Page 40 of Wrongfully Magicked
The instant I make a move toward the door, the two of them will be on me like wings on a hippogriff. No matter how hard I try to dislodge them, I’d never be able to pry them off my ass. My eyes lock on the door that leads toward the kitchen, hoping for a back entrance.
I push off the wall, duck my head, and use my smaller stature to hide in the crowd of bodies. Though it’s probably closer to five in the morning, the place is still packed. This close to the borderlands, it’s not a surprise that most of the deals are done after dark.
No one wants to be caught outside during daylight.
Not to mention some beastlings thrive in the darkness.
My heart thunders in my ears as I head toward the kitchen. I’m so close that I can practically taste my freedom, but then my eyes land on a seated figure in the corner.
Darby.
He doesn’t notice me, his head bent over his tablet, a blue green glow sparking in his eyes as he goes through streams of data. My steps slow, and I’m not even aware that I stop until I’m standing near his table.
If I leave, I’ll never learn what happened to his sister.
Sure, he’ll continue to look for Charlotte, but he’ll never get close enough to my family to find out what happened to her, and my chest tightens at the thought of him never being able to discover her fate. The instant my family senses him, they’ll either destroy the siblings to keep their secrets hidden or force Darby to work for them until nothing of him remains but another mindless minion to do their bidding.
He must sense my presence, because he lifts his head before I can decide whether or not to slip away. His teal gaze automatically connects with mine, the white specks reminding me of rough waters threatening to pull me into their stormy depths.
Most tech’ers struggle to pull themselves out of the digital world, but not him. Recognition instantly sparks in his eyes. His face softens, a tiny smile curls his lips, and I find myself taking the seat next to him. Crow’s-feet crease the corners of his eyes, heavy lines bracket his mouth, and my stomach drops. “What’s wrong?”
His brows lift in surprise, and he leans back in his seat as he contemplates me. “What makes you think something’s wrong?”
I don’t even try to hold back my snort. “We fled in the middle of the night to the safety of the borderlands. If any type of luck is in the air, it’s bad luck.”
A snort of laughter catches him by surprise, and my heart melts when a rueful smile crosses his face. Though he relaxes a little more, his expression turns serious. “Another murder has been reported. MID wants us to investigate.”
I easily catch what he’s not saying. “If we don’t go?—”
“We’ll blow our cover. They’ll know we helped you escape.” He drums his fingers against the table, then pushes his tablet away. “Right now, they think you got out on your own. While they didn’t issue an arrest warrant, they did release a BOLO. Every agent in the country will be looking for you.”
My stomach clenches in dread, nausea swirling in my gut, and I release a heavy sigh. I can practically feel the noose tightening around my throat.
It’s only a matter of time before I’m caught—either by my family, the demons hunting me, or MID.
I’m not sure which is worse.
DARBY
“Hey,” I murmur, sickened by the fear and despair churning in her dark eyes. Unable to curb the impulse to reach out to soothe her, I lightly run my fingers over her arm, instantly distracted by her smooth skin. Heat radiates from her, luring me closer, and I find myself almost hypnotized by the sweep of my fingertips against her skin.
So soft.
Practically begging me to explore more of her.
I tear my gaze away from the image of my hand on her body, unsure I’m even breathing. I wait for her to flinch and jerk away in disgust or slap me for taking such liberties. I’m better at computers and tech than people…or so the last woman I dated shouted at me before she stormed out in a fit of rage.
She called me an unfeeling machine, devoid of emotions, and incapable of love.
Since she was sucking me off at the time, and I got distracted with work and completely forgot about her, she might have a point.
That was three years ago.
I’ve only slept with four women in my life, mostly in my youth and mostly out of curiosity.
While women might be beautiful creatures, talking about shopping, clothing, makeup, or gossip holds very little interest for me.
Until now.
