Page 36 of Demon Apathy: Sunderverse
He licked his upper lip, tongue sliding slowly from one corner to the other. Leaning closer, he lowered his voice to a rumble. “If you mean that, I’m willing to take the fall.”
My breath caught, my heart sped up, and my mind didn’t only land in the gutter but did somersaults in its delicious filth.
I itched to reach out my hand, hook it to the back of his neck, and pull him in for a kiss, but this was not the time or the place for it. First, I needed to come to terms with my decision to stay and work with him. And second, I needed to understand what this was. It was undeniable that a mutual attraction and killer sexual tension existed between us, but I’d gone and screwed things up by falling in love with him, which meant I had to be careful. I had to make sure that I could disentangle sexual attraction from everything else. I also needed to be okay with being nothing but a passing diversion for him because he could never fall in love with someone like me. The math simply didn’t compute.
“Please, don’t fall,” I added nonchalantly. “Climb down really slowly. I would hate for you to hurt yourself.”
Drevan pulled away, straightening. “Yeah, you’re right.” A pause. “Any more questions before we go up?”
“No.”
“Very well.” He walked to the elevator and pressed the up arrow.
We got in and, in seconds, climbed all the way to the twenty-first floor. We exited into a luxurious suite, more exquisite than the last he’d taken me to. When we walked into a lavish living room decorated in classy black and white, I froze mid-step. A woman was waiting for us, sitting on a white leather sofa and holding a glass of clear wine in her hand.
“What took you so long, Drevan?” Lunar Clue Hudson asked.
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“Hello,Lunar,”Drevansaid,walking straight toward a bar counter where a metal bucket sat next to a set of fine crystal wine glasses. He dexterously picked two flutes in one hand and quickly filled them up. Holding one out to me, he offered it with a smile.
I took it absentmindedly, still staring at Lunar, who I hadn’t expected to find here.
“Oh, you’re here,” a second woman walked out from a hall to the left. She was an Amazon beauty: six feet tall, mahogany-colored skin, and luscious black hair that reached the middle of her back. Her face was as perfect as if it’d been carved by an expert artist. Sharp cheekbones, piercing cat eyes, and a mouth shaped with pronounced curves and peaks. As if her physical beauty wasn’t enough, there was something lithe and wild about her, a strong confidence that seemed to give the rest of the world the middle finger. In fact, as she scanned me from head to toe, she seemed to be waving it right in front of my face.
“Khargon,” Drevan said in surprise. “I didn’t think you would be here.”
Khargon? I remembered hearing that name once before. It was the night Giuseppe picked us up after I flew out of one of the LDH’s windows right after my failed meeting with the Delegacy. Giuseppe said that Khargon had sent him, and I’d never bothered to ask Drevan about it, but clearly, it seemed to be someone who worked for him.
She walked right up to Drevan, placed a hand on his shoulder, leaned in, and suggestively whispered something in his ear.
I take that back. Not someone who worked for him but someone who slept with him.
Jealousy burned in the pit of my stomach as if I’d eaten a bad meal. Drevan gave a complicit smile.
Fucking dog!
Why, oh, why had I fallen for him?
The beautiful dark woman turned her attention to me, looking down from her impressive height, closely examining every inch of me. My hoodie and dirty jeans compared to her outfit made me feel like a mutt sitting in a cage next to a pure-bread dog at a shelter. She was dressed in all leather, with pants that hugged her curves like painted silk. The top was low cut, a “V” plunging between her shapely breasts and short sleeves revealing athletic arms.
“So this isher?” Khargon asked, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
I briefly wondered what old me would’ve done in the presence of such an imposing woman, but I honestly couldn’t imagine my reaction. All I could do at that moment was feelless than.
Less than Khargon. Less than I had once been.
“Yes, this is Lucia Sunder,” Drevan said, a hint of something like pride in his voice.
I examined his face in surprise and managed to feel a little bit better about myself.
“Lucia, this is Khargon, she’s my…”
She raised an eyebrow as Drevan thought about how to describe their relationship.
“My assistant,” Drevan finished.
The woman made a face. “I amnotyour assistant!”
