Ruin - By N.M. Martinez Page 0,68

his hand in mine, through the shade of the ruined buildings back to Henri's.

Back at Henri's, the people who had been in the hall are still out front of the building. I try to tug my hand away from Alex, worried about what they'll think seeing him holding the hand of a Neutral, but he looks down at me and pulls me closer, gripping my one hand with his other one and pulling me through the crowd. They don't say anything at all. Not to each other and not to him. Alex wears a possibly well practiced hardened look as a shield to keep them back and away from both of us.

Inside, it's still quiet. He doesn't let go of my hand until we're upstairs in front of Henri's apartment.

"Thank you."

Alex just nods and points to the stairs. "I'll be there."

But after his walking me back here through the heat and after his workout with Kyrene, just saying thank you isn't enough. "Do you want water?"

He glances up, looking inside the apartment, and then hesitates. "I should not."

"I'll give it to you out here. Just wait a minute." And I step into the kitchen, ignoring his still soft protests. By the time I'm back with two glasses of water poured from the jug, he's standing on the threshold of the apartment taking in the sight of the place.

He takes the glass I offer him and steps back into the hallway. I follow him and leave the door open. The apartment is hot, and, after our walk outside in the bright sunshine, it's also dark. The hallway is cooler and brighter.

"So what is the deal with Aaron? Why were you so," I halt and falter on the word, but it sputters out anyway. "Afraid."

Alex drinks half the glass in one gulp. "Aaron is dangerous. He does not like humans. Very few people he likes. It is a necessity that people work together, but he does not need to."

In my presence he has never spoken this much. His words are halting, and here in the quiet when his words are drawn out, I catch the smallest bit of an accent. "You mean he's just that badass that he doesn't need other people?"

Alex laughs, but shakes his head. "He's a Ghost." He sighs and takes another drink. "Southlanders don't know about him. Or about them."

"They don't know about the Ghosts?"

"No. They work on their own. Specialized. Dangerous. All of them. They report to Smith, but only out of respect for him."

I shiver despite the warmth of the room. It seems there are a lot of people who are only working for Henri out of respect and without needing his orders. Jimmy springs to my mind and I shiver again.

"But he's friends with Brandon, right?"

Alex finishes his glass and hands it back to me. "Brandon is a good person, but he does what he must."

I blink and fight back the goose bumps. How many people can that be said of here? And what would that mean for me if his loyalties were ever tested? He has an entire world here that I've only been a part of for a few weeks.

Alex turns to head back to the stairs, and I step towards him again before he gets too far. "Uh, Alex, can I also ask, what was the thing with you and Mitchell?"

He grins at me. "I just don't like him."

"What? Why not?"

"He is the girl. It is not natural."

It takes a moment for me to understand what he means. When I get it, my face flushes again and I look away. Alex laughs. That's something I hadn't fully thought about. Not that there's anything wrong with it. Back home, same sex couples are celebrated for all the important work they often end up doing when it comes to families. A child in need is often given to same sex couples because they can't have children naturally.

"Alex, you shouldn't say that."

"I am just saying what I think." His grin fades. "Is it not appropriate?"

"No. It's not nice either."

He crosses his arms and turns down his mouth. This is a man I just watched play fight ferociously with a woman that according to Maria he's probably sleeping with, and I can't help the image of a child that pops into my head. A hand over my mouth isn't enough to hide my smile, and he catches it right away.

Alex's lips spread in a thin smile even as his brows lower into a dangerous look that