“Don’t hold your breath,” I whispered. “Now, go. You have queen shit to take care of. I’ll be at the bar.”
“I love you, Rummy.” She didn’t move, her focus never leaving my face.
Not until I responded. “I love you too, Hunt.”
With that, she turned and was instantly swallowed by a crowd of her friends and citizens of Scarlata. My shy, awkward, anti-social best friend.
I laughed to myself and turned toward the bar.
Drinks. Lots of drinks. That was the only way I’d make it through tonight.
I kept my head down as I made my way to Soph. “Another great night,” I joked as I pulled out the closest seat. “Give me the strongest thing you’ve got.”
With a laugh, she pulled out a mug and filled it. That was one of the things I loved most about her. No bullshit. No therapeutic stream of questioning.
Just drinks.
“It’s going to be a long night,” she warned. “Tonight’s feast is one of the biggest I’ve seen.”
Great.
When a presence appeared beside me, I turned, finding Xavier sliding onto the wooden stool to my right.
“I’ll have what she’s having.”
I rolled my shoulders back and pushed my chest out, knowing that would catch his attention. “I’m sorry,” I purred, “that seat’s taken.”
He looked over his shoulder, wearing a look of mock confusion. “Oh, right. You mean by all the friends that have joined you tonight.” He picked up the drink Sophie set in front of him. “I’ll keep that in mind, Rummy, thanks.”
Asshole.
“I thought you were off gallivanting with your boyfriend,” I fired back with a roll of my eyes.
Besides Hunter, and after things soured between Jessiah in me, Xavier was the closest I had to a friend in Scarlata. He was Jessiah’s right-hand man, which was a fatal flaw in my opinion, but when he wasn’t following Jessiah around like a lost puppy?
He was almost funny.
Almost.
“Aww.” He bumped my arm lightly, nearly causing me to spill my drink. “You were worried about us?”
“More like celebrating your absence.”
“Don’t pretend like you didn’t miss us, Rum. You can even smile if you want. I won’t tell anyone.” He leaned in until his ridiculously handsome face was inches from mine.
Xavier was one of the best-looking men in Scarlata. He was tall and sculpted, with dark skin and ridiculous perfect features, and carried himself in the most confident of ways.
He had this magnetism that drew pretty much everyone here—male or female—to him.
But I couldn’t bring myself to care. I’d marked him as off limits as soon as I realized we would be working together for Wolf and Hunt.
He’d probably be great in bed, but it would be messy. So friendship—or whatever the hells you’d call this—was as close as we got.
“Why would I smile when you’re spoiling my peace? I’m here to drink in solitude, thank you very much.”
Xavier took a long breath, his bullshit smile slipping. “We need to talk. Our insane sexual tension aside, this is serious.”
I ignored the sexual tension comment and put my drink down, finally facing him fully. “You’re scaring me.”
