His eyes dart over my face, then he blows out his cheeks. “Okay. How about I tell you what not to do?” He waits, then huffs. “Guess I’ll take that as a yes. Right then. So. Don’t tell her you don’t know what you’re doing. Don’t order her around. Don’t be cold. Don’t take her into the Dark Realm. And, for the love of all that is Light and Dark, if she tries to get closer—don’t pull away.”
I don’t respond. Instead, I look to the others for their input.
Julien leans back in his chair, watching me closely. “I know you prefer things simpler. I suggest you get her talking, try to learn more about her, and make her laugh, then keep her laughing.”
I frown. “I’m not good at that.”
“No one is, at first,” he says softly. No judgment, just quiet understanding. “But you’ll learn how.”
I look to my brother next. He exhales, pinching the bridge of his nose as he leans against the edge of his desk. “Brother, I’m not sure listening tousis the right call. This is new ground for all of us,” Ezekial says, levelling us all with a serious look before asking, “When was the last time any of us went on a date?”
Sai opens his mouth, then shuts it. Silence.
“Exactly. None of us know what we’re doing, especially with Jasmine.” He shakes his head and removes his glasses. “Isuggest you let her take the lead, brother. She has us in the palm of her hand, and she knows it. Ask her what she wants, and give it to her.”
I can do that. A simple two-step strategy.
Ask and give.
I nod.
***
When I step into the atrium, I hear her laugh before I see her. I find my pace quickening until I catch sight of her beside the river, like the last time. And like the last time, and every time I see her, she’s a vision.
The sunset bleeds gold and crimson through the skylight, catching in the soft waves of her scarlet hair. She turns at my approach, her smile aimed right at me, and for a moment, I can’t see anything but her.
And what she’s wearing.
She wasn’t wearing that this morning. I would have remembered.
We all would.
It’s a dress. White, dainty, utterly angelic.
The delicate sleeves slip off her shoulders like they were never meant to stay, barely there, just enough to draw the eye and feign modesty. The bodice is fitted, cinched, hinting at the curves hidden beneath before flaring into a skirt that brushes mid-thigh. Innocent lace trims the hem in a thin, whispery tease.
It reminds me of a dress she’s worn before, on that night, when The Inferno was attacked. Just without the wings. But if that was temptation cloaked in white, this is an angel stepping into sin intentionally.
Bare legs, smooth and seemingly endless leading down to black heels. Her hair a loose, tumble of thick red curls that fallover one shoulder, with the other side tucked behind her ear in casual grace.
I can’t stop looking at her.
Admiring her.
But then she laughs again, and I see who caused it.
“Good evening, Kane.”
The dragon.
Would killing him be a bad start to a date?
I flash the moment to the others but say nothing. It’s automatic. They said I could use them if I needed help, and I need help.
“Kill him,”Sai snarls.
“No, wait. He’s Kacey’s bond, brother. He’s not a threat,” Ezekial weighs in.
