Page 4 of White Little Lies (Four Ways to Fate #3)

4

I gripped the strap of my messenger bag, giving Ringo a reassuring light pat as I walked down the street toward the bus stop, comfortable in my jeans, black T-shirt, brown leather jacket, and brown boots. The night was still a little warm for the hoodie I had on underneath the jacket, but I felt better looking a little more anonymous on the crowded city buses. I could pull my hood forward and pretend no one else existed.

Of course, this time Sebastian would be with me, a thought that made me almost giddy. Sebastian, in his fancy clothes, crammed onto a city bus. I could already picture it, and it was hilarious.

We reached the bus stop and he moved to stand near my shoulder. “You know, you could just shift to your location and I could meet you there.”

“Ha ha .” I rolled my eyes .

“True.” He smirked. “You would probably end up in a dumpster.”

I huffed, but didn’t respond. I was going to get to see him uncomfortable on a city bus. Nothing was going to ruin my good mood.

“We could take a cab. My treat.”

“You’re the one who insisted on coming. We do things my way.” I tugged my jacket straight, glancing over at the covered seating.

A pair of humans sat on one edge of the bench, leaving ample space between themselves and the gargoyle sitting at the other end, her skin solid gray, and as stony as her expression. She wore a long-sleeve shirt altered to accommodate her massive, batlike wings. They looked like they were made out of stone, but could move just as nimbly as a bird’s.

For the hundredth time, I thought over what Dawn had told me. Whatever gargoyle had been involved had surely just been a witness, but the female devil? Hell, Sebastian might even know her. It would be stupid of me to not ask him, but it was my natural reflex to not share all information with him, even after everything we’d been through.

“What are you thinking?” Sebastian’s deep voice startled me out of my thoughts.

“Who says I’m thinking anything?”

“You get a little dent right there.” He prodded the space between my brows with his fingertip.

I swatted his hand away. “I do not.”

The bus arrived, already packed. It was totally neutral ground within the city, and I could see every type of person within. Goblins in leather jackets with their hair spiked, elves looking like they had just stepped out of the school library, and everything in between. But most of them would have human blood. The older, pure-blooded creatures were usually tucked away behind their boundaries, pretending they didn’t intermingle with humans.

The doors opened with a hiss, and I led the way up the steel steps, glancing around for a place to fit in. There were no seats, of course, but a few loops hung from the ceiling in the back for standing room only. I hustled to the nearest one, not wanting to hold up the line.

Sebastian shoved himself in at my back, between me and a man who looked more troll than human. The feel of Sebastian’s chest against my back made my body go tight, and not in a bad way. His dark magic raised the tiny hairs at the nape of my neck.

He leaned in close, his cheek brushing mine. “You’re doing this to punish me.” There was something low and suggestive in his tone, totally inappropriate on a crowded bus.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, realizing the fault in my plan. With Sebastian pressed against my back, all I could think of was the feel of his lips on mine, his hands roaming my body. Hells, I was already sleeping with two guys, wasn’t that enough ?

My magic didn’t seem to think so. It kicked up in reaction to his nearness.

His hand found my waist, his cheek moving once more against mine. “You may want to calm yourself, dear Eva.”

“Easy for you to say,” I muttered.

The bus started moving, pushing my body more firmly against him when he didn’t rock back in the slightest. Stars burst inside of me, pooling into liquid heat.

Yeah, definitely too hot for the extra layer of clothing. There was no way I was pulling my hood up now, not with my entire face burning.

“What did your former employer want with you?”

I stiffened at his words. “Do you really have nothing better to do than watch me all the time?”

“Maybe I wouldn’t have to watch you if you didn’t keep so many secrets.” His hand was at my waist again, gripping just a little too tightly.

“I guess I’ll have to start spying on you too, considering how much you tell me.”

“Touché.” His grip loosened, but his hand remained. A light touch, but a possessive one.

I had made a good point, but I did want to know about the female devil, and Sebastian was my best path to that information. It would be stupid of me to put all my faith in Dawn. She would definitely try to learn what I needed to know, but as far as I knew, she didn’t have access to any actual devils .

I turned my head, trying to put my mouth close to his ear, but with him standing straight again, it was hard to reach with my back to him. I crooked a finger, giving him an expectant look, and he finally leaned forward, folding his body around me.

“A female devil was the one who brought my mom’s orders for Lucas.”

He tensed, letting me know it was either information he didn’t know, or information he didn’t want me to know. “What else?”

“That’s it. Dawn is going to try to find out more in exchange for me tracking down her crush in Emerald Heights.”

He snorted. “A troll with an elf?”

A grunt from the troll behind him signaled that he had spoken a little too loudly, though he didn’t seem to care. I guess when you could wield shadows like weapons, you didn’t really worry about the size of your opponent.

I shrugged. “It could happen. And she’s mostly human,” I whispered.

Ringo chose that moment to finally make himself known in my satchel. “Troll enough to eat goblins,” his tiny voice hissed.

