Not Zagan trading in his life for a human.
Not Perseus suffering needlessly for a mortal.
Not silent yet persistent voices insisting I’d never understand them, because a monster like me wasn’t worthy enough.
Grumbling under my breath, I brought my glass up to my lips to down it once more when a new scent filled the air. I sucked in a hard breath, letting the essence fill my lungs and make my head go dizzy with its power. I whipped my head in the direction of the source.
Hovering just inside the entrance of the bar was a short and curvy human. Half of her long, curly hair was pulled back, and my mouth dried as one word came to mind.
Starlight.
The strands of her hair were like starlight as they framed her bare shoulders. Her black long-sleeved top hung off those shoulders and cut across in a shallow vee to show off her delicious cleavage and the glimpse of ink peeking between it. The shirt was tucked into an equally dark skirt, and fishnet tightsclung to her tattooed legs. Her gray eyes scanned the mass of people, and my very being longed for that gaze to meet mine.
I drew in another deep breath, deliberately reaching out to her essence. She tasted like winter air holding the promise of snow on a star-filled night—crisp, cold, fresh, and pure. The back of my throat tingled with the need to draw her into my lungs, to feel the explosion of her pleasure in every vein and bone of my body.
She started across the room slowly, and I watched with an eagerness to claim her. My dick bulged in my pants, needing to be buried deep inside of her pussy. I wanted—
“Pft,” Cassidy laughed across the room before whispering to the girl next to her. “Courtney, look. Here comes the fat weirdo.”
The air I’d been greedily sucking in froze in my chest as my winter star stopped right by Bradley and his friends. Bradley brightened and stood from his chair to pull her in for a one-armed hug, planting a kiss on the top of her head.
My fingers dug into my glass as my aggravation turned into a fierce fury. That delicious human washis?Shewas Serenity?
“Goddammit,” I growled, narrowing my eyes on the scene I no longer wanted to watch.
Chapter 2
Dante
“DOLLFACE,” BRADLEY PURRED TO SERENITY. He flopped back down in his chair and dragged another seat to his side before gesturing for her to take it.
Ha! The bastard didn’t even place her in his lap like he’d done with Cassidy.
“Sup, Serenity,” the blond guy greeted her.
Serenity offered everyone a tentative smile. “Hello.”
Fuck.Even her voice was perfect. Soft and sweet, the perfect tone to turn hoarse after screaming from endless hours of pleasure.
Cassidy had moved to the chair beside the other girl—Courtney—so that she was now adjacent to Bradley and Serenity. She rested her chin on her fist and sipped on her drink, watching Serenity over the rim of her glass. The rest of the people at the table at least pretended to smile and greet the newcomer.
To Serenity, everyone’s smiles probably seemed like a genuine welcome. In reality, they were the grins that came before the traitor stabbed you in the back. I knew that look all too well—smiles made of lies and poison. As I watched the pretty girl lean into Bradley’s side while he whispered to her, I wanted to scream that she was being deceived.
Instead of doing that, I continued to nurse my drink and watch. Human affairs were none of my business, even if this one was going to be mine before the night was done.
“Cute bow, Serenity,” Cassidy said with a flip of her dark hair over her shoulder.
Courtney nearly choked on her drink as she hid her laugh. The guy beside her held her up in her chair and patted her back.
The soft smile Serenity had been sharing with her boyfriend disappeared as she met Cassidy’s gaze. She reached back, almost unintentionally, to touch the black bow securing some of her silver curls. “Thank you.”
Cassidy’s lips stretched into a grin that couldn’t hide the venom lurking behind it. “Yeah. My six year old niece has one just like it.”
The guys turned away and coughed to hide their amusement while the drunk Courtney chickfinallyfell off her chair in a fit of giggles. Serenity stared at Cassidy, her face pale and eyes blank. Bradley’s gaze bounced between the two girls, and the fucker eventually placed a hand on Serenity’s arm.
“She’s just playing, Dollface. Here.” He slipped some money into her hand and nodded at the bar. “Go get a drink. Loosen up. You’re always too damn sensitive.”
I perked up as the human girl slowly stood. My own chest swelled with a buzz of excitement. She was finally leaving the group of hyenas disguised as friends. While she was momentarily safe from their claws, she was about to walk right into the jaws of an even more dangerous predator—me.
