Pupils blown, his expression reminded me of a lovesick puppy. A winged golden retriever, blonde hair and all.
Shit. Maybe he was an asshole in some other way, but to me, he really just looked like a man who loved his partner. And as someone who’d mooned over his own mate, I could relate.
His friends snickered some more, all complicit in this trap. The only real assholes as far as I could tell.
Another hour later, and Fontaine was passed out, a dopey smile on his face, while the others continued to drink and debauch.
At last, the room reservation ended, and they got up to leave. A few of the guys picked up Fontaine, while one of the alphas hung back. “Just gonna see if I can get Saffron’s number,” he called, giving me a nod of recognition.
“Dude, she was so into you!”
“Right?” he laughed. Once the door shut, his smile disappeared. “You got the pictures?”
I took out my phone, going through a couple of apps before I pulled up my photo album. “Sure thing. What did this guy do, anyway?” I asked, taking my time.
He scoffed. “Look, I don’t gotta explain myself to some Oniguro goon.”
I paused, lifting an eyebrow. The friend was an alpha, but I was still bigger than him, and he was in my territory. Even if he thought I was just a goon, I had all the power. “Wanna say that again?”
Smoke curled out of my nose, and he swallowed nervously. “Aniel. I’ve liked her for years, and was going to ask her out until she met Ramiel. Ugh, the guy acts like he’s so fucking perfect, it makes me sick. But once Aniel sees these pictures, she’ll fall right into my arms. Where she always belonged. Omegas like her need alphas like me. Not weak-ass betas.”
Deep breaths.
I wanted to strangle him.
But I couldn’t.
“Doesn’t sound like something Solasia would approve of…”
“Well, we’re not in Halcyon, are we? I doubt Ravaric would give a shit.”
He was probably right about that.
I finally showed him my screen. “Oh, shit. I should have adjusted my settings or turned the flash on or something.”
I had about twenty pictures of dark blurs, nothing in focus. Nothing distinctive visible. If you squinted, you might have seen the wings, but otherwise, they were all useless.
“You fucking idiot!” the friend roared. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been planning this? I’m not going to get another chance! The wedding is next weekend, and Ramiel is too fucking goody-two-shoes to…”
“To what? Actually cheat?”
“Exactly!”
“And you aren’t?”
His eyes narrowed. “Mind your business, demon. You need to fix this. Now.”
Head swiveling, he looked around the room. “You sure there’s no cameras in here? Or maybe you could possess him…”
I turned the volume up on my phone.
“…but once Aniel sees these pictures, she’ll fall right into my arms.”
He whipped around, his face paling. “What was that?”
“…do you have any idea how long I’ve been planning this?”
I gave him a shrug. “I came here to blackmail someone. It didn’t have to be the bachelor boy.”
