by Leia Stone
His gaze landed on my dagger in hand and his eyes narrowed. “What are you doing?”
“Uhhh, well.” I ran a hand through my long blonde hair, loosening the curls with the nervous gesture. “There’s a party tonight at a club, and Angela said attacks can happen, and I thought—”
“You’re going to Chloe’s party?” He sounded surprised.
I put a hand on my hip. “Yes. I have friends, you know.” Kind of. Four of them.
He swallowed, seeming to finally grasp that he was standing there half-naked and wet, and I was just staring at him like I wanted to lick the water off his chest.
‘We like him. I’ve decided,’ Sera said. I chose to ignore her comment.
“Fine, take it. Don’t do anything stupid though.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll try, but no promises.” Turning to grasp the door handle, I paused and spun to look at him once more. “Are you going too?” I asked. He sounded like he knew of Chloe’s party.
He nodded. “If you would finally leave, so I can get dressed.”
My eyes sharpened and I reached out, snagging a pear from the counter before slamming the door behind me.
“Stop stealing my food, woman!” he roared out the window.
I just grinned. Every time he pissed me off, I was stealing a piece of fruit. By the time the year was over, I’d have a whole orchard.
Chapter Twelve
“Brielle!” Chloe shrieked as we stepped into the club. She was greeting people at the entrance, literally just a blue door, and then two flights downstairs that led us underground.
I smiled, giving her a hug, and introduced Shea. She was super welcoming, hugging Shea and Angela, and Luke as well. We gave her our gift, a potion to change her hair color for a month, which Angela had made. Chloe loved it and gave us tickets to the VIP booth before shooing us inside.
The moment we stepped into the space, I was assaulted with music, lights and warm bodies pressed against mine. There was a stage with a live singer who had purple hair, and over her head hung the club’s logo, a moon with the third eye inside of it. Under that a sign read, “Happy Birthday, Chloe.”
“Can I have my next birthday here?” Shea begged, linking her arm with mine.
I laughed. “Sure, just don’t expect me to rent out the VIP lounge.” I smacked the VIP tickets on her arm and she grinned.
“All right, I’m broke as hell, so let’s get some guys to buy us drinks.” Shea shook her cleavage to drive the point home.
This was an eighteen-and-up club, but I was pretty sure they carded at the bar. “And what will you be drinking, missy?” I asked her, trying to scream over the music.
She rolled her eyes and snatched the tickets from my hand. “Don’t mom out on me,” she growled. “They have Mage drinks here. Similar to the donuts. Bliss drinks, etc.” She walked toward the red roped-off entrance of the VIP section.
Ugh, I wasn’t momming out. I was… okay, I was momming out.
Screw it. I need to relax, and dance, and let go of this week.
After getting past the big Nightblood at the VIP entrance, we stepped into an open, less-crowded space.
Noah, Darren and Blake were all leaning against the bar. When we walked in, Blake caught my eye and waved me over.
“OhmygodNoah’shere,” Shea rushed out.
I nodded. “Be careful, he seems like a player.”
She shrugged, looking him up and down. “I don’t mind getting played.”
I rolled my eyes. She said that now, but when she was crying herself to sleep because he cheated on her, I’d hear a different story. We reached the boys, and I introduced everyone again, as Luke and Shea had only met the boys once.
“Who wants a drink?” Noah asked, eyes on Shea.
“Bri and I will take a bliss bomb,” she told him with a sugary smile.
He nodded, looking seductively at her, and then took Luke’s and Angela’s orders next—a mellow margarita for Luke, and a water for Angela.
“Boring!” Shea shouted at her.
She laughed. “Someone has to watch over you kids.”
“Ha! You’re like barely older,” Luke snapped.
She sucked her finger and stuck it in his ear, making him squeal. They were so cute. Nothing like Mikey and me, who were always at each other’s throats. My mom said it was the shock of her life to find out she was pregnant with Mikey when I was ten weeks old. I couldn’t believe that just next year Mikey would be at school with me.
The drinks came, and after a few sips, I started to laugh. They were just like the donuts.
