Chapter 13: Not everyone uses what they were given between their ears
Adam stared at Valeria for a long moment. This time, she had taken on her more human form—no wings, no glowing eyes. She sat on the edge of one of the shelves, leaning casually against a rack as if she were on a seaside terrace, not in a grocery store surrounded by corpses.
"I must admit, fate has been unusually kind to me," Adam said with dry sarcasm, reaching for the backpack he’d left by the entrance. He slung it over his shoulder and looked at her. "Seeing you again? Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket."
Valeria raised an eyebrow and gave him a soft smile.
"If you’ve got me, what more could you possibly want to win?" she said with an innocent smile that clashed with the smug glint in her eyes. "You hit the jackpot, Adam."
Adam raised his eyebrows slightly, unable to suppress a short laugh.
"So what happened? Why’d you come back?" he asked, adjusting the backpack straps, his brow arching again.
Instead of answering, Valeria stretched with feline grace, then looked him straight in the eyes.
"I simply decided I’ll be accompanying you. You should feel honored—beauty like mine doesn’t often choose such brutal guides."
Adam let out a short laugh, shaking his head.
"Someone’s switched on their narcissist mode," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Aren’t you worried you’ll float away from all that self-admiration? Because if you do, heads up—I don’t have a rope to bring you back down."
Valeria’s smile sharpened with a hint of mockery.