by Lexi C. Foss
The hoop through Rick’s brown brow glistened as he arched it. “Since when is this sort of dare an issue for you?”
Since you asked me to kiss what appears to be a god in a leather coat. “I got this,” I replied instead. “I just need some more liquid courage. And it’s my birthday. I shouldn’t even have to ask, right?”
His gaze was knowing. “Yeah, yeah.” He lifted his hand for the waiter—a male who’d been eyeing Rick with interest all night. They were totally going to fuck later. “My too-sober friend here needs a round of shots.”
“Tequila?” the cute waiter—Drew—suggested.
“Perfect,” Rick replied, looking him over. “Definitely perfect.”
Drew smiled, his hazel eyes gleaming with interest. “Be back in a moment.”
“I hope so.”
Brittany scowled as Drew disappeared. “How do you always do that?” she demanded, sounding disgruntled. “Like, he’s totally going home with you tonight, and you’ve barely said anything to each other outside of ordering drinks.”
Rick shrugged. “The power of a glance, sweetheart.” He winked at her. “Learn how to use your best assets, and maybe you’ll perform better.”
She grabbed her breasts. “Trust me, I’m using them. This top couldn’t be any lower cut.”
He eyed her substantial cleavage. “Sometimes revealing less is more. Take Claire Bear. That graphic T-shirt is clingy, showing off the curves without displaying them for the world. And she’s grabbed the attention of several men tonight.”
“Because she’s blonde,” Brittany said, gesturing to my long hair as if it were my only asset.
“She’s also gorgeous,” Amie added. “And tall, with those killer legs.”
“That she’s exposed beautifully in that skirt,” Rick agreed.
My cheeks warmed. “Guys, I understand it’s my birthday, but this is starting to get weird. Are you all hitting on me right now? Because I gotta say, none of you are my type.”
“I’m totally your type,” Rick argued. “You just can’t handle my D.”
I scoffed at that. “Yeah, that’s the reason.”
Another wink, this one for me just as our drinks arrived. “Another round, if you don’t mind,” Rick said before Drew had finished distributing the glasses. “Actually, two.”
“On it.” Drew was apparently more than happy to continue serving our table—exclusively.
Amie was right.
Rick had a magic touch, or look, or something, because this always seemed to happen when we went out.
He clinked his glass against mine, a devious smile flirting with his lips, and I shot the liquid into the back of my throat. It burned so good. I may have just turned the legal age to drink, but this was not my first time in a bar. Most of the clubs near Ohio State University’s campus were eighteen plus, and several of them didn’t card.
Two more rounds later, a warm, fuzzy feeling settled over me again, easing me back into a comfortable state, one where my reservations dwindled. Mr. Hottie still sat at the bar, not talking to anyone.
Hmm.
Okay. I could do this.
Just walk up to him, flirt a little. How hard could it be?
“Just a kiss, right?” I asked, taking a sip of the water Drew had brought for me.
“Preferably with tongue,” Rick replied. “But you do you, boo.”
I nodded. “I got this.”
“Damn right you do.” He grinned. “Go get him, Claire Bear.”
I swallowed some more water and stood, testing my heels.
The world spun just a little, but otherwise good. Adding three inches to my five-foot-eight height gave my legs a sexy appeal, lengthening my overall appearance. It also had the skirt at my hips looking indecently short, but it covered the right amount.
Unless I bent over.
Well, that would be one way to draw Mr. Hottie’s attention.
I giggled to myself as I approached him. The stool beside him sat empty, giving me the opening I needed. I squeezed in beside him and the vacant seat, resting my elbows on the counter as if I wanted to flag down the bartender. My arm purposefully brushed his in my ploy, sending a zing of electricity across my skin.
Frowning, I glanced at him and met a pair of gorgeous sapphire eyes dusted in golden lashes. Wow, his face up close was a sight to behold. Chiseled perfection. His mouth seemed to beg me to taste him, drawing me in, consuming my vision.
