by Jessica Sims
Could I be selfish enough to press on? To push for Hugh’s seduction even when I knew the costs?
I didn’t know what to do. Only that it seemed that someone lost no matter what was chosen.
“I wish I could do more, Ryder,” Hugh said, and I felt his strong jaw move under my fingers.
“It’s okay,” I told him. “Really, it is.” I was in a jumble of confusion, my thoughts in turmoil and my guilt raging, but as long as he held me, it all didn’t seem to bother me so much. Just feeling warm skin against my own felt like decadent pleasure.
Then someone knocked at the hotel door.
Chapter Thirteen
I looked at Hugh, then glanced at the alarm clock. Almost five in the morning. It was far too early for housekeeping. That meant . . . it had to be the fae stranger I’d seen at the restaurant. He’d tracked me down. Somehow. I began to tremble, hard.
Hugh bounded off the bed and launched himself at the door, putting his hands to the wood and glancing through the peephole. I noticed that his shorts were tented around his arousal, and his claws had grown out again. He was fighting his own beast, as well.
Hugh looked over at me. A mixture of shame and disappointment crossed his face, and before I could ask what was wrong, he put his hand on the doorknob and opened the door, breaking the portal.
Finian strolled in.
At least, I assumed it was Finian. He was wearing a different celebrity’s face now, but there was no mistaking the perfectly tailored suit, the gold necklace at his throat, and the big F dangling from it. His cool gaze scanned Hugh’s half-naked body, stopping for a long moment on his dark, pupil-less eyes. Then his gaze swept over to me, where I was still in changeling form, now clutching a sheet to the front of my scaled breasts.
“I see I arrived just in time,” Finian said.
I gasped, holding the sheet tighter to my front. My gaze went from Hugh to Finian. How had the fae known we were here? My wings gave a little flutter of distress, and I felt my tail flick against the pillows of the bed. I looked over at Hugh questioningly, but he avoided my gaze. “We weren’t doing anything,” I blurted, feeling weirdly guilty at the fae’s accusing gaze.
“Nothing?” Finian sneered, and his full mouth pulled into a thin-lipped grimace that looked odd on the sensual, famous face he wore. “I suppose that’s why I find my bodyguard half turned, his cock erect, and my changeling naked on the bed, wearing her scales? That is nothing?” He turned to Hugh and spat the words, “I should have you removed from your post.”
Oh, God. No! I needed Hugh with me. “I promise,” I said quickly. “We didn’t do anything. Ask Hugh. You know he can’t lie!”
Finian’s head swiveled, and he looked at the primordial shifter. “Well?”
“We kissed,” Hugh admitted, and I mentally cringed. “I wanted to show her that she was lovely despite her changeling form,” he said in a simple, brusque voice. “We kissed, and then I told her we must stop. And we did.”
Finian stared at Hugh for so long that I thought he would snap. The tension in the room was palpable.
I felt like a teenager that had been caught making out in the backseat of a car, and just like that, my desire and easy mood withered away to nothing. I felt my wings sliding back against my spine, sinking into my skin as I began to change back to my human form.
“We did stop,” Hugh repeated. “I have no intention of breaking my vow to you.”
My heart withered in my chest a little at that statement. Hugh couldn’t lie.
It seemed to please Finian, too. “Good,” the fae said and rubbed his hands. “I’m glad I arrived anyhow. I thought it was time to check up on things. I felt you using the portal rune and thought it appropriate to stop by.” He beamed at the two of us as if he hadn’t just caught us rolling around in bed together. “How are things going?”
Hugh leaned against the now shut front door of the hotel room. His eyes were back to their normal catlike state, and his brows were low on his face. He looked ready to punch something, but his tone was polite, efficient. “There is another fae. He located her amongst a crowd and confronted her. I was able to get her away, but he is aware of her presence. I have reason to believe that he will attempt to take her.”
