Page 55 of Guardian of Exile

“Again, why?”

His gaze went over her shoulder for a moment, and she knew it was landing on Tristen, taking in his barely clothed state before returning to her face. Kaden shrugged. “You’d care if they died.”

For a second, she just stared at him, his implication sinking in. Did he really think she wouldn’t care if he died?

“Since you are clearly in no danger,” Kaden said, “I’ll get them while you sort out…whatever this is.” He stepped back into the foyer, heading for the stairs instead of the elevator.

Nyx held up a finger to Tristen. “One second.”

Breaking into a jog, she ran after Kaden, catching him halfway down the stairs. He stopped and looked at her wordlessly. Being a step above him only meant they were eye level with each other. Something hot and angry flared in her chest. “The next time someone who can literally kill you with a touch is coming toward you, do you think you could put in the effort to execute an evasive maneuver?”

He didn’t so much as raise his eyebrows. “You had it under control.”

“You didn’t know that.”

He shrugged. It was a shrug that spoke volumes.

“How did you know?”

“You smell different, when you’re in A-Queltr.”

“Great,” she muttered. She smelled like death to Hound senses. Fantastic. She also wondered how much Jevryn had talked to Kaden for him to even know A-Queltr’s name.

He turned to go.

“Wait.”

He waited.

“About”—she gestured upstairs, towards Tristen—“that. It wasn’t what it looked like.”

“It’s none of my business what you do,” he said it in a tone so level it left no doubt what answer he would have given if he’d answered her drunken question the night before.

“I meant it’s not because he looks like him.” That was the one thing she couldn’t bear the thought of anyone, no matter who they were, misunderstanding. That she wasn’t trying to replace Seth with a copy. She started to add that it wasn’t going to happen again, but it wasn’t as if whether it did or didn’t mattered to Kaden. “And I would appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to Evra or Morgen.”

He let out a short huff of actual laughter, as if the request was unbearably funny. “When do I ever say anything to anyone?” He started back down the stairs. “I’ll give Tristen fifteen minutes to find his clothes.”

Irritated at that for no good reason, Nyx climbed back up the stairs to find Tristen more or less where she’d left him. She didn’t give him a chance to say anything. “What the fuck is with you?” she demanded. “Do you have to go with a kill-first approach to every stranger you meet?”

He gave her an indignant look. “One, I was exceptionally clear that when threatened, I always go with kill first. It’s why I’m still alive. Second, he broke into my home in the middle of the fucking night. After you’ve been given to strangers, moved across the fucking universe, and sold to a sadist who cuts off various parts of your body as motivation, then you can judge me for killing first and asking questions later.”

“You can’t ask questions of someone later if they’re dead.”

“But sometimes they don’t die,” Tristen pointed out. “Look at you, all not dead.”

“You know, I’m starting to get pissed off at you again.”

“That would be unfortunate, since unless I’m mistaken, you still need me to help you. Speaking of, there’s a trust issue we need to clear up. How did your friend get into my home if you didn’t let him in?”

Nyx blew out a breath. “One of my other friends on the floor below has Siren heritage. I imagine he asked very nicely at the front desk and they handed him elevator keycard access to your floors.”

“He just talked to them?” Tristen said. “And they gave him the keys to my home?”

“You can ask him when he gets up here to confirm, but yes, I’m guessing that’s exactly how it went. He’s very charming. Do I still have any chance of convincing you to help me since you said if my friends showed up the answer was no?”

He hesitated, and for a moment his face was unguarded. “I haven’t decided.”

She sighed and, after handing him the one crutch he’d discarded so he could have a free hand to kill Kaden, she stalked past him into his bedroom. “I need a bra for this conversation.”