When Stars Come Out (When Stars Come Out 1)
Page 40
It doesn’t matter if it’s Roth’s fault; I’m the one who will get in trouble.
Before he shuts the door, I start moving. I’m hoping to shorten the drive to town as much as possible. I glance at Roth from the corner of my eye and find him staring down at his phone, a smile cracks across his face.
“You have a girlfriend yet, Savior?” he asks, and takes a sip of coffee.
I clench my jaw, trying not to think about Anora, and don’t respond.
“I take that as a no.”
“Shut up, Roth.”
“I just think you might be a little nicer if you had one.”
“If that’s true, you must not have a girlfriend, either.”
“Commitment isn’t my thing.”
“It’s unfortunate you were born Valryn, then.”
Roth laughs. “That’s the cleverest thing you’ve ever said, Savior.”
“If you’re going to be Luminary, shouldn’t you be loyal to the Order?”
“No, how else would I change it?”
I stare at him, not sure what to make of his statement, but I have questions—what exactly is his idea of change?
“If you stare at me any longer, I’ll have to assume you’ve fallen in love, Savior.”
I focus on the road again. Silence ensues, and for a while, all I hear is Roth sipping coffee. It makes me want to punch him in the face. I flex my fingers around my steering wheel.
“You know, as much as I like watching you work, I don’t need a bodyguard.”
My thoughts exactly.
“I’m more than happy to stand by and watch you get your ass kicked.”
“Except that would ruin any chance you might have at ranking as a Shadow Knight.”
“It might be worth it to see that pretty face slammed into stone. I might even do it myself.”
Man, I feel violent today.
“You think I’m pretty?” he asks, batting his eyes in an exaggerated manner.
I roll mine.
“Has it occurred to you to question why you were chosen to guard me? A knight-in-training?”
“If you think I’m underqualified, you should have said something instead of wasting my time.”
He scoffs. “Like you have anything else to do.”
“Yeah, actually. I have a life outside the Compound.”
“Oh really? Tell me how that’s working for you.”
He knows perfectly well how it is working for me. I’m missing a game to drive him to Council. I decide it’s best if I don’t respond.