“She’s not going to eat you,” I whispered back.

We were starting to draw odd glances. The driver hit the brakes, and my body lurched. Sebastian snaked his arm further around my waist, his palm splayed across my lower belly, and oh gods, who had been the one to think it was a good idea to take the bus?

Oh yeah. Me. Served me right to think I could make a devil uncomfortable. He seemed perfectly content with his arm around my waist, and with a troll glaring at his back.

That was Sebastian. Not a damn care in the world.

At least, as far as any outside observers were concerned. They probably just thought I was his girlfriend, but they couldn’t be further from the truth. I knew his possessive attitude had little to do with romantic inclinations, and more to do with our contract. I was his night runner, as far as he was concerned, and he wasn’t above killing to protect me.

That part wasn’t bad. But the rest was annoying. I started walking toward the front of the bus as we approached our stop, then had to grip the railing to keep from falling forward. Sebastian was already at my back again, waiting for me to move.

I glared at him, then hurried toward the door as it opened.

My delivery tonight was simple, and I knew just where to go. I strode confidently down the sidewalk toward the bakery on the corner. It was run by nymphs, a rarity in the city, especially since they didn’t have a boundary to keep them safe. But they hadn’t come from another realm. They belonged here. At least the here before everything became asphalt and towering buildings .

I glanced through the glass door before entering, finding the small interior nearly vacant. Just a few lingering patrons at the late hour. I stepped inside, recognizing the woman behind the counter.

Seraphina was tall and willowy, her brown skin just a few shades lighter than her wildly wavy hair, currently pulled back into a thick braid. In her true form her skin looked like tree bark, and her large almond eyes held centuries of knowledge.

She started to smile at me as I approached the counter, then her smile faltered when Sebastian stood a little too close.

“You have a new bodyguard now?” I had heard her voice many times before, but it was always deeper than expected, filled with the resonant, rumbling power of the forest. The old bodyguard would have been Braxton. He had come with me a few times on the pretense of watching my back, but really he just wanted the baked goods.

“Something like that.”

She glanced past us at her few remaining patrons. “Give me a moment to chase away the stragglers and close up. Then we’ll discuss the delivery.”

“We’ll have two of those while we wait.” Sebastian reached around me to tap the glass, pointing at… something. I assumed they were pastries, but they were perfectly round and smooth, and colored a pale green.

There was no accounting for taste.

Seraphina lifted a brow at me, but plated the pastries and slid them across the counter. “My treat. I won’t be long.”

Sebastian took our plates, then walked toward a table near the far window.

“I guess we’re going over here ,” I muttered sarcastically under my breath, following him.

I slid into the booth across from him, then looked down at the strange pastry. “Do you have any idea what this is?”

“No. Hence my interest.”

I lifted my eyes to his face. “It must be nice to live your life entirely based on your whims.”

“Says the woman who adopts every goblin she comes across. Small, or so very very large.”

I glared at him. “Touché.”

As Seraphina shooed out her remaining customers, I lifted the green pastry to my mouth and took a bite. It was incredibly soft and fluffy, and tasted like salty seaweed. I wrinkled my nose, then set the pastry back down. “She probably makes those for the water nymphs and merfolk.”

Sebastian’s eyes danced with amusement, his pastry untouched before him. “I did actually already know that.”

My glare deepened. Of course he would trick me into eating a nasty pastry just for fun.

The door clicked behind us as Seraphina escorted out the last of her customers. I heard the lock sliding into place, then she returned to our table .

She crossed her arms, looking down at us, then nodded toward the back room. “Just you.”

“Of course.”

Sebastian narrowed his eyes at me as I stood.

“Client confidentiality,” I explained.

He still didn’t seem satisfied, but he didn’t interfere as I followed Seraphina into the back. Maybe he was wondering if I would slip out the rear exit. It wouldn’t do me any good unless I tossed his card into the trash, but I knew he didn’t think highly of my reasoning skills. So he probably wouldn’t put it past me.

The door shut behind us as Seraphina walked past metal shelves of baking supplies toward an impressive array of whisks and spoons.

She turned back toward me, arms still crossed. “How could you bring someone else on your delivery? You know how sensitive the situation is. Braxton is one thing, but this?” She waved a hand toward the door. “A total stranger?”

I lifted a brow. “Do I? You still have never told me what I’m delivering to your sister every other month. And I’ve been making deliveries for you since I worked back at the agency.”

She pursed her lips. “Yes, but no one can know that I’m sending things to her at all. I have been disowned by my family. I won’t have the same thing happen to her.”

I opened my mouth to say Sebastian wouldn’t tell anyone, but did I know that for sure? Maybe someday he would have a reason to blackmail Seraphina, and I would have given him exactly what he needed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it through. He’s been helping me with some stuff, and he just wanted to come to watch my back.”

She tilted her head, studying me. “Something about your words is not entirely true.”

Oh the joys of dealing with magical creatures. Sometimes they could sense lies, or even half-truths, but you never knew which ones would have the skill.

