Eliza was torn from her dreams by three knocks on her door. Rubbing her eyes, she blinked toward the window. Light streamed in. Morning. Another round of knocks pulled her attention to her front door. She yawned and stood, pulling the black jacket down to cover her underwear. Her feet shuffled against the carpet and she stretched her sore arms. Sleeping on the couch may not have been her best idea.

She opened the door as she grumbled about the third set of knocks, and then she was suddenly wide awake.

"How the hell did you find my apartment?"

Ares grinned at her, his amber eyes shining. "I had to make sure you got home safely last night. You didn't look too good when I left. Also, nice jacket."

Her face warmed and she wasn't sure it was from rage or embarrassment. Her hand tugged the jacket as far down as it could go. "You don't just follow a girl home."

"My only intention last night was to watch your back. This morning, I intend to take you to breakfast."

"Why would I want to eat breakfast with you?"

"I just want to be nice. Nothing more. Let me treat you. You need to relax, and I want to help." It was hard to avoid looking at her legs that were hardly covered by his jacket. His brain instantly wondered what was under there, but he quickly shut those thoughts off. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her further after last night. "Now, will you let me in, please?"

She stood there, her jaw tensing. If she let Ares in, he would only be obnoxious. But he'd be just as obnoxious knocking on her door. If he got distracted by the television, maybe she could get dressed in peace. She stepped aside begrudgingly and let the tall man into her home. She locked her door back and ignored his interested staring.

Her apartment was big. Her front door opened into a huge open area that transition into her living room. A black leather couch sat there with a glass coffee table in front of it. A medium-sized television sat on a matching glass stand against the wall. A few potted plants accented the ensemble.

When Ares turned to the left, her dining table sat on the opposite side of a hallway entrance, where he presumed her bedroom was. Four wooden chairs surrounded the oval table and a smaller potted plant sat in the center. It was quaint. He turned again to his left and found the kitchen nestled between the outer walls and a wall that separated the room from the front door.

All of the appliances were stainless steel while the cabinets were a striking white. The countertops were a plain black stone tiling, making the white seem more vivid. She must have saved up for years to rent out such a nice apartment.

The sound of a throat clearing brought Ares back to Mars. He looked at Eliza who stood in her hallway.

"Please stay out here. I won't take long."

He nodded, but as soon as she disappeared into what he guessed was her room, he wandered down the hall. One door, the one she entered, stood on his left as he entered the hall. There were two other doors on his right. Ares opened the first door and found a very standard bathroom. It was small, he'd say half the size of a normal bathroom, with a washer and dryer opposite the toilet. The sink sat next to it, but there was no shower or bathtub to be seen. It must have been in her bathroom.

Quietly, he shut the door and moved the next one. A second bedroom. It was fairly large for a guest bedroom and there looked to be a queen-sized bed in it. There was a standard closet, a couple of windows, a dresser, and even a small desk with a chair. It was cozy. He wondered if her room looked much different from that one. She seemed to live well.

"I thought I told you to stay out there."

Eliza supposed she should have been angry at him for invading her space without thought, but she would have been curious, too. She always wondered what the inside of different homes and buildings looked like, especially when they were unique on the outside. It still didn’t keep the glare from her face.

Ares ran his fingers through his hair and grinned sheepishly. "I couldn't help myself. You know that a way a person lives tells a lot about them."

Eliza actually smiled. Donovan had told her that when he first came over to her apartment. She was pretty sure her parents had said that once before, too.

"And what does my apartment say about me?"

Her smile was happy. She seemed much better after yesterday's hunt. Her clothes reflected her mood, too. She wore red skinny jeans with a faded white, vintage band t-shirt. He couldn't quite see the band name, but it had "foot" in the name and looked like an image of the crowd from the stage. Was that an "s" at the start? He couldn't be sure.

"You don't worry about appearances," Ares replied. "Did you ever read about that trend where people would only keep things that brought them joy? Your apartment reminds me of that. You only need what's necessary to live, to survive."

She snorted. "Most people find my apartment to be pretentious because it's so big."

"Nah. I mean, yeah, it's big, but it gives you room to expand and never worry about running out of space. It's also a lot easier to keep it clean with less stuff."

Eliza looked up at Ares, who was still observing her home. Maybe he wasn't so bad. Sure, he was annoying sometimes, but he was kind. He obviously seemed to care for her wellbeing, no matter how irritating it was for her. She just wasn't used to any other male except Mac caring about her. Mac would say having a partner would do her some good. He might have been right.

"Okay, now what is this breakfast you want to take me to?"

The diner, not even a block away from Eliza's apartment, was fairly empty when they arrived. It was just after 9 a.m., so the rush passed. At least that's what Eliza suspected. She had never been to the diner before, but it seemed like a place Ares had been to a lot. Employees were greeting him like he was their best friend. To think he had been that close to her all that time. Maybe he even lived in the same apartment complex. Eliza shuddered at the thought. She'd never get any peace.

Ares led Eliza to a booth toward the back and grinned when they stared at each other from either side of the table. "What do you like to eat for breakfast?" he asked. Ares couldn't believe she actually agreed to come with him. She was so stubborn, but it took a lot less time to convince her to eat than to be his partner.

Eliza shrugged, glancing at the menu, doing her best to ignore his gaze. "Depends on my mood. I think I'm feeling some sunny side up eggs, bacon, and hash browns today."

"That sounds good. I might have to order that, too."

Her eyes met his. They were like arrows piercing him. "Now where's the fun in that?"

"All right, then. You order something for me."

"Are you sure you trust me?"

“Completely.”

Her heart stopped for a second when his face switched to complete seriousness. She couldn't speak. It didn't seem to bother him.

Frankly, he'd eat anything on the menu. It was all good. But taking the opportunity to give her just a glimpse of how serious he took their newfound partnership? He couldn't let that slip by. The look on her face, eyes wide with her bottom lip suddenly between her teeth, was well worth it.

A blonde waitress, Abigail, came up to their table. She greeted Ares with a wink and Eliza with a big smile. "What can I get you both this morning?" Her voice was sweet and high-pitched.

Ares motioned toward Eliza.

Eliza gladly told Abigail her order, adding chocolate milk. "And for him," she started, glancing over the menu again. "He wants the Mexican omelet with sausage patties, fresh fruit, and an orange juice."

"I'll get that in for you and your drinks will be out in a minute." The waitress walked away.

"Good choice. One of my favorites, though I would have switched the fruit for a stack of pancakes."

"You look like you need more fruit in your diet."

“Oh, she jokes.” Ares' smile grew. The more she joked, the more likely she'd warm up to him as her hunting partner. If they could get along, they'd be unstoppable.

Eliza was pleased by how well their breakfast continued. Ares didn't bring up her wellbeing, or their next bounty head. He made it his mission to get to know her. In response, she attempted to match his social exuberance. If Donovan could have seen her then, he'd throw her a party for simply trying to break out of her shell. It was a lot easier with Ares fueling the conversation.

Their food came out and only the soft scrapes and clanks of their silverware spoke. It was oddly comforting. Eliza and Ares couldn't believe how well it was going. It was going so well for so long until Ares spoke up once he finished most of his food.

"So, now that we're partners, I should move in, right?"

Her chocolate milk nearly shot out of her nose as she choked in disbelief.