Page 45

"Your magic isn't messed up, Yue," I state, on the verge of telling her right here and now.

She shakes her head. "It is. I'm going to find your actual fated mate, so we can end this arrangement, and I can stop—"

"Stop what?"

"Losing my fucking mind." She huffs, raising her hand to her eyes. No tears are on her face, yet she wipes her cheeks like they're there. I move to grab her, but she raises her palm. "You have a real mate out there, someone your gargoyle chose. I need to find her so whatever this is can stop." She turns on her heel.

"Look within," I call, and she stills, looking over her shoulder.

Her lip curls. "I don't have time for your bullshit, Ekon. Stop speaking in fortune cookie riddles, Ekon. I need to get back to work. Whatever this is between us is strictly professional."

"Strictly professional," I repeat, rolling the words around in my head. "So you don't care at all?"

"Not a single bit."

"Good to know." I grin and decide right then and there to test her theory.

An hour later, the club is packed to maximum capacity. The lights pulse deep purple and vibrant red, and the crowd near the main stage is roaring. I finish a set, wiping a sheen of sweat from my chest with a towel as I step down to the floor.

A tall woman with shimmering gold hair and a glittery cocktail dress catches my eye from a high-top table near the bar. She must be a regular since she already knows what to do to get my attention. She holds up a fresh stack of bills, smiling invitingly.

From across the room, Yue's gaze burns into the side of my neck. She stands near the main pillar, her posture rigid.

I shoot the patron my most charming, dimpled smile and swagger over. "Enjoying the show?" I ask, leaning down so my chest is inches from her table.

"You're unbelievable, Maverick," she purrs, trailing a manicured finger lightly along the leather strap on my shoulder before sliding a folded bill into the waistband of my pants. "Think I could buy you a drink in a private booth?"

"Now that depends," I murmur, flashing another cocky grin, deliberately tilting my head so Yue has a front-row view of the entire interaction. "What kind of drink are we talking about?"

"Whatever you want," she says with a wink.

I lean closer to her, almost near her mouth, but not quite. Out of the corner of my eye, I spy the pillar. Yue's dark eyes flare with shimmering, volatile Nacht magic. Boom. A sudden, violent tremor ripples through the floorboards.

The spatial expansion magic in the room goes completely haywire. Instead of maintaining a steady, wide floor plan, the club's dimensions warp and fold like an origami crane. Out of nowhere, a thick, velvet-curtained wall erupts around me and the woman, cutting us off from the rest of the club.

"Oh," the patron blinks, looking around at the sudden private room. "Is this new?" she ponders and then adds, "Did you do that?"

"Not me," I chuckle.

Before she can say another word, the spatial magic snaps again with a loud pop. The walls violently contract, and the floor tilts like a carnival slide. Magic launches me out of the space. It funnels me straight across the club floor, sliding my boots along the polished wood until I come to an abrupt halt directly against the bar, a mere inch away from Yue. The crowd cheers and whistles, clearly assuming the slingshot was part of my set.

I catch my balance, bracing both forearms against the bar top where I trap Yue in my space. Without touching her, I grin until my cheeks ache. "Did your magic just eject me from a private booth and drop me at your feet?" I ask.

Yue's eyes narrow. "The spatial wards experienced a localized atmospheric disruption due to the bass vibrations."

"Right, right." I nod, listening to her words. "Uh-huh so about that atmospheric disruption." I edge closer, lowering my voice so only she can hear over the music. "Funny how your localized disruption only triggered when another woman put her hands on my chest."

"I was adjusting the ceiling parameters!" she hisses, finally glaring at me.

"Your magic literally dragged me back to you because you were jealous, Yue."

"I was not jealous!" she snarls, stepping into my space. "I don't care who puts their hands on your leather pants!"

"Liar."

"Ekon, I swear—"

"Come home with me tonight," I say.