5. A New Deal With the Hot Guy
5
A New Deal With the Hot Guy
You
Connecting you!?
Ahhhhhhh, crap.
It’s back. It’s like it was never broken at all!
“ Stupid human ,” Mysterious Hot Guy grumbles as he advances on you. Holding up the repaired thread in one hand, he says, “You’re lucky a shock is all we got, pulling a stunt like that. This thread ties our life-energies together. The longer we’re stuck with each other, the stronger it grows. Try that again tomorrow, and you’ll die .”
You shudder.
He’s serious.
Judging by the angry, flashing glow to his eyes, he’s not joking. Not even a little.
“ Oh ,” is all you can manage.
This is not good. Not good at all.
“So then we’re stuck like this?” You ask, glancing down at the magical cuff on your wrist. “We just have to live the rest of our days linked together?”
He lets out an exasperated exhale.
“That’s why it’s your job to set me free.”
“But I don’t know how!” You protest, all the exhaustion of your long day rising to the surface. It’s way too late at night for this. “How am I supposed to do that if breaking the thread doesn’t work?!”
He just shrugs. “That’s your problem, isn’t it? You agreed to it. Now you’ve gotta figure it out.”
He’s as frustrating as he is handsome.
“At least give me a hint, why don’t you? You’re the one with the magic powers.”
He towers over you, at least six inches taller. Probably more.
“Ha!” He says, “That’s rich, coming from the one who locked me in that damn book for so many years, I lost track.”
“Me!?” You protest. “I did nothing of the sort! I’m just an ordinary lady working a mediocre job, trying to make ends meet. Or—I was—until that mysterious bookshop appeared on my way home. All I want is to go to bed and wake up and have everything be normal again.”
He freezes.
For a moment, he just stands there. Staring at you.
Then he leans close, breathing in beside your ear. Heat creeps up your face as he inhales.
“What—what are you doing?”
He’s smelling you. Why is he smelling you!?
He draws his face close to your collarbone, breath trailing goosebumps along your skin.
“Hey now!” You push him away, blushing furiously. “Seriously. What the hecking heck do you think you’re doing?”
He smirks, grabbing your jaw and tilting your face up to his.
“I was wrong,” he whispers as he turns your head, studying your face.
He tilts your face back, letting his thumb rest under your jaw as you stare up into his eyes.
He only smirks wider.
“What?” He asks, “Hoping I’ll kiss you?”
You blush hotter, yanking your face out of his grasp.
“No!” You protest, sounding a little more forceful than you’d intended. The kind of vehement denial that only makes you look more guilty. You fold your arms and hug the book to your chest as you glare the opposite direction, hoping maybe he won’t see how bad you’re blushing as you insist, “I most definitely was not.”
“You sure about that?” He slings one arm around your shoulders, drawing you close. “‘Cause it sure looked like you wanted me to kiss you.”
His side feels warm against yours. It’s strangely comforting, and for a moment you almost wish he’d never let go.
Almost .
But he pulls away, shaking his head as he mutters, “What the hell am I thinking? She’s just a puny, helpless little human.”
“Hey!” You protest. I may be human, but I still have ears, you know. And feelings.”
Feelings which are starting to get more than a little bit trampled.
He stops pacing, turning abruptly to face you. So abruptly and so close, you find yourself blushing again in spite of yourself.
“Tell you what,” he says lazily, leaning back slightly. “Let’s say you’re just a normal, helpless human. But our deal still stands.” He holds up his arm with the golden cuff. Frowning at it, he says, “You promise you’ll find a way to set me free, and I promise I’ll protect you .”
Your stomach flips.
You’ve never had a guy promise to protect you. Not in real life. He really is the perfect book boyfriend material.
But you shouldn’t be feeling this way. You know he’s just being practical. It doesn’t mean anything.
After all, if there was one dangerous beast out there—that thing he called a skaddler—there’s probably more.
And if you’ve learned anything from all the books and media you’ve consumed, now that you’ve had contact with magic, they’re probably going to keep hunting you down. So you’d better take him up on his offer while you’ve got the chance. And it’s not like you have much choice but to set him free anyhow, unless you want to be stuck with him forever.
“Deal,” you say before he can change his mind.
The book glows in your hands, growing so warm, you nearly drop it. The pages flutter open as you hold it out, staring down into them.
Now there are new words on the otherwise-blank pages.
In glowing, golden print, the rules of your deal stare back at you plain as day:
She will find a way to set him free. He will protect her.
Mysterious Hot Book Guy cocks an eyebrow at it. “What happened to being an ordinary human?”
“I am!” You protest.
At least, you’re pretty sure you are.
After all, until tonight, you were certain magic didn’t exist. Not outside the dozens of fantasy and paranormal stories stacking your bookshelf.
“Sure,” he says. “An ordinary human who just bound me to my words without even trying. Very ordinary.”
“I didn’t do it on purpose!”
“Yeah, yeah,” he says, but this time he just shakes his head. Like maybe he’s already resigned to his fate.
It’s getting late. Any later, and it’ll be early.
“I think I need to sleep,” you mutter, shaking your head. This is all too overwhelming. All you want is to go home and take a nice, hot shower. And then catch a quick nine-hour nap. “How about we pick this up in the morning?”
“You humans and your weak bodies.” Hot Guy scoffs, clasping his hands behind his head. “ Fine . If you insist.”
“Good. Then I’m going home.”
Mysterious Hot Guy trails along behind you as you head back up the alley, toward the street. Of course he does.
After all, it seems you two are rather attached. Literally.
He continues to follow you all the way back to your apartment, but you don’t try to stop him. It’s kind of nice having someone bound by magic to protect you.
He’s basically your personal magical bodyguard now, you realize with a smile.
What a strange night this has been.
The streets are still especially deserted, and though you’ve finally reached an area where the lamps are lit again, the lonely breeze brings fresh goosebumps sliding down your arms. Even the shadowed branches of trees look like monstrous claws stretching to reach you as you round every corner.
Even with Mysterious Hot Guy there to begrudgingly protect you, you’re eager to get home where it’s safe.
Finally, you reach the beacon of mundane city life that is your faded apartment building.
The golden cuff at your wrist isn’t glowing so brightly by the time you make it up all six flights to your front door. In the light of the apartment hall, it looks just like an ordinary piece of jewelry.
An ordinary piece of jewelry that happens to connect you to a mysterious, magical hot book boyfriend.
“Hey. One more thing.” He leans in over you, one palm on the door above your head. You freeze midway through digging for your key. “Don’t get the wrong idea or anything,” he says. “I’m only protecting you because our life-energies are tied together. That means if you die, I die. And I want to live.”
“Right.” You gulp, staring up into his glowing, golden eyes as he leans over you. “ Of course .”
That subtle, comforting scent of old paper surrounds him, and you resist the urge to lean up into his shoulder and take a deep breath.
“Well, human.” A crooked smirk lifts one side of his mouth as he tilts your chin up to look at him. “ Aren’t you going to invite me in? ”