37. Chapter 37
37
Nelle
M y phone pinged with an incoming message. I had received more than a few during the day, but I’d avoided them as they came in, simply wanting to experience my time off the estate with no outside influence or gruff demands I return home at once.
There were plenty of missed texts from Danne—which I ignored with a slight twinge of guilt—and a few from my father and sister. This latest one came from her too.
Evvie: Where are you? Father said you’re back home?
Me: I’m back. I’m okay. Just tired, it’s been a big day.
Evvie: Where did you go?
I wandered into my bedroom, replying—
Me: Ascendria. Riding the subway.
Evvie: LOL! Typical little sister. Of everything Ascendria has to offer, you ride the subway. Danne missed you today :) He seemed annoyed that you wanted to spend the day with Graysen. I think he’s jealous.
Me: As if. *scoff* Um…we’re staying in tonight.
Evvie: NELLE! WE’RE?!
Me: Don’t read anything into it! I’m just tired. I’ll see you tomorrow.
I was such a liar.
Evvie: Tomorrow then. Just remember, he’s a jerk.
I sat down on my bed next to Sage, petting him as he slept. Gently pulling back the bandages, I took a quick peek, relieved the wound was knitting back together. His misty fur was cool against my lips when I kissed the top of his head. “Poor brave puppy.” Sage was a full-grown wraith-wolf, but he’d always be that playful tiny pup Graysen had shoved in my hands five years ago.
A noise—a light rapping.
My head jerked around in that direction. It was coming from the outside door—fingertips on glass.
Quickly leaving my bedroom, I hastened to the door. When I hauled back the curtain, I found Danne standing outside looking sheepish. Opening the door, I whispered, “What are you doing here?”
He gave a quick shallow bow, and instead of answering, he took my hand and pulled me out of my quarters. “Take a walk with me.”
My bare feet made a slapping noise on the flagstone tiles of my private patio. Night had descended and the evening held a cool autumnal quality. Bright moonlight cast a silvery glow over everything, the lamps and bushy shrubs, even blanching Danne’s freckles as he smiled warmly.
I tried to pull my hand free. “Danne, don’t.” He shouldn’t touch me like that. I was a Wychthorn.
The creature within me stirred, shifting languorously, and gave a soft growl toward Danne.
Instead of letting me go, Danne curled his fingers more tightly around mine. “Please… I know you’re tied to Crowther, but give me ten minutes of your company.” Guilt coiled inside my chest. “I haven’t seen you all day… friend .”
And that one word gripped me hard with shame. Danne and I mostly chatted via text messages, and this was a rare opportunity to spend time with him physically, but Graysen and the Uzrek had swallowed my day up, and those—
Don’t go there!
I’d finally gotten a fragile grip on what I’d done, and I couldn’t afford anything to tear through the delicate equilibrium I’d woven between my mind and my soul.
Danne sloped his chin toward the marquee, a mischievous twinkle in his hazel eyes. “Let’s go have a look and see how it’s turning out.”
Thinking that I had a bit of time before Graysen returned to my quarters, I let Danne tug me through the gap in the stone railing edging the patio, down the flagstone path winding around the mansion, and onto the grassy lawn. As we walked, his body wove from side to side as he glanced about. “Where’s Sage?”
I shot a look over my shoulder at my home. Soft light spilled from quarters. “He… uh …he’s sleeping.”
He grinned broadly. “So I have you all to myself, then. Without the risk of him chewing my leg off.”
I almost laughed at that. “He does inspire fear.”
“That he does.”
We strolled over to the marquee. Men and women worked beneath the floodlights to get everything ready for tomorrow night. In a few hours, all the mortal contractors would leave and our servants would take over.
“Where did you go today? You didn’t answer any of my messages.”
I gave him a rueful sideways glance and toyed with the tiny pearl buttons on my skirt. “Sorry, I just got caught up with everything. We rode the subway.”
Danne snorted—a derisive noise. “He didn’t take you to the Monarch Tower? Down to the lakeside? Show you about Ascendria?”
“No. He took me where I wanted to go.” My icy reply had his eyes flaring wide with surprise. Graysen let me have my day. Though there was an ulterior motive for my decision to ride the subway, it was still something I’d wished to do. He’d let me choose, gave me the lead, and simply followed. I was pretty sure Danne wouldn’t have gifted me the same freedom. He’d have overridden my desire and made my decisions for me.
