of both people and light, watched us as I stared Eve down with hard eyes. She glared up at me, defiance burning in those brown eyes. I could feel her wanting to spit a retort back into my face. Keeping my grip on her collar, I waited for it.

But it never came.

Instead, she forced out a long breath and let her hands drop back down by her sides. Then she lowered her eyes in a very uncharacteristic show of submission. “What do you want?”

What do you want?There was that question again. The question that she had barely answered when I asked her last night. But as opposed to her short-term answer back then, I knew exactly what to say.

“I want you to stay the hell away from me,” I growled.

She snapped her gaze back up to mine, and hurt flickered in her eyes.Good.

“You heard from your white boot buddies that a worldwalker was coming for Gemma and you went to warn her, didn’t you?” I demanded.

She held my gaze. “Yes.”

“That’s why you were stupid enough to come back to my Court after I told you I would kill you the next time I saw you.” When she only glared back at me in silence, I tightened my grip on her shirt. “Answer.”

“Yes.”

I scoffed. “Well, I don’t need your fucking help. So if you want to square the life debt you owe me, you stay the hell away from me from now on.”

“I still work for the South Side Department. They are going to send us out to try to capture you again.”

“Good luck with that.” I let out a mocking laugh. “Hasn’t worked for the past decade.”

“They will still make me go on those missions.”

“And you are more than welcome to do what they want. Try to capture me. Fight me. Hate me. I don’t give a shit. But apart from that, you stay the hell away from me. No more sneaking into my Court to warn my people. No more talking to me as if I’m anything but your wicked enemy.”

Her chest heaved, as if she wanted to argue.

“Do your job to your heart’s content, but at all other times, you stay out of my fucking sight. Am I making myself clear?”

It still looked like she wanted to snap at me, to fight me, but the life debt I now had hanging over her head made her grind her teeth and swallow down her defiance. “Yes.”

“Good. Then as long as you follow that order, your debt is paid. You owe me nothing. I owe you nothing.”

At last, her restraint snapped and anger flashed across her face as she threw her arms out. “Why the hell did you even save me then? If you hate me so fucking much?”

“Because you were making me look weak.”

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