Saved By Your Hot Book Boyfriend

53. Bait to Catch a Hot Book Boyfriend

53

Bait to Catch a Hot Book Boyfriend

You

With a deep breath, you answer the door, yanking it open before you can change your mind. To your horror, it really is your apartment manager on the other side.

Oh, no.

Your heart drops.

That must mean she’s about to give you an eviction notice.

At least, that’s what you assume, until she says a little awkwardly, “Here’s your rent receipt. Sorry for the delay. I’m not used to getting that much in cash these days.”

“Cash?” You stare blankly at her.

What’s she talking about?

“Yeah. The money you left in the drop box last night.”

“I…did?”

“Wait, I got the right apartment, didn’t I?” She glances down at the receipt in her hands, then at your door number. “Nope, yeah, this is you.” Handing over your receipt, she asks, “You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah!” You take the receipt with an awkward laugh. “Oh yeah, just a little tired!”

What is going on?

“Alrighty then, you have a good day,” she says with a wave, heading back down the hall as you stare after her.

When you finally shut the door, you sink down against the wall inside.

He paid your rent. He must have—Ziros. It had to be him.

You can’t believe it.

It’s paid. It’s really paid.

And that means—

Standing up again, you peer around your tiny studio apartment.

“Ziros?” you ask hopefully, feeling a bit silly. “Are you here?”

There’s no response. Nothing but the steady hum of the fridge.

That’s when you happen to look at the counter and notice a pastry sitting there. A pastry that very much was not there when you went to sleep.

Suddenly, it all makes sense.

“So you were here, you amazing, sneaky demigod.” You pick up the pastry, admiring its artful drizzles of frosting before biting in. It’s delicious. Not just regular delicious, but melt-in-your-mouth heavenly delicious. “You paid my rent,” you say through mouthfuls of pastry, leaning back against the counter in relief. “My rent is paid, and you baked up a storm at the cafe, didn’t you? So why don’t you show yourself?”

Still, there’s no response.

He must have snuck in while you were asleep, and now he’s gone.

You sigh, shaking your head at the empty apartment as you finish the pastry.

“If you’re hiding here, you’re doing too good of a job. Come on, Ziros. Show yourself!”

Nothing.

Nothing but the humming of the fridge.

Ziros

Yeah, yeah, so I’m a coward.

I don’t know what the hell I’m so afraid of, but I can’t bring myself to go back in there.

Instead, I’m hanging off a balcony across the way, watching her through the window like a creep.

I don’t even know why the hell I’m so nervous. It’s not like I’m asking her to marry me.

I rub one palm over my eyes, cursing myself for even making that connection.

I just want to see her again. It should be safe now—my power is back under control. At least, mostly.

What am I even so embarrassed about?

Am I embarrassed because I did something for her? I was just doing what I said I would. After all, I said I’d take care of it.

It’s not like me to feel like this. Maybe it’s because I’ve never felt like this at all, ever , for anyone in as long as I’ve lived. I don’t know what to do with myself.

Every time I look at her, my heart races, and strange heat rushes through my body.

“Get a hold of yourself, man,” I mutter, leaping down from the balcony and onto the street below. “Be cool. Don’t be needy.”

The last thing I want is her to know how much I’ve been pining away for her.

She’s a mortal. A magical mortal, but still a mortal.

We can’t be together.

It just won’t work, and the sooner I get over her, the better.

At least, that’s what I’ve been telling myself on repeat for days. But no matter the logic, it’s no damn use.

I think I love her.

That’s a jarring thought, but it’s true.

“ In love with a mortal ,” I mutter under my breath, not even sure where I’m going—just going as I make my way down the crowded city streets.

All these years and I’m finally free, and this is what I do? Pine away for a human? Ha!

I need to get out of here.

I won’t be gone forever. I know better than to think that now. I know I’ll be back.

This time, I’m just going away for a bit.

I need to clear my damn head.

You

Sometime later, you stand with your boss, Mel, in front of the cafe’s empty pastry display case.

“And all the rest were just dumped in the trash!” she says like she’s beyond hurt by it. She clearly has no idea how stale and cardboardy her baking was. “It’s a shame, really, but I guess I can’t be too beat-up by it since they replaced them.”

“True.” You cough, glancing away, trying to resist telling her how awful the originals were.

“It really wasn’t you?” Mel asks, watching your face like she’s trying to gauge if you’re lying. “If you dropped all the pastries on the floor or something and had to toss them, I would understand. You can tell me, June.”

You shake your head. “Sorry, it really wasn’t me.”

She sighs, leaning back on the display case. “Bummer. I was really hoping I could get you to make more.”

“Well…” You glance around the quiet cafe, feeling like you’re spilling a secret as you say, “I think I may know where they came from.”

Mel’s eyes light up, and instantly her entire demeanor changes. She practically glows as she turns to you. “You do?! Tell me!”

“Okay, so…remember that guy I was here with a while back?”

* * *

As you walk home again that night, you get the strangest feeling that you’re being watched. Maybe it’s a skaddler.

You shiver, rubbing the goosebumps down on your arms.

Hopefully not, but you do have your trusty sword, just in case. You reach into your pocket, feeling a little silly as you walk down the street brandishing what amounts to a letter-opener, but it’s late enough that no one else is around to see.

No one, except for the dark shadow that drops from the top of a low building at your side, landing on the deserted street in front of you.

You freeze, heart hammering in your chest.

“ Zir— ” you start to ask, then stop.

It’s not Ziros.

He’s just as tall as Ziros, with the same athletic build, strong jaw, and sharp cheekbones, but his hair is a bright red that matches the glow of his eyes, and he tosses a fireball in one hand.

“Nice sword you got there,” he says, taking a step toward you. “Mind if I see that?”

He sounds so friendly, you don’t even process that it’s a threat until it’s too late.

He’s not asking .

That’s his way of disarming you, pulling the tiny sword right out of your hand with ease before your body even recognizes what’s happening.

You’re too busy spontaneously remembering Corrine’s story about the guy with fire streaming from his hands, the one who saved her from muggers.

Suddenly, you find yourself believing her.

Although…

“May I have my sword back?” You ask as politely as you can, holding out your hand. After all, you’re operating on the assumption that he’s a good guy, considering he’s probably the same dude that saved your friend and all. “Please.”

He just laughs.

“Sorry, sorceress. For you, I’m not the hero. Not today.”

“What?” You take a step back, turning to flee, but he’s faster.

He catches you, pinning you easily against the side of the nearby building.

“That’s right,” he says as he wraps a blindfold over your eyes, tying a gag over your mouth. “Tonight, you’re bait.”

“Hey!” You shout in muffled protest through the gag, but all you get for your effort is a mouthful of fabric.

At least it’s clean-tasting fabric.

So that’s that.

But you’re still apparently being kidnapped, and that can’t possibly be a good thing.

Especially not, considering he called you ‘bait’.

What, is he planning on feeding you to a skaddler?

Ziros , you think as loudly as you can. Help! Help me, Ziros!

Ziros

I’m halfway to nowhere, all the power of a thousand storms raging around me in a familiar dance, all darkness and wind in the middle of the night.

Damn, it feels good .

Not as good as she makes me feel, though, and even here, I can’t get her face out of my mind.

That’s when I swear I hear it.

Over the roaring of the wind, there’s another sound, a quieter one that echoes around my head.

I swear I hear her calling my name.