I launched myself at the one attacking Roark, and my momentum knocked us to the ground. Protective instincts pulsed through me, and without thinking, I let my fist fly right at his face. His head snapped back at the impact. Before I could lay another on him, a familiar scent surrounded me, and I was swooped up. The world flashed around me as I hung awkwardly in Roark’s hold.
Minutes later, he stuttered to a stop and turned me. His hand cupped my face, his eyes roving over me, head to toe, as he patted me down, checking if I was in one piece. The drawn look on his face had worsened. He needed to rest.
Seeming satisfied, he sighed and tugged me into his arms. I let him because I felt like if I didn’t, he would drop to the ground. At least that’s what I told myself. It wasn’t that I wanted to feel his body against mine.
He pulled back and gripped my chin, eyes glinting. “If I ever tell you to run, you run.”
My eyebrows went up. I was offended that he would dare try to give me orders, but a little, itty piece inside me was absurdly pleased.
“Don’t think—”
“Let’s get out of here.” He scanned our surroundings and tugged me along. Even though I’d been fighting it since I saw him again, him taking up my space was something I missed.
25
“Where are we going?”
“Back to the hotel. It’s the only place Rian knows we’ll be.” I hadn’t thought of that. Not for the first time, I wished I knew what was happening on his end.
By the way he trudged on ahead, a cold look on his face, Roark seethed with some sort of emotion. At last, he finally rounded on me. “When I tell you to run, you must listen,” he ground out in a low tone.
I rolled my eyes. The whole sulky thing he had going was because I hadn’t listened to him? “Are you serious? You can hardly stand without swaying. You’re running on empty. Otherwise, I’m sure you would have had them whimpering like the cowards they are.”
His expression tightened. Probably because he knew I was right, and he didn’t like it one bit. “I don’t have much to work with.” He scowled. “But don’t mistake me, I am not weak, and as drained as I am, I will protect you with my dying breath.”
“Yeah, well, you didn’t need to die. I was more than capable of pulling off a distraction. As you saw.” I waved my arms dramatically and rolled my eyes. In the back of my mind, I realized I was feeling more myself than I had in months. Now experiencing the difference, I noticed how down in the dumps I’d been. I was in no way okay, considering Annie’s absence, but I felt hope for once. Not only for myself but for the entire Unnatural world. Luz’s sacrifice hadn’t been in vain, and it wasn’t until now that I realized I’d been dealing with comparison-itis, with a dash of imposter syndrome. It was no wonder I’d been so depressed.
Even if I wasn’t down with killing Roark to free magic, we were onto something, and I was a firm believer that there was never just one way.
His muttering tugged me out of my head, and before I knew what was happening, he had my back plastered to a hard brick wall. Roark’s eyes narrowed before he slammed his lips on mine. I moaned, arousal rising like a wave, but he pulled back just as suddenly and left me gasping.
“You could have been hurt.” He whirled and kept on walking, his steps sure. He seemed to be regaining some strength. I wanted to make another flippant comment, but right before he’d kissed me, I could have sworn his gaze had been haunted.
I swallowed the knot forming in my throat. “I can’t promise that when something happens, I’ll follow your directions. I saw you in danger, and I couldn’t just leave you behind.” His stance didn’t relax. “What I can promise is that I’ll be more careful.”
What was I doing? I couldn’t promise him anything. He didn’t deserve any of my promises, right? He was still the villain. He had still passed me over.
It was quiet for a while, but his shoulders eventually loosened.
“That is all I can ask of you. I suppose,” Roark said, sounding disgruntled. He finally slowed his walk from furiously stomping to a loose-legged stride.
I looked around. The back of the hotel was in front of us. Hopefully, we wouldn’t be in here too long. As we got closer, I came to a shocking realization. I’d talked to him like he was going to be in my life. It had been subconscious, but… it felt right.
I hadn’t forgiven him. There had been too much done, and the history was too painful. But maybe I wasn’t opposed to letting him try to make it up to me? Why did I feel that way just after finding out his death was the answer to unbinding magic? I rubbed my forehead.
We got to the entrance and strode toward the elevators again, but just as I reached forward to click the button, a frantic voice huffed for attention behind us.
“Mr… ?” We turned to see the huffing young man trying to catch up to us. I gave Roark a look, and he gave an almost imperceptible shrug of a shoulder. I rolled my eyes and looked at the man, who stared up at Roark. “A man was here for you. They left a message just in case you returned.” He held out a sealed envelope.
I snatched it out of his hand before Roark could and tore it open. It must be Rian and Annie. Roark was right. They would come here to look for us. Excitement coursed through me. This meant Annie was
