Demon's Trust (The Chronicles of Arcayos #1) - Raven Dark Page 0,14
shit on you, hasn’t it? It’s not that kind of condition.”
Should run, should count my lucky fucking stars, but I can’t seem to walk away. I look at the badge on his waist. It gleams golden in the early morning light. I like the look of it.
I push my gloves more firmly onto my hands, quashing the urge to touch him and see what’s in this guy’s head. Reading people never goes well. “What do you want?”
“Keep your nose clean.”
I stare at him. Is he for real? “Come again?”
He waves me over to his car, a beat-up old sedan, and leans on it, crossing his arms. His eyes settle on an old bruise that’s already turning yellowish-green on my cheek. “Where’s your parents?”
“Don’t got any. Don’t need ’em.”
“Figures. Okay, look, kid. What are you, fifteen?”
“Seventeen.”
“Yeah. I take you to lockup now, and what happens?”
“I go to jail, and one of Gary’s guys bails me out in a few hours. No biggie.”
“Wrong.”
“Oh, you know everything, do you, Detective?”
He leans toward me. “I take you in now, and your ass gets hauled into court. You get charged with forgery, and it’s off to jail. You get out in six months, and end up back on the street. When no one will hire you because you got a record, you end up selling yourself or worse. You’re in and out of prison, ruining any chance at a good education or a good job that isn’t illegal. You’re life is over.”
“Are you trying to scare me?”
“Yes.”
“Won’t happen.”
“Yes, it will. I’ve seen a thousand kids like you, and that’s how they all end up. I think you’re a good kid. You deserve better.”
“You don’t know anything about me. You don’t even know my name.”
“Cassidy Morgan, right? You’re in the system. Your dad was a forger, wasn’t he?”
“So what? You’re gonna save me? Be my white knight?”
“No. I’m giving you a choice. Tell you what. You make me a promise. You keep yourself out of trouble. I’ll check up on you, make sure you’re keeping your word. You promise me you’ll behave yourself, and you can walk away right now.”
I open my mouth twice. No one’s ever done anything like this for me. “Why are you helping me?”
“Because I was like you once.”
I can’t imagine that. This cop, with his badge and his gun, his graying temples and his strong arms, stuck on the street with no hope for anything better? “And if I don’t keep my word?”
“I catch you breaking the law again, and I’ll throw you in jail myself.”
Where I’ll end up in the system, ground down like most of the other kids Gary has chewed up and spit out.
I have no idea what the hell to say. For the first time in a long time, I smile.
“You got it… Detective.”
He nods. I turn to leave, then turn back. “Hey, what’s your name, copper?”
“Jonathan. Detective Jonathan Colburn.”
“Well, thanks for… uh… for helping a girl out.” Even if I never see him again, I’ll remember his name for the rest of my life.
I start down the street.
“Miss Morgan.”
I look over my shoulder. “Yeah?”
“I meant what I said. I’ll be checking up. You gave me your word, kiddo.”
You gave me your word, kiddo.
The words echo through my brain, chasing me from sleep.
I jerk against the hard, muscled body heating my skin.
I crack my eyelids open, blinking against the harsh sunlight. The chill has left him. The warrior’s breathing is normal now.
An absurd mix of relief and irritation shoots through me. I’d hoped it was all a dream, but he’s still here.
I moan, jerking my leg off his hip. Gah. I actually crawled on top of him and wrapped myself around him like a lovesick girlfriend.
I lift my head. “Must have been more tired than I—” I jerk back. “Whoa.”
His face. He looks human. Well, almost.
Still asleep, his eyes closed, the cracks are gone from his face, the once blue-gray skin now darkly tanned and smooth. Waves of shoulder-length hair spread across my couch. His well-shaped lips are parted.
My throat goes dry.
He was beautiful before, but in a frightening supernatural way. Now he looks like a damned movie star.
My fingers reach up to brush a lock of hair from his cheek.
The warrior’s eyelids flutter, those red, fire-like eyes gleaming from between his lids. I draw my hand back, brought back down to earth with an unpleasant bump. He might be hot, but he’s far from human. And he’s still dangerous.