by J. N. Colon
Being so close to Viktor for the first time since he saved me rattled my nerves. Mixon said there shouldn’t be any side effects, but I was so in tuned to him it freaked me out. I could feel him when he wasn’t even touching me. I could tell when he was standing three feet away or three inches.
I didn’t seem to have the same effect on him—not that he let on anyway.
“Maybe we should just forget it,” Viktor said from behind me. “You obviously aren’t capable of doing magic. You’ve got to be the sorriest excuse for a Fae in this world and the Otherworld.”
I whipped around. “Are you joking? I found out I was a Fae a few weeks ago. Excuse me if I didn’t grow up knowing how to set people on fire like you did.”
A leer hitched up his lips. “You couldn’t even set a match on fire at this point.”
Anger bubbled toward the surface, bringing a haze over my vision. “Keep talking, Vik, and maybe I’ll set your perfect face on fire. You might look better with a few scars.”
He released a harsh, mocking laugh. “Go for it, seelie-dae. You’ll probably just squint your eyes really hard and give yourself an aneurism.”
That’s it.
Heat flooded my body, coiling tightly in my core. When it reached a boiling point, I yanked on the magic like a cord and released it. A flame formed in my palm. Ha! I finally did it. I wanted to jump up and down in triumph. Instead, I threw it at Viktor—and the son of a bitch caught it.
The fireball fizzled out as his ice power swirled through the room. “You’ve got to do better than that. You’ll end up setting yourself on fire before you manage to burn an inanimate object.”
A growl slithered between my teeth, and I produced another flame. I chucked it at him with the same results. Viktor laughed at my feeble attempts.
“I don’t know how you managed to hurt a wraith. You’re worse than a pixie who can’t make pixie dust.”
From the dark smirk I could guess that was a low-down dirty insult.
Bastard.
The unseelie prince stalked forward, his gait even more predatory than Faolan’s. My pulse shot through the roof as he grabbed my arms, shoving me into a wall. “You’re too much of a scared little girl to really reach down and grab that power.”
“Screw you, Vik.” I tried and failed to break his unrelenting grip.
His teeth bared then he lowered his face until it rested inches from mine. “I can hear your heart pitter-pattering as fast as sprite wings. You can’t do a thing against me, and you know it.” He leaned forward to whisper into my ear. “I could crush you like a bug before you even had a chance to scream. We’re down here all alone. You’re at my mercy, Sloane.”
I shoved him, but his massive body refused to budge. A tendril of fear began to twist through the anger and frustration. Viktor really could do anything he wanted, and no one would know. No one would care.
I lifted my knee, going straight for his crotch.
Viktor moved too fast and blocked my hit. “Again, your lame effort is pathetic, seelie-dae.”
My blood boiled. I wasn’t some weak little girl, and I wouldn’t let the prince push me around. He didn’t get to have that power over me.
I brought another flame into my palm. Before I could toss it, he clasped our hands together, but it didn’t burn him. Instead, ice began to overcome the flame.
My fury spiked, and I drove harder. He wasn’t going to keep pushing me around. Flames licked between our fingers as fire and ice fought for dominance.
“Still not enough, seelie-dae.” His other hand skated up my arm and curled around my neck. “I could still choke you.”
What the hell? I thought he was supposed to teach me how to use my powers, not how to protect myself from him.
Maybe his hatred had gotten in the way of his master plan. Maybe he wanted that badly to kill me.
Not happening.
A scream tore out of my mouth as I shoved him off. Flames engulfed my hands and with a battle cry, I threw them.
Viktor ducked to avoid the fireballs. They sailed into the vase of flowers, shattering it like a bomb had gone off. He cursed and threw up his arm, tossing the glass shards away with air magic before they impaled us.
But the force of my powers still ricocheted back. He slammed into me, pinning us against the wall.
Holy. Shit.
Our sweaty bodies pressed against each other, our chests heaving while my heart matched the frantic beat of his. Viktor’s silver eyes stared into mine, something more than ice stirring behind those glacier orbs.