Finian frowned and crossed one arm over his chest, the other stroking his bare chin thoughtfully. “Another fae, you say? That is most displeasing.” He nodded after a moment. “You’re right to take all precautions, then. I don’t want you to take her to your home realm again, though. Every time you take her there, it delays her transition and she is in a critical stage right now.”
“I will remember,” Hugh said.
Sheets pressed tight to my breasts, I watched the two of them talking. Finian was somehow tracking us through Hugh’s necklace. Every time we used the runes, he seemed to be aware of it. I didn’t like the thought; it felt like an invasion of privacy.
It was nothing compared to what happened next, though.
Finian clapped his hands. “Well, since I’m here and she is in form, I might as well check out how my little treasure is progressing.” He looked over at me expectantly.
I remained where I was. “Excuse me?”
He waved a hand at me impatiently. “Come stand here before me, girl. I want to look at how your transformation is coming along.”
“I . . . don’t have a top on.”
“Even better. I can get a good look at your scales.” When I didn’t move, he flicked a hand at me again. “Come on. I don’t have time for modesty. We’ve all seen a pair of breasts before.” He smirked and turned to Hugh. “Well, most of us, anyhow.”
Hugh’s face remained impassive and stony.
This man expected me to just prance in front of him and show off my body? Was he crazy? I was back in human form now, my changeling side having deserted me as quickly as my desire had. “What if I say no?”
“Then I switch your bodyguard for someone else.” Finian’s expression was tight, though he was still smiling. “And Hugh and his men lose their opportunity to have their mates. Are you going to keep stalling, then?”
I slid to the edge of the bed at that, unhappy. More blackmail. I dragged the sheet along with me and moved to stand in front of Finian. Goose bumps prickled my now human arms, and I was on the verge of trembling from a mixture of fear, loathing, and anger.
If the fae prince noticed, he simply didn’t care. He reached out, lightly stroked his fingers down my arm, and waited for me to change.
I felt a shudder of revulsion ripple through me and turned my face away.
No change. No scales. After a moment, it became apparent that Finian’s touch was a huge turnoff. I wanted to laugh at the irony of the situation, but I was too wigged out.
How ironic that the only man who couldn’t turn me into a freak show was the one that wanted me to change. I glanced over at the fae prince to see how he was taking this.
He seemed displeased. He waited a moment longer, then snapped his fingers at Hugh and pointed at me. “You do it. I don’t want to have to keep touching her.”
Any pride or self-esteem I’d rebuilt after my lovely interlude with Hugh immediately crumbled to the ground at Finian’s callous words.
Hugh stepped forward and moved to my back.
“Please don’t,” I whispered.
Big, warm hands closed over my shoulders. His thumbs stroked my skin.
Just that simple touch was enough to make my changeling side explode into action. A whimper escaped me and I felt my skin ripple, felt the scales emerging as my wings tore out of my skin. My tail slithered forth, and the horns in my forehead grew so quickly that they left a sharp ache, and I felt as if I’d banged my head against a wall. I groaned, the sudden, throbbing pain in my head dulling my desire again.
“Keep touching her, Hugh,” Finian said, his voice clinical.
So Hugh ke
pt brushing his fingers over my shoulders, sending skitters of unwanted desire through me. I gritted my teeth, trying to fight it, but it was useless. For days now, I’d been craving Hugh’s touch, and now that I was finally getting it, my body was determined to soak up the sheer pleasure of it.
In what seemed to be my quickest transformation ever, I was back in changeling form in a matter of moments. I glared at Finian and clutched the sheet harder against my breast.
He rubbed his chin, looking down at me thoughtfully. “We’re coming along, aren’t we? I definitely see improvement in your scale quality.” Finian reached out and flicked a fingernail against the scales on the backs of my biceps, then pinched one of the hard plates that rose up from the bend at my elbow. “Still a ways to go before these turn lustrous, though. At least two weeks, maybe more.” He frowned at that and glanced at my angry face. “You’re quite the slow developer, aren’t you, little Ryder?”
