Sahara was torn between amusement and irritation as she realized Kian was not leading her directly to the warehouse.  He had leisurely stopped at vendor stalls to order some groceries to be delivered, buy flowers only to press them into an elderly woman’s hands, and even dropped change into the pan of a nearby sleeping homeless person.

“Aren’t you the picture of a saint?”  She muttered with a mixture of admiration and annoyance, watching a small dog lick at his hand as they finally exited the small market corner.

The corner of his lips lifted into a rueful smile.  “If you were expecting me to live my life differently just because of what you think I am, then you’re in for quite the disappointment.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, wondering how he could be so nonchalant about everything that was happening.  Time was slipping through her fingers and either she would take them to him or he would come himself.

And he was not a patient person.

Fighting a shudder at how that one would react should she make him wait, she pursed her lips in defiance and mentally waved the thoughts away.

He scanned her face, seemingly able to read her thoughts as he shrugged and gestured towards the surroundings.

“When you’ve lived as long as I have, working with people will get you further than resisting the change.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“For someone who’s lived as long as you have, how can you tolerate living among them knowing they barely live a fraction of your lifespan?”  She countered.

He turned into another street, this time less well lit than the main road and she followed closely.

She didn’t think he would respond, as he opened a steel metal door and offered her to enter first.

As she passed, Kian spoke up, to her surprise.

“We were human once.  The need to connect remains even when everything else fades away.”

She mulled over those words even as she walked deeper into the dark hallway that bathed in near darkness after he firmly shut the door behind him.  He followed close behind but she could barely hear him, only a whisper of his clothing.

“Touch the panel to your upper left.”  His low, cool voice near her ear as she stopped at the end of the hallway.

Fighting a shudder drastically different from the previous one, she steeled herself before pushing the panel.

The door opened with a surprisingly smooth motion, despite the seemingly run down facade.

A warm and inviting light greeted her as she stepped inside a large room.  She spotted a few people lounging comfortably a few feet away, a pool table and a few sparse furniture as well as a kitchen to the side.  

She found herself wanting to lean into the warmth of the easygoing laughter and camaraderie, but before she could take another step, there was a shadow that covered her view.  

A familiar figure towered over her.

“Well, well.  What do have here?”  

She looked up in amusement, locking gazes with fiery emerald eyes paired with a normally flirtatious but currently furious mouth.