“But Ihavescared you, darling.” She played with a strand of Evie’s hair. “Like I said. I don’t like people who scare you.”
It hurt to see her so wrought with guilt. Even if she hid it expertly. Even if she was still stunning and commanding to behold, Evie saw the pain behind her beautiful features.
Since they met, Natalya had done many things that scared her. Some on purpose, some on accident. Despite it all, she had never felt safer than when she was in Natalya’s arms. She’d never trusted someone like she did her.
Evie wanted to say something that would alleviate her guilty conscience, but she didn’t know what words could help with that. She was afraid of making it worse. So instead of speaking, she just held Natalya a little tighter.
The need to console her was a strange thing. Thinking of Natalya in any kind of pain made Evie’s heart hurt in a way she hadn’t experienced before. She’d felt the same way when she found Natalya bleeding in the bathroom. A gripping pain at seeing her suffer and being unable to lessen it. That feeling was beyond simple caring.
This dumb crush Evie had developed needed to go away.
“Do you like her?” Natalya said after a moment. “Sam, I mean.”
“I do. She’s a bit awkward, but she’s nice.” Evie lowered her eyes. “She’s sad. And lonely. I remember what that was like. And I like hanging out with her.”
“Should I be jealous?” Natalya said with a smirk. Evie shrugged, grinning.
“Maybe a little.”
“Now I like her even less.”
Evie laughed, and it made the sadness vanish from Natalya’s expression.
“Drinks where?” Natalya asked.
“Probably at The Five-Leaf. That’s where we went last time. Flea will be there too. At the bar and at the classes.”
Natalya nodded, the tenseness in her body lessening. But it didn’t vanish. She touched the chain of Evie’s necklace. “You know you don’t need this job, right? You don’t need to work if you don’t want to.”
“Lily doesn’t need her job either. I like having the classes. I like working. It makes me feel like my own person.”
Natalya sighed at the words. She kept touching the necklace. Kept looking at the Chain pendant rather than at Evie. There was a strange longing in her eyes.
Maybe having a job wasn’t normal for Claimed humans. Maybe they weren’t expected to. Or even allowed. The thought wasn’t a welcome one.
“Is it a problem?” Evie’s voice was a bit sharper than before. “Because of you Claiming me or something like that.”
“I haven’t officially Claimed you yet. Like you said. It’s a promise, for now. One you can still back out of if you want to.”
“You’re not answering my question.”
Her eyes sought up again. She looked amused like she often did when Evie got frustrated with her. It made Evie more irritated.
“I’m serious, Natalya.”
“I know.” She trailed a finger over Evie’s lips. A gentle touch that made it hard to be mad at her. “I’m not used to people being upset with me. Most people are either frightened or obsessed. You are neither.”
“I’m not upset, I’mannoyed,” Evie corrected. It made Natalya laugh loudly, and Evie couldn’t help but smile at the sound. Hearing Natalya laugh like that was a rare thing.
“Almost all our Claimed humans have work of some kind. Some of them in the high-rise, some not,” Natalya said when she was done laughing. “You already know that Lily’s a waitress, andBlake works with the patrol teams. Cassius has a Blue named Hannah who’s a schoolteacher, I believe. You having a job is nothing unusual.”
Natalya’s smile vanished as she spoke. She looked concerned again.
“I know you like working. I don’t mind you doing so. But nothing is more important to me than keeping you safe. You leaving makes me worried.”
Hearing the words started an odd mix of feelings in Evie. She calmed hearing that Natalya’s behavior stemmed from concern rather than her wanting to control Evie’s movements. But there was something else too. A sadness that the tenderness Natalya displayed just came from her promise of protecting her. Nothing more. Natalya didn’t want to care for another beyond that. She’d said she couldn’t.
Despite Evie trying to hold onto the sad feeling, it was all but erased as Natalya started running fingers through her hair.
