“Polka-dot bikinis are a girl’s best friend. Haven’t you ever heard the song?” she taunted as the man had to dance backward to avoid her attacks. The man she tangled with was utterly beautiful. There was something so unearthly about it that it made me want to blush when his attention diverted to me for a second. A millisecond. But it was enough to realize he was looking past me.
“Moya podruga.” A reverent whisper came from behind me. Startled, I turned to face the ruggedly handsome man who’d carried me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The one who would make any lady’s parts awaken with a force. Because he was all man. All of it.
“Oh, boy.” I took a hesitant step backward.
“Nyet. I am all male, little female,” he teased, echoing my thoughts as his lips curled back to reveal some wicked-looking fangs.
I zeroed in on canines that were sharper than a human’s, and nightmares from my past rushed forward. Acting purely on instinct, I rushed forward and twisted my lips into a snarl. With anger and fear motivating my actions, I pushed with all my might. Z stumbled back, looking genuinely surprised.
“Polka-dot, Sixx,” Ana hissed at me. I peeked over at her assailant. He was breathing heavily as he watched Ana with a spark in his eye that made my skin flush. He didn’t see a half-fae, he saw all woman, and he obviously liked what he saw. Of course, she was a stunning creature.
“I won’t leave you. He’s…”
“He’s not a wolf. He doesn’t have that smell about him. But we need to motor, and I need to know you are safe,” Ana said.
Z, my guy – well, not mine, but you knew what I meant – focused on me and stepped closer. His eyes, still full of fire, narrowed. “Don’t run from me, ozornoy. I will chase.”
“What are you even saying right now?” I retorted, more annoyed with him than anything else. He graced me with that devilish smile again, and warmth stirred in my chest and spread outward. Shaking my head, I steeled my resolve. No. I have to run.
Ana became eerily silent, the air around her crackling. My eyes widened as I realized what she was planning. Swallowing, I crept a couple of steps to the side. Thankfully, the sidewalk had cleared of other humans. Something about a paranormal’s energy seemed to creep into the human subconscious, causing their flight instincts to kick into high gear. I struggled with the same desire a lot of the time.
I yelped when I took another step off the sidewalk and felt nothing but air as the toe of my shoe caught the curb. Stumbling, I felt my ankle roll, and I bit off a rather colorful curse. My boss at my pharmacy day job told me I needed to cut back on my swearing. A couple of complaints had already been lodged against me, and I had a swear jar at home that we’d already had to upgrade a couple of times. At the end of the year, Ana said she was going to use it to buy us an expensive dinner.
With both our assailants’ attentions distracted, Ana took advantage of my unwitting disturbance. She released her power with a dull pulse that thrummed in my ears, which knocked both of the men on their asses as arcs of electricity shot through them. Moving like the lightning she controlled, Ana grabbed me before I could fall onto my ass.
“Holy sugar snaps. Thanks,” I said, my gaze dropping to my guy as he lay sprawled on the concrete. No, not my guy. Just my would-be captor. His gaze held a promise that this wouldn’t be the last time we crossed paths, and a shiver rattled down my spine.
I shook my head. It has to be. It will be.
Ana and I darted off before they could get back on their feet.
Chapter 3
“This is bananas!” I shout-whispered at the TV. Ana snorted next to me even though she was half asleep. It had been almost a week since our run-in with the big, beefy paras. She refused to talk about what happened, but she ended up telling me that by the time she got to the alleyway, the para we had been tracking was gone. If she thought Z or his friend might have been him, she didn’t let on, so I let her play the avoidance game. But I hated the haunted look in her eyes, and I hated how distant she had been this week. Like she was living in a different world, separate from ours; the world we created together that had been forged in cruel circumstances.
“Ana, are you watching this?” I smacked her arm jokingly.
“Yes,” she said, bemused, but there was that undertone that had been in her voice all week.
I paused the show we had started the night before. It was our show, and as much as I had been dying to start it before she got home from her regular job as a bartender at a paranormal bar called Sea Creature, I waited. Now the screen was stuck on a bleached-mullet lunatic to whom I had currently been addicted.
