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It didn’t matter.
After last night and the call with my father, I had no intention of going back to The Deacon. There was something childish and embarrassing about being rushed out of a club because of a friend's altercation. I could still feel Stolas’ hand making its way up my thigh.
I got in my car and drove toward the coast, needing to escape into the shallow waves.
Maybe God would take pity on me and a shark would take me out before I could disappoint my father or see Stolas again.
A girl could dream.
13
STOLAS
If my trainer hadn’t been demonic, I would have killed them in my Monday morning session. Weights, cardio, sparring, then more cardio had been my way of wasting time.
Sunday had come and gone without a word from Evie, which meant that Orobas owed me money and that she hadn’t canceled our date later.
At least not yet.
“I had a call from Harris Gerhardt a few minutes ago,” Orobas said by way of greeting as he entered my office. He was thirty minutes late and carried two cups of coffee.
“Finally ready to give his own soul for the pursuit of power?” I scoffed and accepted the cup Orobas offered.
“He heard about Evie’s trip to The Deacon Saturday night.” Orobas lifted a brow. “He sounded quite enraged.”
I had fed that information through the right channels. I’d seen one of Harris’ closest and slimiest associates in one of the other VIP booths after Evie left and made sure the moment we’d shared was broadcasted.
“He’s disappointed in her for keeping us as company. I tasted a hint of wrath in his tone. Decadent.”
“Good, then he’s close to his breaking point,” I said, going back to my laptop.
“If you say so.” Orobas disappeared behind my door and left me to work.
I checked my phone every few minutes for any word from Evie on the matter.
Knowing politicians, Harris had warned her off from Orobas and me, but the closer it got to five o’clock, the more my confidence grew that Evie was a rebellious heart and transfixed with her own desires. I was getting attached to the idea of keeping Evie in more ways than one.
As I was readying myself to leave the office to meet Evie for our dinner, Haniel appeared holding the locket I’d intended to return to her.
He was weathered, gray, and balding. His appearance over the years had shifted with the use of his magic and many failed attempts at darker alchemy. He’d lost bits of flesh from his fingers to explosions in his workshop. Some things could not be undone, even for immortal beings.
He held out the necklace by its chain. “The trinket is bonded and ready for its owner, Your Highness.”
I held out my hand. The weight of the locket had been altered slightly, and the cool chain snaked between the creases of my fingers. Evie may not notice the shift in the locket itself, but the chain would no longer warm against her skin after seconds of being worn. Living in Southern California, that would be an oddity, but she’d likely explain it away in her head before thinking to take it off since it held more sentimental value than most pieces Haniel worked on.
“Thank you. My payment has been deposited into your account, and I’ve sent you a pretty little gift for your swiftness on this piece,” I said, shifting my hand for the light to catch on the glints of gold on the locket’s hinge.
“You’re too kind, my most powerful liege.” His grainy voice dissipated as he stepped back through the void to where he would find the thirty-five-year-old bottle of Irish whiskey and a lesser demon from my legion to do with as he pleased.
* * *
Iwas about half a block away from the restaurant when I spotted Evie waiting outside the front door. If she had come from work, it didn’t show. Her soft, bouncy curls weren’t weighed down by a day’s worth of anxious raking from her fingers. Her lipstick wasn’t smudged by the lids of coffee cups. She was perfect.
She checked her watch then panned the passing crowd until she caught sight of me. A faint smile of relief crested her lips before she masked it, robbing me of the smug satisfaction that came from being the highlight of her day. Feeling utterly slighted, I met her at the door and offered my arm to start the date I intended to finish with her legs wrapped around my hips.
The lobby of the building was split. The first two floors were for the luxury hotel, spa, and guests. The elevator to the restaurant on the rooftop did not stop for any other floors to give guests privacy.
As luck would have it, the elevator was empty when Evie and I got onto it. She pressed her back against the wall and gave a heavy sigh when the doors closed.
