Page 37 of A Kiss From Death
Ray now stands by my side, joining in on the commotion with giant, excited eyes. “Not you too,” I whisper to her as I catch the side of her lip tug up in a smirk.
“I wouldn’t want to ruin the Cardinal’s big, scary reputation by knocking his ass out,” Aeron challenges Hade, narrowing his eyes and egging him on.
“Really? Because I wouldn’t mind finishing what Nyxi started on that so-called pretty face of yours. Only difference is, Nyxi would only cause temporary damage. What I plan to do would make permanent alterations.”
Yup, there’s definitely steam coming out of Hade’s nose now. So help me Empress, what did I get myself into? The sight of two very attractive men fighting over me might be going straight to my head, because why has my heart rate picked up from a flutter to barreling towards a heart attack? Okay, maybe they aren’t actually fightingoverme, but a girl can dream.
Licking my suddenly dry lips, I nuzzle closer to Ray as I take in both men. Hade’s back muscles ripple with energy that blinds me as sun streams down, illuminating the sheen of sweat on his skin, making him sparkle. The things I would do to drag my nails down his…
Where the hell did that come from, Nyxi?
Blaming my delusion on exhaustion and training all day, I clear my thoughts and look over to Aeron. While he is smallerthan Hade, he is still all man, packed with muscle, with a jaw that could cut wood. He is attractive in all senses of the word.
The two stare intensely at one another, but they don’t exchange another word. Aeron breaks eye contact and drags his eyes over to me. Now, I truly think I’m going delusional, because I imagine black tendrils of smoke swirling around Hade’s body. Nope, not delusion…magic.
“You’re losing control, Cardinal. Do you always leak smoke reeking of death when two competitors look at each other?” Aeron drags his eyes from mine, landing back on Hade’s intense ones.
“If you don’t want today to be your last alive, Gavis, I suggest you shut the fuck up and walk away now. I won’t apologize or feel a single ounce of remorse for the things running through my head. Lucky you, it’s my day off, so I have all the time in the world to make sure thatprettyface of yours is unrecognizable and buried so far in the ground, even the memory of you will be lost for the rest of time.” Hade words are harsh, but the calmness overtaking his body makes my skin crawl more than his threats.
On cue, my stomach belts out a loud rumble. Clearing my throat, I attempt to break the tension I can physically taste. “Hate to butt in here, but my stomach is in need of assistance. It’s dire, really.” I raise my voice. “Life or death type of situation, and would you look at that, Winston isn’t here yet to take me back.”
It’s the last thing I possibly want to ask, but I would do anything to break up this nightmare of a situation. “Umm…I know it’s your day off, but would you be able to escort me back to the castle so I can tame the growling demon inside me?”
My nails have magically appeared in my mouth as I nervously nibble on the ends. A bead of sweat collects on my forehead and takes off down the side of my temple, collecting in my eyebrow. Hade tracks it the entire way down my face until his piercing eyes snap to mine. His eyes don’t look like opposites right now—they both have taken on an inky black shade portrayinga promise of death. He looks lost in a blood thirsty haze, but as his eyes take in my steely gray ones, his soften and return to their original colors.
Interesting.
“Another time then.” Aeron pats Hade’s shoulder and strolls away like nothing ever happened, the picture of indifference.
I can see the dilemma in Hade’s head, the primal need to purge his anger like it’s physically hurting him to hold back. To my surprise, he stays put. The swirling black tendrils retreat within him. He blinks a couple times and takes a deep inhale, scenting something that seems to peak his interest…a lot. His eyes narrow on me slightly, looking at me puzzled.
My stomach lets out another aggressive scream, which snaps him out of his spiraling thoughts. “Let’s get you fed.Nightmare,indeed,” he grumbles. With that, he walks past me, expecting me to follow without another word.
This man is so hot and cold. Trying to wrap my brain around what just happened, I stand there for a few seconds. I can’t seem to come up with a single reason for what just transpired, though. Turning around, I jog to catch up with Hade, who is already halfway across the Bubble.
“You have some explaining to do,Death Reaper.” I throw his ridiculous nickname back at him, just as he had done to me. If he doesn’t want to play nice, then neither do I.
I double the length of my strides to keep pace with him and his monstrously long legs. I’m gasping for air by the time I circle in front of him and start to walk backwards. He won’t even look at me, though; he just continues to walk, a blaze of fire in his wake.
“Si—”
Hade’s eyes snap to mine, cutting me off before I can finish my sentence. “Don’t you dare.”
I feign innocence. “What, Hadey boy?” I narrow my eyes at him. “Don’t dare what? You have no idea what I was about to say.”
He knows damn well I was about to call him sir, one of his least favorite things I love to do. Still, I would rather have this side of Hade than the one who looked like he was about to blow the force field right off the top of the Bubble if he thought about Aeron for one more second. This side of Hade, I can deal with.
He grunts and clenches his jaw. “Now is not the time to be pushing my buttons. You have no idea what I’m capable of doing right now.”
Now, he has my full attention. I lower my voice so only he can hear me. “And what if I want to find outexactlywhat you’re capable of? What then?”
My breaths turn erratic, or maybe his does as heavy breathing rings out around us. Mine is heavy from the jog to catch up to him…at least, that’s what I tell myself.
We’ve both halted our steps, and the world around us fades to the background. The only thing I see and hear is him. His bare chest rises and falls in a harsh cadence. His jaw ticks when I drag my bottom lip between my teeth, letting it out with a slowpop.
“Nyxi,” he growls in warning, his voice lower than I’ve ever heard.
“Yes?” I ask on a breath, my heart coming to a full stop.
