His fingers sifted through my hair. “You must have another one of your head wounds if you think that.”
I smirk-winced as Caden wrapped his leather jacket over my shoulders. The inside was warm, and I pulled the ends closed, breathing in Caden’s familiar scent.
“You know, most girls get offered their date’s jacket when they’re cold. I had to fight off a killer demon. Doesn’t sound fair.”
“You’re not most girls, Graves.” The low rumble of his tone sent a shivery sensation down my back.
My gaze snapped to his. He framed my face with his hands and brushed his thumb against my cheek. The surrounding air thickened the longer our gazes held.
For a moment, he looked exposed, almost as if he wished he could snatch the words back and bury himself beneath a mask of indifference. Clearing his throat, he angled my chin down to examine a stinging cut on my forehead.
Air hissed through his teeth, and his jaw tightened. “You’re bleeding.”
“You should see the other guy.”
“I did. I saw him almost impale you. Not something I’m soon to forget.”
If his jaw got any tighter, he might crush a molar. Definitely not unaffected. Caden tugged on the knot of his tie and slipped it over his head. Folding it into a makeshift bandage, he pressed it gently against the wound on my forehead.
There we were, crouched on the pavement, dumpster adjacent, and this was still probably the most romantic evening I’d ever had. Sad, I know. But the truth hurts, along with my forehead. Caden dabbed at the cut, only satisfied when the bleeding stopped. He tucked a loose curl behind my ear.
“Come on—I already paid our bill. No dish washing required. Let’s get out of here before someone finds us and calls the police.” Caden retrieved my demon blade and helped me stand. My toes curled against the dirty pavement, and I pointed to the strappy sandals scattered at opposite ends of the alley.
“Don’t forget my shoes.”
His brow rose, but he didn’t ask follow-up questions. When he turned his back, I sucked in a deep breath. A sob constricted my throat, and I forced it back down. The adrenaline from the fight had worn off, and so had my brave front. Not even the lingering feelings from Caden’s protective care could counteract the anxiety rising inside my chest. I needed a second to compose myself, or I’d fall apart in the alley. Tucking my shaking hands into Caden’s jacket pockets, I stared, almost dazed, at the spot where the demon had fallen.
A cold knot of dread twisted in my stomach. That was too close. A few weeks ago, I would have been studying under my covers with a bag of cheese puffs. Now, I was fighting death matches in an alley.
I would be dead right now if the man currently collecting my shoes while I had a mini-panic attack hadn’t saved my life. And what about next time? Because there would be a next time. If Ivy and an elite team of demon-hunters didn’t make it out alive, what chance did I have?
Yes, I was spiraling, but could you blame me?
“Got them. Let’s go.”
Caden let me use his shoulder while I slipped on my shoes, and then he held out his hand. I forced myself to follow him out of the alley without looking back.
Inside his car, he turned up the heat, blasting the vent in my direction. When I didn’t move, he reached across the seat to buckle my seat belt. Numbness had settled in, and Caden understood. Maybe he was the only one who could. He tuned the radio to a soft rock station and smoothly merged the car into traffic, but the music sounded too familiar to the strange ballad filtering through the speakers in Jake’s van. I shivered uncontrollably and reached forward to change the station. A blast of eighties pop music filled the car. I settled back in my seat and closed my eyes to the catchy song.
Neither of us spoke on the ride back to my dorm. When he unlocked my door, he helped me gather my plastic tote of toiletries, my shower shoes, and a fresh change of clothes, then led me down the hall.
“I’ll wait right outside. Take as long as you need,” he murmured, handing me a towel outside the shower stalls.
The hot water soothed my aching muscles and made my cuts and bruises sting. I twisted the faucet higher, ratcheting up the heat until I couldn’t take any more. Steam fogged the stall, and I rested my forehead against the tile, taking shallow breaths so Caden wouldn’t hear me cry.
A half hour later, I was a wrinkled prune in a comfy set of pajamas. Caden flicked on the small TV sitting near my desk and fed Loki another one of his magical treats. I watched as he dug around in my closet and retrieved the extra blanket. He draped it across the floor and kicked off his shoes.