“The subway, huh?” A line sharpened between his brows in bemusement. “I didn’t know you liked those kinds of things.”
Softening my voice, I replied, “I do. I hadn’t ridden one before.” A smile teased my lips, and I sighed wistfully, remembering the fun of the lines and stations. Getting on and following it through until I changed trains at junctions. The jostling below my feet as the carriage rumbled along the rails to their next destination. All those people flowing on and off, from all walks of life, coming together purely for transportation. I hadn’t experienced being surrounded by life—by people—in quite that way before. “I’m not so much interested in the glamour of Ascendria. I prefer…well, the places and people that are more honest, real, every day.” I nudged his shoulder with my own, rocking him. “A little rougher, definitely not glamorous.”
Danne gave me an apologetic half-smile and I returned a small one back.
As we neared the marquee, industrious sounds flowed through the open entrance, and I could feel him quietly studying me. I turned my head and caught the interest swirling in his hazel eyes, as if he was seeing me in a new light. And he liked this new revelation.
“What about you?” I wondered how he’d spent his time.
His nose twitched, and for a moment I almost forgot myself, remembering what Graysen had said in the swimming hole this morning. A ferret. I shoved that laugh down before it could erupt.
“Mostly avoided everyone. Gods, I don’t know about you, but I am up to here with wedding talk.” And he held a hand up to his neck. “Corné—”
I made a noise of disgust at the back of my throat, and he broke off to give me a strange, wondering look. “Corné’s not to everyone’s taste.” He tilted his chin down and raised one eyebrow. “He’s my brother. So I’ll never quite be free of him. And I know he can be a bit of a dick.”
That’s putting it mildly.
But Danne continued smoothly, “But he’s not really all that bad. And he’s utterly devoted to Evvie.”
Brisk anger coiled itself around me— No, he’s not. He doesn’t even like her. He’s been hurting her!
However, we had arrived at the main entrance of the marquee and a long stream of workers were striding out, so I bit my anger back. Squinting as we entered side by side, my eyes adjusted to the golden light inside. I sucked in a breath, smiling wide with wonder. Delighted warmth spread through my chest. The tent had almost been transformed into the wonderland of a secret garden, just as Evvie had envisaged, with its waterfall of flowers and charming potted trees. But I could clearly see the makings of the elegance.
“It’s beautiful.” I let go of Danne’s hand to spin slowly around, the hem of my skirt billowing. “So elegant,” I whispered in awe. Exactly like Evvie.
The soft draping of the ceiling had great glittering orbs hanging low, a netting of fairy lights and strung crystal. Set up around a parquet dance floor were round tables adorned with white linen, vases and candlesticks, and encircled by taffeta-covered chairs wound with ribbons in pale peach. Great pots of bushy flowers or enchanting trees with spread boughs filled the space. Their glossy leaves and crystal ornaments brought a touch of wonder. The main table, where Evvie and our immediate families would sit, had a wall behind it thickly draped with tiny white wisteria flowers that cascaded down its length.
“Dance with me,” Danne asked.
My astounded attention whipped to him.
He wants to dance with me ?
Suddenly looking bashful, he rubbed the back of his head. “If that’s what you’d like to do.”
“There’s no music.” My nose wrinkled as I felt a little self-conscious about the idea. Awkwardly, I twined a hand through the long length of my hair draped over my shoulder. “And I don’t know how to dance.” I’d danced with my sisters in the seclusion of our bedrooms, but I knew Danne was asking me to dance formally.
That unassuming smile returned, and he stepped closer, linking our hands together again. His fingers and palms were soft. Not roughened and calloused from wielding blades. “It’s easy. I’ll show you. Try not to step on my toes.”
I pulled a wry face. “I can’t actually promise that.”
He chuckled and shifted my free hand to his shoulder, before resting his own on my waist. “A waltz. Just one, two, three.”
I kept my eyes on my feet as he guided us around the parquet flooring. We weren’t exactly flowing and graceful as we danced together, but the simplicity of the waltz was easy.
As he moved us about the square dance floor, we neared a group of men setting up a raised platform where the string quartet would be playing. One man glanced over his shoulder. Bright blue eyes, pale blond hair. Our gazes met and a strange feeling crept over me. It was as if we knew one another. Though that couldn’t be possible. But he seemed familiar—
This morning… I’d seen him this morning unloading containers.
