Dark Promise by Annika West
2
It took a split second to realize that the newcomer was not, in fact, a final boss, but Hux. He never did have a knack for subtlety.
However, within that split second, I did what any sane person would. I chucked the possibly invaluable, likely dangerous glowing crystal at him.
He caught it just an inch from his nose, the ethereal light illuminating a deep furrow in his brow.
“Aster, I think it’s time that you stop throwing things as a gut reaction. Especially ancient artifacts that are more than likely capable of killing people.”
My heart still pounded. “Right,” I said confidently, totally pretending I wasn’t out of breath with fear. “You got it. Consider that habit gone. Easy peasy.”
No one appeared convinced.
“What do we do with Big Bird?” I asked, nodding to the unconscious faery. “Isn’t she a little far from home?”
Aren’t you? an inner voice mocked.
Shut up, I told it. I’m only half faery, and yes, that does make a fucking difference, bitch.
“She’s monologuing again,” Willow sighed. “Her left eye gets all twitchy when she’s talking to herself in her head. Can we please wrap this mess up? I’m tired.”
I pointed at her, my finger a scepter of righteous judgement. “You just want to watch your drunk island love show.”
Willow stiffened. “Do not.”
“Do too. You’re a part of that fan group online where you discuss the show after every elimination ceremony. Don’t play with me. Also, he’s totally going to choose the girl with the braids.”
Willow’s glare could boil ice in an instant. “She’s clearly the villain in the show. No one ever chooses the villain.”
I held up my hands, the picture of innocence. “I have a nose for these things. Guessed last season’s winner on the third week, and I was right. Just saying.”
Willow opened her mouth to argue, caught herself, and muttered, “Why am I arguing with an idiot? Why? Why do I do this to myself?”
“Because deep, deep down inside, we are bound by the laws and magic of sisterhood. I’m sure our cycles are already in sync.”
“Vampires don’t menstruate, Cut.”
“Lucky,” I complained, wincing as another part of the building collapsed in the inferno. I waited until the roar died down to ask, “Why do you get all the cool genes?”
Hux stepped into my line of vision, and suddenly, my brain flicked off.
Lately, I haven’t been able to control what my body wanted when Hux came near. My entire nervous system was essentially attacked every time it happened. It’s like he cut my critical thinking off at the base.
His smoky, honey scent was better than the sweet aroma of a bakery.
I liked the way his sharp canines glinted in the dragon arson fire.
The blood on his bare chest reflected the flickering light. His eyes were bottomless pools of amber.
My vision blurred in the periphery, leaving only him in focus. And then I did the worst thing possible.
I remembered what he did to me. Regularly.
In the shower.
In the kitchen.
The pool.
On the balcony.
In the car.
I knew I was touching him, and that he was holding me. But I had trouble remembering when I’d reached forward.
“Hux…” I whispered as he leaned in, gaze on my lips.
“Hey! Knock it off!” Willow snapped.
The haze clung to us, intensifying the closer we became. When Willow scolded us again, it reluctantly washed away, leaving only a lingering tingle.
We broke apart.
Hux didn’t look as flustered as I felt, though.
“The bond,” he stated, as if that was explanation enough.
I hadn’t even noticed the mating rune on his chest was shining like a damn lighthouse beacon.
“This is happening way too often,” I sighed. “I don’t like losing my focus to your pectorals. Lovely as they are.”
He touched my chin and lifted it.
The way he stared into my eyes made me wonder whether he was caught in the mating haze again.
But then he stated, “We’ll have to decide, once and for all, what we do with this bond, Aster.”
Aster. Ever since Halloween, he’s been calling me that. And it actively makes me ready to have babies with this man. I don’t even want babies right now. But he overrides all of my personal decisions with one damn look.
“Babies,” I mumbled.
His brows shot up. “What?”
I cleared my throat awkwardly and smacked his chest with five times the force that I meant to use. “These babies are distracting me. Now, don’t you have a job to do?”
“The black market operation was running in that old mattress store. I had to burn it.”
Now that he mentioned it, there was a tinge of burning formaldehyde in the air.
I gasped and smacked his chest once more, again, way, way harder than anyone should have to endure.
But this was for the best cause ever.
“Mattress stores! I told you! It’s a fucking conspiracy! There’s no other reason why there’d be so many stores in every city when mattresses last for so long! I fucking told you!”
I’ve never felt so validated in all my life. Never.
August has arrived during my explosive realization and was now calming a furious Willow down. He was whispering something that sounded a lot like, “You can’t kill her. She’s our teammate.”
“August, excellent work breaking the wards,” Hux commended. “I wouldn’t have been able to enter their lab. It’s time to go.”
My heart leapt when the vulture fae twitched on the ground. “Wait, we’re not taking the scary lady?”
“I’ve informed Louarn. We don’t get involved in fae business, and this city is his territory, for all I care.”
Just like that, CEO Cayne was in the house. He wasn’t Hux anymore, even half-clothed.
Traffic was an absolute nightmare getting back to Vulcan Corp. There were already pictures of the blaze circulating on social media, and about a million firetrucks racing by.
But finally, we made it to Hux’s skyscraper.
We stepped off the elevator onto Level 47, and I screeched to a stop. “You,” I growled.
The infamous Mr. Creed, the Wyvern Who Chased Me In The Sewers, stared back at me with wide, fearful eyes.
What is he doing in Vulcan Corp.?