“You’re staying?” I asked, feeling my throat tighten at the protective gesture. I thought I was all cried out, but the prick of tears stung my eyes. Mortified, I swiped a hand across them.
Ugh, I was such a mess! A single demon attack, and I couldn’t stop blubbering.
“Yeah, and before you list all your excuses, I get it. It’s against the rules. There’s only one bed. I don’t care. I’m still not leaving you alone.”
The room filled with silence. I inhaled a deep breath and glanced at the bed.
“We could share.” I felt my face color the second the words left my mouth. It took everything I had to hold his gaze, and even more when he moved toward me.
“Are you sure?”
I nodded.
Was that relief in his eyes? It was relief in mine when his hand grazed my hip and our bodies inched closer. I didn’t realize how much I needed to be close to someone—him—after what happened tonight. The attack was the ground shifting beneath my feet, and Caden was the aftermath of the earthquake. The shelter. The stability that promised, even if the ground shook again, I wasn’t alone.
We walked backward until my legs hit the bed. I crawled onto the mattress and slid to the side against the wall, taking comfort in the solid structure. There was nothing quite like a wall to watch your back, and with Caden between me and the door, I felt safe.
Caden climbed in after me, dipping the mattress with his broader frame. Still inches apart, we faced each other as we did on the first night, except this time I could see his features clearly in the low light. There was tension around his eyes, and he watched me with a look of concern, probably wondering if I planned to crack under the pressure.
I liked to think I was made of stronger stuff. Sure, I might fail in the moment, and maybe I wasn’t as gifted as Ivy, but if I kept trying and learning I might just prove everyone wrong.
“Thank you,” I whispered, afraid I might break our cozy spell with the sound of my voice.
“For what?”
“For letting me touch the radio in your car.”
He laughed, and his hand inched across the narrow channel between us. My hand followed of its own volition, fingertips brushing tentatively against his.
His gaze warmed, the concern melting into something more inviting. “That’s all I had to do to win your appreciation? Wow, I went way too far by killing a demon and paying for dinner.”
My first real smile, post-demon attack, spread across my lips. “Overachiever. But thank you for those things too.”
“Anytime.”
His fingers tangled with mine. We were closer now, the space between us almost non-existent.
“I originally had a plan, you know, and for about five seconds I had the demon subdued by magic.”
“What was your plan, Graves?” Caden asked, humoring me.
“Footwear decoy. It was a tactical maneuver. All the hunters worth their blades are doing it.”
“Ah, so that’s why your shoes were tossed around the alley.”
“I used the left one for bait. A brilliant idea, if you ask me. It almost worked too. The demon fell for it. He didn’t even know I was hiding until . . .” I pressed my lips together and feigned interest in a piece of lint on the pillow.
Caden’s eyes narrowed. “You forgot to cloak your magic, didn’t you?”
“A little.” I rolled onto my back, punching the pillow beneath
my head. There I went, ruining the moment with my absent-minded admission. “Go ahead and say it. I already promised the supernatural gods I’d listen to your lecture if I made it out alive. Well, it’s your lucky day. I’m not dead.”
I turned to catch his reaction and saw the hint of a smile ghost over his lips. Why shouldn’t it? Ordering me around was his favorite thing, and I’d handed him a prepaid reprimand on a platter.
“Come here, Graves.”
I heaved a sigh and scooted closer, shifting until we were facing each other again. Caden reached out and pushed the hair off my neck then smoothed his hand down my shoulder. The warmth of his touch sent a little tingle down my back. This wasn’t like any scolding I’d had before.
He waited until I met his gaze and then said softly, “Don’t be disappointed, but I’m not going to yell at you or tell you, ‘I told you so.’” His fingers skimmed across my arm. “I have something better in mind.”
My thoughts scattered as he found a sensitive spot on my elbow and massaged it with the pads of this thumb. “You’re going to withhold my morning coffee, aren’t you? The punishment doesn’t fit the crime.”
