Page 95 of Noctis

The mugger’s gaze darted between me and the seven-foot nightmare looming at my shoulder.

“And he’ll come looking for you.” I jerked my head toward Caligo. “Next time, I won’t be there to stop him.”

Caligo’s shadows stirred, crawling across the pavement toward the mugger.

“I would find you,” he said. “There is nowhere dark enough to hide from me.”

The man nodded furiously. When neither Caligo nor I had anything to add, he lurched upright and bolted toward the street, leaving the knife and what remained of his dignity behind.

I waited until his footsteps had faded before turning to Caligo. “Did any of what I said about not killing people sink in?”

“We did not cover this scenario.”

“I meant every scenario.” I moved to stand over the knife. “Can you get rid of this? I don’t want the wrong person stumbling across it.”

“You’re not informing the police?”

I shook my head. “It’s unlikely they’ll catch him. And if they do, I see nothing good coming from him rambling about you. They probably won’t believe him, but still… I’d rather not have information about you circulating. The fewer people who know about you, the better.”

Caligo extended one hand. The shadows around the weapon thickened, flowing over the blade and handle until both disappeared from sight. There was a brief metallic crunch followed by silence. When the darkness withdrew, nothing remained.

“Where did it go?”

“It no longer exists.”

“That’s reassuringly vague.”

“You asked me to dispose of it. I disposed of it.”

“Fine.” I slipped my phone and wallet into my pockets, then fastened my damaged watch around my wrist. “Thank you.”

Caligo inclined his head.

“And thank you for saving me,” I added. “Even if it involved attempted murder.”

“I stopped when you asked.”

“Eventually.”

“Therefore, I showed restraint.”

I stared at him. “Your definition of restraint needs work.”

“So does your instinct for self-preservation. You should not have been walking alone.”

He had me there.

I stepped out of the alley and back beneath the streetlights. Caligo vanished from sight, but I could sense him moving beside me.

“You know,” I said quietly, “most people would be happy just to scare off the mugger.”

“Most people are not responsible for keeping you safe.”

I glanced at the space beside me. “And you are?”

“Yes.”

No hesitation. No qualification. Just absolute certainty.