And yet, it worked. All my inventions and attachments worked.
Something tightened in my chest, unfamiliar and unwelcome. A flicker of satisfaction began to grow inside me before I could stop it.
I clenched my jaw.
Why? Why did it feel like that?
He didn’t earn it. He didn’t deserve it. Yet the car had performed.
Imade it perform.
Across the track, Manshu climbed out of the driver’s seat, arms spreading wide as people rushed toward him. Hands clapped against his shoulders, voices piling over each other as they crowded in close. Someone shoved a drink into his hand while another threw an arm around him, laughing loud enough to carry over the noise.
He soaked it all in.
Head tipped back, grin stretched wide as he basked in their cheers and congratulations. In the power he wanted.
My stomach twisted in knots.
I pushed off the railing and turned away from the track, the noise fading behind me as I moved toward the exit. My legs felt heavier than they should, every step dragging just a little. All I wanted was sleep. Silence.
Distance from all of this. From him. From what I’d just helped him do.
“Hey! Human girl. Stop right there!”
Manshu’s voice made my body lock up. The command cut through everything, sharp enough that my steps halted before I could even think about ignoring it.
For a second, I just stood there.
My shoulders dipped slightly, exhaustion pressing down hard, but I straightened again before turning. Slowly. Carefully.
My hands curled into fists at my sides, nails biting into my palms, grounding me as I faced him again. I kept my gaze lowered, not giving him the satisfaction of eye contact.
“Did you need something fixed on the car?” I asked, my voice steady despite the way my chest still rose a little too fast.
His footsteps came first. Unhurried. Confident.
When I looked up, he was already closing the distance, swagger in every step. A female vampire clung to one arm, her fingers tracing along his sleeve as she leaned into him. On his other side, a male demon matched his pace, smirking as his gaze flicked over me once before settling back on Manshu.
Both of them watched him the same way. Lust and greed combined, like he was something to be consumed. It made my skin crawl.
“You can worry about that next week,” Manshu said, dismissing the idea with a flick of his hand. His eyes dragged over me slowly, from head to toe, lingering just long enough to make it clear he was taking his time.
“Tonight—” he licked his lips, grin stretching wider “—we celebrate.”
The people behind him shifted closer, some laughing, others calling out suggestions, already riding the high of the win.
He jerked his head toward the exit.
“Come on,” he said, beckoning me with the jerk of his head as his hands were full. “The whole team’s heading to the club on Yavon Street.”
I would rather put my head into a blender and press the button myself.
When I didn’t move, he peeled himself away from the two clinging to him and stepped closer, crowding into my space.His head dipped, breath brushing against my ear as his voice dropped low enough that it didn’t carry past me.
“It’s a supe-only club,” he murmured, the words sliding out slowly. “Humans don’t get in unless they’re under contract…”
His fingers caught a strand of my hair before I could shift away, rubbing the red-tinted ends between them as if testing the texture.
