Page 24 of Nightmare For Hire
“You are so smitten.” Dani laughs as he knocks into my shoulder. “This is going to besofun to watch pan out.”
“Don’t make fun. I’m not smitten. I’m fascinated. There’s a difference. Like, why does a guy that looks like some kind of dark prince like babies so much?” I shiver. I mean, he told me and it’s admirable, so I get it even if I don’tget it.
“Maybe you and Cyrus are fated mates, too?” Dani bounces in his seat and grabs my hands.
“Nightmares don’t have fated mates.” That I know of.
“But maybe you are?”
“Aren’t.”
“Are.”
“Nope.”
“Ugh!” Dani throws his hands in the air. “Fine. Fine. You just want to help keep him safe from Mick.”
“Exactly. Mick is evil, and he has some sort of agenda I don’t agree with. I think he broke up with Cyrus just to toy with him, because he wants me to drive Cy back into his arms. I think Cyrus deserves better than someone that’s raped him their entire relationship.”
Dani goes pale as a piece of paper. “What?” he whispers.
“Mick is a merman. And merfolk have special mer magic that helps them seduce people. Those legends of old didn’t lie. Merfolk used to lure sailors to their deaths. They’d used what they called their haze of seduction to get the sailors where they wanted them, then they’d drown them. Mick says the haze doesn’t work unless there’s even a little bit of desire. But I say if the other party doesn’t know the haze is in effect, that’s—”
“Yeah. So Mick had been doing this to Cyrus the entire time?”
I nod and rummage around in my purse for snacks. I offer Dani a piece of chocolate as I pop one into my mouth. “Cyrus alluded to not wanting to be sexually active, but somehow Mick got him in bed before he was ready.”
“Shit.”
“I know. What do I do? I don’t understand everything, but knowing what you’ve taught me, I know everything Mick has done is wrong in the human realm.” I eat another piece of chocolate, letting it melt on my tongue as I wait for Dani to think. He holds his hand open and I press another piece of chocolate into it.
“I don’t exactly know. If you really do like Cyrus—”
“Somuch.”
“Then take things slow.”
I nibble on yet another piece of chocolate. “Is kissing on the first date slow? I really wanted to see what his lips felt like. His eyes lit up when I asked. Hethankedme. We kissed and…” I press a fingertip to my lips.
“Magic?”
“Yeah?”
“Are yousureNightmares don’t have a fated mate?”
“Pretty sure. I’ve never heard of it before.”
“Okay. Okay. I’ll stop asking.”
I sigh as I remember his nightmares. “Ididgo to him after he fell asleep. Mick got to him on his way home and I wanted to make sure he was okay. Cyrus has nightmares without a Nightmare. Which means he has major trauma and Mick says… something bad happened to Cy as a kid.”
“And Mickstill—”
“Yeah. And that’s totally bad, right? For humans and probably everyone, this is bad. Likebadbad.”
“Absolutely.” Dani balls his hands. “I don’t even know this Mick guy and I want to punch him in the balls.”
“I’m tempted to make him insane, then punt him over to the monster world.”