He piqued the interest of the creature living inside me. It twitched, slithering beneath my skin with curiosity.
The man rose from his crouched position with a nail gun dangling from his hand. He was tall and lean, wearing brown slacks and a fitted blue shirt. He was good-looking with full lips and short-sided hair, longer on top, with a touch of waviness. Unlike his light hair, his eyebrows were dark charcoal.
His companions left the marquee, so it was only him and us. He continued watching as we danced. I wasn’t sure, but I thought his nostrils flared and his blue eyes deepened to a darker shade. Under his keen interest, I felt extremely stupid dancing without music.
And what the hells am I doing?
My gaze darted over my shoulder toward the entranceway. Graysen surely would be back from the kitchen by now. Though it depended on what he was going to find us to eat. Maybe he’d be waylaid. And why did I feel guilty, as if I was betraying him with Danne?
Shit, what am I doing here ?
So much had happened today, and I’d endured an overwhelming amount of emotion. The Uzrek. Those things in the catacombs. Graysen. And now I was dancing?
My head was spinning.
And so was I. Danne had let go of my waist to spin me around and around. My skirt billowing like a bell. I started laughing, caught up with the joy of whirling—the dizzying motion.
Danne stopped, and I fell into him, clutching his shoulders to steady myself, both of us chuckling. He wound his arms around my sides and when he spoke, there was anger simmering beneath his tone. “It kills me to see you bound to Crowther.”
Surprised, I leaned back to get a better look at him. There was a seriousness about his usually sunny face.
Is he jealous? Or is he being a friend, worried for me?
I knew what he thought about Graysen, but I didn’t feel the same way. Graysen was no longer being an arrogant asshole and keeping me at arm’s length.
Danne gazed at me with a ghost of a smile playing across his mouth. I felt his fingers running up and down my spine, more intimate than friendly, as was his voice when he said, “You do know that I like you, right?”
I swallowed, feeling a little ill. Maybe Danne didn’t mean it like that. Maybe he simply liked me as a friend. “Yeah, of course,” I replied, slapping his shoulder in a friendly way, trying to make light of his comment.
Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say it—
“I don’t know if you understand…I like you.”
Oh… Oh no…
Maybe yesterday I’d have welcomed this switch in our relationship, but so many things had changed since then, which mostly comprised Graysen. The first thing I could think of to scatter his line of thought sprung from my lips unheeded. “Danne, what happened with Ferne?”
He blinked, once, then again, before his gaze hardened along with his jawline and his hands on my back. “He told you?”
Here we go—a lie.
Such a godsdamn liar, Nelle.
I nodded, keeping my gaze level and steady, not giving anything away.
Danne’s hold on me tightened, and his fingertips dug into my spine. “I’m sure in Crowther’s version, I’m the villain. The big bad Pellan.”
I swallowed back a laugh. Danne looked nothing like a big bad anything .
Remaining silent, I let the quiet smother him to force an answer.
He sighed, his gaze falling to the parquet floor as he shook his head. “It was all a misunderstanding. Ferne… She and I met last year and struck up a friendship.” His gaze slowly lifted. He was smiling and his eyes glazed over as he drifted into memory. “She’s lovely. Such an interesting creature. It’s a shame she’s stuck with her family out on their estate with brothers like she has.” His tone lowered and became snide. “Feral. They need to be put down like rabid dogs.”
A chill slid down my spine like icy fingers. I did not appreciate his opinion of the Crowthers. At all.
Movement in the corner of my eye captured my attention. Swiveling my head, I watched the pale-haired man retreat into the room next to this main one, where our servants would cook the elaborate seven-course dinner using mobile kitchens commissioned for the event. Now it was only Danne and me.
The slide of Danne’s hand to my waist brought my attention back to him. The embarrassment and modesty contained within the downward curl of his lips startled me. “I suppose by then Ferne had developed a silly little girl’s crush on me.”
My eyes widened.
A crush?
Ferne had feelings for Danne?
“The next time we met, it was at a gathering. A wedding. The eldest Estlore daughter wed one of their family’s foot soldiers. A nobody. ”
Irritation prickled my skin. Why did he have to say that? A nobody. Alesk wasn't a foot soldier, he was an officer. His father held the distinguished position of Second-in-Command to the Estlores.
