“Yeah, I’d gathered as much.”
Of course she had. It’s not every day you have an Orc and a dickhead waltzing into town—especially not this town, by the looks of how quiet everywhere is.
“All right then, you know why we’re here. Save us some time and agree to come on tour with us.”
I’m pretty sure Dorian telling her what to do isn’t the right way to go about this, but what do I know? He’s a lot more persuasive and charming than me when he wants to be.
I shift slowly closer to the counter, so Sin’s not having to face off against Dorian’s attitude. Once I’m close enough, I nudge him in the ribs to let him know to back off.
“You can make things, right?” he asks. “And you clearly have some kind of magic to change people’s emotion, if last night was anything to go by.”
She freezes in place, her fingers blanched white where they clutch the counter. “I guess I only have myself to blame for you knowing that.”
“Why don’t you do something with it?” Dorian asks. “If you can mess with other people’s emotions, why not use it somewhere you could be useful? You could do anything and it’d be more than hanging out in a tiny backwater town, hiding from the world and selling this crap.”
I shift awkwardly on my feet and the movement somehow causes me to knock into something on a shelf behind me with my bubble butt. Dammit. I wince as something crashes to the floor.
“Shit. Sorry,” I mutter. “About the mess. And about Dorian. He clearly left his fucking manners at home.” I shoot him a look, which he ignores entirely.
The two of us have been friends since we were kids. He was my first and only friend in that town we moved to. And most of the time, we get along great, so I don’t know why my protective instincts are being triggered right now. And instead of being directed at my best friend, they’re targeting Sin.
Maybe it’s because I know what it’s like to want to live a quiet life.
“It’s all right. He’s right. Most of the stuff in here is useless crap, anyway,” Sin replies without missing a beat.
I grunt, glancing around at the pile of stuff on the floor behind me. “I’d offer to pick it up, but I’m pretty sure I’ll knock something else straight off.”
She shoots me a soft smile. “Seriously, don’t worry about it.”
My cheeks heat again and I shuffle awkwardly from foot to foot. I don’t know what to do with my hands right now. They feel weirdly disconnected from the rest of me, and I really don’t want to make things worse.
“How long have you been hiding here in this shitty little shop?” Dorian asks.
“Dude,” I growl. “Back off. We’re not exactly brain surgeons. We can’t fucking judge.”
She raises a hand to me, like she’s asking me to stand down. “He’s not wrong. I’ve spent years hiding. I know this. I know I could be doing something more worthwhile with my time, but I’ve been a cowardy custard.”
I stifle a smile. She’s cute.
“At least you can admit it,” Dorian replies.
I don’t know what the fuck he’s aiming to achieve here, and, unless it’s pissing Sin off, he’s chosen the wrong track.
She bristles. “Says the man wearing shades indoors, again. Tell me, what are you hiding behind them? A serious case of pink eye? Too many sex juices in your face caught up to you?”
This time I can’t stifle the chuckle that bubbles up inside me, especially as Dorian shoots me a look of betrayal.
What can I say? She’s got his number. And sometimes it’s good for him to have his ego popped so he doesn’t convince himself he’s actually a gift from the gods, like our fans try to convince him.
He leans closer to her over the counter. “You want me to take them off, Sinjin?” His voice lowers to a purr as he wiggles his shades on his face. “Convince me and I’ll do it right now.”
“Don’t,” I bark, causing Sin to look up in surprise. I know he’s just fucking around, but Sin doesn’t know that or what it means to see Dorian’s bare gaze. “He’ll freeze you where you stand.”
She snorts, but her amusement quickly disappears as she realizes I’m not fucking around. “Seriously?”
“I’m part Gorgon.” Dorian shrugs, taking a step back. “I can’t exactly turn it on and off.”
“It only lasts somewhere between a few minutes and an hour, but it’s uncomfortable,” I add.
