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“Whoa. No need to get abusive,” said that soft, slithering voice. “I’ve got your coins. Give me what I need and I’ll be on my way.”
Rounding the last stack, I lit on the figure bent over the table—face pressed to the wood. He inhaled a sharp, short sniff and then snapped up, making me leap back. Something hard and sturdy jabbed the back of my knees, collapsing them and dropping me into the couch’s waiting arms.
Whipping around, he locked on me. For a breath, we both just stared.
I’d never know what was going on in his head, but I was taken by what rested on top. Long, brown copper waves flowed from the roots and ended in soft curls. It framed a face that it tried to soften and feminize, but for his full down-turned lips and dreamy eyes, soft wasn’t what I’d call his thick brows, diamond jaw, or his dimpled chin. The guy was molded in clay by divine hands, gifted the kiss the life, then sent to earth to put the memory of Adonis to shame.
He swiped his hand across the table and quickly wiped it on his pants. The act tipped him off balance and bumped him into an armchair. “Who are you?”
“That’s what I’ve been asking you.”
“Are you Calypso?”
“No,” I said, righting myself in the chair. “Who’s that?”
“All that matters is it isn’t you.” Clicking his tongue, he came a little closer—body swaying oddly like we were on the deck of a ship rolling on stormy seas. “Seems you don’t have what I need.” With closer steps, his dreamy eyes focused. “But you...” He whistled. “You are something sweet.”
“And now we’re back to fuck off.” I shoved off the couch. “Have fun lurking around in the dark.”
“Whoa, there we go again with the abuse.” His words were slowing—slurring. His legs weren’t.
I bounced off his hard chest, surprised to find him suddenly in my path.
“You could be nicer to me, you know. Someone should be nice.” He rested his head on my shoulder, yanking a choked, squeaky noise out of my throat. “My brother in all but blood was buried today. I wasn’t allowed to attend his funeral.”
I stilled. “Funeral?”
“Mmmm hmmm,” he drew out. His fingers tangled in my hair, popping goosebumps on the back of my neck. “He was killed last week... by a fucking demon.”
Oh no...
“I wasn’t there... Should’ve been there...”
“At his funeral or... when he died?”
“Both,” he said so softly, I nearly missed it though his lips were inches from my ear. “When it mattered, I wasn’t there...”
He took such a long pause, I thought he fell asleep on my chest.
“...now I can never be again.”
“That’s not true.” Hesitantly, I cupped the back of his head—strangely pleased to find his hair was even softer than it looked. “You were there when he needed you. You were his friend. His brother.”
That day came into sharper clarity. Alexander wasn’t allowed to go to his friend’s funeral. Instead, he had to spend all day, staring at the girl who got him killed. That would put rage in my eyes too.
“Friend.” His tapered, calloused fingers traveled along my shoulder to those goosebumps. A shiver rippled down my spine as he traced slow, lazy circles on them. “I need a friend tonight. You’ll do that for me, won’t you?”
“Uh, we don’t know each other.” With that reasoned statement out of my mouth, it opened the door for more to come in. “Don’t stay up here alone. Go down and find your friends. They’re who you really need now.”
I grasped his hands, untangling from his grip. “I have to go down and find mine. I hope you get through this and... I’m sorry.”
“Don’t go, something sweet. You’re exactly what I need right now.”
“Creepy,” I said, sidestepping him. “I am going and you are too. Get out of this place and find Alex—”
The mysterious, beautiful man waved his hand and an even prettier cloud of pale pink smoke appeared. A tiny gasp escaped my parted lips, and closer I drew, eyes widening at the sparkling silver flecks glinting within the cloud. “What is it?”
Saying nothing, he puckered his lips and blew. The cloud enveloped me, racing into my mouth as I opened it to protest.
