Rayge, watching me with far too much interest and the slightest of smiles on his face. “Who’s the scary one now?” he asked, that smoky scent filling the bar and causing all the nearby supes to scatter.
I didn’t respond, because in that moment the front door slammed open and I felt Asher before I saw him, his power leading through the room to tangle with mine. Like it had been searching for me.
The crowd that had been standing between us parted, and he strode through looking like the motherfucking god he was. His golden skin glowed. His green eyes were filled with fire. He was scaring everyone in this place. Even Rayge looked … cautious. I, on the other hand, didn’t know what to do. I released my hold on the half-dead-looking vamp and he scurried away on his hands and feet, crab walking.
Ignoring him, I waited for Asher to reach me. Only there was a giant shifter suddenly standing in front of me, hisragepalpable as he prepared to defend me. Peering around him, I placed a hand on his arm, almost jerking it back at how boiling hot his skin was. It felt like it was actually burning me.
Asher paused, his eyes locked on the hand that was touching Rayge, and suddenly there were two raging males in the place. I had a decent idea that this was entirely my fault.
I didn’t know how to defuse the situation, but I knew removing my hand from Rayge was a great start. “It’s okay,” I told him softly as I pulled away. “That’s Asher.”
Rayge let out a low growl that had the hairs on my arms rising. “I know. Why do you think I’m standing the fuck here?”
He thought he had to protect me from Asher. If only he knew the truth … no matter how badass he was—even if he was a dragon shifter—Asher was an Atlantean demigod, his “grandmother” the mother of all. If anyone needed protecting, it was Rayge.
The mounting fury in Asher’s eyes was enough for me to understand that I needed to get away from the shifter.Now.Stepping around Rayge, I shook my head to stop him from following me. I’d never seen Asher like this. He was in a stance so strong he actually looked unbreakable.
“Ash,” I said, slurring just a little as the alcohol settled in further. “Asher! Look at me.”
His head snapped from where he’d been glaring at the shifter, and I forced myself not to flinch or step back. His eyes were glowing, the gold covering the green completely. The energy coming from him was scary, because he reminded me of Galindra. Of the darkness in her. Of the power she exuded.
“Asher,” I said, emotions clouding my voice as I feared he was gone from me again. “Are you still my Asher?”
His expression softened slightly, and I couldn’t stop from reaching out and touching his face. His skin was almost as hot as Rayge’s, and I had to close my eyes at the feel of our powers mingling together.
“Maddison,” he rumbled, the first word he’d spoken since entering the bar.
A sigh left me, and I just nodded.
His hand lifted slowly, fingers caressing across my cheek before he cupped my face. He was so tall, almost as tall as Rayge, and I had to go up on my tiptoes to reach his face, and even then he had to bend to meet me.
As our lips touched, the energy Asher had been pouring out in waves collided with my own, causing a mini explosion across the room. With a gasp, I pulled away, staring at all the supes who had been knocked to the ground. The only one still standing was Rayge, staring at the both of us like he was equal parts wary and curious.
“Uh, sorry,” I said, wrinkling my nose. “I feel partly to blame for this.”
Trollie started cursing from the bar, and I shrugged before turning my back on him. Supes started pulling themselves up from the ground, the music started again, and suddenly everything was back to business as usual. Maybe it was that Asher’s eyes were green again and the energy that had been oppressively knocking into everyone was fading. Or maybe supes were just fucking insane and this sort of shit was an everyday occurrence.
“What are you doing here, Ash?” I asked, staring up at him.
His jaw tightened. “Looking for you. I’ve been looking for you for a while, but your energy was hard to detect until a few minutes ago. You lit this place up.” When I’d blasted the vamp, no doubt. But why was my energy hard to detect before that…?
Was it the alcohol, or…? My eyes locked on Rayge, who is still standing nearby, watching us with his arms crossed. Maybe his power was enough to cloud my own.
Either way. “Do you want to dance?” I asked Asher, not ready to lose my buzz. At least this way I knew I wouldn’t be groped.
I thought he was going to reject me again. But he caught my eyes, a slow darkening of his gaze the only indication that a storm was brewing inside of him.
“You’re drunk,” he said softly.
I nodded. “Shit-faced, actually.” Credit where credit was due. It wasn’t that easy for someone with my power to get drunk. I’d been working hard all night on it.
Asher’s teeth appeared, his expression part predatory and part amused. “Guess I need to catch up.”
The crowd parted as we made our way back to the bar, me taking my old seat and Asher almost sitting in Rayge’s until I shook my head slightly. Looking pissed off, he arched an eyebrow at me, and I shrugged as if to sayMen, what can you do about them.With a snort, Asher finally took the stool on the other side of me, leaving Rayge’s chair untouched, as I knew it would remain for the rest of the night.
The shifter had more than a few demons, but he’d grown on me. I wanted to say we were kind of friends now. I would never forget the way he’d defended me.
“I should kick you the fuck out of me bar, girlie,” the troll said as he slammed another bottle down in front of me. “But I’m not prepared to tangle with that one.” He jerked a head at Asher. “Or that one,” he added when Rayge took his seat beside me.