And I knew of the wedding. I hadn’t gone, but Evvie had. She’d come home all starry-eyed, said it was the most romantic wedding she’d ever been to, and gushed about Sia Estlore and her new husband, Alesk.
“She kissed me.”
My mouth fell open.
Ferne kissed Danne?
But the way Danne had said it, made it seem as if he didn’t appreciate her kiss. I’d seen Ferne recently, and she was growing into an exquisite young woman, a delicate and fine-boned beauty. But she was young—younger than Danne and myself.
“She’s a child,” he scoffed. “She must have only been about fifteen. I was trying to explain to her she was too young. I wasn’t interested in her that way and was trying to remove her hands from me. But Graysen saw it differently and Ferne… She didn’t correct him either.”
Again, that same feeling I had with Master Sirro stirred. Off. It felt off. Just how or why I wasn’t sure. Every time I’d had that feeling, it had to do with Graysen and Graysen alone. So that part of the story—what was off about it?
“She didn’t?”
He shook his head with a heavy sigh.
Anger flared. My friend had been beaten severely by Ferne’s older brother and she could have stopped it before it began. And Graysen should have asked questions first, instead of barreling in with both fists.
Danne guided me forward. The soles of my feet left the square parquet dance area behind to step upon soft, lush grass. We weaved through the large banquet tables, and I was distantly aware we were heading toward where the pale-haired man had disappeared into the room beyond, but my mind was too busy churning with what had happened to Danne, and why, to wonder about our direction.
Danne paused at one of the round tables and picked up an empty crystal vase. He twirled it around slowly, the light catching its polished surface. Tomorrow, someone would fill it with calla lilies, and the boxes on each table would be unpacked, adorning the crisp white linen with fine china and silverware.
“Pride, I expect,” he murmured. He turned to me with a pained expression, yet a sliver of understanding shone in his eyes. “No one likes to have their feelings unreciprocated.”
He placed the vase back down, adjusting it so it sat perfectly in the center of the table. “Graysen lost it completely. Didn’t give me time to explain, and unleashed.” He blew out a loud breath, a shudder roiling through him. “I thought I was going to die.”
“You didn’t,” I reminded him, and gently squeezed his arm. Only because Graysen let him live.
His somber gaze came back to mine. “He eventually listened to Ferne. She begged him to stop.”
“And you didn’t do anything about it? Retaliate? Demand justice from the Houses?” He could easily have pressed my father to make an example out of Graysen. He should have done it.
Danne’s gaze darkened. “I thought about it. Was going to. But Ferne visited me a few days later while I was recovering at home, apologizing profusely.”
Pushing into motion, he strode forward, stuffing a hand into the pocket of his pants. Hurrying to catch up, I noted distantly that his hand was fisted as if his fingers were wrapped around something. Or more likely, he was angry. Picking up his pace, he tossed over his shoulder, “I reminded myself how protective I can be of my sisters.”
I wasn’t sure about Carola. Maybe men might need protection from her. But his younger sisters, certainly.
Danne suddenly spun back, his mouth parting to say something, then froze.
A startled cry slipped from my lips as I bumped into him, stumbling, my hands whipping out to land on his upper arms to steady myself. I watched his wide-eyed gaze shoot over my shoulder before he swallowed thickly. “Oh, shit.”
“Huh?” I frowned, wondering what he was looking at.
Suddenly, large hands grasped my forearms. I was hauled back, swung upside down, my stomach curving around a shoulder—
Graysen fucking Crowther!
Graysen strode away with me.
“I’m sorry, Danne!” I called out as we disappeared through the entrance of the marquee. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow!”
I was more than pissed off at being manhandled like this, though it soothed my irritation to have a magnificent view of Graysen’s ass. I slapped it.
“The fuck,” he snarled, jolting.
Then he smacked my ass.
Pain ricocheted across the soft flesh. I howled. “That hurt!”
“I hope it hurts like fuck—thorn in my ass!” he roared.
My hair swayed with his furious stride, slapping against the back of his thighs, and the blood ran to my head, making my brain feel hot and stuffy. Just as hot and stuffy as I was feeling toward Graysen, and not in a good way. What an asshole! Treating my friend like that, beating him so badly that he almost broke his jaw.
I hit his ass again and again, shrieking, “Put me down!”