But he could wait because my best friend was acting weird. I tucked my knees, cradling my butt on the soles of my feet, and stared at Ana silently, willing her to spill her guts. She refused to look at me. Instead, her faraway gaze remained on the paused goofiness splashed on the screen. Narrowing my eyes, I leaned a little closer and pressed my lips together.
“Your scare tactics don’t work on me. I thought we covered this after the goblin incident.”
“He was honestly scared!” I snapped, annoyed that she didn’t believe me. She smiled but still studiously avoided my gaze.
“What’s going on?” I poked her cheek with my finger, hoping that would get her attention.
Leaning her head back on the edge of the couch, she rolled her neck and finally looked my way. “I had a visitor tonight.”
“Aunt Flo?” I quipped.
“Hell, I wish.”
My stomach dropped. Who could be worse than Aunt Flo?
“W-who?”
“The guy from the other night that I was fighting with. He stopped by the bar and wanted to talk.”
Why was my heart pounding at the very thought of amber eyes that danced with fire?
“What about?” Was I holding my breath? No. Absolutely not.
“He wanted to know what I was doing out on the streets, ‘flaunting’ my powers like that,” she growled, using air quotes. “He warned me that others were looking into our activities and it would be best if we laid low for a while.”
“He didn’t try to attack you, did he?” I asked, my heart stuttering. It was totally wrong that the man starring in the dirtiest dreams I’d ever had – the kind that still made me blush in the morning – could have hurt her. I wouldn’t allow that. No matter how stupid-hot he was.
“No. No, not at all. Honestly. But I’m so confused. I think he was trying to warn me, but I stormed off before he could tell me a whole lot. Then Todd came from the back and told Kallan to leave.”
My brain stopped.
“Wait, who?”
“Kallan. That’s the name of the guy who attacked me. From what I gathered, he’s a fae like me. He didn’t say it, but I could sense it. I don’t know, Sixx. You and I always tried to stay away from others, and we only fought the baddies. It’s… I’m just processing what this means. And seeing you slung over that guy’s shoulder…” Ana grabbed my hands and held my gaze. “I’ve never been so scared in my entire life. I can’t … I won’t lose you. You’re all I have left in this world.” Ana blew out a tense breath. “I think we need to chill on the superhero vigilante stuff. Just until this blows over and they’ve forgotten about us.”
“They?” I squeaked.
“Kallan left me with one final warning – to tell you to watch your back. His partner hasn’t been the same since our run-in with him.”
I really hated the flutter in my chest that erupted at the mention of Z. I also really hated the heart pangs that followed. I swallowed and nodded, pretending to agree. Then, I twisted back around to face the TV and hit play, seeking solace from the insanity playing out in front of me. Instead, my heart squeezed because I knew this part of the story better than anyone else.
My best friend would start keeping things from me, which was the one thing we promised not to do after everything that had happened. Pushing the pain down, I decided to start planning in the morning. I knew Ana well enough to know that
if I pushed, she would push back.
I hoped the documentary would serve as a distraction, but my thoughts wandered. I hated that they kept circling back to Z. About the way his heat felt against my body. About how even when he was swinging me around, he was careful about holding me. But more than that, I thought about the threat he posed to my adoptive sister.
I would do anything to protect her. I’d rain hell down on those two guys if they tried to hurt her. Hot or not, those fellas would not terrify my best friend. Not if I could help it. I’d protect her the only way I knew how.
****
Weekends were my time off as well as when Ana had her longest, busiest shifts. She usually just got one weekend off a month since that was when she made the most tips and the other bartenders jockeyed for the weekends, too. It was Friday night, and it had been two weeks since our run-in with the fellas, but we continued to avoid the streets. Ana had become restless. Our lives had become pretty sedate. Every other night, we would troll for any baddies that went bump in the night, but we were working nowhere near the pace we were at two weeks ago.
