Page 12 of The Magic of Revenge
Cam was wearing slate gray slacks with a navy blue shirt, his long golden hair smoothly pulled up on the top of his head. Kai was sporting a pair of lighter gray slacks and a deep purple shirt that looked pretty damn good with his complexion. And I was in all black. Perfect.
“Lookin’ good, Sloaney Baloney,” Kai winked, his eyes trailing down my body but I could tell my friend wasn’t himself. Humor was his shield though, so I decided to indulge him.
“I know, thanks,” I winked back and Cam chuckled.
“So humble, too. What a catch,” Kai rolled his eyes and slipped on his shoes before standing and stretching in that familiar way that screamedfeline.
We followed Kai’s lead, each of us adding the final touches to ourselves, and then we were out the door. The second we hit the hallway, delicious aromas surrounded us. Whatever we were having for dinner smelled fucking awesome. I was hungry as hell. Kai and Cam’s stomachs both rumbled in anticipation and we all laughed, but it felt nervous and forced. There was still too much up in the air to feel at ease about anything.
The three of us needed to have a serious discussion and soon, but finding more than a few moments alone was proving difficult so far.
“Keep your eyes open and listen to everything. Let’s see what else we can find out. We need to find out why we’re here,” Cam said softly.
“Got it, boss.” Kai saluted and Cam shoved him playfully.
We trailed down the sweeping staircase and I spotted Laurie and Bryce standing near the entrance. Laurie was dressed in a floor-length maroon gown, and Bryce... Meh. I didn’t even give him enough of a glance to care about what that douche was wearing. My memory was still not working with me when I tried to connect the dots on how I knew these two. But even without the memories, there was just something about that dude I didn’t fucking like. And my intuition was never wrong. If it looks like a douche, talks like a douche, walks like a douche? It’s probably a motherfucking douche.
I’d just stepped off the bottom step when there was a loud knocking at the door.
“Oh! She’s here. Wait here, boys.” Laurie motioned at us and we remained where we were.
The huge door opened and in walked one of the most stunning women I’d ever seen. Long dark hair, nearly to her waist. A gold gown that hugged her body snugly, not leaving anything to the imagination. Not only did it show every dip and curve, but I could also clearly see the outline of the knife she had strapped to her thigh.Who the hell is this?
“There are some gentlemen here I’d like to introduce you to,” Laurie explained as she guided the woman toward us. “Boys, this is Palmer Vale. One of Montague’s greatest soldiers and assets. Top of her training class and she continues to impress Asrael every day.”
Palmer’s big navy blue eyes flitted across the three of us without much interest. Cam naturally took it upon himself to be the first to speak.
“Hi. Cam Jacobs. Nice to meet you, Palmer.” He extended his hand and they shook.
“Jacobs, you said?” Palmer lifted a perfectly sculpted dark brow, and her eyes darted to the side to look at Laurie.
“Yep. That’s him.” Kai pushed forward, offering his hand. “I’m Kaito Mori, but please, call me Kai. You look stunning.”
Palmer narrowed her eyes at him but took his hand and shook it. “Thanks.”
She looked at me next, staring me down. After an uncomfortable thirty seconds or so, she huffed and looked away.
Nice try, sweetheart.
“Palmer is an interesting name for a girl,” I mused, crossing my arms and studying her.
Her eyes flashed and a grin tugged on the corner of her plum-colored lips.
“You won’t forget it,” she rasped. Her voice was husky and smooth. Like a soul singer. Deep and throaty.
“I’m sure most people don’t,” I bantered back.Am I really flirting with this woman?I wanted to, but there was an undercurrent of guilt and I wasn’t sure where it was coming from. Because of Fischer? No. We’d never been exclusive. And the man was supposedly dead, but until I had proof of that actually being the case I refused to accept it. Shaking off the weird vibes I was giving myself, I went to offer her my arm to escort her to dinner, but that fucker Bryce slipped in before I could.
“Good to see you again, Palmer. Let’s catch up while we walk.” He put her arm in the crook of his and led her away with Laurie on his other arm. Palmer turned around and surreptitiously made a gagging motion with her finger while sticking out her tongue and the three of us cracked up.
“Well, she’s an interesting one,” Kai said quietly.
“She’s hot as hell, dude. I bet she could kick Cam’s ass,” I taunted.
Cam huffed. “I’d like to see her try. She’d be more likely to kick your ass with the way you’re drooling over her.”
“She’s pretty, but fuck, when I think about her I get this pain in my chest and I feel like I’m doing something wrong,” Kai whined, rubbing his sternum.
“What happens if you think about fucking her?” I asked, suspicious about something.
