Providence

I shook my head. “I’m not,” I said softly.

Eli sighed with satisfaction. “She’s a keeper, Jared. She has faith. Maybe it wil rub off on you.”

Jared’s eyes softened. “Maybe.”

In the same moment, we were alone. We made our way back to the SUV, and then Jared opened my door, lifting me to the seat.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to move back to Andrews right now,” he said with an apologetic expression.

I touched his cheek, worried about his reaction. “Jared, I can’t keep staying with you. What wil people think?”

He laughed once, but he was perturbed at my question. “I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks. I’m more concerned with keeping you alive.”

I smiled patiently and kissed his cheek. “I’m staying with you on the weekends, remember?”

“It’s not enough, Nina. I need you with me at al times.”

I raised my eyebrows in protest. “Wel , you can’t. I have class…and friends. I have a life outside of this craziness. Jack didn’t move in with you, and he had more enemies than I do.”

“If my mother was Gabe’s Taleh, he would have moved her in. If Gabe had created a fun new game for a legion of demons to play, he would have moved her in,” Jared said, rubbing his forehead with his fingers.

“Do you have a headache?” I asked.

Anger exploded across Jared’s face and he walked away from me, paused a few feet away, and then walked back, stil furious.

“Nina! For God’s sake, your life is in danger! And it’s my fault! Quit worrying about me!”

I sat there, stunned. Jared walked away, picked up a basebal -sized rock and hurled it at the warehouse. I lost the rock with my human eyes before it crashed through a window.

“Impressive,” I said.

Jared flipped around and seemed to contemplate yel ing some more before wrapping his arms around my waist and burying his head in my lap.

“Wil you please take this seriously? Before I’m consumed with guilt?”

“Do you want me to be afraid?” I asked. Jared looked up at me with a pained look on his face. “Do you want me to be angry with you? Do you want me to scream at you and hate you for coming into my life?” I shook my head and cupped his cheeks with my hands. “I can’t do that. I know one way or another, everything wil work out. It wil .”

My optimism didn’t help Jared’s agony. His face fel , and he let his head fal to my lap again, pul ing me to him, grasping at my back. I hugged him and touched my cheek to his hair. I didn’t know what else to do for him, but I refused to let my emotions betray me.

When the sun began to set, Jared’s head hadn’t moved.

“Jared, it’s getting dark. We should go,” I said, running my fingers through his hair.

After a few minutes, he stood up and slowly walked to the other side of the SUV, in no hurry to get back to town.

“I’m taking you to Brown,” Jared said, pul ing away from Eli’s warehouse. “We’l get the rest of your things, I’l get you a dresser, make you some closet space….”

“Jared…no.”

His eyes darted to mine. “Nina, I’m sorry but this isn’t up for negotiation. I have to fix this, and then you can go back to Andrews.”

I kept my voice calm. “I’m not going to hide, Jared.”

Despite my quiet tone, Jared became increasingly angry. “I realize you haven’t a clue with what we’re dealing with here, but I’m tel ing you now: You’re packing, and you’re coming home with me. I don’t know for how long.”

I shook my head slowly.

His jaws tensed. “Nina, don’t be stubborn. Please trust me.”

“I do trust you. That’s why I’m not going to hide,” I said again.

He jerked the Escalade onto the shoulder of the road and shoved the gear in park. “I’m not asking, Nina. I am tel ing you. It’s that serious.”

I narrowed my eyes at him and he sighed, hitting his steering wheel with the heel of his hand.

“Don’t do this to me! It’s bad enough knowing I’ve put you in this situation without you refusing to let me keep you safe!”

“Jack didn’t want you to tel me the truth because he didn’t want this. He didn’t want me to live in fear or in hiding. If you lock me up you’re giving them what they want.”

His knuckles were white as they gripped the steering wheel. “What makes you think you know what they want?” His voice was low and deliberate.

“Because Jack wanted the opposite,” I whispered.

Jared stared at me, considering my words. “Jack wanted you safe. These things don’t show mercy, Nina. They don’t care that you’re an innocent teenage girl.”