“That’s more like it.” His voice was nothing more than a rough, husky whisper that sent shivers down my spine. The crooked hitch of his lips told me he’d felt it. “I knew you had it in you, Sloane. You just had to feel threatened enough to let it out.”
I blinked. “You tried to scare me on purpose?”
He shrugged. “You were able to use your powers when that wraith attacked. I figured fear and anger were your triggers.”
I hated to admit it, but the unseelie prince was right.
Viktor’s hands found their way between my arms and ribs, slowly sliding down. Goose bumps puckered my skin despite the heat swirling between us. “I didn’t think you’d release a damn explosion.”
“Well, you pissed me off.” And scared me. Why did my body react so forcefully to someone who liked to threaten me?
His gaze dropped to my lips as I licked them. “I like pissing you off.”
“Same.”
Viktor watched a bead of sweat drip down my neck, disappearing between my breasts. The look that suddenly came over him punched me right in the gut. My knees weakened, and I could hardly breathe.
“Sloane,” he whispered, “you are really good at pissing me off.”
He wasn’t angry right now. No. He was a man dying of thirst, and I was the only thing that could quench it.
Viktor leaned forward. If I lifted onto my toes, our lips would meet. The desire to taste him again surged through my body.
Before I could make a move, Viktor made one of his own and drew back, leaving me trembling against the wall.
My hands curled into fists. What was wrong with me? I shouldn’t want him.
He turned away, clearing his throat. “I think that’s enough for today.” He dragged his fingers through his unruly hair. “We should clean this up. The club will be open tonight. A couple of fights are scheduled.”
I peeled myself off the wall, shaking with so much pent-up energy. If I didn’t get it out, I’d do something stupid—like throw myself at him. “I want to fight.”
“No.” His response came fast and immediate.
“No?” I propped my hands on my hips. “Why not?”
His brows lowered on his forehead. “Because I don’t need you getting hurt over a couple of bucks. If you need money, I’ll give it to you.”
My head snapped back. “Why would you just give me money?”
Viktor shrugged. “You’re under my protection now, and if you need money, I’ll give it to you.”
My mouth opened and closed as I tried to formulate a coherent sentence. Money wasn’t the same thing as protection. “I—No. I’m not going to take your money.” No one had ever just given me money.
His nostrils flared. “Yes, you will.”
“No, I won’t.” I matched his unwavering stare. “Besides, it’s not about the money. I need to do this.”
Viktor searched over me for what lay hidden beneath my words. His shoulders finally loosened, and he released a long sigh. “Fine, but if you get hurt, don’t expect me to donate my blood this time.”
I smirked. “I’ll just ask Tristan to heal me with a kiss.”
His jaw flexed and something dark flashed over his face. “He’s not man enough to handle you.”
I gulped shallow breaths, reading the real message loud and clear. Viktor Hale considered himself the only one here strong enough to match me. Was he right?
My fist slammed into the daemon’s abdomen again
, knocking the wind out of her. Before she could recover, I crushed my elbow into her side and darted behind her. The crowd roared and money traded hands.
I hoped they bet on me because I was winning.
Gia clutched her middle as she crawled to her feet. Black stained her green eyes. Apparently, I’d pissed her off. I’d be angry too if I was losing to someone half my size.
In the back of my mind, I knew it didn’t make sense. I was good, but I’d never quite been this spectacular. The daemon hadn’t even landed a single hit. I could anticipate every one of her attempted strikes.
Viktor’s blood was the only explanation. I felt him now, watching from the balcony.
“I don’t know how you’re so good, but you’re going down, seelie-dae.” Gia spat a glob of blood onto the concrete.
“Give it your best shot.” I scrutinized her every move. The twitch of her hand, the flare of her nostrils, the tick of her chin in one direction—they were all indicators of her next advance. A left hit to the jaw was coming.
