Page 56 of Knox
Knox nodded, though the irritation still simmered beneath his skin. "I’ll manage. Is this… usual?"
Adrian glanced around the bus, filled with people in various states of costume. "Pretty much. Fan conventions bring out all kinds of geeks."
"Do they often dress as people’s mothers?"
Adrian flushed. "You got unlucky there, I guess." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyone who’s in the story is fair game for cosplay." Glancing around the bus, he added, "There are a lot more people here dressing up as you."
Knox followed the line of Adrian’s gaze, and found that he was right. There were a couple of humans imitating his style of dress, wearing fake horns on their heads, fake ear tips. Knox hadn’t paid them any attention before because they looked nothing like him, in spite of their costumes.
"They don’t come close," Adrian took the thought right out of his head. "No one compares to you."
"I would hope not." Knox took Adrian’s hand in his. The human looked surprised, but didn’t try to draw back. He looked out the window, though, as if he didn’t quite know how to deal with Knox’s attention.
How peculiar.
Knox had thought Adrian had gotten over his awkwardness around him last night, but it seemed not. Knox had stripped him, worshiped him with his mouth and taken his body to heights of pleasure he was sure Adrian had never experienced before.
Was there something else he needed to do to make Adrian comfortable around him?
Or was it never going to happen because this human knew too much about Knox’s true nature?
About his past.
Idly, he ran his thumb over the back of Adrian’s hand, his incubus instincts picking up on the little shiver that ran through Adrian at the touch.
It made Knox want more, even though he was already brimming with energy. Even though he was stuck on a vehicle stuffed with mortals who would have loved to feed him.
He only wanted Adrian.
Adrian, who was so very busy not meeting his gaze.
Was Zev right when he said that Adrian was the one for Knox?
Even if that were true, though… did Knox have any right to claim him?
Chapter
Fourteen
Adrian’s stomach churned as the bus stopped in front of the convention center. The crowd they’d dealt with before they’d headed off had been annoying, but this was a whole other level. The Greenwood Convention Center wasn’t exactly small, and it was crawling with nerds, inside and out.
"This is where we get off," Adrian said, hating his choice of words as he gestured for Knox and the others to file out of the bus.
"None of these people have better things to do?" Zev asked, taking in the crowd in front of the building.
"Most of them probably took time off," Adrian explained. He’d never cosplayed himself, but as a regular con-goer he was familiar with the scene—and he’d certainly drooled over other people’s costumes enough to know what to expect. He took a deep breath and steeled himself. "I think the ticket gates are this way. Stick close to me."
Knox and the others followed him.
The line at the ticket gate stretched out like a serpent, and Adrian couldn’t help but feel like they were about to walk into the beast’s mouth.
He pulled out his phone, hoping to distract himself from the mounting anxiety. But as he scrolled through his social media feeds, his heart sank. Excited messages flooded his timeline, all talking about the same thing: Caelen was already inside, mingling with fans.
Adrian’s grip tightened on his phone. Caelen was scheduled to be on a panel in an hour, and they needed to confront him before that. If they didn’t… who knew what kind of magic the Shadow King might employ to manipulate a crowd of adoring fans?
The line moved forward, and before Adrian knew it, they were at the ticket gate. He handed over their passes, trying to ignore the curious looks the attendant gave Knox and the others.
They made it through, but as soon as they stepped into the main hall, chaos erupted.
