She snorted. “You don’t look so scary to me.”
“You might be surprised.” Despite the lightness in Kraven’s tone, his glare spoke volumes. He wasn’t staring at a girl he really thought was cute, he was staring at someone he considered an enemy. A monster.
I would know, since that was exactly how he’d first stared at me. In fact, he still regarded me that way most of the time.
When he took a step forward, fists clenched, I stepped between them. “Don’t. Just don’t.”
He narrowed a look at me. “Get out of my way.”
“Not happening. You want her? You have to go through me.”
“Just because we’re making an exception for you doesn’t mean that extends to your friends, sweetness.”
“Carly’s not going to hurt anybody. She’s just like me.”
His expression darkened. “You’re not harmless, either, you just don’t realize it yet. It’s called denial and it won’t last much longer, no matter how much your boyfriend might like to think otherwise.”
I tried to shove him backward, but he didn’t budge. Then I tried to zap him. That also didn’t work. He had a wall up around him and I knew it would take me a while to find a crack in it. “Get away from us. I’m not in the mood for this tonight.”
“Leave her alone, Kraven,” Bishop growled.
“She’s the one doing the shoving.” He laughed. “Defending your little girlfriend? Isn’t that adorable.”
Bishop’s gaze had lost some of its previous madness. Either that or he was able to fake it pretty well now that he knew he had an audience.
“Don’t try me tonight,” he said evenly. “I’m really not in the mood.”
I eyed Bishop, uncertainty sweeping over me about absolutely everything to do with him. “So this wasn’t planned? You came here to try to find the Source? Were you going to try to find me, too? Or…” My mouth felt dry. “Or are you finished with me? I did what you wanted me to do and now I’m just another gray?”
He frowned, as if trying to focus on my voice. “Not just another gray. Special. Don’t know why. Wish it were different. Wish I didn’t…” He swore under his breath and rubbed his temples. “I hate this. All of it.”
I didn’t know what to make of his ramblings. Did he want me to just be another gray? Not special or different so I wouldn’t cause so many problems for him?
The thought that he wished for something like that made me cringe inside.
Kraven put an arm around Bishop’s shoulders and squeezed, but it was more of a mocking gesture than a supportive one. “Bishop’s been having a tough night. We’ve been dealing with some other important business with our two new BFFs. They’re out on patrol right now. Just one big happy family, aren’t we?”
“Let go of me,” Bishop said. “Or I’ll kill you.”
Kraven let go of him. “See? Fun, fun, fun.”
I looked at Bishop. “He’s your brother, isn’t he?”
His gaze snapped to mine. “Excuse me?”
I wanted him to deny it. I wanted him to say that Kraven was a big fat liar. Then my trust in him would be restored one hundred percent. “Is it true or not?”
Bishop sent a dark glare in Kraven’s direction.
The demon shrugged. “Sorry. Didn’t realize it was a big secret. Guess you might have second thoughts now about letting me walk your girlfriend home from now on. All sorts of fun information might come out in the open, thanks to her special little abilities.”
Bishop’s attention moved back to me and he searched my expression. “I didn’t tell you because it’s not important.”
“Not important?” My heart slammed against my chest. “Why would you possibly think that isn’t important? He’s your brother.”
“That was a long time ago. Things change.”
“What does that even mean? What’s your real name? I know his.”
“My name is Bishop. There’s no other name for me that matters anymore.” There was deep pain in his blue eyes for a split second before it vanished and he searched my gaze. It felt as if he could look right down to my soul—if I still had one.
“I want answers, Bishop,” I said as firmly as I could.
“I don’t have any for you. Not about this.”
He was seriously the most frustrating and secretive person I’d met in my entire life. Ever. And yet I still didn’t want to look away from him. I wanted to know everything—who he was, where he’d lived, when he’d lived, what his real name was. Because I now knew for sure that it wasn’t really Bishop.
“Sam,” Carly said. “Can we, like, leave? It’s freezing out here.”
“Tick tock,” Kraven said to Bishop. “Let’s get a move on. We check the club and then we have to get back out on patrol with Roth and Zach. Priorities, remember?”
Natalie had said she also planned to leave when I did. For all I knew, she was already gone.
Bishop hadn’t looked away from my face. That sliver of madness mixed with something else I couldn’t put a name to. He didn’t like that I’d found out his little secret—that he’d been a human just like everybody else. And somehow he’d had a brother who turned out to be a demon.
Again, I wished I could read his mind.
And still, despite his strange and unpleasant behavior tonight, I had to keep my hands clenched at my sides to keep from reaching for him. The warmth coming from his body was so tempting that it effortlessly drew me closer to him. I wanted to believe in him so badly, even now that my previous trust had been shaken. It was like an ache burrowing deep into my chest.