I swal owed. “Eli said we were only dealing with humans for now. Let’s concentrate on that.”

Jared thought for a moment and relaxed a bit. “Okay. We’l do this your way. While we’re stil dealing with humans, you can stay at Andrews. The second Shax cal s out even a fraction of one of his legions, you’re coming with me. And I don’t want to hear a single word about it.”

I nodded. “Fair enough.” I pul ed my arms around me, bracing myself. My curiosity outweighed my need to remain oblivious. “What are Legions?”

Jared grimaced, obviously wishing I hadn’t asked. “Shax has thirty legions under his command. Don’t ask me how many demons that is. You don’t want to know.”

I nodded again, swal owing the bile rising in my throat.

“Nina?” Jared asked, feeling my forehead.

“I don’t feel wel ,” I said, reaching for the door handle.

I ran to the grass, hearing both car doors shut simultaneously. As soon as my feet touched the soil, Jared was beside me, pul ing my hair away from my face. It didn’t take long for the dry heaving to commence; I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast.

After my stomach relaxed and the gagging ceased, Jared lifted me into his arms and returned me to my seat.

“I’m taking you to the loft,” he warned, putting the gear in drive.

I was too exhausted and sick to argue.

Jared carried me up the two flights of stairs and gently placed me on my side of the bed. I let my body melt into the mattress while I listened to the water run in the bathroom. Moments later a cool, folded wash cloth was laid it across my forehead.

“Déjà vu,” I said.

“I wasn’t taking your condition into consideration when I drug you out to see Eli, and I should have gotten you something to eat. I’m sorry.”

“Quit apologizing. You didn’t force me to drink too much last night. How are you feeling? Like me?”

“I’m not sick, just uncomfortable. I’l make you a deal. I’l quit apologizing if you quit worrying about me,” he said, brushing my hair back from my face.

I smiled but didn’t make any promises. Jared kissed my cheek. “I’m going downstairs to get you some crackers and soda to settle your stomach.

Try to rest.”

“I’m real y fine. You don’t have to fuss,” I said, pushing myself up against the pil ows.

“I’m just trying to make you comfortable.” He had a strange expression on his face, almost sul en.

“Your bed is a thousand times more comfy than my bed at Andrews, and even my bed at home. And neither of them smel s like you.”

Jared fidgeted before speaking. “So…why is it that you’re so against staying here? Is it me?”

My eyebrows immediately pul ed in, hurt that he would ever come to that conclusion. “No! I’m not against staying here. I love staying here. I just need to go back to Andrews.”

Jared raised an eyebrow. “And why is that? I thought staying alive would be a good enough reason for you to want to stay here with me. You didn’t mind when I needed to dress your hand every night.”

“It’s not about that. It’s about being forced into hiding, it’s about my friends, and it’s about keeping some degree of normalcy in my life. I know you want me here where you know that I’m safe,” I explained, resting my hand on his leg.

“Not just to keep you safe. I just want you here,” he said, tenderly tracing my jaw line with his fingertip.

I smiled at his words, my jaw radiating with the heat from his touch. “We have plenty of time for that, right?”

Jared’s eyes immediately clouded over and I final y understood the urgency. He wanted to spend every second of the time we had left together. I looked away from him; I had to have faith that we would make it through this. My eyes felt heavy and I turned onto my side, pressing my cheek into my pil ow.

“I have faith in you, Jared. More than you have in yourself. I’m not afraid,” I said, closing my eyes.

The door slammed and I jerked, looking around the room. It was morning.

“Can you close the door like a normal person?” Jared snapped.

“This is a terrible idea, Jared. Maybe the worst one you’ve had, yet,” Claire complained. Smal footsteps stomped up the stairs. “You have to talk him out of this, Nina. He won’t listen to me. Not in the mood he’s in.”

“Stay out of it, Claire,” Jared said from downstairs.

Claire made a face and then jumped from the railing, landing on her feet. “I can’t stay out of it, because you keep making it my business!” she hissed.

