Dark Promise by Annika West
29
He had me practice my illusions all day.
Even though it was a tiring, torturous day, I’d learned that I had the power behind my punch.
Specificity, though? Not so much.
I was fucking fantabulous at making the whole room look like it was underwater with rippling and all that. Once, I flickered in an image of my parents’ home. But that’s pretty much it.
I was a live wire with nothing to plug into, and even less to accomplish. Just wasted energy.
Adair had been the only one who stayed with me the entire time. I think the Cayne brothers had understood they were more of a distraction than anything else, though Hux managed to stay no further than a room apart from me.
At the end of the day, I stumbled into my room to find Hux waiting for me.
“No,” I snapped.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Yeah, what’s new? Going to trap me in some new contract today? Accuse me of colluding with your dead twin? What, is it my fault that your parents died as well?”
“You’re not making any —”
“I said no, Huxley Cayne. Now go get me a unicorn. I’m tired.”
His smoky stare filled the room, leaving goosebumps on my skin that I forced myself to ignore. “Unicorns don’t exist, Aster.”
That’s the point, genius.
“Don’t come back until you’ve found one.”
I walked past him, but he grabbed my arm. “Aster, why are you really doing this? Why are you training with Adair and committing yourself to his cause? It can’t all be because of me.”
“It isn’t,” I admitted. And that was the actual truth.
“Why, then? The Cuts?”
I yanked my arm free, trying not to soak in the feel of his fingers on my skin. “To be honest, I’m not sure if I’m making a mistake here. I’m helping open portals between worlds. And yeah, sure. It’ll likely help Faery not die. But it’ll bring problems onto Earth. You know that’s true. So do I.”
He considered. Leaned back on my bed, his sleeves rolled up and three buttons undone, he looked like a secretary’s wet dream.
But he was considering my words. Talking to me instead of arguing.
I didn’t want to admit that’s actually what I needed. Despite my anger, I trusted the hell out of his opinion. He made hard decisions. Choices that people died for, even if it was the right path to take.
Hux had a solid balance between his head and his heart.
I, on the other hand, was made of pure reactive material and general panic. It’s only been since meeting him that I’ve been honing my decision-making skills into something that’s less likely to get me imprisoned.
Less likely being the key phrase here.
“At first, I thought you were acting rashly,” he admitted.
My mood, if possible, sunk lower.
“However, I can see now that you’ve made a very logical and meaningful decision.”
My legs gave out.
Knees? Gone.
Ankles? Deceased.
Spinal cord? Jellied.
Hux was on me within a second, full of concern. “Aster! Aster? What’s wrong? Talk to me.”
He gripped my shoulders while I puddled on the floor, liquified by shock.
Maybe it was the long day or the stress of the last week catching up to me. Nothing really shocked me so much as Hux’s matter-of-fact approval of my logical process.
“You… agreed,” I rasped.
“What?” His amber eyes flared everywhere, illuminated by his emotion.
“Continue.”
“Continue?”
“Complimenting me. Go ahead.”
At last, he seemed to understand.
A frustrated, relieved roll of his eyes followed, and then he sat back against the bed frame with a huff. “Don’t frighten me like that.”
I sat up and crossed my legs. “You’re so dramatic. Sheesh.”
His brows dropped. “Says the woman who fell over at the smallest gift of approval. Oh, sure. Look away to hide that guilt.”
The hard part?
This wasn’t Huxley Cayne, mass-murderer CEO and terror of my life anymore.
This was Huxley Cayne, man that I’d gotten used to sleeping next to every night. The person who’s learned every inch of my body. He was still a shitty, overbearing boss and a bulldozer on the best of days.
But I knew how to hold my own.
And I trusted him.
I trust him. And August. And Willow.
They’re my team.
A spike of pain stabbed my chest. I hated that, despite all of this, I still trusted him.
Why couldn’t people be just good or bad?
Why did we all have to survive in the gray?
Hux picked up where he’d left off before. “As I was saying about your decision… I agree with you. This is a worthy cause to put your effort and risk into. I may have only been here a day, but I know the rumors about Faery’s weakening magic. I don’t believe Earth is any different either. When one world is cut off from the other, the energetic flow is affected on both sides.”
“What if faery lords go to war and kill millions of people? Are they worth better magic? What’s the fucking value of magic anyway?”
“Life, Aster. Not just magic or power. Life. Did you not hear Adair’s words about the children? They cannot have any. Not consistently. Louarn mentioned this as well. He said many fae will visit Earth and mate for the small chance that they can procreate. If that’s what’s happening on Faery, and Earth is connected, that may be our fate as well.”
“There’s no way to know.”
“There never is. If there were, life-changing, world-altering decisions would be easy.”
A tiny bit of the weight lifted from my shoulders. This did feel like the right path to take, but getting Hux’s approval, even with our broken relationship, did matter.
I’d unpack the significance of that mess later. When I was more fed. And less sweaty.
“In any case, I’ll be there to help you.”
I lifted a brow. “Oh yeah? No more dragging me back to Vulcan Corp. like you threatened?”
His jaw clenched. “Adair forced my hand.”
“What does that mean?”
“He propped you up to declare war. He’s forcing a timetable, and now, everyone knows your face. The blonde Earthling with a faery’s mark and a questionable sense of style.”
“Hey! I took what clothes I was given.”
“I heard about the vase. And the console table.”
“They put that table there to trip me up on purpose.”
“You fell on it sideways and pulled it on top of you.”
“Semantics.”
Hux smiled. And then laughed.
It was one of those rare occurrences that I knew would be emblazoned in my memory for all of eternity.
He just didn’t laugh like that very often. Even with my incredible joke-making skills.
Head leaned back against the bed, he said, “I’m sorry, Aster. I’m sorry about many things, but I will always be here to support you and keep you safe.”
“Release me from the I.E. contract, then,” I said. My heart pounded. He’d just said he was sorry… it wasn’t a specific apology, but it made my hope flare with life.
“No.”
That hope died in the amber of his eyes.
I wasn’t sure what I’d expected, and yet his answer still made me want to punch a hole through the wall. Tiredly, I announced, “I’m taking a shower. I want you gone before I get out. I don’t really care where you sleep tonight.”
“Aster —”
“You can’t trap me like this, Hux. I’m not sure how you expect me to be your mate or your equal if you don’t make this right.”
I shut the bathroom door and locked it with a final click.
Hux wasn’t there when I returned.