With one last wink up at me, she patted my arm, and pulled away. I wanted to reach out, tug her back and get usout. Every fiber of my being screamed to whisk her away.
“Easy, big guy,” Reed hummed around his glass before sliding one over to me. “Careful not to burn the place down.”
I grit my teeth, the bass so loud it makes them vibrate against each other. Fire flared in my chest, and wisps of smoke began to pour through my nose and mouth. My cigarette hung from my mouth, barely giving the illusion that I wasn’t literally burning from the inside.
Alex kept going across the room lit with purple and blue hues, dim enough to cast each edge of the place into shadows. The bright circulating lights illuminated every curve as she walked. She’d always reminded me of a feather. Light, airy; she could be burned, or broken. It would be easy.
That was the thing, though—Alex never acted like it. She ran that mouth that she’d painted blood red for the night, bared her teeth at whoever talked down to her. Alex didn’t see herself as something breakable, and it always made me burn. I didn’t know why at first. I thought it was irritation, some ideal in my head of what a Hero should be and how she didn’t live up to it. It took me too long to realize; the idea of seeing her hurt scared the fuck out of me.
But she wasn’t breakable, or fragile. The way she walked, the way her hips swayed in that fucking blue dress and her shoulders tucked back with confidence, the world could crumble at her feet. I almost wanted to. But now I could only watch as she approached Lycean’s VIP booth. She was escorted through almost instantly after he looked her over, and when she touched his chest and giggled with those red lips, I wanted to burn it all down.
Heat flared in my veins, and Reed put a hand on my shoulder. His shield went up, nearly suffocating me. My body went rigid, but my eyes stayed on her. Lycean wrapped a meaty hand around her waist, touching the bare skin at her back, and she leanedin. Every curve of hers melded against his side, and the glass in my hand shattered when he bent down to whisper in her ear. His teeth were already pointed; like he’d decided to devour her the moment they made contact.
“She’s already pulling him in,” Reed mused. “Watch his eyes.”
My neck ached as it strained, every muscle in my body ready to pounce. But Reed was right; the gold glow in his eyes started to simmer, and after a moment, they went completely blank. He tugged her closer, and rubbed his thumb along her spine as she tucked her nose into his shoulder. I could see her muscles relax, and she propped herself against him as she faded in and out. To anyone around them, it looked like a couple getting ready to find a room for the night.
I’m going to break that fucking hand.
Every finger, every joint, I’d make sure he could never use it again.
“You don’t share very well,” Reed said, prodding. “Those are boyfriend privileges, you know. She could go home with him after this, if she wanted to.”
I snapped my head toward him and ignored the way my lungs gripped for air. “I don’t give a damn about that.”
I really, really fucking do.
He grinned. “So if I let you go, you’ll behave?”
“I’m not up for your games tonight.” I turned back to Alex across the room, and I was sure I’d lose it.
Lycean traced his fingers down her hips, his eyes still clouded as they gazed at a blank space on the wall. I knew she was going to try to keep him awake; it would have been suspicious if he collapsed as soon as she walked in. But the expression on his face made me sick. I wasn’t prepared to have this kind of reaction and didn’t realize how deep my jealousy ran.
What the fuck are you making him imagine, Alex?
Did I want to know? No. Yes. It didn’t matter; I couldn’t stomach it for another second.
“Release it,” I ground out.
Reed cocked his head, red hair swinging into his mismatched eyes as he faked a pout. “I dunno, Alex told me not to let you interfere. She doesn’t want you to have all the glory.”
I was sure my eyes glowed red when I held his stare. “Who are you more afraid of?”
He paused, as if actually thinking it through. Finally, he sighed and waved a hand. Oxygen filled my lungs, and I took in a deep breath, nearly taking down my cigarette in one breath.
“This is why you don’t have friends, you know,” he sighed. “I’d love to be, if you didn’t fucking threaten me all the time.”
I deadpanned. “Call it my love language.”
His lips turned down as he raised his brows. “Kinky, I like it. Alex still scores above you, though. She went shopping with me.”
My body went rigid as I narrowed my eyes at him. “The dress. That was you?”
He shrugged before holding up his phone, taunting me. “And I have the pictures to prove it. Do you want one? You know, for your lock screen.”
I was ready to rip the phone from his hands when something caught the corner of my eye. Reed spun around with me; even though he was playing with me, he’d been watching, too. Both of us shot up, our stools clattering behind us.
Alex was completely draped against Lycean, and her neck was decorated in crimson. The bodies around them kept dancing, kept drinking, as if this was a completely normal event. My fists ignited into flames as I watched him curl his lips over his fangs, digging into her skin as he bit down. His cheeks were flushed as he pawed at her, pulling her body close with those blank eyes. Alex writhed beneath him, and I could see the flicker in her own eyes, the struggle to maintain control.