“Fuck you,” I spat at him through my own fangs. I wanted to use them to bite that smirk off his face.
“Temper, temper,” Finian said absently. He ran his hand down my arm, then squeezed it, as if testing my muscles. He grabbed my hand and, despite my attempts to jerk it away from him, held on and examined my fingernails. “Nails are coming along,” he said, pleased. “They no longer look like uncouth talons. These will be alabaster before we know it.” Finian smiled at me. “Won’t that be lovely?”
I jerked my hand out of his.
He made a flicking motion with his hands. “Drop your sheet so I can get a look at the rest of you.”
I gritted my teeth and held the sheet tighter. “No.”
Finian turned to Hugh. “Get it from her.”
“Do not ask me—” Hugh rasped, and I felt his hands tighten on my shoulders.
“Need I remind you about the mate that’s waiting for you on the other side?” Finian asked in a dulcet voice. “And the mates of all your men?”
I felt Hugh shudder against me. Then, with an angry growl, he shook his head. “You ask too much.”
“This is ridiculous.” Irritated, Finian ripped the sheet from my hands and tossed it to the ground.
A bleak pain settled over me as my hands rose to cover my breasts.
But Finian wasn’t looking at me with desire. The looks he was giving me were efficient and bored. He hummed to himself as he leaned in and scratched at one of the scales on my collarbone. He made a grunt of approval, examining me the way a doctor would—or a butcher would examine a slab of meat. He put his hands on my hips and dug his fingers in, feeling my pelvic bones. “Good, good. Nice and wide.” His fingers skimmed along my tail, my wings, my back, all of it with that same sort of bored interest. Then he turned back to me and put his fingers on my chin, turning my face back and forth. “Open your mouth, Ryder. I want to look at your teeth.”
My nostrils flared with anger, but I opened my mouth as hot tears ran down my face.
“Good, good,” Finian said, lifting my lip to peer at my gums. “Nice and healthy.”
I snapped my jaw shut, wishing I could snap my jaws around his hated neck.
“I don’t suppose you’d lift your tail—”
“Don’t even think about it,” I said angrily, jerking away from him so hard that I stumbled.
“Things are progressing rather slow, but overall, Ryder, I’m pleased. Your scales have a good color to them. You should be a lovely specimen, given a few more weeks to bloom. Remember to take your vitamins and brush your teeth, and you’ll be gorgeous before long.” He smiled at me as if I’d find this praise appealing. “I’ll return to check on things in another week or so. For now, I’ll leave you two alone.” He stepped forward and gave Hugh a pointed look. “Remember what you risk, my friend, when you kiss my little pet.”
“I will not forget,” Hugh rasped. His jaw was tight with anger.
“See that you do not,” Finian said. He opened the hotel room door and stepped out. The runes lit up again, the faint purple lines resealing the door with magic after he stepped through.
Silence fell in the small hotel room. I didn’t move for a long moment, and then it hit me that Finian was gone. The agonizing humiliation of what I’d just been put through slammed into my senses a second later, and I collapsed to the ground in a heap, weeping.
Hugh was at my side a moment later, his hands stroking my hair. “I am sorry, Ryder. I am so sorry.” I wanted to push him away, even as he gathered me in his arms and held me close again. I wanted him to hurt like I was hurting, to burn with the shame that I felt at the moment.
But most of all? I wanted to be comforted. I wanted Hugh’s strong, warm arms around me, his hand stroking my hair and letting me know that everything was going to be okay.
Even if it wasn’t going to be okay, I wanted to think that for a little while. So I sobbed and let him hold me in his arms, while he pressed his mouth to my hair and whispered apologies.
My mood was foul when I went in to work that evening. Hugh and I had come to an uncomfortable standstill.
I was doomed. I was doomed because I understood why Hugh was the way he was but I still wanted him. I went to bed dreaming, every night, of his mouth on mine, his hand at my waist. His claws dragging across my scales and the sweet words he’d whispered to me.
