Dark Demon (Demon Assassin Series Book 2)
Page 17
“How did you get over here so fast, Az?” Noli asks me, with a bit of a shocked look on her face. I notice that her makeup is starting to smudge from all the sweat on her skin.
“I was standing here the whole time, Noli,” I say, not ready to confess to her that I may or may not have stopped time.
“No, you weren’t. The last time I saw you, you were over there dancing and looking like you were having a semi-good time. Then these two dickwads got into it because they thought that I was going home with one of them, and the next moment I’m looking at you almost puking your guts up on this floor. Something isn’t right,” she says, sounding exasperated. She is flustered and scared, but I still can’t tell her. It’s crazy. I don’t even know what happened.
“I’m not feeling too good, so I’m going over to the bar to get a glass of water and cool down. I’ll be back in ten,” I say, walking away without waiting for her response. She yells after me, but I ignore her.
“Azra, wait a minute,” she says, grabbing my arm. “What the fuck just happened? You can’t run away from this.”
I don’t want to talk about this. I can hardly believe it myself. I stopped time and was able to save my friend. What if she thinks I’m crazy? I can’t come up with a reason why this happened. People do not stop time. It’s scientifically impossible, so how was I able to do it?
“I’m not running; I need a glass of water. You’re ok, right? You don’t need anything?” I ask her. I’m starting to get dizzy again. I feel like all my energy has been zapped out of me.
“I’m fine, a little shaken up, but fine. I’m going to go to the bathroom and splash some water on my face. I’ll meet you at the bar. Don’t leave from that spot,” she commands me. I nod to her and walk over to the bar.
It’s crowded over here, people are standing all around, but I manage to squeeze myself in between two guys and get the attention of the bartender.
“I’ll have a water please,” I say. He nods and goes about fixing it for me. I look over to my left and notice the hot guy from earlier. He’s now standing right next to me looking down with interest. He’s so much taller than me. It’s like I could fit right under his chin if I hugged him. What? Where are these thoughts coming from?
I hope he doesn’t talk to me. Please don’t talk to me. I want to close my eyes and make a wish that he won’t talk to me. He would be so hard to resist. His build is even more impressive close-up. He looks more like a farmer than a quarterback now. He has stubble along his jaw and great big blue eyes. He’s every girl’s wet dream.
“Hello,” he says. Damn it! Why does the universe hate me?
“Uh... hi,” I squeak back, because really what else am I going to say? I have no game. Sean was my only boyfriend, and I met him at a homeless shelter while serving food. There was no pick up lines, just a conversation that led to coffee.
“Come here a lot?” he questions with a smirk. Like he knows how cheesy that was, but couldn’t resist saying it anyway. Against my better judgement, I decide to keep talking with him.
“No, actually I was dragged out tonight by my best friend. What about you? You're not from here, so what brings you to Pete’s?”
“I’m just passing through while heading down south to a conference for work. I’m staying at the Hellebore Inn, and the front desk said this was the only place that was open for food and drink at this hour.”
“Yeah, this small town doesn’t have much in the way of tourist attractions. Just mostly working-class families. Pete’s is the only bar in town,” I say, noticing the bartender is back with my water. I pick it up and take a sip, relishing the fresh taste as it runs down my throat. A moan escapes my lips before I can catch it. I must have been thirstier than I thought.
“Seems like you’re really into that water,” the handsome guy says, with a bit of a laugh in his deep husky voice. It’s a good laugh too, almost like pure happiness could come from that laugh.
“Guess so. I was doing a lot of dancing before and must have built up a thirst.”
“I know. I was watching,” he says with so much smolder in his eyes that I feel like my body could ignite. I suddenly feel boiling hot and flustered. As I go to grab my water again, a wave of nausea hits, and I have to crouch down to prevent myself from puking all over this guy’s shoes.
“Hey, are you ok?” he asks, while bending down to my level — a look of concern on his face. Being this close to him, and looking him in the eyes, is doing nothing for my strength. He’s beautiful, and it’s taking all of me not to lean over and kiss him.
“Yeah, I’m ok., Can you just hand me my water?” I ask, as I close my eyes for a second to get my bearings. It takes him a bit longer than expected to bring me the water. Maybe he didn’t know what glass was mine? But he finally comes back down and hands me the glass. I take it from him and begin to down the whole thing in a single chug. I wipe my mouth on the back of my hand and stand up. I still feel dizzy and now a little light headed. I look around for Noli, but I can’t find her anywhere. I attempt to take a step, and my legs almost give out from under me.
“Woah there. Maybe you had too much to drink?” the hot guy says, grabbing my elbow to steady me on my feet.
“No, I only had one, but for some reason, I feel a bit strange,” I explain. I won’t be telling this stranger what happened before. I don’t know if the time stop thing is making me this out of it, or if my Cosmo was that strong. Either way, it’s time for me to leave, but I still don’t see Noli. I wonder if she’s still in the bathroom. I need to check, but it’s going to be rough trying to get there. Turning to the blue-eyed cutie, I say, “Is it weird for me to ask you to walk me to the bathroom? I’m not feeling so good, and I want to see if my friend is in there so she can take me home.”
“Sure, just point me in the right direction,” he says.
I point over to the far end of the bar, and we begin to make our way over. Pete’s isn’t so big, but with the number of people in here tonight it takes a while to get there. By the time we reach the hallway, I feel like I’m going to blackout. Something isn’t right. My whole body feels numb, and my legs are jello. Blue-eyes is holding me up at this point. We get to the ladies’ room but walk right past it. I try to open my mouth to explain it to him, but notice that my body is so drained, I can’t. My heartbeat starts to race, and before I can say anything, blackness overtakes me.
Continue Azra’s Story
Here
Acknowledgments
This book took so many people to make it special.
First I’d like to thank you dear reader. You make this all worth it. You give me purpose and help me fulfill my dreams.
Cynthia - Thank you for taking my words and making sense out of them. You are a grammar goddess.
Catherine Wilson - Girl! You are so amazing. Thank you for reading through my stuff when it’s raw and jumbled. You’re encouragement and cheer make me want to be a better writer.
Candice Wright, T.S. Snow, Aspen Marks, Isobelle Carmichael - Thank you for always being there when I need you. Without my tribe I’d be a mess. You guys having my back is more than any friend can ask for.
Ana Cruz - I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect cover. You saw Anima and Torque before I did. Thank you so much for everything.
My husband and girls - This will always be for you.
Momma - Ti Amo. Grazie per avermi mostrato l'impossibile è possibile.
Also by A.C. Wilds
Changer Series
Death Card
Claiming Death
Death Ruins
North American Werewolves
Blackclaw
Omega Secrets
Bravecrest
Alpha’s Match
Beta’s Fight
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About the Author
A.C. Wilds was born
and raised in New York City. She lives in an outer borough with her husband and two girls. She loves horseback riding, mythical creatures, and everything books. When she isn't at her desk writing the next great escape, she can be found with the blankets over her head reading a steamy paranormal tale.