I grin, giving her a wink. “I aim to please.”
Herhead tips back and a soft, breathy laugh escapes her as I spin her around and dip her slightly before bringing her upright.
Her eyes meet mine and she sighs. “Sorry I was late.”
“Work?”
“Yes,” she says, resting her head on my chest.
“Are you going to tell me who you work for yet? Or where you go?”
I want to know what keeps her busy all the time. It’s not just the late-night phone calls or the texts that go unanswered for hours. It’s the way she’ll vanish without a word, leaving me wondering where she’s gone. She’ll disappear at random times, slipping away like a shadow, only to reappear days later as if nothing has happened. No explanation, no reason given.
Not that she needs to offer one. But every time she goes off the grid, a knot of worry twists in my gut, tightening with each passing day. I try not to think about it, try to convince myself she’s fine, but it’s impossible not to wonder. What is she doing out there? Is she in trouble?
“I can’t.”
“Okay.”
Ash lifts her head and reaches up, cupping my jaw. Her fingers gently slide into my hair and my eyes close, savoring her touch.
“I’m going to stop.”
I open my eyes again at her words and find myself getting lost in the depths of those inky, dark pools gazing up at me.
“Stop what, beautiful?”
“My job. I’m going to quit.”
I drop a soft, lingering kiss to her lips. “You don’t have to quit your job, Ash.”
“I want to. So we can actually make this work.”
Regarding me intently, she seems to be trying to determine whether I have any intention of fleeing again. I won’t, I learned my lesson. Even thoughshe is some old and powerful worldwalker, who seems to know everyone’s secrets, I get some joy in the fact that she still isn’t that great at reading me. But that’s probably for the best.
“Then I’m all in,” I say, pulling her closer.
Ash’s body melts into mine as we sway to the music, her head resting on my shoulder.
“Kai?”
“Yes?”
“If that woman touches you again, she will lose a hand.”
I chuckle softly and lean down to press a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
Chapter four
Ashwiyaa
“Fate will lead us to where we need to be.”
The next few hours fly by in a blur of drinks and laughter. It’s been so long since I’ve had this much fun. Usually, I’m a solitary creature, preferring to lurk in the shadows and scare unsuspecting humans who deserve everything I give them. But since meeting Kai, I’ve craved his company more than anything. Which is new for me. When it comes to my feelings for Kai, everything is new.
As I look around the bar, a smile tugs at my lips. It’s hard to believe it was a year ago when I first passed through this place without giving it much thought.
I had just finished a job and was in dire need of a strong drink when this gorgeous blond-haired, blue-eyed man approached, offering to buy me one. Initially, I was tempted to decline his offer, as I knew he was a shifter, but there was something about him that intrigued me. I couldn’t quite figure him out like I could with others, and it made me feel unsettled. I was never unsettled. I expected our encounter to be nothing more than a fleeting night, but there was an unexplainable force that kept pulling me back to him.
