“Why?” I question, even as my body leans into his a little bit. Seb picks up my hand and pulls me out of the booth, never answering with anything other than actions. We are both more than a little bit tipsy as we sink into the dancers, their bodies brushing and pressing against mine until we come to a stop. Seb’s hands find my hips, and he pulls my back to his front, our bodies perfectly lined up as he moves my hips to the movement. I sink my head back, looking up at the lights above us, feeling the music and Seb’s body, and focusing on nothing else.
“It’s hard to hate you, vixen,” Seb whispers into my ear. “And how sweet it would be to hate you.”
“Hate is a wasted emotion between two strangers,” I reply, knowing he can hear me. “You should try and be my friend first, Sebby.”
“What if I can’t and never will be able to see you as a friend?” he questions and spins me around. His arms wrap around my waist so tightly, and I stare up at his eyes, the same eyes that I have, but I see so much more in his eyes than I have ever seen in my own. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a man on the second level, and I watch in horror as he lifts a whip, crashing it down on something on the floor that screams. The scream is almost lost over the sound of the music, but still, no one looks their way. The man lifts his whip in the air, taking a minute to pause and drink his beer, but I’m already pushing away from Seb and scrambling through the crowd. I spot the stairs in the corner of the room and rush to them, taking them two at a time and dashing around the corner just in time to see a drunk man and innocent fae woman who is bleeding out on the floor. I run over, the fat reaper man’s eyes looking confused as I grab the whip from his hand and, in one motion, wrap it around his throat. He roars, trying to push me off him as I knee his back, and he collapses to the floor. His shadows start to attack my magic instantly, and it feels like nothing more than a light tap on the shoulder.
“Dae!” Ryker shouts and rushes to me. He cups my face and forces me to look away from the reaper I’m nearly killing. “You can’t kill him for this. Let him go, or you will be sent before the queen, and she will know.”
“He hurt her!” I whisper. “Look at that woman!”
“I know,” Ryker replies, and I suddenly realise my magic isn’t attacking him. It let him get close to me, and I’ve never seen anyone be able to do that. The shock makes me let go of the whip, and Ryker picks me up off the man. Seb is kneeling next to the Unseelie fae woman. Her face is unrecognisable from whip marks, and her blood is spreading like a wave all across the tiled floor. Seb stands up and shakes his head at me.
“You killed her, you piece of shit!” I shout at the reaper, who is on his knees, still coughing. Ryker mutters something before picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder. His arm is like a vise grip on my legs, forcing me to stay still as we both disappear in flames and reappear outside the gap in the wall. I kick him hard in the chest, and he drops me, grunting as I straighten up.
“He deserved to die for that! She was powerless and weak, and he brutally and publicly killed her like a dog,” I growl out.
Ryker’s eyes flash red for a moment. “Fae are less than dogs to reapers, Daesyn. You haven’t lived here your whole life, this is normal, and yes, it is brutal. Yes, it is unfair, but killing that one reaper wouldn’t have changed anything for anyone!”
“I know that!” I snap.
“Then think bigger. The throne is at the end of the academy tests, and if you really want to make changes, that should be your focus,” he replies, cooling down a little bit. Seb appears in smoke, holding the body of the fae girl.
“I paid him to let me take the body and forget this ever happened. We will bury her together,” Seb coldly states and walks past us. The prince with so many secrets is kinder than I thought.
And he feels the fae’s pain like I do.
Maybe we are friends after all.
Chapter 19
“Coffee,” Seth greets me as I step out of the lift with Poppy. Poppy’s eyes widen as I stare at the Starbucks cup, knowing he would have gotten the pumpkin spiced latte that I adore in winter. I wrinkle my nose, inhaling the pumpkin spice scent, as I wrap my hand around the cup. Seth smirks like he just won something.
My hand itches to throw the drink in his too pretty face, but it’s coffee, and I’ve only had one cup upstairs thanks to the mild hangover I’m sporting this morning. Seth’s eyes drift to Poppy, and he offers her his hand to shake. “Persephone Riverlite, I presume.”
“Everyone calls me Poppy.” She takes his hand, no clue that she is shaking hands with the literal devil. After they let go, Seth looks back to me.
“May I walk with you to training?”
“It’s not going to be worth the effort to stop you,” I mutter. I quickly walk away, and he easily keeps up with me with his long ass legs, while poor Poppy jogs a little until she altogether gives up and walks a little behind us.
“I see the coffee has not won you over,” Seth states, and I turn my gaze on him as I sip the coffee.
“If you think gifts are the way to get back in my good graces, you are crazy,” I say.
He sighs. “Very well, I will up my game. Tonight I am coming over to yours and taking you to my apartment for the evening. Do wear something nice.”
He disappears in flames, the heat of the flames warming my skin, and I slow down for Poppy.
“What did he want?”
“Dinner,” I comment. “And not like a date. I don’t know why he is really here, but Seth is a trickster, and everything he does can’t be trusted. I will find out tonight the real reason he is here.”
“I still think he is here because he likes you.”
“Do you know what happened to his brothers?” I quietly question her, and she shakes her head.
“I know a little about overlord demons from my books and what my dad told me,” she admits.
“There are two overlord demons left because one of their brothers went mad, stole an incredible and dangerous power, and then tried to destroy the world. Queen Evie and her mates were the only reason there is an Earth left.”
“And you tried to kill her,” Poppy eventually murmurs.
I meet her eyes. “Life doesn’t play fair, Pops.”
“It did though. You lost that battle,” she replies. I smile at her.
“Truth be told, I never wanted to win. I had kinda given up hope when I took the job, let alone when I was doing it,” I admit to her. That’s not something I’ve ever said out loud to anyone before. “I was lonely and tired, and I had a shot of getting paid a lot of money, but I knew the odds were slim. I guess I wanted a way out, and this was a better way than I expected.”
Poppy wraps her arm around my shoulder, and I flinch a little when she rests her head on my arm. “You’re not lonely anymore.”
I smile, a big smile, and it feels weird on my lips to be happy about having a friend. We come into the training area, and we are the last ones here, which Finn looks mighty pleased about as I place my Starbucks empty coffee cup down by a tree and remind myself to pick it up later. Or ask Ryker to burn it into nothing. The latter is a better idea. We join the group, and Finn makes a point of waiting until everyone is silent before speaking.
“We are changing things up today,” Finn proclaims, spreading his hands wide. “I have seen all your combat skills, and now I wish to see your power. You will be paired up, and you must defend yourself against the shadows of the other until one of you can invade the mind of the other.”
Fuck, I don’t use this magic. I only know how to defend, not to attack with it.
