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At that, the warlock paled and stuttered, then mumbled an apology before he raced out of there. The gray-haired woman scoffed.
“That’s right. Go home and sleep those drinks off, boy.”
Those nearby went back to their drinks after the commotion, while those far away hadn’t noticed at all. Anita turned to him.
“I’m Anita Talon.”
“Maddox Hendricks.”
“Now, don’t let words like that affect you. By the time I’m done talking to his parents, he will have nothing but polite words for everyone here in Broom’s Isle, especially our new residents.”
“Thank you, but there’s no need for that.”
Anita waved a hand. “I babysat that boy during his childhood years, and I won’t stand by while he makes a fool of himself. It gives our kind a bad name—not that we haven’t earned it in other ways, but anyway…” She shrugged. “We are a powerful race, but we aren’t the superior race. Getting along with others is the only way we will survive in this crazy world.”
He was sure the others in Broom’s Isle didn’t agree, but he didn’t say it out loud.
“Your bill’s on the house tonight, Anita,” Rex said when he passed by.
“Fantastic. Now, get me a bottle of wine for takeout.”
The elderly woman left in a flair of more takeout demands and a pat on Rex’s cheek, leaving Maddox to nurse his drink. On his eighth glass, familiar laughter echoed in his ears, and went straight to twist his belly into knots. His head snapped to the door and found Ruby entering with Pearl, who dragged her hand until they were seated at a corner table. Brian joined them a few minutes later, sitting beside her while Pearl got them drinks.
He tried not to look, but his gaze couldn’t help lingering on the healthy glow of her face that signaled she had gotten some good sleep in the past few days…or maybe it was the return of her magic making her content. She smiled once or twice when Brian whispered in her ear, then blushed when the man seemed to get more intimate. Maddox gripped his glass hard when the man tugged on her cloak, but Ruby relented and—
“I will get you another drink.”
Maddox barely listened to Rex as his hand grew numb on the glass he held, and he absorbed the way the cloak spilled down the chair to reveal her black dress—a simple one, but baring smooth shoulders and soft, lightly tanned skin. The hem cut off just above her knee, making her legs look longer than they were, and his mouth water. He knocked back his drink, then the next, when she twisted slightly and her back was revealed: bare, too, the strings at the back of her neck thin and so easy to unknot.
An ugly feeling settled inside him when Brian looked at her longer than necessary and moved even closer. She excused herself to help her sister with the drinks, but Brian hurried over, hand resting on her waist. She spun in alarm but didn’t brush it away. She smiled when Brian teased her and a light flirting session ensued between the two, lost in their world.
“Another drink?”
Another smile hit her lips, and Maddox ached. Jealousy lit his soul, activating a raging want to wrench Brian’s hand off her. In his mind, his hands were the ones on her, dragging her out of this bar and somewhere empty, where he could finally explore his deepest, darkest desires. The kiss exploded back into focus, taking him back to that moment when nothing else mattered.
“No, thanks. Here.” He didn’t even check how much he placed on the bar, but Rex grinned. “Keep the change.”
“Thanks, man. Come back soon.”
“Only because you make the best drinks.”
Maddox slipped through the back, feeling like a coward with how much he avoided the front door and being spotted. Outside, he inhaled deeply and felt just a little bit better, the night air cooling his body and mind.
“Mad? Is that you?”
He froze. For a second, he wondered if he had hallucinated her voice before Ruby stepped into the light and approached him.
“Hey.”
“Hey. I thought I saw you. Were you leaving?”
“Yes.”
The light above the sky illuminated her dimly, providing yet another image that would haunt his dreams. He gulped.
Armor. Build that goddamn armor.
“Mad…”
