Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,120

not, and I also did not run off.” Even though I’d wanted to. “I walked off.”

“As if that makes a difference.” His eyes flared wide as he dipped his head. “You were out here for who knows how long, unprotected and alone.”

“Oh, like you care,” I blurted out. It was such a typical thing to say, but whatever.

“Really? You think that?”

“Based on the way you’ve been acting the last couple of days? Yeah.”

“God, I shouldn’t even be surprised that you’d think that.”

I gaped at him. “You need to chill with the attitude.”

“I need to chill?”

“Obviously. That’s what I said.” I yanked on my hand again. I was done with the hand-holding crap. I broke his hold just to remind him exactly who had the strength here. “In case you’re confused, I don’t have to tell you anything about what I’m doing, so you need to check yourself with the whole you-didn’t-know-where-I-was spiel. That is not how this works. Ever. Second, I can protect myself—”

“Except when you’re crossing streets, apparently,” he fired back.

“You know what. You can go—” I cut myself off, taking a step back.

His lips twisted into a smirk. “Finish that sentence if it’ll make you feel better.”

Instead of doing just that, I lifted my hand and flipped him off.

One eyebrow rose. “Did that make you feel better?”

“Yes.”

Lips thinning, he looked away and dragged in a deep breath. “You didn’t tell me the truth the night you were in the kitchen.”

My ears must have been deceiving me, or the Lord was testing me. Or both. “Come again?”

“That was why you had your dagger with you.” He faced me again. “You weren’t getting something to drink. Sam was there, and you didn’t tell me—”

“You didn’t tell me you were meeting up with Stacey!” I shouted loud enough that people on the street had have to heard me. “You failed to mention that when you talked about the ‘stuff’ you needed to do, so don’t stand there and lecture me. And it’s not the first time, either, right? That’s where you were the day you met me in the park. The night we—” I cut myself off. “The night Morgan was killed.”

His gaze flew to mine. “I had lunch with her that day. I didn’t tell you—”

“I don’t care.” And that was the God’s honest truth at that messy moment. “I don’t care why you didn’t.”

Zayne stepped toward me. “Are you sure about that, Trinity?”

I tensed. “I’m positive. I’m just pointing out the hypocrisy.”

“Then if that’s the case, I can’t wait to see your face the moment the hypocrisy turns right back on you.”

“Oh, you think you’re smart.” I started to turn away, but I stopped. “I didn’t tell you about Sam because I had no idea who he was that night. He disappeared before I could get a name, and I thought he was just some random spirit who’d seen me and followed me back. It’s happened before, and I didn’t bring it up because I figured hearing there was another dead person in your apartment would creep you out.”

Zayne looked toward the street, arms crossing over his chest.

“I didn’t know he was bringing me to Stacey until I saw her. If I had known who he was, I would’ve contacted you. I’m not stupid.”

His head whipped back to mine. “I didn’t say you were.”

“I guess I misinterpreted the playing-in-the-street comment then.” I held on to my anger like it was a favorite blanket. “And why are you even here right now?”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Really?” My tone was so dry, a desert would seem like a damp destination in comparison. “You have stuff to do, and the whole Sam thing seemed to hit Stacey really hard. So, you should be in there, where you’re needed. Not out here, giving me crap.”

Zayne’s nostrils flared and his pupils changed, stretching. “You’re right. I had stuff to do today, and that, back there?” He jabbed a finger at the street. “It did hit Stacey hard, because when Sam died, she didn’t even know. None of us did, because a damn Lilin had assumed his form and pretended to be him in every way possible.”

My eyes widened. A Lilin was the offspring of Lilith but nothing like Layla. A Lilin was a demonic creature way forbidden to be topside, because they could strip souls by simply brushing up against a human, creating wraiths like a mogwai feeds after midnight. And now I understood what Sam had meant by saying he hadn’t crossed