“You might be surprised.” Despite the lightness in Kraven’s tone, his glare spoke volumes. He wasn’t staring at a girl he really thought was cute, he was staring at someone he considered an enemy. A monster.
I would know, since that was exactly how he’d first stared at me. In fact, he still regarded me that way most of the time.
When he took a step forward, fists clenched, I stepped between them. “Don’t. Just don’t.”
He narrowed a look at me. “Get out of my way.”
“Not happening. You want her? You have to go through me.”
“Just because we’re making an exception for you doesn’t mean that extends to your friends, sweetness.”
“Carly’s not going to hurt anybody. She’s just like me.”
His expression darkened. “You’re not harmless, either, you just don’t realize it yet. It’s called denial and it won’t last much longer, no matter how much your boyfriend might like to think otherwise.”
I tried to shove him backward, but he didn’t budge. Then I tried to zap him. That also didn’t work. He had a wall up around him and I knew it would take me a while to find a crack in it. “Get away from us. I’m not in the mood for this tonight.”
“Leave her alone, Kraven,” Bishop growled.
“She’s the one doing the shoving.” He laughed. “Defending your little girlfriend? Isn’t that adorable.”
Bishop’s gaze had lost some of its previous madness. Either that or he was able to fake it pretty well now that he knew he had an audience.
“Don’t try me tonight,” he said evenly. “I’m really not in the mood.”
I eyed Bishop, uncertainty sweeping over me about absolutely everything to do with him. “So this wasn’t planned? You came here to try to find the Source? Were you going to try to find me, too? Or…” My mouth felt dry. “Or are you finished with me? I did what you wanted me to do and now I’m just another gray?”
He frowned, as if trying to focus on my voice. “Not just another gray. Special. Don’t know why. Wish it were different. Wish I didn’t…” He swore under his breath and rubbed his temples. “I hate this. All of it.”
I didn’t know what to make of his ramblings. Did he want me to just be another gray? Not special or different so I wouldn’t cause so many problems for him?
The thought that he wished for something like that made me cringe inside.
Kraven put an arm around Bishop’s shoulders and squeezed, but it was more of a mocking gesture than a supportive one. “Bishop’s been having a tough night. We’ve been dealing with some other important business with our two new BFFs. They’re out on patrol right now. Just one big happy family, aren’t we?”
“Let go of me,” Bishop said. “Or I’ll kill you.”
Kraven let go of him. “See? Fun, fun, fun.”
I looked at Bishop. “He’s your brother, isn’t he?”
His gaze snapped to mine. “Excuse me?”
I wanted him to deny it. I wanted him to say that Kraven was a big fat liar. Then my trust in him would be restored one hundred percent. “Is it true or not?”
Bishop sent a dark glare in Kraven’s direction.
The demon shrugged. “Sorry. Didn’t realize it was a big secret. Guess you might have second thoughts now about letting me walk your girlfriend home from now on. All sorts of fun information might come out in the open, thanks to her special little abilities.”
Bishop’s attention moved back to me and he searched my expression. “I didn’t tell you because it’s not important.”
“Not important?” My heart slammed against my chest. “Why would you possibly think that isn’t important? He’s your brother.”
“That was a long time ago. Things change.”
“What does that even mean? What’s your real name? I know his.”
“My name is Bishop. There’s no other name for me that matters anymore.” There was deep pain in his blue eyes for a split second before it vanished and he searched my gaze. It felt as if he could look right down to my soul—if I still had one.
“I want answers, Bishop,” I said as firmly as I could.
“I don’t have any for you. Not about this.”
He was seriously the most frustrating and secretive person I’d met in my entire life. Ever. And yet I still didn’t want to look away from him. I wanted to know everything—who he was, where he’d lived, when he’d lived, what his real name was. Because I now knew for sure that it wasn’t really Bishop.
“Sam,” Carly said. “Can we, like, leave? It’s freezing out here.”
“Tick tock,” Kraven said to Bishop. “Let’s get a move on. We check the club and then we have to get back out on patrol with Roth and Zach. Priorities, remember?”
Natalie had said she also planned to leave when I did. For all I knew, she was already gone.
Bishop hadn’t looked away from my face. That sliver of madness mixed with something else I couldn’t put a name to. He didn’t like that I’d found out his little secret—that he’d been a human just like everybody else. And somehow he’d had a brother who turned out to be a demon.
Again, I wished I could read his mind.
And still, despite his strange and unpleasant behavior tonight, I had to keep my hands clenched at my sides to keep from reaching for him. The warmth coming from his body was so tempting that it effortlessly drew me closer to him. I wanted to believe in him so badly, even now that my previous trust had been shaken. It was like an ache burrowing deep into my chest.
