Page 87 of I Ran Away to Evil #3

Why Was He So Stupidly Hot

Gerda

I woke up in Julian’s arms, sore and tired, with a notification blinking at me.

[Prerequisite Achieved. Would you like to have a child with Julian von Slyke? Yes/No]

I flushed and mentally selected No . That’s what I got for exhausting myself and falling asleep right away.

If I’d thought that telling the half elf my secret was going to push him away …

then I’d failed spectacularly. After a tense silence that had stretched on forever, he’d turned, swept me into his arms, and told me to bring us here, where he’d shown me exactly what I was giving up in my quest. No dinner. Not much sleep. Just a break for water.

My stomach told me how it felt with a loud rumble and Julian’s arms tightened around me. He took a deep breath. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” I replied, surprised by the lighthearted greeting.

He’d been everything but sweet last night.

Julian let go and slipped out of bed to go to the washroom. When he came out a few minutes later, he was drying his body with a towel.

“I’m ravenous,” he said, smiling at me. “What say I make breakfast today?”

“Alright,” I replied, sitting up nervously with my blanket up to my chin. Not because I thought he’d jump me again. No. I just wasn’t expecting the casual return to routine. Like last night hadn’t even happened.

He leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. “Let me into the kitchen, and I’ll have it done by the time you’re out.”

I nodded, connecting the bedroom door to the front entry. Julian threw on fresh clothing from his storage ring and slipped out.

I was left alone.

For some reason, I didn’t want to get out of bed. I didn’t want to do anything. I wasn’t ready. When was the last time I’d slept in?

The sun shone outside on a bright field of flowers. A white stag was grazing at the banks of the river, and butterflies flitted about. I lay back down and covered my head with the blankets but couldn’t go back to sleep. I was too hungry and too on edge.

Fifteen minutes later, I gave up and went to the bathroom. I felt like one of Keith’s golems, going through the motions: washing, dressing, and tidying up.

For a second, I wondered if I was actually dreaming, but a pinch on the cheek proved otherwise.

“Perfect timing,” Julian called over his shoulder when I came in. He had his sleeves rolled up and was wearing an apron covered in unicorns. The tea service from last night had been washed and was sitting in the dish rack, and Julian was washing the breakfast pan. I stopped and stared.

Why was he so stupidly hot?

“I made London Fogs,” he said, drying his hands on a cloth then pointing at the table.

There were place settings, with two hot drinks and plates piled high with scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, cheese, hash browns, and toast. Julian was terrible at making hollandaise sauce, but he’d whipped up a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce to drizzle on top.

I didn’t take my seat. I stood there staring at the breakfast and the clean dishes and Julian. He took off his apron and came around the kitchen counter. I thought he was leaning down to press a kiss to my forehead, but he tilted to the side and bit my ear .

“Ack!” I jumped back. “Julian!”

“You looked lost.” A half smile pulled at his lips.

“You didn’t need to bite me,” I retorted.

“You liked it.” Julian pulled out my chair and waved.

“That’s beside the point,” I grumbled, taking my seat. I took a sip of tea to calm my nerves. It was lovely, with just the right amount of bitter star fruit juice to give it a rich vanilla flavor. “Thank you, this looks lovely.”

“ You look lovely,” he replied, biting into his toast. He’d always been playful, but for some reason, his flirting today felt … different. Or maybe I just thought that everything was different.

I gave in to hunger and speared a slice of ham with my fork. We ate in relative silence for a few minutes.

I broke first. “Why haven’t you asked about it?”

“About what?”

“About me! My past. Who I am.” I put down my fork. “About last night.”

“Gerda.” His smile was as gentle as his good mood, and as fake.

“Are you ready to talk about it? Or would it just make you worry and push me away? If I asked about your old life, would you long for it even more?” I made to reply, but he continued.

“Don’t get me wrong, I want to know everything .

But you forget—I’ve only ever known you as you are.

Your past is your past … I only regret forcing the issue. ”

“I think Alice forced the issue,” I grumbled. That celestial was going to be the death of me. Again.

“No.” He shook his head. “I lost my temper. I’m sorry.”

“There is one more thing I haven’t told you …” I said. “I was just trying to find a way to explain it.”

Julian reached out and put his hand on mine. “I’m all pointy ears.”

I pulled away and wrapped my fingers around my warm mug; Julian hesitated before grabbing his own mug as well.

“In my world—”

“In your old world,” Julian corrected. I shot him a glare for interrupting, but he returned it with an encouraging look.

“In my old world,” I repeated, “I could read about and watch this world.”

“In a book or crystal ball?”

“Both.” I tapped the mug. “Imagine a crystal plate that showed what was happening but also had written notes on the bottom. And mine had the ability to follow Henrietta around for this year, showing me all of the different futures she could’ve had—including one with you.”

“So even without your [Oracle] abilities, you had a good picture of the future.” He said, nodding. “Which is how you amassed wealth, found the Master Crystal, and became Madame Potts.”

“Yes,” I confirmed. “But now, I’ve pushed the story so far off from the original that I’m just relying on my powers.”

There was a moment of silence as I sipped my London Fog, Julian appearing contemplative.

Suddenly, he downed the last of his drink and thunked it on the table. “I have a question.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“What have the gods said?” Julian asked. “About you coming to this world or going home? What did Fate say?”

One of my ears twitched. “Well … Fate often sends me helpful tips and prophecies that I can use to change the future.”

“But when you went to her temple and asked for guidance, what did Fate actually say ?”

I shook my head. “She said nothing.”