“Where is your home?” she asked.
He glanced at her, but she was staring out the window. Look at me.
Instead, she stared out at the damn mountains. They would be in the Highlands soon, where the hills would turn to mountains and the roads would wind ever higher, twisting and turning amongst the rock-falls and the sheep.
“On the cliffs of the Isle of Mull, overlooking the sea. It’s in the northwest, but we’ll be taking the more remote northern roads before turning west. We’ll avoid Glasgow, though it’s faster. Sitting in traffic with your pursuers on the loose is no’ a grand idea.”
“You think?”
He felt a grin tug at his lips.
“So, when we get there, you’ll be protecting me from the monsters while I research in your library?” This all sounded like bad business to her.
“I’ll no’ let you out of my sight.”
“But you said they can’t find the house, right?”
“Aye. It will be harder to find than any other, at least.”
“Unlike mine.”
His head whipped toward her. “What do you mean, unlike yours?”
“The same kind of monster that attacked me at Arthur’s Seat broke into my house. I killed it, but I came to Edinburgh because I was afraid there were more looking for me back in Clayton.”
“You really killed a demon? When did you learn to fight?” He sounded impressed.
“I haven’t,” she answered. “I’d never been in a fight before.”
“Then how’d you do it?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t really feel like myself. At first I was afraid, but then it hit me in the face. And I realized it could kill me. I had to protect myself. I started hitting it with a cast iron skillet. They’re very heavy, you know, well suited to fending off an attacker.”
He chuckled. The sound reached into her and tightened something in the best way possible.
“I eventually grabbed its knife and stabbed it.” Then collapsed on the floor in a shaking mess. Won’t add that part.
“Well done, lassie.”
She flushed at the compliment.
“That’s one thing we’ll be doing when we reach Mull,” he said. “I’ll be teaching you to defend yourself. You’ve entered a violent world, and you’re going to need to learn how to get along in it.”
Her stomach turned over at the thought of learning to fight, of being in situations that required it of her. But being able to harness her latent skill to protect herself was necessary. Sure, the massive warrior next to her could probably fight off demons with one arm tied behind his back, but he might not always be around. And there were monsters out there.
She swiveled to look at him. “Wait, you keep saying demon. Do you mean an actual demon? From hell?”
She had to get out of this new life. Monsters were scary, but a demon from hell was so much worse. Probably because demons proved the existence of both monsters and hell, two things she’d happily believed didn’t exist until now.
“Aye, lassie. From hell.”
“But how ar
e they getting out?”
“Depends on which hell they’re from.”
“Which hell? As in, more than one?” She swallowed hard, not sure if she wanted to hear this.