Rick’s dare appealed far more than it should.
What would this stranger do if I just laid one on him? Would he kiss me back? Push me away? Gasp?
I leaned closer, enthralled by the mystery of his reaction, addicted to the allure of his lips. He hadn’t even said a word, barely even met my gaze, and already I would beg him for a night in bed.
“Who are you?” I marveled, completely in awe of his existence. I trailed my fingers up his jacket-clad arm, needing to touch him, to be near his energy, his pure presence.
He appeared equally as captivated, his throat working as he swallowed. His ocean-blue gaze ran over my features, his tongue sliding out to slick the seam of his mouth. I eyed the movement like a woman starved, desiring him more than I desired to breathe.
What is happening to me?
This instant draw, this attraction, floored me, forcing me to lean in, needing him, craving him. I brushed my lips against his, enthused by the feel of him at first touch.
Oh God…
He grabbed my elbow, his grip tight, pulling me closer. Energy hummed between us as my side aligned with his, his warmth a blanket I didn’t know I needed.
“Do you often kiss men you hardly know?” he asked against my mouth, his voice deep, seductive. Sexy as fuck.
I shook my head. “No.”
“Well, that’s something, at least,” he whispered darkly, his peppermint breath hot against my tongue. I leaned in for another taste, but his grip on my elbow held me in place beside him. “You want to take a walk?”
The words came off as a demand despite the intended question behind them. “Where to?” I asked, completely under his thrall regardless of the warning bells sounding my head.
He’s a stranger. Don’t leave with him!
But he feels so familiar, so right…
That’s the alcohol talking, sweetheart.
Or something else entirely.
Because I didn’t feel drunk at all. The daze and confusion of the shots had already worn off, leaving me hot and needy against this too-strong male. His intoxicating scent was like a drug, infusing me with these urges I didn’t understand.
“Outside,” he suggested, his bottom lip teasing my mouth by remaining just a hairsbreadth away. I clenched my thighs, his deep tenor sending me into a pit of arousal only he could save me from.
“Who are you?” I asked again, completely lost to him. My gaze held his, my breathing erratic. “What are you doing to me?”
“I could ask you the same, princess,” he replied, his hand a brand against my elbow. “Let’s go for a walk.”
Definitely not a question now.
Yet I found myself nodding, accepting this bizarre proposal despite every logical instinct inside me rioting and demanding I say no.
It’s just a walk.
You’ve lost your mind.
It’s the right thing to do…
There was just something about him, something I couldn’t quite identify. And my friends wouldn’t let me go too far, right?
“Just a walk,” I whispered.
“Yes.” The word was a promise against my mouth, followed by the briefest of touches that left me needing more.
“For a kiss,” I all but begged.
He arched a perfectly sculpted brow. “Another one?”
“The other didn’t count.” We’d barely brushed our mouths, let alone kissed.
His hand slid up my arm, leaving a trail of goose bumps in its wake. My chest burned with expectation, my legs shaking in anticipation. He wrapped his palm around the back of my neck, holding me tig
htly as if he owned me, and firmly pressed his lips to mine.
Fire licked through my veins, heating my body in a way I’d never experienced, the energy inside me roaring to the surface to meet his in a foreign mating I couldn’t describe, only feel. His touch inflamed my very being, his hand anchoring me to him in the most delicious manner.
And then he cursed.
Loudly.
People around us were screaming.
I blinked, confused. Startled by the chaos erupting throughout the bar.
Then I noticed the scorched walls.
Smelled the scent of burning wood.
Felt the hot wave traveling over the crowd as an inferno surged across the room.
My lips parted on a scream, the stranger wrapping his arms around me, sheltering me from the tornado of sensation beating down upon us just as the world went black.
Exos
“She burned down the bar?” Elana’s question felt weighted, accusatory. “What did you do to her?”
Oh, it wasn’t what I did to her but what she did to me. “Nothing.” I couldn’t bring myself to tell the truth, to admit that I’d let her kiss me.