I was ready when she threw a punch, her knuckles barely brushing my cheek. Gia, however, wasn’t ready for my elbow slamming into her ribs. I gave her an uppercut, knocking her to the ground. The daemon attempted to crawl to her feet before finally crashing onto her back.
Cheers from the crowd erupted. Gia was finished.
This was the only time the inmates didn’t despise me. It had everything to do with money and giving them a good show. After that first fight, they thought twice before betting against me.
Maddox jogged into the ring with a grin, grabbed my hand, and yanked it into the air. “The winner is Sloane!”
I smiled and glanced at the balcony where Viktor remained in the shadows. I could still feel his penetrating gaze over every inch of my body. Fire seared through my center imagining his hands caressing me the same way.
“This is bullshit!” A male daemon forced his way into the circle. “The seelie-dae cheated. There’s no way in hell she could beat Gia.”
He was kind of right.
Maddox lifted his hands. “Jack, we all saw. She won fair and square. You know Viktor doesn’t put up with cheating.”
Daemons began to move through the crowd, pushing people out of the way. Eros and Tiana appeared along with a few others who’d witnessed Faolan’s attack. Viktor banned the alpha shifter, but Henrick slithered through the throng of Fae with a sinister smirk. My pulse spiked as they began to close in.
“Someone needs to teach this little girl a lesson.” A pair of hands clamped down on my shoulders, yanking me around. Eros’s slick black irises captured mine as his mouth opened. A flood of energy instantly leached from my body.
The club and the hostile Fae surrounding me blurred. I swayed, dangerously close to dropping to the ground. Oh, crap. Eros’s power hit me hard and fast. I tried to push him off, but he had a hold of me. And he wasn’t letting go.
As weakness spread through my limbs and my knees threatened to buckle, a violent roar thundered in my ears.
A familiar presence suddenly descended, and the connection to the daemon severed. Warm hands steadied me. “Sloane, look at me.”
I found a familiar pair of eyes, wintry storm clouds brewing within them. “Vik?” I mumbled. The cathedral room swam back into focus. Holy shit. Eros had been sucking my energy dry.
I whipped around to see him unconscious on the ground. “What happened?”
“I knocked him out.” Viktor released me and turned to the crowd. “There was no cheating.”
Protests from the daemons and now shifters rose, provoking the chaos among the Fae.
Waves of power rolled off Viktor, thick and suffocating. My blood—or maybe it was his blood—zinged through my veins.
“If you don’t like my law, then you can get the fuck out of my club,” he snarled, each word sharp as a dagger. Viktor angled his body toward mine and wrapped his fingers around my wrist. “And no one touches Sloane again.”
His command silenced every Fae in the crowd. They’d seen us talk before, and they knew he’d saved me from Faolan, but he’d never outright had my back in public.
“The next person who threatens her—shifter, daemon, or even a damn seelie—will have me to deal with.” He pulled me closer until our sides were plastered together. The heat from his body overwhelmed me, but I wouldn’t dare move. “I’ll make the iron hole seem like paradise.”
My breathing hitched. He’d certainly announced we were no longer enemies. In fact, he’d declared I was under his protection. Completely.
Viktor turned away from the crowd, scrutinizing me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded having lost the use of my mouth.
Excited chattered spread through the basement. I could already hear them speculating about our relationship. Helena was probably throwing a hissy fit right now.
The unseelie skank was the least of my problems. I hadn’t won that fight fairly. Viktor’s blood had done something to me, and I needed to know what.
“Can we talk? Alone?” I asked.
Viktor understood the urgency in my voice. He gave a quick nod and tugged me through the crowd toward the back. The tension thickened around us when we finally reached the medical room. I trudged to the counter, leaning against it as he shut the door.
I blew a long breath out of my mouth. “What the hell is going on?”
He crossed his arms against his chest, those tattoos momentarily distracting me. “You’re going to have to be a little more specific.”
Viktor wouldn’t make this easy.
“Ever since you gave me your blood, I’ve felt a little different,” I blurted
“Different how?”