“Let’s dance!” I shouted, chugging the rest of my drink and dragging Shea, Blake and the entire crew to the private VIP dance floor.
I quickly learned that Darren was the joker of the group, challenging us to a dance-off, and battling with some pretty hilarious moves. Shea twerked all over him, making him go rigid and wide-eyed, then finished with a booty slap that had Luke and me in peals of laughter. Shea didn’t give a shit. Ever. And I loved her for it.
The music changed to something more sensual, and I started to grind my hips in the air to the beat, my arms above my head.
I love this drink. I love life. I love love.
Spinning around quickly, I slammed right into a familiar chest. It was his scent that hit me first, earthy and… yummy. God, he was so tall. I wanted to just climb him like a tree.
“Drunk already?” Lincoln scowled down at me.
My hips continued to move, still dancing. Screw him, I love dancing. I shook my head. “No. Bliss bomb. You should have one. Maybe that stick will fall out of your ass.”
“Ha-ha,” he yelled, bending down so I could smell him more.
“Dance with me!” I shouted, grabbing his arm and holding it above my head, I twirled underneath it like a ballerina.
Lincoln glared at Noah. “Did you do this?” He pointed to me, keeping his body stiff, just letting me dance with his one floppy arm.
Noah grinned. “Come on, man. Lighten up, just for one night.”
Lincoln just glared at his friend and slipped his hand from me, taking his warmth to the edge of the bar where he sipped on a bottle of something clear that looked suspiciously like water.
During the next four songs, we continued to battle and dance as Lincoln drank his water, watching me from across the dance floor. His long sword hung from his hip. Chloe had joined us and was dancing with Darren. When I broke into the running man, Blake was sent into fits of laughter, but the bliss bomb was wearing off, and I was becoming acutely aware of those blue eyes watching me from across the bar.
“Be right back!” I told Shea, who was grinding on a happy Noah. My chest and forehead were glistening with sweat, and I was dying for some water. I sank into the seat next to Lincoln, and got the bartender’s attention. “Can I have a glass of water?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Bottles only. They’re four dollars. You can get free glasses of water outside the VIP section.”
Oh. My face fell. “Okay, never min—”
Lincoln slid a five-dollar bill across to the bartender without a word. The man grabbed it and gave him the water bottle, Lincoln handed it to me.
What’s happening? Is the world ending? Did Lincoln Grey just do something nice for me?
Our fingers brushed for a moment as I took the bottle. “Thank you for the water, but are you feeling all right?” I joked.
He chuckled. “Shut up and hydrate yourself, so you can go back out there and keep dancing like an idiot. I’m getting some really good videos to blackmail you with later.”
My mouth popped open. “You’d better be joking. Let me see your phone!” I reached for his pocket but he grabbed my wrist.
“You’ll never know.” He winked.
Oh. My. God. Lincoln winking was nothing like when Noah did it. Noah was an abusive cheesy winker, doling them out all the time. Lincoln had never winked at me before, and now that he had, I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest.
/> Oh shit. I totally like him. How the hell did that happen?
I was standing there, just stupidly staring at him, when people started screaming. Looking out into the main area of the bar, I could see black smoke filling the air.
“What’s that?” I asked, panicked. Lincoln stood, pulled out his sword and stepped in front of me just as the music came to a grinding halt.
“Demon attack!” someone yelled.
A flashbang grenade went off right at the entrance of the VIP area, and I was blinded by a bright light, the bang was deafening. For the few seconds before the lights had gone off, I’d seen two Brimstone demons in the crowd, and another demon that gave me the chills—that Abrus demon who was set to buy my contract. Terror flooded my system. Why is he here?
Lincoln yanked me to the ground, pinning me under the bar where the stools where.
“Shea!” I started screaming. I couldn’t see anything but huge white circles, my ears still ringing.
“Shea!” I screamed, going hoarse. There was no use, she was probably momentarily deaf as well. My vision started to return quickly, thanks to my Celestial healing, and along with it, my hearing.
