Page 42 of Born in Fire
“Okay.” I nod, not pushing the subject. “We all have quirks, I guess.”
“Yes, we do,” she says lightly. “Toast?”
“If you trust me with your toaster.” I’m almost grateful for the change in subject; I want to know more about her, but I don’t want to ruin the mood.
Her smile crinkles the corners of her eyes. “I think I can take that risk.”
We eat standing in her kitchen—toast with butter and honey, coffee that’s admittedly better than what I make. Morning sunlight catches the golden highlights in her hair. She looks softer here than anywhere else I’ve seen her.
“You’re staring,” she says, not looking up from her mug.
“Can’t help it.”
A blush creeps up her neck. “You should probably get fresh clothes before work. Unless you want the entire office knowing you spent the night.”
“Let them talk.” I set down my empty mug. “Though Caleb might have an aneurysm.”
I should care more about walking into Craven Tower in yesterday’s clothes. About the gossip, the knowing looks. I don’t.
At her door, I kiss her goodbye, tasting honey and coffee.
“See you later?” I ask, suddenly uncertain.
She nods, tucking hair behind her ear. “I’d like that.”
Walking toward the stairwell, I can’t wipe the stupid grin off my face. The morning air feels different. Cleaner. Something’s shifted inside me, like tectonic plates rearranging themselves. I don’t know what this is yet, but I like it. A lot.
And then something changes.
As I step outside her building, a sensation prickles at the back of my neck. A sixth sense honed over centuries of survival.
Someone’s watching.
I pause, pretending to check my phone while I scan the street. Nothing obvious at first—just the usual morning commuters hurrying past, a delivery truck unloading across the way, a silver sedan parked under a maple tree.
The sedan. A man sits behind the wheel, face partially obscured, but I can feel his attention like a living thing, coiling and dangerous. He’s staring directly at Juno’s building.
The ex.
Has to be. The flowers, Juno’s panic attack, her fear when she checks the locks… it all fits.
Motherfucker!
My dragon stirs beneath my skin, heat rippling along my spine. I could confront him. Drag him from that car and makehim understand exactly what happens to men who terrorize the woman I—
The woman I what?
I shake off the thought. Whatever Juno is to me, she doesn’t need me causing a scene outside her apartment.
Instead, I walk casually back into the building, pulling out my phone and sending Caleb a message that I’ll be late for our meeting. Whatever clan crisis we’re facing, it can wait an hour.
Back upstairs, I knock softly on Juno’s door. She answers quickly, surprise flashing across her face.
“Dorian? I thought you left.”
“Change of plans.” I smile, keeping my tone light. “Thought I’d take you to work.”
She tilts her head, curiosity in her eyes. “That’s… sweet. But unnecessary. I’m happy to take the bus.”