What the hell had she been thinking, anyway? Kissing a complete stranger? For fuck’s sake.
Right, more importantly, why had I allowed it?
Because she was gorgeous.
Because she seduced me with her elemental gift for spirit.
Because I’d wanted to taste her plump lips all night despite knowing it was wrong.
I shook my head. “I managed to help most of the mortals survive, but there were a few casualties.” Including one of her friends, which I imagined would not go over well when Claire awoke.
Shit. I scrubbed my hand over my face, exhausted. It’d taken every ounce of my strength to mitigate the damage. My affinity for fire was negligible at best. And Claire had done a number on that bar, her power exploding out of her and diminishing the establishment to ash.
“Well, on a positive note, we have an adequate cover story for her disappearance.” Vape lounged in a chair near the floor-to-ceiling windows of Elana’s living area, his casual slacks and button-down shirt suggesting he’d been about to retire for the evening when I’d called.
I hadn’t known where else to take Claire, Elana being the only Council member I truly trusted with her safety and the story of the bar. She’d brought in Vape, but no one else, and allowed me to lay Claire upstairs in one of the myriad of guest rooms.
Being one of the oldest fae, Elana owned an exquisite piece of land, her manor adorned in flowers and greenery, all animated by her inner Spirit. Our kind controlled life and death of all beings, including the fae. Unlike the others, like Vape, who mastered a specific element, such as water.
“Yes, we’ll spin the bar story to claim her as one of the victims of the tragedy. That’ll ensure no one searches for her.” Elana stood near a master piano, her hip resting against the hard surface. Her youthful appearance belied her ancient aura. A human would think her maybe thirty, but I knew her to be closer to a thousand years old. It was her ties to Spirit that kept her looking younger, unlike Vape, who showed his age in the creases of his pale skin and the white coloring of his long hair.
“Can you train her?” he asked, his midnight gaze resembling a black pit of wisdom. “Or is she too dangerous for the Academy?”
Goose bumps threatened to pebble over my skin at the memory of Claire’s energy. I’d never felt anything like it. “She’s powerful,” I admitted, palming the back of my neck to diffuse the chill rising at the top of my spine. “But my Spirit can tame hers.” It’d taken a great deal of strength—more than I’d ever used before—to temper her gift, but I’d managed it. “I can train her.”
What I really meant to say was, I’m the only one who can train her.
Elana might be my elder, but my pure royal blood elevated my status, making me far stronger than she could ever be.
Unfair, yes.
But such was life.
Not even my brother could stand up to my affinity for Spirit, which was why the Royal Crown technically belonged to me. However, I’d chosen to abdicate my throne in favor of a warrior life, providing Cyrus with the opportunity to lead.
The arrangement suited us both.
“Then it’s settled,” Elana murmured, her silver-gray eyes glittering as she smiled. “I recommend the Fire Quad since that’s her secondary strength, as well as your own.”
“You wish for me to reside with Claire?” I asked, uneasy.
“She needs a protector. I think you’re the only one suitable for the job.”
I sighed, my hands in my pockets as I leaned against the tree in the middle of her living room. “I’ll make the arrangements.” Because she was right. Not only was I the only one who could keep Claire’s abilities in check, but I also happened to be one of the few who preferred her alive. Most others would use the opportunity to kill her for the sins of her mother.
“She needs more than a single protector,” Vape said as if reading my mind. “The girl requires an army of bodyguards.”
“Which we don’t have.” Elana sounded frustrated, likely because our fae brethren were refusing to acknowledge and accept one of our own. She advocated for peace and harmony among the Fae Kingdoms, which was why she’d created the Academy—a place where all the Elemental Fae were forced to bond. Yes, they had separate quads and specific core classes, but there were numerous activities that brought the fae together, such as sporting events where gifts were not allowed and general education courses covering human studies and other useful, employable skills.
“That’s a lot to put on one fae.” Vape’s tone suggested how he felt about that—unconfident. “An important fae at that.”
