Page 4 of Shifting Desire
The crowd parts, even demons and vampires scurrying to get out of his way lest they catch any of his residual anger.It rolls off him in waves, poisoning the very air around him.
Malichai Veythronn.
Just thinking his damn name is enough to make my thighs clench.Which pisses me off more than I can explain.
He leans on the edge of the bar like he owns the place.Technically, he doesn’t.But he does own everything else—the city’s supernatural underworld, most of the illegal market, and my ability to breathe properly when he’s within ten feet of me.
“Arinaghwyndrelle.”
His voice is silk and gravel, rough and smooth in equal measure.He uses my full name like it’s a prayer, or a threat.Nobody uses it.Nobody dares.Not a single soul except Malichai.
I lift my chin and meet his gaze, glaring hard enough to peel paint.
“Malichai,” I say with just enough venom to make him smirk.“What the hell do you want?”
“You.”The word is a slow burn, his dark eyes raking over me like I’m the main course and he’s been starving for centuries.Which is fucking ridiculous.The man is walking sex and can get any woman he wants.They throw themselves at him nightly, but I have yet to see him take one up on her offer.
It makes me feel special and slightly delusional.The man, the dragon, does not have any fucking interest in a half breed like me.It’s just part of his persona, I think.
For three years he shows up periodically, no less than three nights a week, flirts shamelessly, brushes too close in passing, and says things that make my skin prickle in a way I hate.
Not because it’s unwanted.But because I want him.Goddess, do I want him, and I can’t afford to.He’s a dragon, full-blooded and old as sin.I’m ...well, not.Half-human.Half-fae.Which means half-trouble and not enough for any of the High Courts or ancient shifter lines.The only thing I’m full of is rejection.Nobody wants a “mutt” with mismatched eyes and unruly magic that can’t be neatly catalogued.
“You’re in my way.”I push past him and reach for a clean glass.His hand brushes mine, and I freeze.A jolt of magic runs through my skin, hot and sharp like I’ve been hit with a live wire.
He always touches me like that.Just enough to make my thoughts scramble but never enough to justify punching him.Not that it would do anything.He’d probably just catch my wrist and grin like a bastard.
“Do you feel it tonight?”he murmurs, low enough that no one else hears.It’s the same question he has asked for the past three months, and I have a strange feeling he is waiting for something.
“Feel what?”I bite out, yanking my hand back.
“Never mind.”It’s the same maddening reply he gives me every damn time.He’s staring at me like I’m a puzzle he already solved but wants to play with anyway.
I swear under my breath, then spin away, grabbing the gin I was reaching for and starting a new drink.My hands are shaking.I’m furious with him.Furious with me.He shouldn't get to affect me like this.He’s just another pretty face with sharp teeth.Dangerous men with ancient power don’t come slumming with girls like me unless they’re bored.Or cruel.
And Malichai?He doesn’t do boredom.Only precision.
“Your tie’s red,” I say offhandedly as I shove the finished drink across the bar to a customer.
He chuckles.“You remembered.”
“Means you’re in a mood.”I wipe the counter clean.“Careful, or someone might get burned.”
“Let’s hope it’s you.”
I glare at him but there isn’t any heat behind it, and he knows it.This is the same dance we have been doing for three years.
I look around to see if anyone needs a refill before I lean over the counter.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
He tilts his head to the side, studying me before nodding.“Nothing more than the regular bullshit.Supernatural politics, council bullshit, enemies at the gates...”He drinks deeply from his glass.“It was my father’s funeral—accension ceremony—today and the metaphorical wolves are already circling.”
Shit.I didn’t know his father died.I place my hand over his and squeeze gently.“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Don’t be.He wasn’t a good person, and his death is a blessing.”
I stare at him in shock.“You can’t mean that.”
