Page 5 of Cost of Courting

Luna gasps and backs up, holding her hands up and shaking her head.

“Now wait a minute, I can explain. I just, I had to. I called in sick. Selene, wait! I’ve still got the job.”

A low growl rips out of my throat as I stalk towards her. I’m going to do it this time. I’m going to beat her.

The guy starts to turn. I’m halfway across the road when something I’ve been missing slams into my sleep-addled brain. The guy walking out of the house across the road is familiar.

Far too familiar.

My feet stop of their own accord. I can’t tear my eyes away from him.

“Fuck off!” I growl, vibrating with such a charge of fury that I couldn’t move even if a car was about to run me over.

I tear my gaze from the dark-haired demon of my childhood and find the angel. Where Mael has the darkest hair and these black eyes that just hold someone captive in his demonic intensity, Edric is pale with a shock of white-blond hair, an angelic face, and beautiful grey eyes.

I turn on the spot, taking in Edric properly as he moves in my direction.

They are taller and broader. Muscled and weaponised. Clearly older and far more dangerous than they used to be. Gorgeous, mouthwatering, perfect.

Shut up, brain.

“Selene,” a familiar voice purrs.

I turn and find Kingston with a giant black cat with orange patches lazing on his shoulders. He looks deadly. His glowing golden eyes take me in slowly and with deliberation that makes me self-conscious. He was the alpha in the black singlet. Oh, god, I’m in so much trouble.

Wait. Wait a damn second.

Clearly, they forgot how we left things.

“I told you not to come back!” I snap, though, facts are, I didn’t. They were gone when I decided to hate them forever.

Their scents are in the air, familiar, painfully familiar. Mael smells like the darkest part of night, like when I go walking in the park. Kingston’s scent is a little different now. It smells feline and also like paper burning. But Edric smells exactly the same, like ice in winter as it lays over my world.

Mael has closed the gap. His shoulder-length hair is loose, and those familiar, depthless dark eyes remind me of darkness and ravens. Mael always seemed otherworldly to me. Age has refined that quality to something mystical.

“Always so glad to see you, Sel.”

I whirl and punch out at Edric, whose grey eyes widen as he manages to keep out of striking range.

I want to hate that I missed him, but I’m grudgingly impressed by his moves. He flows like water. That is a new skill.

“Here I was thinking you would be happy to see us,” Kingston pouts prettily.

I scoff. “I meant what I said when I said you were dead to me.”

Luna is staring at me with wide, shocked eyes. “Selene!”

“Inside,” I growl at her.

“No, I-”

“Luna, get inside the house right now.”

She hesitates a long second and then runs.

Kingston puts a hand on my shoulder. I whirl, spinning him around and shoving his arm up behind him. The cat slashes out, but I let go, dodging the sharp claws.

“Fuck!” I spit out. My muscles are so tight they ache. My brain is whirling. This is not the meeting I dreamed about.

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