Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 109477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
She secured her new watch around her wrist to use both hands and then bent for the pillow. A scream floated out of the bathroom. This wouldn’t be any fun for Mr. Bathtub. Zorn had a flare for ruthlessness. Hopefully the neighbors weren’t overly curious people…
She put the pillow in the middle of the living room with the chalice on top. Zorn would know not to take it with him. No one needed a fae tracking them down, not for any reason.
Hopefully he was about done.
She glanced at the apartment door but headed for the window. This building had two working cameras. She didn’t need proof floating around of her involvement in Mordecai’s life. He’d be really annoying to live with if he knew she was playing vigilante on his behalf.
Outside on the ledge, she worked her way to the corner. A soul, out of sight, popped up on her radar. Someone was out here with her, on the same ledge. Her scalp tingled in alarm as a hint of nervous anticipation wormed through her.
It was probably a neighbor wanting to see what the commotion was about without actually confronting the person causing it. It was what she would do. The fae client would just use the door. Their glamor would get them past the cameras, if they cared about them at all. Plus, only forty minutes had passed and this buyer was apparently not punctual. She and Zorn should still have time.
Regardless, she didn’t want to meet a new friend unprepared. Even low-powered magic could be fatal if it hit her head-on.
She pulled out a throwing knife. Stab and run. It was always the best practice for a Chester.
She kept walking until she was close enough to the corner for a good shot. The person continued nearer until reaching the turn. There they slowed to navigate going around. After a brief pause, a tall man with impossibly broad shoulders stepped into view.
Her stomach dropped out, and her world exploded in color. Her knees nearly lost their strength, making her wobble toward the wall. A delicious thrum she vividly remembered flowered in her body, competing with shock and surprise and incredibility.
No, not a man. A fae.
Her fae.
Moonlight highlighted his straight, fine features, elegant yet dangerous. Regal death. Dark, windswept hair draped the sides of his face before curling just under his jaw. In the back it was longer still, dusting his neckline. His dress shirt was stretched tight across his chest, showing defined pecs, but fell loose at his trim waist before tucking into black trousers.
His casual dress sneakers didn’t make a sound against the concrete and were an interesting choice for scaling buildings and breaking and entering. A very fashionable choice that she really wanted to adopt, damn him.
His eyes were lost to the darkness, but she knew their color all the same: vivid green leading into a burnished gold ring around the iris. Intimately expressive. Absolutely gorgeous, like him. Like he’d been the first time she’d seen him. And the second, when he set loose a chain of events that had nearly killed them all.
Words slithered through her mind like a lover’s caress.
Hello, little dove. Did you miss me?
4
Imagine finding you here… His voice was like a soft lick inside her head.
He slipped his hands into his pockets casually, devilishly, and took another step closer. He clearly wasn’t worried about pitching off the side, even though his shoulders were not making it easy for him to hug the wall. She took in his uncomfortable handsomeness and the play of muscle with each movement. Memories came rushing back: the crystalline beach and the delicious feeling of his proximity. The dreams and the waking pleasure-nightmares. She remembered the feeling then, similar to now, with hot and cold shivers running her length. Heat raced across her flesh. It was hard to think, hard to breathe.
Fuck, but he was startlingly attractive.
Her memories of being near him didn’t do the feeling justice. Couldn’t compare to the sweet slide of pleasure lacing across her skin.
She struggled to get her mind back on track. Fought to remember what was actually important. His actions at that convention had burned a scar into her. Her family had barely escaped. Lexi had nearly died. All because this…creature standing in front of her had needed a distraction. A distraction!
Now here he was, trying to help his king get across the fringe to a land they’d ultimately corrupt and tarnish. He didn’t deserve her fractured focus. He deserved death.
His full lips twisted into a smile. I see you remember me.
His eyes roamed her body slowly before resting on her face. “You’ve grown since I saw you last.” His voice was billowing black satin. He seemed equal parts seductive and dangerous. Teasing but with a hint of maliciousness.
He’d grown, too. He still looked only a couple of years older than her, but he’d shot up in height. Out in breadth. He carried robust strength now. Loose, supple muscle earned from years of fighting. Of killing. His was a terrifying beauty filled with dark secrets and violent deeds. She’d witnessed it those four years ago, and he was clearly still at his games in the human realm, hunting down prey for his ruler. Trading memories for death.