He rose to his full height, nearly eye level with me, and glared. I could feel his indecision flickering through the bond, even though he tried to keep his thoughts carefully guarded.
He never let anyone in, and now that someone—especially me—had a direct link to his emotions, I was sure he wasn’t thrilled.
To my surprise, after a long, silent moment, he nodded.
“Alright,” I said, moving to sit on the shredded couch he’d mangled in his rage. “Get some clothes on, and I’ll help you get this place back together. Or we can sit here and try to read each other’s minds. Your call.”
He narrowed his eyes and flipped me the bird, then turned and disappeared into the bathroom.
The shower started, and I allowed myself another breath of relief.
It’s going to be awkward as hell to explain this to anyone.
But at least no one had to die… tonight.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
ARINA
My feet ached, and my legs were jelly by the time we left Enigma, but I wasn’t complaining. I’d never been more blissfully content, and I could have repeated the entire night over and over.
It was late, well past midnight, but I still wasn’t ready to go back to the caravan.
I wasn’t ready for the night to be over.For my time with Daze to end.
“That was fun,” I said softly as the warm night air slammed into us. Clouds overhead blocked out the stars and moon, but the streetlights and neon signs on nearby buildings illuminated the mostly empty street. A couple of cars rolled by, but the city was otherwise quiet outside of the club.
I wrapped my arms around myself, unsure what to do with my hands as we slowly started down the sidewalk. Now that we were out in the open, away from the crowd of dancing bodies we’d been surrounded by for hours, I felt exposed. Vulnerable. Something as simple as hand-holding felt more serious than either of us wanted out here.
As if his boner hadn’t just been pressed against my ass and his tongue down my throat.
“It was,” he agreed, the corner of his mouth lifting into a soft smirk. “More fun than I’ve had in ages.”
“Psh.” I giggled. “You’re part of a circus. You get to have fun all the time.”
There was a beat of silence before he answered.
“That’s true, but just like every other job… at the end of the day, it’s just that: a job,” he explained. “No matter how free I feel performing, or how at home I feel on stage, what it all boils down to is… I still have to do what’s expected of me. I still have to follow the rules, show up, be perfect. But tonight…” He hesitated, like he was struggling to find the words, and ran his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t feel like anything was expected of me. I just got tobe.”
I knew what he meant, because I’d felt it too.
Without the worry of my parents’ disapproval, my designation being exposed, or the Stone pack catching up to me, I forgot everything and just enjoyed myself.
I wanted to spend every day chasing that feeling, doing whatever I wanted and actually living for the first time since I awakened.
“I know some things are expected, like showing up and performing, but you shouldn’t feel like you’re walking on a tightrope all the time,” I assured him. The margaritas had worn off a while ago, but my words still flowed freely. It might have been from all the time we’d spent together, or maybe because I felt closer to him since we’d tongue-tangoed in the club, but I couldn’t keep my thoughts to myself. “You should be free to do whatever you want, to be you all the time.”
I didn’t expect the sigh that escaped him, and I looked over to see him shaking his head.
“It’s not that simple, Arina,” he muttered. “Everything is so… difficult.”
I knew he was talking about Night without him having to say it. Whatever fucked-up situation they were in weighed on him more than he wanted to admit, and while I wanted answers, I refused to pry.
He’d tell me when he was ready.
“I get it,” I said, aiming to divert the conversation.
Since he’d opened up a little, I decided I could do the same. If I eventually told him enough about myself, maybe he’d finally break down and explain whatever was going on between him and the magician.
