5. Make No Promises
5
Make No Promises
T he rain droplets falling onto her cheeks reminded her that she needed to get going, that her grandmother was probably getting worried sick about her.
“I really need to get home,” Eira announced, quickly picking up her tote and fallen-out contents. Wanting to begin her journey, she was careful to go the long way around him. She thought that might be it between them, which strangely caused her heart to scream out in pain, but then she looked back to see he was following her, keeping the same distance that was already between them. It should have scared the hell out of her, so why did it make her heart sing? “What are you doing?”
“Well, I really can’t let you walk home in this storm alone.”
“Yes, you can.” She had to yell back at him over the rain. “I’ve walked this trail a million times. I’ll be fin—”
Eira fell as fast and as hard as the pouring rain that had suddenly started coming down. She had barely gotten her brain unscrambled before he almost …
“Don’t!” she screamed out in horror.
Ryu had quickly closed the distance and was just about to touch her arm when he halted his hand. Calmly, he spoke in an even, soothing tone, careful not to move another muscle. “I was only going to help you up, I promise.”
Eerily, she believed him, but … “Please, just don’t touch me.”
“I know we only just met”—the plea in her eyes had Ryu’s voice turning soft—“but I can promise you here and now that I wouldn’t ever hurt you, Eira.”
Again, everything about herself told her to trust him at his vow. However, that wasn’t the problem.
“If you don’t ever want to hurt me, then swear to me you’ll never touch me. Not even if I’m falling.”
“I ca—” Even through the pouring rain, it was clear in Ryu’s fierce eyes that he didn’t want to agree to that, but then he backed off. He didn’t put the kind of distance that had been there before between them, but he at least gave her a foot, showing her he didn’t want to go far. “I swear not to touch you until you ask it of me, if you make a promise to me in return.”
“ If ?” Not so gracefully, Eira defiantly made it up off her ass, trying to wipe the mud off her hands before giving up to swipe them on her pants. “That’s not how it works.”
“I can swear not to touch you, but you can’t make me promise not to catch you when you fall. If you want me to let you fall on your ass again, darling, then you must promise me something in return.”
Eira stormed off through the storm, trying to think just how clumsy she was for a moment. How often could she possibly slip—
Shit. She almost just fell flat on her face this time. The laughter coming from behind her wasn’t helping her think, either.
What could Ryu possibly want her to promise him? Oh dear, she probably shouldn’t want to know.
“All right, fine!” she grumbled, coming to a stop after she barely caught herself this time. The steep land that she loved had betrayed her for the last time. “What is it you want?”
She watched as Ryu came to stand in front of her, towering over her with each closer step, then held her eyes captive.
“Promise me you won’t ask me to leave you when we get down this mountain.”
Again, the desperation in his voice nearly broke her betraying heart this time. Her mind kept telling her she was supposed to do exactly that, but how could she when the thing in her chest told her she couldn’t? It was a desperate battle she had hoped to fight at the bottom, but now it could no longer wait.
“I can’t—”
“I know you feel it, darling.” The smile that touched his lips became deadly as he watched the drops of rain beautifully fall down the scorched half of her face. He might not have touched her physically, like he obviously wanted to, yet she still felt as if he had with his gaze all the same. “You won’t be asking me to leave you by the time we get down this mountain, anyway.”
Her breath caught in her throat. Is he right? Already, it felt as if her body couldn’t imagine a moment without him, even though they had just met moments ago. The feeling was simply inexplainable. So inexplainable that she was beginning to wonder if he had put a spell on her while she’d napped, as the only thing fighting off the spell was her mind and past trauma.
Are witches real, or warlocks, or whatever?
Eira didn’t think so. But whatever this was, it was something of legends.
“So, what will it be, darling?” he asked, still sneering.
Giving her own smile, she made him a promise that only she could keep. “Fine. I promise that I won’t ask you to leave when we get to the bottom of the mountain.” But I make no promises my grandparents won’t leave your ass in the rain when we reach my house.
His strange, glowing eyes slightly squinted at her, as if he sensed a catch, but then he nodded, keeping the agreement they had already made. He even stayed true to his word when Eira took only a few steps forward and met the wet, muddy ground again.
The laughter cutting through the storm might’ve pissed her off, if it didn’t prove just how honest he was.
“Well, at least I know you keep your promises,” Eira mumbled under her breath, not even bothering to wipe the mud off her hands this time.
“Always,” he assured her.
What the —
She couldn’t understand how he could’ve possibly heard her. Something was definitely off about him, but her attention went to his word.
Always.
That word had her heart, which trusted him, practically thumping out of her chest. Her body, which didn’t want to leave him, might’ve been happy, but her mind still couldn’t help but think how long exactly he planned to stay with her …
She tried her best to put it out of her mind so she could make it to her house without a fully black and blue bum in the morning. As she did so, it was weird how quickly she began to relax around him, knowing he wouldn’t touch her. All the pressure of when she usually first met a stranger had evaporated.
For once, she felt free in the presence of a stranger.
And for once, she finally had trust in someone.
But now, as they reached the base of the mountain, it was time for her mind to finally win out.
Eira had only barely touched the doorknob when it was slung open.
“Where the hell have you been?”
Stepping inside, she felt like a cold, wet dog as she continued to get berated. “Grandma, there’s—”
“I told you to be home before the storm!”
“Grandma!” She tried to tell her there was company waiting outside the door, but her grandmother continued.
“I’ve been worried sick!”
“Ahem,” Ryu coughed, letting his presence known.
She suddenly stopped mid-reprimand at the sound, and her grandmother’s gaze went to the man still standing in the pouring rain. Then …
Her mouth dropped open. “Oh my—”