He pulls off of my cock, and instantly I collapse. Bones turned to noodles. A puppet whose strings have been cut.
My lungs begin heaving. My head is spinning. I can’t open my eyes. I’m going to pass out.
Shadows move over me. Soft lips brush over my sweaty forehead.
“You are delicious, My Love. Thank you.”
They are the last words I hear before sleep pulls me down.
Chapter 9
Just a One-Night Stand
Iwakeupalone.
The bed is cold. Empty. Just me and rumpled sheets that still smell faintly of smoke and something dark and spicy that I can’t quite name.
My body aches in unfamiliar ways. Good ways. Ways that make my face burn when I think about last night. About Hex’s hands on my skin. His mouth. His voice in my ear saying things that made me forget my own name.
But he’s not here.
I sit up slowly, looking around my tiny bedroom. The morning light filters through the thin curtains, grey and weak. Everything looks exactly the same as it always does. Clothes on the floor. Books stacked haphazardly on the nightstand. The crack in the ceiling that looks like a rabbit if you squint.
Nothing has changed.
Except everything has changed.
I swing my legs out of bed and stand up, wobbling slightly. My phone says it’s six-thirty. I have an hour before I need to leave for work. An hour to process whatever the hell happened last night.
Can Hex only materialise at night? Is that why he’s gone? Or was this just a one-night stand? Did he get what he needed and disappear?
My stomach twists painfully. Was I used? Did I just let a shadow creature feed on me and then he vanished the moment he was satisfied?
I stumble to the bathroom and splash cold water on my face. My reflection stares back at me. I look different somehow. My eyes are brighter. My skin has more colour. I look alive in a way I haven’t in years.
But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m alone.
Will I ever see him again? Do I want to see him again?
Yes. God, yes. The realisation hits me like a punch to the gut. I want to see him again. As completely insane as it probably is, I want to hear his voice and feel his presence, and have him look at me like I matter.
But what if he doesn’t come back? What if that was it? What if I gave him everything and now he’s just gone?
Despite all the promises he made?
I grip the edge of the sink hard enough that my knuckles turn white. This is exactly why I don’t let people get close. This is exactly why I keep everyone at arm’s length. Because caring about someone gives them the power to hurt you. And I’m so tired of being hurt.
I shower and dress on autopilot. Black jeans. Black tee shirt. The walk to Coffeelicious passes in a blur. I barely notice the grey streets or the other commuters. My mind is too busy spiralling through every possible scenario. Each one worse than the last.
Felix is already at the counter when I arrive. He takes one look at me and his eyes go wide.
“Oh my Satan,” he breathes. “You did it. You actually did it.”
Heat floods my face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Liar.” He grabs my arm and pulls me into the back room, awayfrom any early morning customers. “Your aura is insane right now. It’s all over the place. Purple and gold and swirling like a damn kaleidoscope. Something major happened.”
I busy myself with my apron, avoiding his penetrating stare. “Nothing happened.”