I jerked my thumb toward the hall. “Did you see me out there? I’ve never been that good.”
“It was just your night.” Viktor took a juniper stick out of his pocket and lit it with the snap of his fingers. “That’s all.”
“You’ve watched all of my fights.” Quite closely. “There was a reason those daemons accused me of cheating. And then there’s…” I chewed on my bottom lip, hesitating.
He blew purple mist out of his mouth. “There’s what?”
I hated to admit this because it made me sound like one of those psycho girls crushing on a total stranger, not that I had a crush on Viktor. “I know—I can sense—when you’re around.”
His shoulders stiffened and he slowly savored the juniper stick. “Of course you know when I’m around. You have a habit of staring at me.”
I should point out he had the same habit. “Before I even see you, I know you’re there. I can feel you.”
Viktor rolled the stick around between his fingers, his gaze cast on the floor and expression purposefully blank. “I don’t know what you want me to say. Sorry, but I don’t feel anything like that.”
I watched him, the way his eyes wouldn’t meet mine, the way his shoulders tensed and jaw clenched. “You’re so full of shit. I know you’re lying. Just admit it, Vik. There’s something between us.” I cringed at how that sounded.
His head snapped up, a hurricane brewing in those silver orbs. “Don’t let this partnership go to your head, Sloane. I’m only working with you so you can destroy the Stone of Ordú.” He leaned off the door but kept a safe distance between us. “Don’t catch feelings for me because they will never be reciprocated.”
His words were daggers to my chest, each one stealing my breath. “Screw you, Viktor. I should have known coming to you with this would bring out your asshole side.”
“I only have one side where you’re concerned.”
A cloud of fire burned inside me. If this goblin cuff wasn’t clamped on my wrist, I’d have enough power to shoot flames out of my eyeballs.
Instead, I spun around and stormed out, slamming the door so hard the wall rattled. Viktor Hale was just a means to an end and nothing else. Once I took care of the unseelie prince, my debt to the queen would be paid and my sister would be safe forever. But where exactly would that leave me?
I guzzled down my second bottle of moonberry wine and then slammed it on a table so hard the legs threatened to give out. I’d been avoiding Viktor and the V.I.P. section all night. Like I wanted to see his smug, arrogant face. He accused me of falling for him. Please. How could I like a guy with an ego the size of Texas?
It was better this way. He’d be easier to kill. Now that he was teaching me magic, I could get close without seducing him.
“You’re ready to party tonight, aren’t you?” Barlow strolled up with a mischievous smirk tilting his lips. “I like you all sauced up. Maybe it’ll help you relax.”
I flipped him off. “Go relax somewhere else, leprechaun.”
He licked his fingertip, held it out toward me, and hissed. “Never mind. You’re still as fiery as always, seelie-dae.”
“Don’t call me that.”
He tossed his hands in the air. “You called me leprechaun. I thought it only fair.” He tugged a juniper stick from behind his ear, lighting it. The cherry burned bright in the dim space. Music pumped through the basement, and people meandered, danced, or convened in groups. “What’s gotten your panties in such a tight knot tonight? You won your fight. Shouldn’t you be celebrating?”
“I am.” I grabbed the stick from him and pressed it to my mouth. The sweet flavor crawled over my tongue, but it only reminded me of the night Viktor and I sat in the back drinking. Later we’d kissed in his room—more than kissed.
That bastard could go to hell for all I cared.
“Sloane, I thought you’d be in the V.I.P. area.” Tristan appeared through the crowd of Fae like a rakish angel hellbent on saving my soul.
I licked my lips as my gaze slowly meandered over his tall form. Golden-brown hair fell around a pair of deep navy eyes that reflected nothing but honesty—unlike a certain ass of a prince. His shoulders strained beneath the prison-issued white t-shirt. Like most Fae, Tristan was hot. His sweet nature and boyish smile were a far cry from the human guys I’d encountered.
But the seelie also had a temper and those muscles weren’t just for looks. He’d attempted to go after Faolan the other day—for me.
