Page 22 of Cruel Abandon (Fallen Royals 5)
“My friend is up ahead,” I tell her. “I’ll talk to you later?”
She sighs. “That’s fine. Just keep one eye turned inward, honey.”
What a weird thing to say.
“Sure. Love you.”
She says it back, and I hang up. Mitchel waits for me to catch up, grinning.
“Did you expect snow?” he asks. “I wish I had looked outside before leaving my apartment. It wasn’t worth climbing another three flights of stairs to get a better coat, though.”
I laugh. “I thought the same exact thing.”
“I haven’t seen you around,” he offers.
The crosswalk signal changes into a walking man. I step into the street, but Mitchel grabs my arm and yanks me back. A car flies past, turning right without stopping. It’s close enough that I could reach out and touch it.
Immediately, chills break out down my body.
“That could’ve been bad,” he says. “What would you do without me?”
“I’d probably have a lawsuit on my hands,” I say, staring after the car. It’s all but disappeared down the block. “Thank you.”
He makes a show of checking both ways, then extends his arm.
I bite my lip and slip my hand into the crook of his elbow, and he guides me across the street.
“Safe and sound,” he says once we hit the other sidewalk.
He drops his arm, and I… I just need comfort—in any form I can take it.
My hand slips down his arm and into his hand, squeezing once. His fingers lace through mine, and suddenly we’re walking and holding hands.
It’s bizarre but not unpleasant. My own hands are icy, but his palm is warm. I force myself to focus on the ground in front of me, although I want to take a peek at Mitchel.
He’s a stranger. The first boy to actually pay attention to me and not be completely scared away by Liam.
Liam has a way of doing that, doesn’t he?
“Are you going to freak out if someone gets mad at you for holding my hand?” I ask. “Not that someone will be mad. It’s just that, chances are likely that I have a stalker and he doesn’t take kindly to, um, affection? It’s fine, though. He doesn’t control my life. He just tries to—”
“Skylar,” Mitchel interrupts. “I think I can handle Liam Morrison.”
I frown. “I didn’t say it was him.”
“It was hard to miss him when he forcibly removed me from my seat the other day. Although I’ve been referring to him as your unwanted bodyguard. Stalker works, too.” He shrugs. “You held my hand. That should save me.”
“Right.” My skepticism must show through, because he winces.
But his attention isn’t on me anymore—it’s on the devil we were just talking about.
I groan and try to pull away, but Mitchel holds fast.
“How is he ever going to leave you alone if you keep caving?”
It’s hard not to cave when he breaks into your apartment, but I digress.
“Mitchel,” I warn.