He furrowed his brow in mock horror. “I’m not evil, Graves. But I am going to start your combat training tomorrow. And you’re going to show up, again and again, until I never have to worry about you being alone.”
I poked him in the chest. “Ah, it’s time for my training montage.”
“Your training montage?”
“Yeah, like in the movies. I mean, I’d prefer a shopping montage, but it’s not as applicable.”
A laugh burst from his throat, and he dragged me against him, draping his arm across my middle. His shoulder pillowed my head, and I relaxed into his warmth, getting drowsier by the second.
“Fine—call it a training montage if you like,” he murmured close to my ear. “But I won’t go easy on you just because I . . .” His voice faded into silence.
“Because you like me? Find me irresistible?” I teased, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn.
“You’re impossible. Go to sleep, Graves.” He waved his fingers, turning out the light and the television.
Sleep didn’t take long. I was exhausted from the fight and running on empty. My muscles ached, and I was scared of the bruises I’d find in the morning, but for the moment I was content, happily wrapped up in Caden’s arms.
As my breathing evened and my eyes drifted shut, I almost missed Caden’s soft whisper.
“I do like you, Elle. A lot. More than I should.”
Chapter 16
“This is our training arena?” I stepped through the thick brush and into a small clearing at the back of the manor. Dropping my bag at my feet, I surveyed the landscape. Half the ground was littered with weeds and uneven dirt mounds; the rest was covered with overgrown grass and a thick layer of brittle leaves. There were broken beer bottles, a few old tires, and a sagging barbed wire fence that looked straight out of a horror movie starring possessed scarecrows.
Caden kicked an empty soda can and shrugged. “It’s a bit rustic, but it’ll work.”
“Rustic? No—rustic assumes some level of charm. This is straight-up abandoned rural gas station.”
“Well, we can’t practice fighting demons at the university gym with all the fresh-faced students wearing yoga pants and carrying around pressed juice, so this will have to do.”
I tightened my ponytail and rolled my shoulders. “Fine. You don’t need to be sarcastic about it. And there’s nothing wrong with my yoga pants.”
“They’re hot pink, Graves.”
“It’s hunting season, Caden. We’re in the middle of the woods, and I don’t own an orange vest.”
He snorted a laugh and glanced down at his black T-shirt, dark green cargo pants, and brown work boots. “I guess I’d better stick close to you then.”
“Maybe you should,” I mumbled and bent to riffle through my bag. Out came my water bottle, a small towel, and a dagger that wasn’t my demon blade. Caden eyed the dagger with a creased brow and barely contained suspicion.
“Where did you get that?”
“Oh, this? I borrowed it from the theater department. They’re putting on a production of Romeo and Juliet next month. Isn’t it great?” I jabbed the dagger into my palm, and the fake blade retracted into the hilt. “I thought it would be fun to practice with. We just have to make sure not to incinerate it with magic or anything.”
Caden’s sigh could have leveled the forest. I flattened my lips to keep from smiling. Sure, it was over-the-top, but if we were required to face our mortality on a recurring basis we should at least have a little fun when we could. They didn’t teach that in the books, but they should.
I was already planning to add artificial training props to my website. Right next to my line of demon blade bracelets.
Strapping my fake blade to my hip, I stepped into what we were calling the fighting circle. After a couple of quick lunges, a few jumping jacks, and a windmill that made my aching ribs angry, I clapped my hands together.
“Okay, what’s first?”
Caden rubbed the bridge of his nose and stepped into the circle. “Why don’t you start by telling me what you’ve been doing for training up to this point?”
“Good question. I’m glad you asked.” I listed the ways on my fingers. “First, I read through the travel-sized pamphlet the council sent, as well as all the books. Then, a few years ago, they sent me a game.”
“A game?”
“Yeah. It’s really more of a simulation. You know, like how pilots train in a flight simulator, except with demons. There’s an expansion pack too. It has more levels, clothing upgrades, and some pretty sweet character dance moves. Oh, and the new version is multiplayer.”
Caden looked appalled. He blinked a few times before making a strangled sound in the back of his throat. “That’s it? That’s the totality of your fighting experience? What about actual physical contact? Weapon hours?”
