Saved By Your Hot Book Boyfriend

28. The Hot Guy Has a Twin!?

28

The Hot Guy Has a Twin!?

Ziros

What in the world is taking her so long? ‘Just for a second,’ she said when she left, but she’s already been gone for several minutes.

And the pull of her magic is wavering, growing more distant, the thread linking us together drawing thin and taut. Just how far away is that damn dumpster?

I don’t like this.

I don’t like this one bit.

I’ve had nothing but a bad feeling since we got to this cafe, and now it’s worse than ever.

Screw watching the counter. There’s nobody here anyway.

I turn, taking two steps for the back door—when the little bell at the front tinkles as that one opens.

Heat buzzes through the air, the crackle of fire magic sizzling and popping behind me.

“It’s you ,” I growl, whipping around to face my opponent.

Sairos.

My twin brother.

“Hey, bro,” Sy says, tossing a fireball lightly in the air. “Fancy meeting you here.”

He’s grinning. And that can’t mean anything good.

“What the hell do you want?” I snarl, holding my ground. I don’t want to start anything. Not now.

All I want is to get back to my human, because the bad feeling tightening around my heart is getting worse and worse.

She’s in trouble.

I’m sure of it.

I need to get to her fast, before it’s too late.

“Oh, I don’t want anything in particular,” Sy says lazily, still smirking as he tosses the fireball like this is all a game to him. “Just to finish what we started. What’s it been? Centuries ?”

“Because of you .”

Sairos just shrugs, running one hand through the spiky, red mess of his hair.

“Look, man, you’re my brother. I don’t want to do this, but you’re a danger to society. A menace. I can’t just let you go free.”

I snort. “Look who’s talking. You’ve been following me, haven’t you? Waiting for your chance.”

He just shrugs again.

“You’re always with the human. And I’m not here to make a scene.”

“That’s rich, coming from the man tossing fireballs in a public cafe. And you followed her friend. She saw you. She saw you use your magic, and she remembered it well enough to talk about at a party.”

“So? People see crazy stuff all the time. Doesn’t mean they’re believed.” He takes a step toward me. “Besides. I saved her from a mugging. I don’t see what the problem is.”

I glare. “You always think you’re some kind of white knight. You think you’re so good. That you’re a hero.”

“At least I try . Unlike somebody.”

“That was a long time ago.”

“And what? That makes it okay?”

“I think I’ve served my time, Sy. I’ve got other priorities now. So if you’ll excuse me—”

“Priorities?” He scoffs, “Like what? The human you’re suddenly so attached to?”

“Yes. Actually.”

Sairos laughs, a barking, surprised sound. Like he doesn’t believe me. Not in the slightest.

“Don’t give me that. You and I both know you don’t care about her. You’re just using her for her blood. And because you can’t get free—look at you! The Demon Tornado, tamed by one weak little human.”

A low growl rumbles from deep within my chest.

“I don’t have time for this.” I turn, heading for the cafe door. Sairos can do what he wants without me. I’m not sticking around to find out.

I’ve got to get to June.

I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I know something bad has happened.

I can feel it in my bones.

She needs me.

I don’t know how I know, I just do. It must be the link, stretched thin as it is. She’s calling for me.

Just as I reach the back door, a flash of fire magic blasts toward me, flinging me against the sharp edge of the counter.

I growl, picking myself up, a trickle of blood running down my arm from where I slammed it into the corner of the countertop.

Turning slowly, I ask, “Where the hell is your honor, attacking a man with his back turned?”

Sy stands facing me, hands out, more fire glowing in his palms.

“Honor?” He laughs. “Wake up, Z. This world has no honor anymore.”

“Then what are you doing picking a fight that should have ended centuries ago? Give it up.”

I turn away, hoping he won’t block my exit this time.

From behind me, I hear, “At least I’m not a coward.”

I growl again, muttering a curse under my breath as another fireball whooshes past me, slamming into the door in a puff of metal-melting smoke. He’s not going to let me go without a fight. Not easily.

“I don’t have time for this,” I grumble, shoving a wall of air at him, blasting his next fireball clean out. “You feel that, don’t you? The air here is way too damn unsettled. This cafe is built on a stupid faultline. The veil between worlds is thin here, thin enough it’s crumbling at the edges. Can’t you feel the monsters nearby, just waiting to get through?”

Sairos cracks his neck from side to side, grinning like maybe that idea excites him. Like he actually wants a fight.

“There’s plenty of time to deal with them after I’ve dealt with you.”

That bored bastard.

I knew it.

I reach for the door, one hand out, blocking him with a blast of wind. “Listen, Sy. I’ll tell you what. I’ll fight you. I’ll fight you if that’s what you really want, but not today.”

