Unbound by Georgia Bell Page B

“I
don’t believe it was their intention to really harm him, only to frighten him,”
he said. He watched me carefully after he spoke, as if appraising the effect
his words had upon me.
                “I
think it worked,” I said mildly.
    His
mouth pulled up at one corner in a wary smile. “Your arrival and the police
visit across the street were an unfortunate coincidence. I think they were
afraid you might expose them by alerting the officers outside.”
    I
nodded again. I would have.
    “Why
did they leave?” There had been a gun. I remembered the hard press of cold
steel between my shoulder blades.
    He
carefully avoided my eyes. “I convinced the man with the gun that it would be best
if he came back later.”
    “How
did you manage that?”
    “I
merely implied that I was aware of a few transgressions on his part. Unfavourable
things he might not want the people he works with to know about.” He sounded
almost embarrassed.
    “Why,
what had he done?”
    “I
have no idea,” he admitted, “but almost fifteen hundred years of observing
human behaviour has its advantages. He seemed very likely to be the sort of
person who has done things he shouldn’t.” His grin was wry. “I happen to be an
excellent judge of character.”
    “But
why were you there?”
    He
looked at me, his serious gaze unflinching. “For you,” he said simply.
    My
heart stumbled for a beat or two before taking off again.
    I didn’t know where to look so I nodded at the
ground, feeling a warm glow spread through my chest.
    Stopping
on the corner beside the library, he held my arms, his gaze serious. “Rachel,
you must promise me you will take care of yourself for the next few days.”
    My
stomach tightened. “Why?”
    “Well,
what sort of guardian angel would I be if I didn’t take care of you?”
    “You’re
making fun of me now.”
    “Yes,”
he said. “I am.” His smile was playful.  
    But
I was unsettled. Was he saying goodbye? Now, after everything he had just told
me? Unnerved, I shivered in the sunshine, wrapping my arms around my
waist.  
    “Promise
me,” he repeated, “promise me you’ll take care of yourself.”
    “Fine,
I promise,” I said, feeling exasperated. “Are you leaving?” I tried to push
away the dread that washed over me at the thought of never seeing him again.
      “Only for a little while.”
    “Where
are you going?” I hated that I sounded like a child and hated more that he must
think of me as one.
    His
expression was neutral, but his eyes were guarded. “There is something
important I must attend to, something that cannot wait another day.” He
softened. “I didn’t reveal myself only to abandon you, Rachel.   I will be back.”
    “You’d
better.” I tried to smile and failed.
    “Be
well.” Tenderly, he leaned forward and placed his lips against my forehead,
then turned and swiftly strode away. He didn’t look back.
    I
watched him leave, feeling torn between my disappointment at his departure and
elation at the promise in his words and the feeling of his lips on my skin. I walked
up the stairs feeling more hopeful than I’d felt in years. But just as
frightened. Now there was more to lose.

Chapter Four: Black Coffee
     
    The
next morning, I opened my eyes and stretched luxuriously, pushing the duvet
down to bunch around my feet in response to the sunshine that fell across my
bed through the open curtains. Traces of my dream still clung to me like
scented oil. Although specific details had faded upon awakening, the flavour of
the dream was still very present, and I felt flushed as I rummaged through the
lingering mental images.
    Biting
my lip to keep from grinning, I wondered what Eaden had dreamt about last night.
But my mirth faded quickly as I considered how unlikely it was that I would be
a key player in any of his dreams. Despite his very tangible presence
yesterday, he had seemed so annoyingly careful around me. I had to face the
very real possibility that he