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A sharp intake of breath rattles through the speaker. Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars total is a lot of money. Yue doesn’t need it though; she just likes it.

"Two hundred thousand extra," she repeats slowly.

"Two hundred thousand. All you have to do is hold my hand, smile for my mother, and convince everyone we're soulmates while you 'keep looking' for the real one in your spare time."

"You are out of your gargoyle mind."

"Maybe," I say, a grin tugging at the corner of my mouth despite the fire burning in my chest. "Do we have a deal?"

"We don't have shit until I see the terms in writing," Yue fires back. "If I even consider this, there are rules, and if you cross a single line, Ekon, I will turn your wings into garden ornaments."

"Fair enough," I say, my blood singing. "Meet me tomorrow before shift to talk terms."

"Don't be late," she snarls, and the line clicks dead.

I lower the phone, staring at the dark screen in the foggy alley, a breathless laugh tearing out of my throat.

She thinks it's just a game for three hundred and fifty grand. She has no idea she's already mine.

The next night, I'm on stage under the purple lights, and I can't stop looking for her. Every fucking time she pops her head into the building, my eyes land on her. Yue's hips move, swaying that wagon as she wanders toward the bar before leaving.

Sometime later, DJ Tide spins something slow and filthy, bass thumping through the floor, and I work the pole with my wings half-manifested. Bills rain down around my boots. Hands reach for me from every angle, but I'm not performing for them.

I'm performing for her. Her white hair is unmistakable. Yue moves toward the bar again, in a black dress. It hugs every curve while her white coils hang, loose and glowing under the chandeliers. She's pretending not to watch, but her eyes land on me twice.

I grin and drop into a slow body roll, letting my hips lead, and when I glance back toward the bar, her jaw is tight and her fingers are wrapped around a glass like she's strangling it.

Got you, Tornado. Because that's what she is, a fucking tornado that whirls without a care, sweeping everyone around them in. She's fucking caught me, and she doesn't even know it.

When my set ends, I don't bother with the dressing room. I grab a towel, wipe the sweat off my chest, and head straight for her. She's still at the bar, and Eos slides a tall glass in front of her. It's something silver, shimmering like the fucking stars.

"Interesting," I say, leaning against the bar beside her.

Yue doesn't look at me. "It's a new drink."

"I can see that." I nod toward the glass.

"It's called a Moonstone," Eos supplies, grinning like she knows exactly what's about to happen. "New menu item we’re debuting tonight. It's a Long Island iced tea with luster dust."

Yue lifts the glass to her lips, and a black straw disappears between them. The silver shimmer clings to her mouth when she pulls back, and my dick twitches in my jeans. Planting my hands on both sides of hers, I cage her against the bar. She stiffens before me, sending that scent of winter into my nostrils. It burns something inside of me. My dick always hard around her before can’t stop throbbing. My mate is in front of me. I want her under me.

My voice drops. "How does it feel to have me in your mouth?"

She flinches, jerking sideways. The cup rattles in her hand, but she takes another sip. When she puts the glass down, she's no longer quivering.

"It tastes delicious," she says, her voice smooth and cold as ice. "So, nothing like you."

I grin wider. "We need to revisit the first taste," I state, letting the meaning hang in the air.

Eos cocks her head to the side.

"I'm delicious and guaranteed to ruin you for anyone else."

"It's called a Moonstone, Mr. Maverick," she reverts to my stage name, putting distance between us. She swirls the glass so the luster dust churns in a sparkling vortex. "And unless you've recently dissolved into tequila, vodka, gin, rum, and triple sec, you're nowhere near my mouth."

"Yet," I murmur, moving sideways to look at her face.

Her eyes flash. "Don't start."