My jaw clenched at the disgust dripping from those lips, and I couldn’t help but strike back. “Too late for that, princess.”
Her screech of rage was a sight to behold. She wanted to kill me, I could tell, but she wasn’t out of danger yet. Ezra worked on the djinn behind her, trying to extract all the information he could before finishing the job. Lost to the pain and knowledge that death was near, the djinn lunged at Eryn, his bloody, frozen stumps reaching.
“Ez!” I shouted while simultaneously pulling Eryn close.
She spun, trying to run, but I had a solid hold. Her back met my chest hard enough to knock the air from my lungs, but I held fast. Ezra got to the djinn before he could crawl any closer by stomping on one of his frozen legs. Everything below the knee shattered, and the guttural roar that left the djinn nearly shook the foundation.
“Gods!” Eryn shouted, fighting against my arm around her waist. “What is wrong with you people?”
Did she expect us to talk to him? Better yet, did she expect him to actually answer without us forcing it out of him? She tried kicking back at me, but was too close to do more than stomp on my toes. That shit hurt, but nothing in this world would make me let go. Not with danger so near.
“Get off!” she cried, fighting even harder.
“Not quite yet. When you calm down, I’ll let you go,” I told her, and meant it.
I didn’t want her to hate me more than she already did, and trapping her here wasn’t doing me any favors. Ez was almost done; only the cleanup remained. I met his amused grin over Eryn’s head and fixed him with a glare. The temperature plummeted again as Ez worked to freeze the rest of the body. Once encased in ice, he began smashing the djinn to pieces. The frozen shards were easier to clean than pools of blood—easier to hide as well, you just needed a broom.
“You godsdamned…” She twisted and hit me with an elbow. “Fucking…lying…ass turd!”
Eryn managed to get an arm free during her creative tirade, and I bit my lip to keep from snickering. Ez wasn’t as good at hiding his delight, and we both had a front-row seat to his belly-shaking laughter.
“You mother—”
“That’s not calm, princess.” My other arm came up from her hip to cross her chest. Her entire body molded to mine, her tight little ass fitting snugly against my dick. It was impossible to ignore what that did to the bond, but I did my best. “Calm,” my head dipped, and my lips skimmed her ear, “down.”
I didn’t expect her to listen, but she did. She froze, going as stiff as a statue, and I pulled away an inch to give us both a little space. Only my arms touched her, but there was no escaping the heat trapped between us. The tension. I was tempted to let her go just to see what she’d do.
“She’s got shifty eyes, cuz,” Ez warned, proving me right.
She was up to something. If she’d calm down like I asked, we could talk this all out. I took an educated guess at what kinds of thoughts were running through that pretty little head—probably the worst things her imagination could conjure. I wanted to ease those fears. Nothing had to change. We could still take our time getting to know one another.
“I’m calm,” she ground out, in a way that told me she grit her teeth to admit that lie.
And it was a lie, but I decided to see what she would do anyway. The second my arms loosened, she threw herself away from me. That stung a little. Only a couple weeks ago, I had to shut a door in her face to keep her away. I was sure that moment wasn’t helping my case now either.
“Go find a broom, Ez. Or one of those industrial vacuums,” I suggested, but he recognized the order.
I couldn't risk Eryn gaining control of him and using his power to escape before we had a chance to clear the air. Ez senther a shit-eating grin before heading back the way we came–—down the old tunnels. We never would have made it here in time without them. His magick lingered a while, to keep everything frozen, and the cool air did nothing to staunch the fire Eryn tried to set on me with her eyes alone.
If looks could kill…
I took the opportunity to check her over again and noticed with smug satisfaction that she was wearing my hoodie. There was hope for us yet. Her bare legs in those small shorts were fine for the warming weather outside, but I knew she had to be uncomfortable down here in this makeshift freezer.
“Say something.”
“You’re an Alantes,” she replied, spitting the name like it tasted vile. “I thought your last name was Winmore.”
I dipped my head. “That’s one of my names.”
It was my father’s family name, but I didn’t share that bit of information; not when she looked one wrong breath away from bolting. My magick awakened at the thought of a chase, and I leashed my shadows lest they spook her even more. They were ready, waiting. They swirled inside me, eager to come out and have a taste. She took a small step back, perhaps sensing my thoughts.
“My first name is—”
“Kaiden,” she whispered, and my gaze softened at the break in her voice.
I fucking hated lying to her. I thought it the best plan at the time.
“Kai for short,” I confessed.
