Page 74 of Their Lethal Pet

“If you want to sleep in there, you can,” I tell him.

His silver-blue irises sparkle. “Yeah? You don’t mind?”

Something about the way he says thatseems like it might be a trap. But I really don’t see any problem with him resting in there. “No, I don’t mind.”

He grins. “Beautiful. Thank you.”

He disappears before I can respond to his obvious excitement, his propensity for teleporting about no longer fazing me very much. Primarily because he seems to do it every few minutes.

I’m partly hoping he’ll return with another cupcake.

But Flame is who I see next, a pair of boots in his hands. He holds them out for me. “Let me know if these don’t fit and we’ll call the concierge again.”

I take the boots and see some socks tucked inside. Something about that makes my lips curl. Maybe because it’s a thoughtful addition.

Sitting down again, I slip the items onto my feet while Flame watches, his gaze on my hands. Goose bumps prickle the back of my neck, his observation stirring something inside me.

It’s not a sexual look but a protective one. Like he’s making sure the boots don’t harm me.

When I’m finished, his eyes slowly travel up my body to my face, a flicker of black overtaking the purple irises. It’s there and gone so fast that I almost think I imagined it.

“Shall we?” he asks, a smile in his voice.

My lips curl in response, a flutter of excitement touching my chest. It’s accompanied by a sensation of relief, too.I’m not trapped. I’m free to leave.

Something about that is instantly gratifying. The fae haven’t exactly made me feel like a prisoner, and they’ve certainly seen to my every comfort, but deep down, I’ve felt a little caged in.

Because I’ve spent the last week being told what to do, where to go, and how to dress.

And I was sort of forced to come here, too. Not by the fae, but by the Emissary.

Flame holds out a hand, which I accept, and he leads me out of the room to the elevator.

It’s not until we’re downstairs and nearing the exit that I finally say, “Don’t we need a map?” The Emissary said he would provide us with one, but we haven’t received it yet.

“Nah. This might be a different version of the city I know, but the street layout seems to be similar to this area in our Human Realm.” He holds open the door for me, a pair of dimples flashing in his cheeks. “Besides, getting lost might be kind of fun.”

I’m not sure I agree with his definition offun, but his enjoyment is infectious.

So I reply with a small smile and step through the door. “Let’s go get lost.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

ALINA

Flame’s fingerslink with mine, his palm warm as we walk. It’s a lot less crowded than last night, the streets practically vacant.

Which reminds me of what this place looked like when I first arrived.

On our way to the tower before, I saw several humans and what I assumed were monsters—although, most of them looked human—talking and walking around. I’d been in a bit of a daze, though, my mind consumed by the fae.

Still, everything had seemed almost normal.

Except for the outfits.

But now, it’s like when I was wandering with Bartholomew and Miranda, searching for a place to hide.

Did they survive?I wonder, a slight chill swirling down my spine despite the warm air.Were they taken by monsters?