Hell, even my introverted butt was getting antsy. That was why I decided, after the end of another long work week, to hang out around the bar for the rest of the night. So, there I sat at the end of the bar, facing the doorway, watching as Ana swung, spun, and did fancy twirls with the liquor bottles.
When the latest top-fifty song came on that I’d recently become obsessed with, I started bouncing in my seat, singing along under my breath. Okay, so I’d had a few – or maybe more than a few – whiskey sours. Ana looked over at me and snorted before slapping down a bottle of water.
“You’ll thank me later. Start on the water.”
My lips pursed together in a pout. “But…”
“No buts, young lady. Water.” Ana gave me a thousand-dollar glare. With her glossy blonde hair tucked high on her head, she killed the sleek, take-no-prisoners look. I begrudgingly picked up the water, taking a sip before she finally returned to her other customers.
While my buzz died away, my thoughts returned to our encounter with the two paras. I didn’t know why my thoughts kept circling back to that night. We’d encountered plenty of paras through our line of extracurricular work. Well, Ana did. I typically watched from afar. Right after Ana and I met in high school, we had a dangerous encounter with a werewolf pack. It opened my eyes to the supernatural and left me scarred, and I think it did to Ana, too, but she hid her anxieties better than me. That was a massive learning curve for our introduction into the para world because, even though Ana was half-fae, she knew precious little about her lineage. Even so, we learned a harsh lesson about not letting other paras know that I was in on their little secret. I was very aware of my limitations, chief of those being that I was Ana’s biggest weakness.
Long fingers feathered over my hips and I jerked away, glaring over my shoulder at the man who touched me. A big, dopey grin was stretched across his face. His cheekbones were sharp, and it looked like he hadn’t eaten a proper meal in days. My stomach swirled with dread as I realized that his dopey grin paired with the dark circles under his eyes were a pretty clear indication that this guy was higher than a kite.
Deciding the best course of action would be not to engage, I returned my attention to my water, watching for Ana. Unfortunately, her back was to me as she spoke to one of the regulars. I recognized him as one of her many suitors that she was convinced wasn’t into her.
I rolled my eyes at her silliness. The girl was stunning. How she didn’t see it surprised me, but it also made me love her even more. She didn’t taunt or use her beauty as a weapon as some women did.
Rancid breath brushed over my cheek, and I shuddered as I scooted to the edge of my seat to get away. Swallowing, I turned to give the man the meanest glare I could muster. “Back off.”
“You smell good. So…so good.” He nuzzled his nose against my cheek even as I leaned farther away from him. “God, why the fuck do you smell so good? Hmm, I want to fuck you.”
My insides squirmed with revulsion. “Get away from me.” The best way to handle these kinds of guys was to be strong and confident.
He continued to lean closer, propping one arm on the bar and trapping me with his body. “Nah, I think you’ll like what I want to do with you,” he slurred, licking his chapped lips. His greasy hair dipped forward as he crouched over me. “Those thick thighs wrapped around me…” He groaned and thrust his hips forward.
“Oh, no, absolutely not.” I pushed at his chest, but even though he looked like the weakest gust of wind would knock him over, he barely moved an inch. My brows scrunched in confusion as I peered into his eyes again. They were glazed over like he was high, but something about him felt off. His eyes weren’t bloodshot like they would be if he were high on weed, and he didn’t stink to high heaven from the sickly-sweet smoke.
Just then, his arm darted out like a snake and he wrapped his hand around my bicep, squeezing uncomfortably hard. I squirmed in my seat and tried to pull away from his grip.
“Get off!” I yelled, this time loud enough to get the attention of a few other patrons who started to stand and come to my aid.
Ana, seeing my predicament, turned and rushed down the bar. “Get off her, asshole!” Ana yelled, pushing his shoulder.
Unlike when I pushed him, Ana’s push knocked him backward, but he took me with him, never releasing his grip. I fell off my stool, still a little unbalanced from the party of whiskey sours I’d had earlier. While my mind was painfully sober, my body still felt wobbly. I hit the polished hardwood floors with a loud smack, but the man didn’t seem put off. Instead, he tried to roll on top of me as I thrashed and squirmed.
