“I should probably be going.” Eggward mutters.
“Oh dear, so soon?” The sarcasm is rich in Jace’s voice.
“I just wanted to say hi, Mina. Thanks for inviting me, but I’m not going to be able to stay.” Eggward glances at Jace before he turns his back and stalks away. I watch him disappear back in the direction that he came from.
“What the fuck was that about?” I ask Jace.
“I don’t know what you mean. Would you like a bite?” Unfortunately Jace’s question pulls my attention back to him. He gestures to his styrofoam container of food.
“Ugh, I can’t believe you brought those.” Lucy says, her nose crinkling.
“What is it?” I ask, just before the smell hits me.
“Garlic chicken wings.”
Of course he wouldn’t like them. Vampires hate garlic.
“No. Thanks.” I grumble. Eggward has already disappeared into the shadows again. Damnit. He was just starting to come out of his shell.
“Suit yourself, but Red Eyes Pies is great. You are really missing out.” Jace selects a wing.
“I’m a vegetarian.” I mutter.
He tears the meat from the bone with a sickening crunch that turns my stomach.
“Why were you so rude to him?” I demand from Jace.
“I can’t believe he’s the reason that you quit on me.” He shakes his head, carefully selecting another chicken wing from his pile.
“Are you going to ominously warn me to stay away from Eggward?”
“No, it’s none of my business who you work for. I just don’t trust him.”
“That sounds like an ominous warning to me.”
“I have my reasons.” Jace grumbles.
“And what would those be?”
“He’s not human!”
“Hardly anyone in Ghostlight is,” I retort. Jace’s eyebrows seem suspiciously bushy for someone pretending to be completely human himself. Something about him changed since we were kids, I just don’t know what it was.
“He’s a thief.” Jace grumbles.
“Right.” I scoff. “What did he steal?”
Jace clams up immediately, glancing at Lucy and then back at me. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Everyone seems to think I’m some stupid human who can’t handle the truth!”
“We don’t think you are stupid. We just don’t want to see you get hurt.” The tenderness in Lucy’s voice hurts almost as much as them treating me like a child.
“I’m leaving.” I stand, dusting myself off.
“Where are you going?” Lucy asks.
“Am I not allowed to have my own secrets?” I snark back at her.