Swiftly crossing the lawn to the mansion, he shoved the outside door to his room open, strode through, and kicked the door shut behind him with a foot. Suddenly I was dumped upon his bed, bouncing up and down, before I finally settled. Infuriated, I shot to my feet, wobbling a little with the soft mattress. “Gods, Crowther, why don’t you piss all around me—stake your claim!”
Eyes twinkling dangerously, he gave me a sly smile. “You know, that thought has crossed my mind.” Raking his hands roughly through his hair, his gaze darkened into a glare. “I can’t leave you alone for a second, and that fucker is sniffing around. And you…” His jaw sawed as he stabbed a frustrated finger at me. “You don’t listen. I told you to keep away! ”
I huffed and braced my fists on my hips, spreading my legs apart for a sturdier hold on the bed. “He told me about Ferne—you got it wrong.”
Every single inch of Graysen vibrated with building fury. It crackled off him in hot, blistering crests. But his words were cold, gritted out between clenched teeth. “I’m sure the eloquent Danne Pellan painted quite the picture. Crowther beating him into a bloody pulp. Let me guess. He was just being friendly with my sister. She was the one who wanted it. Wanted him. Encouraged him—”
“Ferne had a crush on Danne.”
“Like hells she did. A friend. The cunning little fucker likes to sidle in with his breezy, unassuming friendship. Right until the moment he…”
Graysen faltered before clamping his mouth shut.
Once again, he wasn’t going to share anything.
“He did what?” I barked, pushing him to say it. I already heard the truth from Danne and now I needed him to hear how terribly he’d misjudged my friend. Barging in and misreading the situation. Using his fists instead of his godsdamn head!
Graysen stared at his hands, his fingers furled and unfurled, back and forth.
“Tell me,” I demanded. “Tell me what happened. Why you’d do that to him without giving him a chance to explain?” Deep down I felt the twang of unease regarding Danne’s version of events, but I ignored it. Perhaps, simply because I had become so lonely, I desperately wanted to keep hold of a friend.
Graysen’s eyes snapped up to meet mine, burning with fire. “It doesn’t matter what I say. You’ll never believe me—you’re already taken in by that cocksucker.”
I tipped up my chin. “Try me.”
He stalked up to the end of the bed and I met him at the edge of the mattress with my hands braced on my hips. Standing there, for the first time, I was a little taller than him. I glared, daring him to continue.
“I did. I fucked him up badly. I wish I could have fucking ended him. But I didn’t. Ferne stopped me. She did it for me, not him.”
“What did Danne do?”
“He kissed her—”
“She kissed him,” I snapped angrily, defending my friend.
“No. She. Didn’t.”
I stilled, not even blinking. My mind replayed his words. Then went over what Danne had revealed in the marquee. “ Whaaat? ” I dragged the word out quietly, feeling that persistent unease expanding once again but with more force, reminding me of the same unsettled feeling I’d earlier experienced when Danne had spoken of the same encounter with Ferne and Graysen. “He said she kissed him.”
“Of course, that fucker would say that. She liked him. Not that way, though.” He took a couple of steps back. “He’d had his hands all over her. Had her pinned beneath him.”
The blood drained from my face. That… Danne hadn’t said that… He’d almost made it sound like they’d been sitting together sweetly when Ferne kissed him. How could she be beneath him?
“He said it was a misunderstanding.” I spoke more to myself than to him. But he answered anyway.
“I could taste his intentions, Wychthorn.” His features twisted, growing dark with memory. He glanced away, and when he returned his gaze to mine, his eyes reflected a mixture of agony and rage. “I wanted to tear my tongue out.”
I blinked. My mind jolted awkwardly from Ferne to that comment. “Taste? You’ve said that before.”
“I can taste emotions if they scream loudly enough.”
My lips parted in surprise. His senses and speed and strength were enhanced, and now he was saying he could taste emotions.
“And Danne. That motherfucker…” His mouth compressed into a tight line. “He’d cornered her away from the rest of us, where no one would hear her screams. Vile things. Such sick vile things he wanted to do to my sister. Would have done if I hadn’t stumbled across them.”
I let his words seep in. Absorbed them with horror. My mind reeled.
The blood chilled in my veins, and my world tilted.
It was hard to hear, to see Danne in that way, to adjust my thoughts and feelings for him. To see him in this dark light.
He was going to …
Gods, he was going to do that to Ferne?
Fresh nausea roiled in my empty stomach. I pressed the flat of my hand right where it hurt—at my heart.