Ana catapulted over the bar and shoved the man away from me, her eyes flashing as she flexed a small amount of her power. He stumbled away, looking shocked, but his attention diverted to her, and a lecherous leer stretched across his mouth.
“Oh, you smell even better.” That glazed look returned in full force. He rushed Ana, who took a fighting stance. She was taller than me with toned muscles. She actually tried to get me to work out with her once, but instead of working out, I sat on the stationary bike and read. Then, I got so caught up reading that I forgot to pedal.
I stood and tried to scoot out of the way, but my head swam, and my vision was blurry. That was why I had no chance at dodging the swinging elbow that knocked the side of my face and cuffed my eye. Blinding pain erupted, and I sucked in a sharp breath. I heard a loud thump behind me. Then, gentle hands touched my shoulder, turning me around. I peeked up at my best friend, who clucked her tongue at me.
“Stupid drunk,” she muttered. “I wish I could knock him on his ass again.”
One of the bouncers finally came over and hauled the drunk off the floor, but even as Todd took him away, something about the situation tugged at my mind. It wasn’t the first time a guy had gotten a little handsy with me at the bar, but he didn’t smell like he was drunk.
“Was he a…you know?” I whispered to Ana.
She shot a disgusted glance at the guy. “No. He wasn’t.” A frown creased her features as her mind started to work through it like mine. When her gaze swept over me again, she grabbed my hand. “One thing at a time. Right now, let’s worry about the swelling on your eye.”
Chapter 4
“Now that’s one tall glass of water,” my much older but wiser and infinitely hilarious coworker observed. She stood a full head taller than me, so if I wanted to catch a peek, I’d have to stand on my toes. All morning long, I had been thankful for the half pane of frosting they put on the windows so people couldn’t immediately see the purple skin around my eye. After being forced to ice it most of the weekend (thank you Ana), the swelling had gone down. But every time I walked or jostled around, pain jolted through my face, and I flinched. Finally able to peek over the glass, my eyes widened, and my breath got caught in my throat. I dropped down too quickly on my feet, sending a jolt of pain through my knees.
> “Fudgers.”
There were no quick exits that wouldn’t lead me directly in his path. Frantic, I eyed the cubby that housed my trash can.
Gillian narrowed her eyes at me and then peeked back over at the hulking figure who was making a beeline to the pharmacy desk. “Honey, what are you thinking about doing right now?” she asked with a smile in her voice.
“Seriously considering the logistics of me being able to fit…in…there.”
“Hun, I think that big fella is thinking the same thing.” She snorted at her own joke. I glanced up to see Z staring me down. The flames in his eyes burned hot as he jerked his head toward the drop off counter. I felt compelled to comply and swallowed thickly, thankful for the thin glass barrier between us.
“What happened?” he growled, his attention never leaving the purple mark on my face. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach even as dread twined around my muscles. What is he doing here? How did he find me? Why did he find me?
“Sixx?” he demanded again.
I blinked. He knows my name.
“You know my name?”
“I know a great deal,” he said, his accent even more pronounced than I remembered. I hated how my body reacted to the lowering of his voice and the animalistic heat in his gaze.
“What are you doing here?”
“Oh no, pchelka, I am asking the questions.”
I narrowed my eyes, wincing at the sting caused by my muscles moving. He snarled and moved closer without realizing he had nowhere to go.
“I think I have the upper hand here, bud.” I rapped a knuckle against the glass between us. The spark in his eye flared again, even as his lips pulled down into a frown.
“My name is not bud.”
“Look – I don’t really care. Are you here to drop off a prescription, or did you just come here to harass me?”
“Me, harass you? No, pchelka. You have been harassing me. I am not nearly done with you yet. But you will tell me who did that to your face before I leave this place.”
Sixx and the Hellhound: The Sidekick Chronicles Page 2