For days, I went through the motions, existing in a fog of depression. I’d go in to work, Hugh at my side. I’d work, but the light had gone out of me. I didn’t have the heart to flirt with clients or the Russell men who showed up at the agency. I did my job, and that was it. I skipped lunch with Marie and was short in my texts with her.
I was withdrawing into myself, just waiting. Waiting for everything to come to a head so I could get this horrible, horrible waiting over with.
Each night we moved to a different hotel room. There’d been no sign of the fae—Finian or otherwise—but I went along with the protective measures, even though my credit card was becoming close to maxed out. I just didn’t care anymore. What did it matter?
Hugh cast me tortured looks throughout the day, but I ignored them. When they gave us a room with a double bed the next night, I took it as a sign and didn’t complain. Nor did I try to seduce Hugh. I simply fluffed my pillow, lay down, and tried to sleep.
We got double beds for the rest of the nights, too. I was done. Defeated.
Finian had won.
Chapter Fourteen
Are you okay, Ryder? Savannah says you’ve been superquiet lately, and that’s not like you. I’m worried about you! Text me back.
I glanced at the text message, then sighed heavily. Marie was sweet to be worried about me, but there was nothing I could say that would make her feel better. I’m fine, I promise. I just have a lot going on.
If you say so. You’re still coming to the party tonight, right? My engagement party?
Of course I’ll be there! I made myself add an exclamation point to the sentence so I’d sound more like me. You’re my best friend. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Awesome. See you tonight!
Will do!
Truth be told, I’d thought about missing it. The whole situation with my changing and Hugh and everything made me want to crawl away and lick my wounds quietly somewhere.
But I couldn’t, because it would hurt Marie. She’d think I had an issue with her or Josh, so I had to go to show my support for them and their relationship. And I loved Marie. She’d been quietly supportive of me and my issues ever since I’d met her. I could never hurt her by ditching her party.
This might be the last time I ever saw my friends.
So I resolved to go and have a great time. And if this was the last time they were going to see me?
I was going to look totally fabulous.
Despite Hugh’s protests, I insisted on going shopping again. If he was going to the engagement party, his muscle shirts wouldn’t do, no matter
how delectable he looked in them. We returned to the men’s clothing store and picked out a dark blue dress shirt and a pair of slacks. When he came out of the dressing room, adjusting his sleeves, my mouth went dry at the sight of him.
Hugh was stunningly handsome. The collar of his shirt was slightly open, revealing a hint of chest hair and tanned skin. It highlighted the impressive breadth of his shoulders and the slim taper of his hips. His hair, now cut in a modern style, framed his strong features. I couldn’t stop staring at him.
“Well?” asked the clerk, a grin on his face. He knew he’d done well in helping Hugh select the clothing.
“Sold,” I said breathlessly. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who was going to turn heads tonight.
Hugh’s mouth quirked in amusement at my reaction. “If you were this awed by uncomfortable clothing, Ryder, I should have worn gear such as this all week.”
“Ha-ha,” I said, but I couldn’t resist running a hand along his sleeve, feeling the strong arm underneath.
Our next stop was a clothing store for me. I picked out a skintight white bandage dress with long sleeves. It covered me from wrist to midthigh and had a high neck with a square cutout over the cleavage. It looked amazing and dangerous and incredibly sexy. I normally went for cute and colorful, but tonight, I wanted something different.
Mostly, I wanted Hugh to regret what he was going to miss out on.
As I paid for my dress, I glanced over at Hugh, hovering at my side. “So are we clear on tonight?”
“I am to be your date.”
“That’s right. Everyone would think it was weird otherwise. And you know how to act as my date?”
“Take your arm,” he recited. “Pull out your chair. Be attentive. Do not flirt with other women.” He gave me a patient look. “I am not stupid. I see how other men act to their mates. I will just copy them.”
“Just don’t hold my hand,” I said, though I wished he could. “You know it’ll set me off.”
“I will remember,” he said gravely. “I will protect you, Ryder. Do not worry.”