She looked awkward, maybe even distressed. Naeth even thought he might have caught a slight movement in her arms which betrayed her trying to test them, looking to hide herself. No, those hands werenâ€™t going anywhere; the small of her back was their new home, at least until he got her homeâ€¦<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">â€I can speak,â€</span>she replied barely above a whisper, no surprises there, he doubted she was in much of a mood for conversation. No points for originality.<br/><br/>â€œWell Iâ€™ll be damned! Itâ€™s an equinox miracle,â€ he scowled, folding his arms and inspecting her one last time. Humans tended to have more fight in them than demons, they were oddly passionate about that which they could not change, they were even known to risk lives and limbs for things that had no direct consequences to them, but this girlâ€¦<br/>There was something deeply concerning in her behaviour, the aloofness, the lost looks, the immediate obedienceâ€¦ ah, she wasnâ€™t going to be broken, just needed a little warming up before heâ€™d get any sense of the real her. Wind up merchant and manipulative bastard he was, Nae itched to know what made her tick!<br/><br/>â€œWell then!â€ he straightened his jacket and looked back out at the street, â€œI hope you have a head for directions girl,â€ he mused, â€œWillow Way, across from the lake. Youâ€™d better remember that because I have places to be, people to do, I donâ€™t have time to be walking scrawny little pigeons home, I expect you to make your own way. Willow Way, across the lake, youâ€™re looking for the big house. Youâ€™ll know it,â€ he ran his fingers along her cheek, enjoying the warmth, wearing a smile that never quite reached his eyes, for a moment he went to turn on his heel to walk, but something made him pause, â€œOh!â€ he raised a cautionary index finger, â€œWord to the wise, you so much as consider running you WILL be hunted and you WILL be found and when youâ€™re found youâ€™re going to think this guy,â€ he shot the seller a glare over his shoulder, distaste plain in his eyes, â€œwas a saint! Tell the girls at the door that youâ€™re my new toy; those words exactly, theyâ€™ll know to expect you,â€<br/><br/>You know, it occurred to him that he still didnâ€™t know her nameâ€¦ but then, how much did he care to?