Sins of the Innocent - Jamie McGuire Page 0,25
and the host was seating us right away. The stone and brick walls were rounded, and the dim lighting and leather-backed chairs made our dinner feel more like a date by the second. Two tables over, a waiter lit an order of sautéed shrimp, creating a tall flame near the table, much to the delight of the two silver-haired women who had ordered the meal-slash-show.
The waiter poured our water, and after we let him know we wouldn’t be ordering anything else to drink, he left us to look over the menu. More than once, I caught Levi peeking at me from over his menu.
“You didn’t just come to Providence for me,” I said.
“Yes, I did.”
“No other reason?”
“Well …” He took a breath and put his menu down. “Our ancient texts have very different outcomes. My father said we would win, but there was that other pesky scroll that said otherwise. When being raised, knowing someone out there is going to try to kill you … it tends to make a man curious, especially once I found out you were a girl.”
“That bothered you, did it? That you’d be beaten by a girl?”
“Not that you’re a girl. Quite honestly, I can’t imagine the last thing I’d see being any better. I’m not really sure how I’m supposed to be afraid of a death like that.”
“You can quit wondering. I’m not going to kill you. I didn’t even know who you were until last week.”
Levi suppressed a smile. “I wasn’t worried.”
“I could … kill you.”
“But you won’t.”
I glared at him, watching his arms and shoulders for signs of tension. He wasn’t going to attack me—at least not in the next few seconds anyway.
“Is that a challenge?” I asked.
“Not at all.”
I set down my menu, frustrated. “Why don’t you just say it?”
“Say what?”
“Whatever it is you’re building up to. I’m bored of the bread crumbs.”
He chuckled. “I don’t deny killing you was the plan, but that was before.”
“Before what?”
“I was informed of who you really are.”
I leaned forward. “You don’t know me. We haven’t met before.” I sighed. “This was a waste of time.”
I began to stand, but again, he grabbed my wrist. He was strong, but I could maneuver from his grasp if I wanted.
“Eden,” he began, “I know more about you than you do. You wish you had a sibling, but Bex will do. You’re bored of your training. You’re weary of this life. I know you couldn’t care less about college because you see everything about your human life as a time suck. It’s beneath you because you don’t belong here. You like tulips because your mother does. You like to drink coffee at that café because of your parents’ sentimental attachment. This is your favorite restaurant because it’s down the street from your mother’s office. You drive too fast and risk detection like Claire, but you wear your seat belt to blend in. You’re both, you’re all, you’re everything.”
“I’m nothing,” I whispered. “In the middle. Neutral.”
“You’re only loyal to yourself. Makes it simpler.”
“Who are you loyal to? No one,” I seethed.
“You,” he whispered. “I’m loyal to you.”
“Not your father?”
“I haven’t been for a very long time.”
I laughed once without humor. “You are a liar but not a very good one.”
He wasn’t amused. “Do you honestly believe buying you dinner is part of Hell’s master plan?”
I squirmed in my seat. Even a fraction of his fury made me uncomfortable. I wondered what he was like when he was truly angry.
“Do you not feel it?” he asked. “The air is clear. I won’t allow them to come near you.”
“I just assumed you ordered them away. You still command the legions, don’t you?”
“They fear me, and they should.”
“Well, I’m not afraid of you.”
“Good. I don’t want you to be.”
I pressed my palm flat on the table, impatient. “You just said the plan was to kill me. What you’re not saying is why you changed your mind.”
“Yes, I did. The moment I learned you were here, I arranged to get here first. It’s taken a great amount of patience, but here you are.”
“What does that even mean?”
“If I told you now, you wouldn’t believe me.”
“Try me.”
He stood, took a step, and held out his hand. “If you mean to pick a fight, let’s take it outside. I don’t want to trash the restaurant.”
I put my hand in his, and he pulled me to stand. His hands, warm and soft, cupped my jaw, his irises bright. He shut his eyes, his long lashes lying