Lincoln was caught in some kind of scuffle with the Brimstone demon. They were clanging swords as people ran screaming for the exit. Reaching into my boot, I pulled Sera out.
‘Help,’ I said, unsure what we could do from the ground.
Lincoln’s wings were out now, and Darren had jumped to his side as the second Brimstone demon tried to attack him. Of all the places in the bar to go, they attacked this spot. I was just mulling it over when a strong hand reached down and grabbed me by the hair, pulling me up. Pain shot up my scalp and I screamed, holding onto my attacker’s arm to lessen the strain on my scalp.
“There you are, princess,” The smooth-talking Abrus demon cooed in my ear.
Fear ripped through me at the realization that he seemed to be there for me.
“Brielle!” Lincoln shouted. He was cutting down the Brimstone demon, but not fast enough. The Abrus demon yanked me backward, and started dragging me toward the exit. I slashed out with my dagger, but with him behind me, dragging me with an iron grip, I had no stability. I decided then to pull out my wings and see if that would help me pry myself from his grasp but when I tried to extended them, there was a painful popping between my shoulder blades and they stayed in. He had some kind of magic that was keeping them in or something. Oh God.
A blur of red to my left pulled my attention to Shea. She was crouched about five feet away, farther up where the Abrus demon was walking backward, holding her sharp-bladed disc in one hand.
Oh God. What is she going to—
She sprang from her stance and chucked the weapon at the demon.
My eyes widened as it hurtled through the air and, from the sound of it, sank into the demon’s back.
“Not so fast, asswipe!” Shea roared.
With a roar, the Abrus demon dropped me and I fell onto my bruised tailbone, but he was still holding onto my hair. He flung a hand out, shooting a purplish-black ball of smoke at Shea, which had her gasping on the ground and screaming in seconds.
‘Sera!’ I shouted in my head, holding my useless dagger.
‘Hold me up and close your eyes.’
I did as she asked. We were a few feet from the exit door, and I didn’t fancy being kidnapped.
The second my eyelids closed, a bright light shot out and the Abrus demon screamed, releasing my hair. I fell farther backward, with no way to steady myself, and cracked my head on the ground. Wasting no time, I rolled to my side, eyesight blotchy but intact, and thrust Sera into the demon’s calf muscle, halfway to the hilt. His scream was so high-pitched, that I nearly dropped my blade to cover my ears. It sounded like screeching bats, which was absolutely terrifying.
‘Ew, he tastes awful,’ she whined.
I didn’t want to know what that even meant. ‘Umm, sorry?’
Lincoln leapt into view then, Darren by his side. Both were covered in inky demon blood, and holding their swords up, ready to fight.
The Abrus demon was holding Lincoln’s gaze, but one of the Dark Mages he’d come in with yanked his arm and pulled him out the door. I held onto Sera as she was ripped from his calf and then he was gone. The squeal of tires announced their exit.
What just happened?
Two strong hands wrapped around me, one under my neck and one under my legs, and then I was being pulled into Lincoln’s arms. His eyes roamed over every inch of me.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
If I say no, will he put me down?
“I hit my head.” It wasn’t a lie.
“Bring the car around!” Lincoln barked to Blake, who started jogging out the front door.
“Shea!” I shouted, craning my neck. Then I remembered she’d been hit with some smoke spell.
Noah kneeled over her, hands glowing orange. “She’ll be fine,” he told me.
Her eyes were tearing from coughing so hard, but she met my gaze and nodded.
“Can you walk?” Lincoln asked me.
No. “Yes.”
He set me down and I felt like pouting. It was kind of nice being in those strong arms for a minute.
“Were they here for her?” he asked Darren, who stood at his side.
Darren frowned. “It looked like it.”
Now they were all staring at me. I shrugged. “That’s the guy who was supposed to buy my contract. Maybe he wanted to sell me or something?”
Lincoln’s jaw tightened. “You’re not for sale.”
Holy winker, I really like him. What’s happening to me?