I scratched the back of my neck. “Well, Zoe dragged me to a women’s self-defense class last year. Does that count? They gave me a whistle.”
His eyes widened at my answer. “We are screwed.”
“We are not screwed. I was just teasing you.”
Caden exhaled in relief and ran a hand through his hair. “Thank god. So, what did you really do?”
“Oh, I wasn’t teasing you about any of the other stuff, only about the whistle. The instructors miscounted and ran out before I could get one. But I was the star student in my self-defense class. I go to the gym—usually after the holidays, and I’m a fast learner. I picked up that Chaos Seal spell on my first magic lesson. As you said, I’m sure you’ll be able to whip me into shape in no time.”
He paced away from me, stopped, spun on his heel, and paced some more. “I don’t understand. How does this happen?”
“Budget cuts?” I joked.
Caden whirled and sent me a glare. He wasn’t amused. I guess I couldn’t blame him. It wasn’t his fault he got stuck with the backup hunter. I’d tried to warn them on my first day! Besides, it wasn’t my fault either. I did everything that was expected of me. I followed all the rules. Yeah, I got shafted with the bare minimum from an organization that hardly recognized my side of the family in the face of the more gifted Jennings branch. But that was on them, not me.
Running a hand over his chin, Caden shook his head, coming to a decision. “All right. It’s worse than I thought, but we’ll get through it. We’ll start with the basics.”
“The basics?”
“Yup, timing, balance, and evasive maneuvers.”
I pursed my lips. “I’m not going to get to use my fake dagger today, am I?”
“Not even close. But we’ll get there.”
Heaving a sigh, I unsheathed the dagger. I flipped it into the air and caught the hilt with my palm, balancing it vertically on a draft of magic. “That’s too bad. Looks like I have the balancing part down. And I thought you weren’t going t
o go easy on me.”
Caden’s jaw dropped. His hand shot forward without warning. When his fingers wrapped around my arm, I reached out with my other hand, grabbed the top of his wrist, and twisted with my bottom arm, pressing into the joint of his wrist until it bent. He released his grip, and with his balance off-center I shoved him forward.
I picked up the fallen dagger, brandishing it in my hand, and winked. “I told you I was the star of my self-defense class. Those people really owe me a freaking whistle.”
He laughed and held up his hands. “Not bad for a beginner. Now, let’s do it again. Other hand this time. Blindfolded.”
***
He wasn’t kidding about the blindfold, but we didn’t get to that until day three. By the end of the week, I was exhausted but also invigorated. I went to class in the morning, had magic lessons after lunch, and trained with Caden in the afternoon. We even squeaked in a little bit of investigating, interviewing a few more of the suspects on our list. Mostly Professor Roberts’ colleagues, but they didn’t provide any more useful information, so we were counting on a new lead from Oscar who’d been digging for information on the Soulbinder.
An icy wind scattered the leaves across the ground. I shivered as the cold seeped through my layered pullover. Caden moved behind me. I tensed, waiting for his instruction.
“Your blade’s gone. The demon’s at your back. What do you do?”
“Elbow strike.” With my elbow bent, I pivoted on my foot, rotating my hips to strike backward with my elbow.
“Good.” His arm snaked around my middle. Tightening his grip beneath my rib cage, his warm breath skated along my collarbone. “What do you do when they’re bigger than you?”
I shivered again, but not from the cold. Bracing my feet, I centered my gravity, trying not to be distracted by Caden’s body pressed against mine. An impossible feat! Let’s face it: I had the hots for my teacher. Not ideal after days of close-contact training. But also not unexpected. Witches were human too! And apparently, sexy fight training was a thing. At least in my head.
I cleared my throat and got back into the zone. “Don’t panic. Look for a weak spot. Speed and magic is my friend.” Shifting my hips, I executed a flaming hammer fist toward his kneecap, halting the move before I made contact. The fire licked his pant leg, and I spread my fingers to dispel the flame.
A Grave Spell (The Spellwork Files Book 1) Page 13