“Can you have a little faith in me, please? I’ve done this before. I know how far I can go and when to call it quits.”
His eyes scanned my frame, and a blush crept into my chest. “How many times have you done this?”
“I’ve lost count,” I deadpanned. “So don’t worry, I won’t fuck it up. New gear, remember? I’m a total badass now.”
His jaw flexed as he breathed through his nose, wisps of smoke already appearing. The night hadn’t even started yet. “That’s not what I’m worried about.”
I waved my hands in the air before strutting by him, thoroughlydonewith his pouting.
“You look nice, Alex,” I mumbled to myself, making sure he could still hear as I walked away. “Wow, great dress. Amazing effort. Ten out of ten. You’re a smoke show.” I whipped around before cradling my hands to my chest, laying into the play I was putting on for myself. “Aweee,thank you,Leo. You’re too fucking kind.”
The agents around us kept their gazes fixated to the floor as I waltzed by, fury in my veins. I’d barely made it into the hallway before Leo was behind me, wrapping a firm hand around my wrist.
“Alex,” he sounded like he was in pain.
I rolled my eyes before turning on him. “What?”
Those red eyes flickered back to brown for a moment as he scanned me, and suddenly I was conscious of each curve the velvet clung to, how bare my back was, what tattoos could be showing.
He gave me a lazy smirk that sent goosebumps across my skin. “You’re a smoke show, ten out of ten.”
My spine straightened, and I pursed the lips I’d painted red, trying not to squirm under his gaze. “Thank you. Now, was that so hard?”
He rolled his eyes, and I was back to being pissed off. “You have no idea.”
SEVENTEEN
LEO
Endless,night colored hair was pulled into a bun that let loose strands hang around Alex’s face and exposed her neck, finally making that slim rose tattoo visible.
Her new horns made her appear taller, and more devilish than cute. But it was the dress—that fucking dress—that made me want to blind every man in the club with us. It hugged every curve, exposed the pale skin of her shoulders and almost her entire back, where I could see the edge of another tattoo peeking out from the side of her ribs. My eyes nearly bulged when I spotted another, hovering at the edge of her low back.
Tonight, I die. Cardiac arrest — I’m calling it now.
The black heels she wore made her legs go on for miles, even though her head still barely reached below my chin. Taboo-topic-implants-not-included. There was no way; nofuckingway I could handle getting through the night without burning the place down. My secret would be shouted from the rooftops then, for sure.
We’d taken a step forward, and I had no idea how to manage it. If I leaned into our new dynamic, would she pull away? I didn’t think I’d survive that either. So I fell back on whatI knew: keep it short, try not to talk too much and expose myself. Unfortunately, my ‘minimalist’ attitude came off as more ‘dickhead’, and I’d definitely pissed her off. Perfect timing, right before walking into a clubwith endless opportunities and people that would most definitely be watching her every move.
I couldn’t help myself from wrapping an arm around her waist as we entered, Reed flanking us. Every head that turned toward us made the heat in my chest flare, and I glared at too many Variants to count. I was marking a territory I had no claim to. Was I proud of it? No, but Alex shifted through bodies, and I watched every fucking hand we walked by, ready to snap bones if I needed to.
By the time we got to the bar and the bass from the speakers scratched against my brain, I was aching to flee. Alex touched my hand around her waist as her brows pinched. Her mouth moved, but the music was too loud to hear her. She reached up and tugged at my collar, bringing me down to her level. I was a dog aching to be led, apparently.
Her breath was warm against my skin as she shouted through the noise. “I’m not going anywhere, you know that, right?”
I swallowed hard before turning my nose against her hair, brushing my own lips against her ear. “I don’t trust you not to disappear into the crowd.”
That lemon scent filled my breath, and I wanted to stay there, wanted to drown in it. She shoved against my chest, almost playful as those red lips tilted into a smile.
“Relax, have a drink. I’ve got this, alright?”
That’s not the issue,I thought.
It was the strange possessiveness that built in my chest, and the way my breath gave out once Alex pointed out our target. Dahlia had managed to get more information on him, now that we had his name. He stood across the room in a private booth,surrounded by Variants of every shape and size. Two guards stood with their arms crossed in front of him, scanning the crowd.
Lycean was big; my size, maybe even larger. He had pointed teeth and ears that reminded me of a wolf, with eyes that glowed gold. All I could think about was the way he could tear her apart if he wanted to, if anything went wrong. Alex raised a hand to her ear, to the hidden earpiece that the three of us wore.
“Daydream reporting,” she murmured. “Target in sight. I’ll be making contact now.”
