"Ouch," he answered, clutching where his heart would have been. "How dare you call me a grim reaper. I prefer 'soul man,'" he taunted, wagging his eyebrows at me.
"Oh brother," I said, pointing into my mouth to gag myself. I took a swat at his arm, but he captured my hand in his.
My breath hitched in my throat, and my sarcastic attitude disintegrated in the thin air. Hand holding was a new experience for me. I tried to act indifferent as I leaned over, studying the endless lights below us. The temperature of Emrys's hand was much like the jacket. I'm not sure why I had assumed it would be hot to the touch. Or maybe I did know why and just didn't want to admit it. My train of thought crashed and burned when he started tracing patterns on the back of my hand. I had to work hard to maintain a slow and steady breath.
"So, the tat, what does it mean?" I asked, trying to ignore the nagging voice that was taunting me over why he'd brought me here in the first place.
His finger stalled. "Nothing really. It's just something from my human days," he finally answered after several minutes had passed. I was beginning to think I had entered into some "no visitors allowed" part of his mind. I fidgeted uncomfortably, fighting the sudden urge to snatch my hand away.
"You remember being human?" I asked, trying to break the awkward silence.
"Vividly," he said, laughing harshly.
"Was it that bad?" I pressed on, ignoring the "do not enter" sign he all but had hanging around his neck.
"Bad? No. For the most part, it was good. It didn't get bad until the end," he said, making it clear the subject was closed.
The sting of his rejection made me recoil. "Fine," I snapped, yanking my hand from his. "You can take me home now," I added, rising.
"Hey, don't get all twisted, babe. I just find talking about you to be more enlightening," he said, tugging me back down.
"Are you just fucking with me?" I asked, going for the shock factor to cover my confusion over his intense interest in me.
"Sweetheart, you'd definitely know if I was doing that," he drawled.
"What do you want from me then?" I asked, ignoring his innuendo.
"What makes you so sure I want something?" he asked as he resumed drawing the intricate pattern on my hand.
This time it was my turn to laugh harshly. "Let me tell you something. This whole mysterious cool act you're going for is starting to teeter awfully close to the creeper line. Besides, everyone wants something from me. I'm not a freaking idiot, so spill it. You got me here where you wanted me—all alone," I said, indicating our isolated location.
"Does there have to be a reason? You intrigued me. From the moment I saw you kick the living shit out of those Daemons I knew I wanted to get to know you better."
"Really? And you decided that from knowing me all of ten minutes?" I asked, pulling my hand from his. "You can cut the bullshit."
"Jordyn, you intrigue me, that's all," he said again.
"Intrigue how? Like some science experiment gone wrong that you can't help looking at with morbid fascination?"
He laughed. "Boy, talk about some serious paranoia."
"Why? Because I'm not falling for your horseshit? Haniel says you're dangerous and he hasn't lied to me yet."
"You don't think I'm dangerous," he said matter-of-factly.
"Oh, so you can read minds, too?" I asked sarcastically.
"Hey, peace, baby, peace. I'm not looking for a rumble," he said, holding his hands up. "Is this okay?" he asked, grinning devilishly as he slung his arm over my shoulder.
"Damn right you're not," I muttered, leaning back into his embrace.
He mumbled something in protest, but I didn't quite catch it. I was tempted to ask him to repeat it, but I figured I'd dealt with my fair share of drama tonight. Shit was going to hit the roof when I got home anyway, so this brief interlude could be the only break I'd have. Emrys seemed to sense my mood and lapsed into silence. I wasn't sure how long we sat there. Time seemed to bend back on itself as all the vehicles and lights below entranced me. I could have stayed there all night. It was easy to see why this was his favorite spot. Only when my butt became numb did I finally acknowledge the passing time.
"I should go home," I said, sighing resignedly.
"You don't have to," he enticed.
"I need to face the music. I'm sure Haniel, not to mention my aunt and uncle, are going apeshit by now."