“I volunteered for the job.” Not exactly true—more that I was the only one capable of handling this task and wouldn’t wish it on another. “I’ll keep her safe.”
“And what about you?” Vape countered. “Who will keep you safe as one of the two remaining royals of the Spirit lines?”
My lips curled. “I keep myself safe.” And I dared anyone who thought otherwise to try to fuck with me. “I’m not concerned.”
Elana smiled. “You’re so much like your father, Exos. He’d be proud to—”
A shriek upstairs had all three of us straightening.
“Seems Sleeping Beauty is awake,” Vape drawled, amusement in his expression.
Crash.
I darted to the windows, peering out into the early morning surroundings, the sun a distant pink on the horizon.
“She knocked down a tree,” I said, my brow furrowing. “How the hell did she knock down a tree?” I would have felt her use of Spirit, my own energy having tied itself to hers days ago when I started tracking her. A whirlwind of water and air formed outside, uprooting several trees in its wake and heading toward the house. “Oh, fuck.”
I ran up the stairs without a backward glance, vaguely aware of Vape and Elana on my heels, and shoved open the door to the guest room.
Claire stood in the center of a room of roses and vines, her blonde hair tangled, her blue eyes wild as they darted around what she likely perceived as a garden of sorts. She stilled when she caught me standing in the doorway, her hands curled at her sides, her full lips falling open.
My Spirit reached for hers, stroking her with soothing vibrations meant to calm her inner turmoil. This was one of my personal skills—my ability to manipulate and persuade others, to lull them into a state of my choosing.
Calm down, I urged, eyeing the dissolving tornado outside.
Thank. Fuck.
It was working.
Her essence was, slowly but surely, responding to mine.
“Is this a dream?” she asked, her soft voice filled with wonder as her shoulders relaxed. She took in the life of the room again, the blooming flowers and the vines slithering up the walls and covering the ceiling in an earthy glow.
I glanced over my shoulder at Elana and Vape. “I’ll
talk to her.”
Elana nodded, understanding that this required delicacy, or we risked overwhelming Claire. Again. “We’ll be downstairs, should you need us,” the elder murmured.
Vape tilted his head to the side. “One thing first. I sense water. And air.”
Yes, I did, too.
And it seemed to be coming from Claire.
She blinked those big blue eyes at me, her brow furrowing. “Who are you?” she asked, her tone holding a hint of marvel. “Why am I dreaming this?”
Yeah, time to have a chat. “We’ll be down in a bit.” I didn’t wait for Vape or Elana to reply before softly closing the door and locking myself in the guest room with Claire. We needed privacy for this discussion.
Claire twirled, her skirt riding high on her long, sexy legs, her arms loose at her sides. She tilted her head back on a smile filled with wonder and excitement. “Oh, it’s beautiful here. I feel so alive. So… happy.” More dancing, her Spirit clearly drunk on mine. Apparently, I’d soothed her a little too much.
Right. Time to ground her.
“Claire,” I murmured, sitting on the bed of flowers she’d awoken upon. The mattress beneath was made of earth, the bed frame crafted from the trees outside. I preferred more modern accommodations, but every fae embraced the elements differently. It seemed Claire liked this style of décor. She bent to touch the roots decorating the floor, her skirt lifting to reveal the curves of her ass.
“Claire.” Her name came out a bit strangled this time, my need for her to, well, stop, taking over. “Can you look at me, please?”
“Oh, yes.” She turned, her gaze traveling over me with unveiled interest. “I will happily look at you. But as it’s my dream, I’d really prefer you without clothes so I know what I’m working with here.”
I coughed as a jolt of heat seared my insides. “Okay, well, first things first. You’re not dreaming.”
“Riiiighhhhtt,” she drawled. “We’re playing hard to get. Is that it?”
“No, we’re not playing anything. You’re not dreaming. This is the Fae Realm, where I brought you after the fire.”
Her brow furrowed. Then she burst out laughing and folded over from the force of it.