The creature inside me writhed and snarled.
Danne Pellan suddenly seemed abhorrent. I couldn’t believe his sunny boyish charm had taken me in. I suppose I wasn’t the only fool. Ferne had been, too. A sickening sensation twisted within my chest. Maybe other unlucky girls, too.
I cursed myself for not listening to that instinctive gut feeling, that uneasy warning I’d experienced earlier. Instead, I’d blindly held onto defending him because all I’ d wanted was a friend.
Graysen spun away. He tugged his hair hard, then tossed his hand wide. “Fuck, Wychthorn, you and your sheltered little life—”
“I believe you.”
He carried on talking as if he hadn’t heard me, angrily pacing back and forth in front of the bed. “You need to keep your distance from him. What’s to stop him from trying something like…that…again…” His words drifted apart as what I’d said finally caught up with him. He paused, surprised. “You do?”
“Of course.” I did. I had implicit trust in him. Stupid, I know. He was an asshole, a jerk, and often a prick, but what he wasn’t was a liar. Not about something like this.
He stared at me, blinking rapidly as if trying to reassess me, shift the puzzle pieces around, and let them settle into a new picture. “Huh?”
“And have you been able to sense or taste his intentions with me?”
“Scent him? Taste his hunger for you?” He shook his head, his brows slashed across wrathful eyes. “Not the same way he hungered after my sister. But he wants something from you, Wychthorn. Guys like him always have some ulterior motive. I haven’t figured out his angle yet.”
“Hells,” I grimaced. Could today get any fucking worse?
I flopped back onto the bed, straight-backed, bouncing twice before settling on the soft mattress. Staring up at the ceiling, I didn’t really see it. I made a gesture with my fingers popping wide away from my head, making a sound like an explosion as if my brain had exploded. “Mind. Completely. Fritzed.”
I glanced sideways. Graysen had shifted to the table by the window, refilling his tumbler with whiskey. “Was she… Is she all right?”
He swallowed a mouthful of liquor, swiping his thumb over his glistening lips. “Ferne? Yeah. He scared the fuck out of her, but she’s a Crowther and she didn’t need me stepping in. She was five seconds away from smashing his jaw herself.”
I levered myself up by my elbows, as a new image of his delicate sister as a badass ballbuster burst into my mind. “Seriously?”
His mouth kicked up on one side, and he leaned his hip against the wooden table, bracing himself with a flattened hand on the top. “Yeah, don’t let her poor little blind girl act fool you. She’s like you.”
An other? I was about to ask, but he’d read my question on my face before I could voice it. “No, not that way. Just feisty as fuck, and has the skills to back it up.” He took another mouthful of alcohol, and I watched the bob in his throat as he swallowed.
Flopping down again, I threaded my hands through my hair, kneading my skull. This was all too much for my brain to process. I needed to switch everything off. If I could have gone to sleep, I’d have willingly crawled into bed. But I was still wired from the craziness of the day. And now Danne.
I wanted him out of my head. I wanted him off my property. Gods, the Pellans… sick, sick, sick… I had to end Evvie’s engagement to Corné.
I rolled over to my side. Graysen was rubbing his ass and hissed through his teeth. “ Fuuuck. ” Glowering at me, he said, “You didn’t exactly hold back.”
No, I’d let his ass have it.
I jackknifed up, staring at him. I could… Surely he had one on him…
He stared warily. Beginning to become uncomfortable under my gaze, he retreated a step as I scooted to my knees. Shuffling off the bed, I strode right up to him and shoved a hand down a back pocket of his sweatpants.
There was nothing in either pocket, apart from the most perfect ass I’d ever had the pleasure of trying not to grope. Not that I’d ever touched someone else’s ass, but I was pretty sure Graysen’s scored a twelve out of ten even without having ass experience.
Gods, it was so hard… Glorious hard ass… So good…
“What the hells are you doing?” He growled, squirming a little. “No, wait…carry on…maybe check my front pocket…”
I delved into his left front pocket.
“Deeper…” he urged. “More to the right… Further…”
I hissed, exasperated, catching on to him. “I am not touching your cock!”
“Ah, you said cock.” He grinned. “Pretty little bird, you can be tamed and taught new tricks after all.”
My fingers latched around what I was looking for and I dragged them both out. A cylinder of rancid sweetness. A zippo.
Ah-hah, a blunt! I knew he’d have one on him!