Page 40 of Hellish Fae
My fingers fist into my palms so hard, I can only imagine them wrapping around her slender neck and really solving this shit once and for all.
But that’s not what Damien would want. I owe him. I owe him more than I’ll ever be able to repay.
And more importantly, then I’d be fucked with pretty pink wings for the rest of my miserable fucking existence.
My teeth grind hard at the back.
“Fine,” I snap.
Once more that smile lights up her face.
“Good.” She sways past me, shoving me out of her way as she dances down the hall in just her underwear and heels. “Meet me outside in five minutes,” she calls to me.
I stand there fuming for a long moment and try to tell myself it’s just a few hours. It’s a tiny blip of time in my endless life.
“Nice wings,” Ryke murmurs with a smirk I can hear.
“Fuck you.” I turn and lean against the carved door frame. He stands in the dark hall, and I can’t help but wonder how long he’s been here.
“You know, if she can change your wings pink and make hers disappear, she could probably alter herself to look like a high fae who no one’s ever met before.” He arches a dark eyebrow at me and for a moment, I don’t follow. “She could go alone without any problem, asshole. She doesn’t want to go by herself, but instead of asking you nicely, she’s manipulating you into escorting her because she has no idea how to be a rational fucking person.”
My arms lower, the tension in my shoulders easing as I stare after the nice curve of her ass.
Her hair shakes out around her. Like magic dust clinging to her locks, the shining silver color bleeds until it’s completely black. She clips the leash to the diamond collar like a good little kitten ready for me to handle her just right.
Realization slams into me at once as Ryke and I both watch her with hooded eyes.
She is manipulating me. And I’m letting her.
Fuck me.
13
A Private Party
Aries
It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a date.
Not that taking a stroll through a dark forest on a leash that’s being held by a brooding fucker like Zaviar is my idea of a good time.
But it does feel nice, in a way. It’s intimate to think I’m not alone in this chaos I’ve created. For the moment, anyway.
Staggering, he kicks up dirt as he sways on his feet before righting himself in the shadows.
“Fuck. These tree roots are like massive tangling logs. How much longer before we get to the castle?”
Walking. It’s tedious to him, it seems. I don’t recall him bitching about it every time he walked somewhere for Damien, though.
“Just a bit further,” I tell my charming date sweetly.
“You said that a fuckin’ hour ago, Crow.”
Wow, he is not getting lucky tonight with an attitude like that, let me tell you.
With a roll of my eyes, I lift a massive leaf and step out onto smooth, trimmed grass. My heels sink in and twinkling lights shine down on us from the distance.
The smell of big red roses twists my stomach with too many memories, and I shove every one of them down as I guide Zaviar to the bushes of the garden up ahead.
