The Weight Of Remaining

CHAPTER 3

The cool night air hit my face the second I stepped outside and for the first time since the attack, I could breathe.

I told Mira and Liora to go home because I had to do something first. I just didn't want them to get in any more trouble tonight.

The sounds of the bar faded behind me as I walked down the narrow street, forcing myself not to look back.

The attack was over, the creatures were dead and nobody had died.

Everything was fine.

Except for the fact that four strangers had stood in the middle of the chaos and watched me fight. And one of them had been paying far too much attention.

I shoved my hands into my pockets and picked up my pace.

The city was quieter here. Lantern light spilled across the cobblestones in pools of gold. The distant sounds of music echoed through the streets, mixing with laughter and the occasional bark of a dog.

Normal. I liked normal, it kept me alive.

A faint prickling sensation crawled up the back of my neck and I froze as I realized someone was following me. There were footsteps behind me. Steady. Unhurried. Not trying to hide.

"Of course." I swore under my breath.

I turned down a side street, but the footsteps followed. Another turn... Still there.

Whoever he was, he wasn’t subtle.

"Okay, catch me if you can a**hole" I murmured under my breath.

The moment I reached the next intersection, I broke into a sprint. My boots struck the stone. Wind rushed through my hair.

I heard the footsteps immediately speed up behind me.

I vaulted over a stack of crates. Cut through an alley barely wide enough for two people. Leapt across a narrow gap between buildings, but the footsteps never disappeared.

Whoever this man was, he was fast, faster than most people should have been.

My pulse quickened, not from fear, from annoyance. I was getting very tired of people trying to ruin my evening.

I rounded another corner—

—and nearly collided with a wall of black leather.

A hand closed around my wrist.

I reacted instantly as my free hand shot toward his throat. His other hand caught it before I could make contact.

Damn it.

Momentum carried us both forward and my back hit the stone wall of the alley. Not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to stop me.

For a heartbeat neither of us moved.

Then I finally looked up. It was the man from the bar.

Dark messy hair, brown eyes that were entirely focused on me. Up close he looked even more dangerous. And annoyingly attractive. I hated when those two things came together.

“Would you stop running?” his voice remained annoying calm.

Far calmer than mine would have been if I’d just chased someone across half the city.

“Would you stop chasing me?” I asked trying to push him away from.

“Fair point.” One corner of his mouth twitched.

“Let go of me.” I hissed at him.

To my surprise, he immediately stepped back. Far enough to give me space. Close enough that I knew he could catch me again if I tried to bolt. Which, unfortunately, was what I wanted to do.

I rubbed my wrist.

“Who are you?” I demanded, still keeping one eye on any opportunity to get away.

“Kaiden.”

The name meant nothing to me.

Which was somehow worse. Unknown people were always more dangerous than known ones.

“And what exactly do you want, Kaiden?” I asked with obvious suspicion.

His gaze studied me for a moment. Like he was trying to solve a puzzle. And I hated puzzles. Especially when I was the one being solved.

“You fought well tonight.” he said with an unreadable expression.

“That’s why you chased me through six streets?” I stared in disbelief.

“You counted?” he teased.

“I was being chased.” I defended myself.

A smile creeped up on his face and the expression transformed him. He was very attractive. Which was unfortunate.... Again.

“Most people run from those creatures.” he said more like a question than a statement.

“I did-”

“You didn't.” he cut me off.

I folded my arms.

“Get to the point.” I was starting to hate where this conversation was going.

His expression sobered as his smile vanished. And suddenly the air between us felt different. He looked almost hesitant. Like he was carefully choosing his next words.

“My team fights creatures like that all the time.”

A team... Interesting.

Not good. But interesting.

“We could use someone like you.” he continued.

There it was. The real reason.

I almost laughed.

“You chased me across the city to offer me a job?” I asked raising a brow at him.

“You make it sound ridiculous.” he rolled his eyes.

“It is ridiculous.” I said with a blank expression.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“You’re wasting your abilities.”

My stomach tightened.

Abilities. A very dangerous word.

Did he know?

No.

If he knew, this conversation would be very different.

Still...

The fact that he had noticed anything at all was a problem. And problems had a habit of turning into disasters.

I had spent years making sure nobody looked too closely at me. But tonight, one person finally had.

And I had the uncomfortable feeling that this was only the beginning.