Page 16 of Challenged
I lean into him, savoring the press of his body against mine.
“I love you too, Akshole,” I whisper.
“Good,” he laughs, resting his forehead against mine, a rare show of tenderness from the serious and often rude dark fae.
“Come on,” he says eventually, stepping back and straightening the products his body had dislodged. “We should finish up.”
“Did we get everything?” I ask, scanning the contents for anything we might have missed.
“Looks like it,” Aksel replies.
I nod, pushing aside thoughts of soft lips and whispered confessions, focusing instead on the task at hand. We take ourplace in line, the conveyor belt ahead of us a river of groceries inching toward the cashier—a girl no older than nineteen with a name tag that reads ‘Jenny’.
“I’m surprised you know how to grocery shop,” I say, poking him in the ribs.
He swats at me. “Don’t be ridiculous. Just because I’m rich and can hire someone else to do it doesn’t mean I haven’t had to do it on missions before.”
I roll my eyes and smile.
“Next, please!” Jenny calls out, snapping us back to the present. We move forward, unloading our cart onto the belt. I watch as Aksel pays with a credit card, the name on it an alias.
“Have a nice day,” the cashier says with a practiced smile as we gather our bags.
“Thanks, you too,” I reply, mirroring her polite dismissal.
We exit into the crisp twilight, the sky a canvas of deepening blues and purples. I help Aksel load the trunk before we both get inside.
“Let’s go home,” I say.
“It’s not really home, but one day I am going to get us a perfect house that’s made just for all of us,” Aksel tells me, grabbing my hand while he drives us back to the safe house.
“Do I get a choice in it?”
He blows out a breath and gives me a look. “I guess but we both know I could do it on my own.”
I burst out laughing. “Unfortunately for you, I think everyone is going to have input.”
“Well, I’m only listening to yours. Certainly not Griffyn’s.”
I squeeze his hand and rest my head on his arm, glad he got us this time together.
Seven
Anna
The air is thick with tension as we approach the fighting ring, hidden in a dimly lit warehouse.
Blaze grabs my hand and I instinctively pull it back.
His eyes are sincere as he stares into mine. “Please, Anna, I accept you hate me right now, but I need this.”
I know how badly he doesn’t want me here so I relent with a nod.
Blaze’s massive hand grips mine tightly, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. I can feel the anxiety radiating off of him, fueled by the worry over having me around these dangerous people.
“Blaze, I’ll be okay,” I reassure him, my voice soft but firm. “We need to find out who runs this place so we can put an end to it.”
Aksel and Felix walk a few steps ahead of us with similarly serious expressions. Though they’re not as worried as Blaze, I know they’re concerned for me too.