I quickly dressed and met them downstairs. Jared was dressed in a buttoned-down shirt and slacks, holding a motorcycle helmet. He shoved it toward me without a word.

“What’s this?” I asked, staring at the helmet.

“I think better on my bike,” Jared said.

I looked up at him. “What’s going on?”

His expression didn’t change. “Are you coming or not?”

I looked at Claire and then to Jared. I pressed my lips together and then took the helmet from him. Claire sighed and stormed out.

I fol owed Jared outside and eyed the slick, black beauty parked on the curb. “What is that?”

Jared sighed. “It’s a Vulcan.”

“Weird. I thought it was a motorcycle.” I smiled, but Jared didn’t find humor in my words. I put up my hand and separated my fingers into a ‘V’. “Live long and…no?” I shook my head, seeing that Jared was in no mood for jokes.

I shoved the helmet on and fastened the chin strap. My father had a motorcycle and, although I’d never been brave enough to drive one, I was wel - versed in being a passenger. Jared revved the engine and I climbed on behind him, glad that it was another nice day.

He raced down the street, taking various turns. It wasn’t until we pul ed onto the sidewalk in front of Sovereign Bank that I understood the reason behind Jared’s mood. He lifted me off the seat as if I weighed nothing, placing me on my feet.

“Is there a reason you’re not speaking to me?” I asked, shoving his helmet at him.

“It’s not you that I’m angry with. It’s Jack,” he growled.

“Why?”

“Because he’s making it impossible for me to keep you distanced from this. They need both of our signatures. The box is in a special area. We need the key, our signatures and our fingerprints to get in,” he said, glaring at the door of the bank.

“But they don’t have my fingerprints.”

“I’ve never given them mine, either, but they have it on file,” Jared said, distant and cold.

“You tried to come here without me? Is that why Claire was at the loft?” I crossed my arms. “And let me guess, it just burns you that you needed my help after al .”

Jared’s eyes jerked to mine. “Is that what you think?” I stood with my arms stil tightly intertwined across my ribs. Jared shook his head at me and held out his arm. “After you.”

We walked into the bank and a man in a stuffy and notably hideous light grey suit approached us.

“Mr. Stephens, this is Nina Grey,” Jared said.

The man held out his lanky hand and I took it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Grey. Right this way.” He ushered us across the lobby to an elevator.

Once inside, he used a smal key to gain access to a lower floor that wasn’t on the button display.

The elevator opened into a cavernous room with an enormous bronze vault. Mr. Stephens briskly walked ahead of us, taking his place behind a tal desk with a computer. As we approached, he was tapping the keyboard.

“Miss Grey, I’l need to see two forms of identification, please,” Mr. Stephens said, looking up from the monitor.

I shot an irritated look at Jared, realizing I’d left my purse at the loft. Jared reached into his jacket pocket and pul ed out my wal et. I snatched it from his hand and then put my driver’s license and student ID on the smal space in front of the computer monitor. Mr. Stephens’ eyes darted twice between my face and each of the cards and then nodded. I put the cards back into my wal et as he repeated the process with Jared.

“Miss Grey, there is a red pad in front of you. I’l need you to press and hold your thumb there until you see a flash, and then I’l need you to do the same, Mr. Ryel,” he said, watching us both fol ow his directions. “Now sign here and approve the date with the green button when you’re finished.”

I hastily signed and clicked the button with the pen, handing it to Jared, who signed his name under mine.

“And you have the key?”

“We do,” Jared said in a low voice.

“Right this way,” Mr. Stephens said, the vault automatical y opening.

The room was fil ed with various sized boxes, al plated in the same bronze color as the door. Our steps echoed against the marble floor.

Mr. Stephens turned to us, pointing to a shiny golden square on the wal with a smal black button in the center. “Press this button to let me know you’re finished. It was a pleasure doing business with you. Miss Grey…Mr. Ryel,” he nodded, leaving us alone. The vault door sealed shut behind him, and Jared’s eyes drifted to mine.