Dark Promise by Annika West

10

The man in bed with me rolled onto his back. The light caught his full expression for the first time, revealing a wicked smile that lifted his brilliant blue eyes.

Blue. Not amber.

That’s why he was hiding his face in shadow. He’d wanted me to believe he was Hux.

Clearly, this man is an illusion master of some sort.

Hell, maybe it was Adair. I’d gotten illusion powers from somewhere. Could he create illusions around himself?

Whoever it was, it didn’t matter.

I was Aster King II, which meant I was a queen at keeping my cool.

Anyone could vouch for me.

Except for Mr. Creed. And Gary.

I fought a disgusted shudder. Gary was the worst.

I effortlessly rolled off the bed, ignoring the way I smacked my shin into the solid wood nightstand, and scrambled to the bathroom, cursing and limping.

I was a motherfucking spy, for shit’s sake! If I couldn’t escape this illusionary, shapeshifting dickwad, then maybe I deserved to get murdered in Faery.

Yes, I was dramatic when waking up in another world after being unceremoniously drugged. I was going to kick everyone’s ass today.

But first, I had to make it to the stupid bathroom.

You moron. You have an actual power, remember?

“Where do you think you’re going?” fake Hux asked, all mocking. “Don’t I deserve a good morning kiss?”

I turned to see him looming over me, grinning like a madman but looking exactly like my Hux, besides those icy blue eyes. They were dancing with that sick kind of excitement people had right before they were about to beat your ass or steal your chocolate milk and dump it over your head before English class.

Hey, you piece of gargoyle shit, joke’s on you. I have plenty of experience in this realm. You’ve never had to walk through the boy’s locker room to find your stolen textbook in the middle of shower time, and it shows.

I gave him my best fuck you smirk and did what I did best.

Pissing people off.

And winning.

The man cursed when I shifted dimensions and disappeared. But he didn’t seem mad. In fact, it was like I made it more interesting for him.

His blue eyes were less devilish and more interested. “Now I’m starting to see the intrigue. She didn’t look like much at first, with that rat’s nest of hair and drool running down her cheek. Plus, her tits are kind of small.”

I rolled my eyes.

What? Did he think my purpose in life was to wake up looking like a freshly-waxed goddess every morning to please his preferences?

Let a woman drool in peace. Honestly.

I knew something was wrong when he straightened and shoved his hands into his pockets.

Holy crap, he looked so much like Hux in that moment. Except, more relaxed. Hux exuded power in everything he did, even when disarmed or at rest.

Even Hux’s sleep looked expensive.

This man was the opposite. He hid his power behind messy hair and wrinkled clothing. His shirt was oversized, the wide collar shifting to one side and exposing a very sexy collarbone.

Everything about him screamed homeless movie star with a mild but persistent coke addiction.

He was nothing like Hux. The illusion cloaking the stranger was compelling, but not perfect. These were the kinds of powers that creeped me the fuck out.

His gaze locked onto my location by the dresser. “Come out, come out, little faery girl,” he taunted with his thoughts.

Shit. That meant he knew how to sense when someone was in his mind too.

Another, more disturbing thought barged into my already frazzled head. But I pushed it away.

He thought next, “Maybe she’ll be better in bed than she seems. But really… she has extremely poor taste in men, and I hear her candle collection is positively negligible. There’s not much hope for her.”

He took lazy steps toward me. Slow and stalking.

This man knew things about me. Personal things.

How?

And why did this illusionist, this imposter, leave his eyes blue? Didn’t he know that Hux had amber eyes? Had that been an oversight?

Another impossibility rose within me. An idea. A suspicion.

No. That can’t be it.

Besides, his stupid, shit-eating smirk required all my vitriol at the moment.

I tried to assess his height. Could my foot even reach his mouth? He was just as freakishly tall as Hux.

Before he could think anything new and give away my position again, I searched the room and found an old-timey letter opener on the desk.

Concentrating, I planned my quick attack.

Shifting dimensions was easy for me now, and I popped into the physical realm for a fraction of a second. Just long enough to grab the opener and return to my invisibility.

Fake Hux sensed my presence instantly and turned toward me the moment I disappeared.

But he didn’t expect me to reappear behind him, the letter opener’s tip poking into his neck.

“You know,” I said. “It’s not nice to talk about a girl’s candle collection until you really, really get to know her. Didn’t your parents ever teach you good manners?”

I flinched when he dropped his head back against my shoulder. He gazed up at me through the locks of disheveled black hair with a lazy smile.

His throat exposed.

Looking at me like he wanted to lick every inch of my body.

Why wasn’t he fucking terrified of me? Everyone was terrified of me!

Something must be seriously, egregiously wrong with him.

“How did you know I was into knife play?” he purred.

One of his hands hooked around my thigh and yanked me into him while he arched his back suggestively.

What the hell?

“What medication have you skipped this morning, and how can I help you find it?” I gritted out, trying to get away while also keeping the knife on his throat without slicing it inside and killing him.

I had an interrogation to complete, for shit’s sake.

Did this dude want to die?

“Medication?” he asked. “The only medication I need is your hot, wet, throbbing velvet sleeve on my co —”

He yelped as my cupped hand cracked over his temple and ear. It didn’t matter what species you were. That one hurt everyone.

I took several steps back while he held the side of his face and made pathetic sounds of pain.

“What was that for?” he complained, having the audacity to look betrayed.

It was like a rhino getting pissed about a bird pecking its thick, leathery skin. He was just being a baby.

I pointed the letter opener at him. “You said velvet sleeve, dude. My vaginal canal dried up so fast that I had to hit you. Call it an evolutionary, biological reaction. Don’t act all surprised, and don’t test me before I’ve had my morning dose of high-fructose corn syrup!”

I waved the letter opener vigorously. Hopefully, it would make me appear unhinged and dangerous.

He crossed his arms and lifted an eyebrow. “Oh! Oh, I see. I’m supposed to be scared of you. That’s so cute. But, baby… mine is bigger.”

Blue-gray scales rippled over his hand. His fingers extended into long, white talons.

Just like… Hux’s.

And yes, the talons were definitely sharper, longer, and scarier than the little iron stabby thing in my hand.

My arm fell to my side as I stared at his partial shift. “You really are… him.”

“If by him, you mean —”

“You’re Hux’s brother.”