“It’s all true,” I sighed. “I just left out the part where he’s a devil and I have a contract with him. That’s why you’re sensing that I’m nervous.” I didn’t really owe her an explanation, but she was an old client, and an easy delivery. I didn’t want to lose her.

Her eyes flew wide. “You brought a devil on my delivery?”

“You couldn’t tell what he was?”

“How could I?” She seemed offended. “They hide what they are very well until they want you to know.”

Funny, because I had figured out what Sebastian was pretty quickly. Of course, he had used his powers on me from the start. Bastard.

“Do you want me to come back for the delivery tomorrow?”

Her eyes flicked toward the closed door. “No,” she breathed. “It has to be tonight.” She met my gaze. “You have a contract with him. Can you not add an addendum? ”

I wrinkled my brow. “You mean like add a clause that he can’t tell anyone about tonight?”

She nodded sharply.

I winced. “Maybe, technically, but he never agrees to things for free.”

“You are the one who brought him here.”

“Right, right,” I muttered. “I’ll take care of it.”

She had already turned away, reaching for a small brown package on the counter. She held my gaze as she handed it to me. “Don’t make me regret this, Eva.”

I took the package. “I promise I won’t.” Of course, with how she had reacted to Sebastian, I would just not mention the small goblin in my satchel. I didn’t think he would ever be coming back to blackmail her.

Not wanting to disturb him, I braced the package under my arm. “I’ll see you the month after next?”

She hesitated, then finally nodded. “ Alone next time.”

“Of course. Bye, Seraphina.”

She crossed her arms to watch me go. “Bye, Eva. And get yourself away from that devil as soon as possible.”

I waved my hand back at her as I went for the door. “Trust me, that’s been the plan from the start.”

Unfortunately I didn’t think that would be happening any time soon. But Seraphina didn’t need to know that.

Sebastian was already standing when I reached our table. “Is everything well? ”

“Well enough,” I grumbled. “But we need to have a chat on the way.”

He followed me toward the door, and something told me he already knew what the chat would be about. And he was quite pleased with it.

“It’s not wise to involve yourself in the affairs of nymphs.”

I glanced back at Sebastian, the package now secure in my satchel with Ringo. I had told him that Seraphina’s situation was complicated, and required secrecy. “You know that’s what they say about devils.”

Safe on the sidewalk, I peered at the headlights of oncoming traffic, wondering what the chances were of catching a cab. I always delivered Seraphina’s packages to the Lower City Lake, never actually seeing the recipient. Normally I would take a bus, but I really wasn’t thrilled with the idea of doing that again with Sebastian.

“Where are you to take the package?” he asked, apparently not able to read my thoughts after all, though sometimes it seemed like he could.

I glanced over my shoulder at him. “Yeah, about that. I’m going to need your solemn vow that you will speak of this to no one.”

He lifted a dark brow. “My solemn vow?”

Gods, why had I even agreed to this? She was just one client. I should have told her to shove her package where the sun don’t shine.

But I was a professional. And I had a reputation to uphold. “I need the promise added to our contract,” I grumbled.

I hated his smug smile. “In exchange for what?”

I crossed my arms, turning toward him, stepping out of the way as a couple of loud teenagers barreled past us. “You’re the one who insisted on coming with me, now you’re risking me my client. Can’t you just add it in?”

He leaned toward me, shortening himself to put us at eye level. “Now where is the fun in that?”

“It’s not about fun,” I snapped. “This job is important to me. I won’t let you endanger my client.”

His dark magic prickled up my skin as he smiled. “I will add it into the contract.”

My shoulders slumped with relief. “Great—

“If you agree to keep my card on you at all times. No more leaving it behind. Not even when you go to the Bogs.”

I clenched my hands into fists. “That is so not an even trade.”

“I only want to keep you safe, dear Eva.”

“Only so no one else can use me instead of you.”

He lifted one shoulder in a graceful half shrug. “Carry your card at all times, and I will swear a vow of secrecy for not only this client, but all clients. As long as our contract is in play, I will protect you at further deliveries at no additional cost.”

I wanted to argue that he wouldn’t be coming on any more deliveries, but I knew it probably wasn’t the truth. Until we figured out the mystery surrounding my mother, people would want to kidnap me, or worse. And I still hadn’t fully gotten over the feeling of having a blade at my throat, knowing my death was only seconds away.

I held out my hand, though I maintained my glare.

He wrapped his long fingers around my palm, gripping far too tightly. His dark magic wrapped around us, and I knew the new contract was sealed.

I continued glaring at him. “You’re the worst.”

Still gripping my hand, he leaned his face right in front of mine, close enough to kiss. “You don’t really think that, dear Eva.”

“Go to hell.”

He laughed, releasing my hand. He walked past me, back in the direction of the bus stop.

I hurried after him. “We can take a cab this time.”

“Oh no.” He strolled along with his hands in his pockets, shoulders back, city lights reflecting off his black hair. “I found the bus rather enjoyable.”

The card in my back pocket felt heavier already.