Shit. She’d hoped that Hexx had been frightened enough to stay away for a few days. Now she’d have to deal with the idiot.
Licking the last of the stickiness from her fingers, she prepared to confront the approaching form, her brows knitting together as she realized she couldn’t sense the creature. It wasn’t a demon, that was for sure. Which meant it wasn’t Hexx.
Was it her personal stalker? Probably.
Pretending she didn’t notice her pulse picking up speed and her stomach fluttering like she was a teenager in one of the rom-coms she secretly adored, Wynn stepped toward the approaching form, her head held high.
“Are you back? I told you to stop spying on me, you creep.”
“Creep? Who are you calling a creep? Rude.” The chiding voice echoed through the cramped apartment. “At least, I’m not the one stealing from Hexx. Or eating his pastries. Good grief, woman. Taking a demon’s last donut is downright cruel.”
Wynn’s eyes widened as the intruder stepped into the faint sliver of dawn sneaking through the skylight. He was short and squat with a big bushy beard and piercing green eyes. There was a weird cap stuck on his head with a dangling fuzzy ball and he was wearing...
She didn’t know what the baggy pants and loose flannel top were supposed to be. PJs? Yes, it had to be pajamas, she decided, since he’d matched the bizarre outfit with a pair of furry slippers.
It would have been easy to mistake him for a confused human who’d wandered off the streets through the unlocked door. There were dozens of the poor souls in search of shelter. But one glance into those eyes spoke of an ancient wisdom and a power that couldn’t come from a mere mortal.
“You’re not the dragon,” Wynn muttered in confusion.
“Nope.”
“Or a vampire.”
“Nope.”
“Or a demon.”
“Again...nope.”
“What are you?”
The creature spread his arms, the scent of copper filling the air. “I’m like you. Unique to this world.”
Wynn instinctively stepped back. There was no overt threat from the intruder, but the magic that leaked from him warned her that he could squash her like a bug without even trying.
Time to be moving on. With a practiced smile, Wynn leaned back against the counter, trying to look casual.
“Cool. Are you an alien?” She slowly inspected his bizarre clothing. “You look like Santa Claus.”
“Ah.” He touched a finger to the tip of his nose. “It’s my special power.”
“Is it? Do you have any others?” Wynn kept her smile intact as she focused on her inner strands of magic. She couldn’t use the skipping stones, but she did have a thread that would make her invisible for a few minutes. Just long enough to escape. Assuming it bothered to work.
“I have an endless array of powers.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Finding the strand she’d been searching for, Wynn mentally wrapped it around her. Then, with a gentle push, she spread the magic from her head down to the tips of her toes. Goosebumps crawled over her skin, assuring Wynn it was working.
Thank the goddess.
Still, she forced herself to wait until she was certain that she was completely invisible before she cautiously edged her way around the stranger, keeping as much space between them as possible. Not easy considering that Hexx had the place crammed with his cheap-ass inventory.
The male stood calmly at the edge of the opening, waiting until she’d almost inched past him before his hand snapped out to grab her arm.
“I don’t think so.” He firmly tugged her back to the spot where she’d started. “We aren’t done chatting.”
Her illusion vanished with a puff of smoke, leaving Wynn exposed and pissed off.