“Ha!” He laughs, advancing on me. “You really are a coward. You’re running away!”

“Call me whatever the hell you want, but I’m not sticking around to hear it.” I grab the door, flinging it open before he can reach me. “My human’s in trouble.”

Before he has a chance to say anything else, I slam the door behind me, blasting it with a rush of air so it stays shut.

I just hope the bastard’s gone by the time we get back.

He wouldn’t dare pick a fight in front of my human, would he?

You

Panic. Sheer, blinding panic.

Your feet are frozen.

You can’t move.

The monster advances, its claws clack-clack-clacking on the alleyway as it scurries toward you, jaws unhinged, huge pointy teeth a-snapping.

That’s it.

You’re about to become food for a giant bug.

Unless—

The sword!

The teeny-tiny, stupidly sharp sword!

You pull it out of your pocket, screaming some sort of unintelligible, terrified battle cry as you charge, waving it wildly where you wield it between your thumb and forefinger.

Yes.

It’s that small.

It really is little more than a letter-opener.

Naturally, the skaddler—the giant scorpion-like monster—is not in the slightest bit frightened by your antics. This was probably a bad idea, but it’s too late now.

The monster corrals you further back into the corner of the alley.

“ Help me!!!!! ” you scream, seconds from shouting Ziros’ true name for everyone nearby to hear. Not that anyone seems to be hearing you to begin with, or if they are, they sure aren’t coming to your rescue. “Someone, help meeeeeeeeeeee !!!!”

No one responds.

Of course no one does.

Ziros can’t hear you from here. There’s no way. And who else would go up against a giant scorpion monster like this?!

You’re trapped. Cornered and alone.

So much for the magical bond or whatever linking you and Ziros. Looks like this is the end.

You shut your eyes, bracing for the worst—when you remember you can’t die. Well. You certainly can , but if you do, so will Ziros.

And you can’t bring yourself to let that happen so easily.

Not without at least putting up a good fight.

As the monster lunges for you, you feel something change. It’s a strange, tingling sensation, like static racing down your arm and out through your hand.

The sword pulses in your hand.

Yes. The tiny sword.

Only, it’s not so tiny anymore.

You lurch back, dropping the hilt as the sword glows, spinning in the air, golden, glowing light flashing out around it like some sort of magical anime girl transformation sequence.

What in the heckin’ heck!?

Fortunately, this whole crazy magical transformation sequence seems to have caught the monster by surprise, too, and it rears up on its hind legs, backing away with a snarl.

The suddenly-full-sized sword lands in front of you, blade down, hilt sticking up for you to grab. Which you do. In a hurry.

You yank the sword from the alley like some sort of modern-day King Arthur, swinging it over your head with all the grace and skill of a person who has never once in their life wielded a sword.

“Aaaaaaaaaah!” you yell most eloquently as you charge, swinging wildly.

You’re not actually running at the monster.

More like, you’re just trying to get around its many pinchy legs.

Because you’re not dumb enough to think you can face it head-on and win just because now you’ve got an actual weapon. A weapon that you’ve had no training to know how to use.

Ziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiros , you scream in your head, still trying your hardest not to resort to screaming his true name out loud, just in case that actually matters in any way.

He’d better thank you for this effort later.

You know.

If there is a later.

Because you’ve just somehow managed to skirt around the monster’s way-too-many legs, and now you’re running down the alleyway, but it’s close behind you.

It doesn’t help that your sword is so heavy. And you have to be careful not to bang the blade into yourself as you run. You can’t even rest it on your shoulder safely.

They definitely make this look way easier on TV.

Note to self: Do some weightlifting, because this thing is HEAVY.

Finally, you round the corner to the alley behind the cafe…and smack straight into Ziros’ chest.

Fortunately, he manages to dodge your sword blade.

He steps back, staring at you in surprise, as if trying to comprehend exactly what is happening.

“Human?” He asks, and that’s when you notice he’s bleeding. Just slightly. There’s a cut on his right arm, and a burn crisping the side of his apron. His eyes darken and he growls, “What’s going on?”

That’s what you ’d like to know.

What the heck happened to him?!

“No time,” you pant, holding the sword out with shaking arms. The sword that is seriously no-joke, stupidly heavy. “There’s a ska—”

Before you can finish, the monster rounds the corner after you, all its claws clacking.

Ziros lets out a low growl, pulling you behind him.

“Stay back, human!”

Bright light flashes out as he swipes the skaddler down in one blast of air, so easily it’s like he didn’t even blink.

It’s…impressive.

The monster vanishes before you even get a chance to swing your sword.

Slowly, you let your arms sink down, finally feeling like you can breathe as you rest the heavy blade on the ground.