After drinking my fruit punch, I poured myself into bed, and this time when I fell asleep I wasn't woken up hours later with some random dude sitting next to me. Close to ten in the morning, I forced myself to put on my running sneakers and not go into the kitchen and overdose on sweet tea or some other form of caffeine. That would be my reward if I made it back to my apartment alive.
Being a part of the Order required that I stay in shape, so I made myself run at least three miles four times a week. Combining that with the various mixed martial arts training we did with other members was the only reason why I didn't weigh a billion pounds since I ate pretty much everything and anything in front of me.
I needed to run since I hadn't done anything truly physical for any length of time since Wednesday morning. Couldn't fight the fae if I was winded easily.
Luckily the temps remained cool as I hit the outside stairs and the courtyard below, and I hoped that meant the cold season was coming sooner rather than later. Putting my earbuds in, I powered up the music app on my cellphone then opened the gate. I straightened the band on my nylon shorts and then started off, heading toward Kindred Hospital at a slow jog.
As always, my thoughts wandered when I ran, and not surprisingly, they drifted right to Ren. I still couldn't believe he actually kissed my cheek. Did he go around doing that randomly? For some reason, I wouldn't be shocked if that was the case. Ren was definitely a huge flirt, something a lot of the men in the Order were. Maybe it had to do with how dangerous our lives were, and they were all seize the moment kind of guys. So were the ladies. Except I liked to think we were a little more inconspicuous about it.
Ren was stupid hot, as in the kind of hotness that made you want to do stupid, fun things you'd most likely regret later, but that didn't mean I trusted him a hundred percent. He was a stranger, but all the Order members were strangers at some point, each one a complete unknown. When I came to New Orleans, I immediately had to put my life in the hands of people I'd only just been introduced to. If I needed backup, I had to believe that one of them would answer the call, and they had to trust that I'd do the same for them. We had to go welcome and join others without the fear of betrayal. Under the Order, we were one cohesive unit. We had been since its creation.
But that still didn't make it easy to trust newcomers. Ren had been up front with me about the Elite. Sharing that kind of information should've caused me to trust him more, but in a way, it only made me more wary. Why was he so willing to trust me with such old, secretive information? Then again, he knew that David hadn't taken my claims seriously and that half the Order probably thought I was riding the crazy-pants train. But if Ren was up to something shady, I couldn't fathom what it would be. What did he have to gain by making up the existence of the Elite or by lying in general? Still, I was uneasy about the whole thing.
I needed to talk to someone, but David was a no go at this point. I knew I could trust Val with the info, and I would, but I needed to know more before I opened my mouth. As I successfully crossed Foucher Street without getting plowed by an ambulance, I thought about Brighton's mom Merle. If anyone knew where the gate was, and if there was one in New Orleans, it would be her.
But did I really want to bring Ren to her?
That was the question that plagued me the rest of the run and throughout the afternoon. It was one thing for me to make risky choices, but to put others in the path of what could lead to disaster wasn't something I planned on ever doing again. I had to trust Ren before I introduced him to Merle.
I just didn't know if I could get to that point.
I made a plan to visit Brighton's house tomorrow. From previous experience, I knew Merle was usually up and out in their garden in the afternoon, and Sundays were usually . . . good days for her. I didn't need Ren there to ask the questions I needed to ask. The only thing I had to do was get through tonight.
Which I had a feeling was going to turn into a really long, really annoying night.
~
Five minutes late to meet up with Ren, I wasn't surprised when I neared Mama Lousy and saw him waiting for me outside the gift shop, leaning against the building. Dressed in dark denim jeans and a loose shirt that hid the weapons I knew were most likely attached to the sides of his waist and under his shirt, he looked almost like any regular hot dude hanging out in the shade. He wasn't looking at me, and all I got was the strong line of his jaw, but I could tell a half grin teased his lips. My stomach dipped as my steps slowed.
Ren had a certain aura of danger surrounding him, an impression of coiled and barely restrained power. He might have look relaxed with his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans and his legs crossed at the ankles, but anyone who walked by him knew he could strike at any given moment.
"I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show," Ren drawled without looking at me.
I frowned. He must have one hell of a peripheral vision. "Traffic sucks." I stopped beside him, quickly glancing at the tattoo on his arm. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with you today since you know your way around the city."
Tipping his head back against the wall, he exposed the masculine length of his neck. I never thought a guy's neck could be sexy before, but I realized just then that it really could be. His eyes were closed, and the long fringes of his lashes fanned out, dark and spiky. The soft grin continued to play along his lips. "I'm sure there are places you can show me."
The tips of my ears burned. For some reason, with that smile and that deep voice, his words held a different meaning. I shifted, smoothing my hands over my jeans as a gaggle of older women teetering on heels stumbled passed us. "Louis Armstrong Park is a great place to hunt at night."
He looked at me then, eyes narrowed. "I think you're trying to get me killed."
I cracked a smile. The park could be a wee bit on the dangerous side, which was a damn shame, because it was beautiful as were all the sculptures inside it. "You could feed the ducks."
Ren laughed then, and I liked the sound. It was deep and infectious. "Next you'll suggest I head out to the Lower Ninth Ward and wander aimlessly while holding several hundred dollar bills."
"Make sure you head east of Frenchmen Street while you're at it. Check out north of Rampart also."
"You're terrible," he murmured, shaking his head. "You know, New Orleans is really no different than any other large city. It has its good and bad parts."
"True," I agreed, watching the group of ladies cross the street. Two young guys were tailing them. I hoped those women kept a close hand on their purses. "Except we have a lot more fae here."
"That you do." He pushed off the wall, turning to me as he pulled his hands out of his pockets. "I like your hair like that."
Tilting my head back, I frowned in confusion. "Huh?"
"You have it pulled up." Reaching out, he caught the end of a stray curl along my temple. "It's cute, but when it's down? Fucking hot."
"Um . . ." I snapped my mouth shut, and for a moment I stared at him. "Thanks?"
He chuckled as he tugged on the curl until it was straight, and then let go, watching it bounce back into place. "I could play with it all day."
I blinked slowly. "Wow. You don't get out much, do you?"
Ren grinned. "So you have a game plan in mind for tonight?
"Not really." I started walking down the already congested sidewalk.
Not surprisingly, he caught right up and fell in step alongside me. "Why not?"
Keeping an eye on the cluster of people at the corner of Bourbon, I stepped around a young woman with a bright green drink container. She was eyeing Ren like she'd rather be slurping him up through a straw. "Saturday nights are usually crazy. You can make all the plans you want and it's all going to go to hell in a matter of seconds."
Ren didn't respond.
I glanced at him quickly. His gaze was trained ahead also, but that grin had faded like a ghost. "You have a problem with that?"