Page 43 of Wicked Temptations
“Oh my god, it’shim!”
“Can we get a picture?”
Jesus Christ. They never let up. But I was in position now, and miraculously early, and it would be bad if I suddenly avoided everyone. I could even picture the comments: ‘thinks he’s too good for us now he’s trending’.
I shifted modes without thinking, sliding from what had become a serious predator mindset back to the charming performer, and softened my dangerous edge to be approachable. “Make it quick. I’ve got prey to track.”
They giggled and crowded around me. I loomed behind them, letting my expression go sharp and hungry. One of them gasped when I put my hand on her shoulder and then I was almost blinded by the rapid-fire flashes.
“Thank you so much! We love you guys, like, you and Ash are literally the best part of this whole place.”
“Where is Ash?” another one asked, craning her neck to peer into the shadows.
Movement caught my eye as Ash materialized like smoke given form, tactical vest dark against the crimson wash of the zone’s strobe lights.
“Closer than you think,” I said.
I’d memorized every inch of him weeks ago and mapped the lines of his muscles during our brutal encounters. But lately I’d been cataloging new details. The way his shoulders tapered to narrow hips. How his forearms flexed when he gripped his prop weapons. The exact angle of his jaw when he tilted his head back, silently challenging me with a jut of his chin.
It was dangerous territory.
The girls erupted in delighted screams.
“Both of them!”
“Oh my god, take our picture with both!”
Ash’s eyes met mine across the distance and, fuck it and him, but my knees threatened to give way. I licked my lips and tried not to look interested or like I didn’t want to ditch this whole night and go somewhere he could bend me over a hay bale.
Maybe he saw right through me, because he was moving, closing the gap with that predatory stride that made my blood run hot.
We flanked the group, bracketing them between us like we were about to devour them whole. Not because we wanted them but because they were in the way.
The phones came out again. More flashes. More excited chattering.
“Can you guys do something cool? Like, act like you’re about to fight or something?”
Ash’s hand went to the prop knife at his belt. I mirrored the gesture. We circled each other slowly, letting the tension build, and the girls went absolutely feral.
It would be on TikTok within the hour.
I lunged. Ash blocked. Our forearms connected with a meaty thud that was half performance, half genuine aggression. We grappled for a handful of seconds, close enough that I could feel his breath on my face, could smell sweat and that body spray that was always a little too strong.
His knee came up. I twisted away. The crowd gasped.
Then we broke apart, both breathing hard, and the spell shattered. The girls applauded like we’d just performed Shakespeare.
“That was amazing!”
“You guys are so hot together.”
“Is there, like, lore? Are you enemies or partners or what?”
Ash fielded that one. “Neither. We’re hunters. That’s all you need to know.”
His voice had that rough edge it got when he was worked up. I knew that tone intimately. It was exactly what it sounded like when he was three seconds from losing control.
The group finally dispersed, heading deeper into the zone to experience the rest of the attractions. Ash and I stood in the dissipating fog, alone again.