A loud knock came on the other side of the exit door from the VIP lounge and Lincoln ripped it open. Blake was standing there with his car backed up to the doorframe. Another guy was standing with him, tall, broad-shouldered with light brown hair.
“Brisbane! Can you get me the video surveillance from tonight? I want to know how they got in, and what their plan was,” Lincoln barked. He was in warrior mode now, and it was totally hot.
The guy nodded. “On it.” He burst through the entryway and ran down into the lower level. It seemed like he knew where he was going, and since his last name was Brisbane, I guessed he was Chloe’s brother. The one Luke had a crush on.
Luke and Angela appeared with Shea linked in their arms, and walked over to me. My best friend’s eyes were tearing, and it looked like she’d been maced. I had no freaking clue what kind of magic Abrus demons had, but from what I’d seen over the past few days, it was scary-as-hell magic.
Lincoln looked me up and down once more. “You’re not hurt?” he asked again.
My head was throbbing from where I cracked it but it wasn’t bleeding, I pushed a little at my wings and felt them slide out a ways before retracting. Whatever spell he’d had over them was gone. I shook my head to Lincoln. “I’ll be fine.”
“Okay. Get back to school and stay there. No more leaving the grounds. And keep that blade on you at all times.” His eyes flicked to Sera.
‘He’s a sensible chap,’ she noted.
Talk about a sudden change of heart.
It was stupid, but I took the time to wonder if he’d take my key to his trailer away now that I had no reason to go there. That meant no more walking in on him half-naked, which bummed me out.
As Darren was guiding me to the waiting vehicle, Lincoln called out my name. “Three nights a week, from seven to eight o’clock, I want you to take extra battle training with me. This might happen again. Until we know why they want you, we need to be prepared.”
My stomach flipped. Extra training with Lincoln? Just the two of us? I knew he was only doing it because it was his job to keep me alive, but part of me wondered if he liked spending time with me.
I was totally falling for the resident asshole. Except maybe he wasn’t an asshole.
Maybe he never was.
Chapter Thirteen
It had been six weeks since the night club. I was offici
ally employed and loving my job at the healing clinic, which consisted mostly of goofing off with Noah, and sometimes actually helping heal a patient.
Healing people sucked. It hurt. Literally. I healed a cut on Shea’s leg for practice and it hurt my leg. Healers had to be super selfless, which was surprising considering how self-absorbed Noah seemed.
My private training sessions with Lincoln were torture in so many ways. The sexual tension was so thick, I could cut it with a knife. Of course, I had zero clue if he was feeling it too, since he was always barking orders at me, and scowling when I held a weapon wrong. I, on the other hand, was finding ways to touch him—an arm graze here, a bump into him there. I had it bad, and it was pathetic. He’d taken my key to his trailer back, and seemed completely uninterested in me sexually. Meanwhile, I was thinking about the way those water droplets had rolled down his V on a daily basis.
“Miss Atwater?”
My eyes snapped to the front where Mr. Rincor, a Celestial with Gabriel’s power, was shooting glowing sparks out of his hands.
The issue with my studies of light class was there were only two students, a senior named Fred, who had Gabriel powers, and me. Mr. Rincor was his master teacher. With only two students in the class, it was easy for him to tell that I wasn’t paying attention.
“Yep?” I tried to act like I was super extra paying attention. Eyes wide and alert, I pinned them on the professor.
He motioned to my hands. “Give it a try.”
I sighed. I was a serious badass in weapons and battle class—growing up around demons meant Shea and I were the scrappiest, dirtiest fighters in the class—I’d also come to love fallen history, but this class? I sucked. It was awful. For a girl who carried powers from not one but four archangels inside of her, I sure as hell didn’t have an ounce of light in me. I tried not to think that it was because there was some darkness inside of me eating up the light.
I went to grab Sera and he shook his head. “With your hands.”
I growled, earning a smile from Fred. He could shoot the freaking Fourth of July from his hands, stunning anyone who got in his way, and momentarily blinding them if he wanted. Me? I could make my hands glow about the same as a two-watt light bulb, before they petered out to nothing.
