Chapter 12

TWELVE

Emilia

It’s nearing midnight. The concert finished up close to an hour ago and the tiny merch stall has cleared out. The only crowd left gathers on the opposite side of the bar.

I sit beside Silas and Carly Beth, on the edge of the dance floor, watching drunken line dancers spinning a little too wide and laughing their enjoyment into the night.

For some strange reason, I allowed Carly Beth to wrangle us into a game of ‘never have I ever’. I’m quickly losing my buzz, still working on my third beer of the night. She has since moved on to Long Island iced teas and Silas is nursing a pale ale imported from England.

He’s so close that I can feel the heat radiating from his thigh, my body singing whenever it brushes against my bare skin. I’m wound so tightly after having Silas’ strong arms wrapped around my middle most of the set.

He behaved, never straying to cup my breast, though I was silently begging, pleading with The Gods that he might grow so bold.

But, no, he is ever the gentleman. He only caressed my stomach, squeezing and holding me like something precious.

Our closeness is all that mattered, not my body. Not what I could give to him. Is it weird that makes me want to reward him even more?

“Never have I ever shoplifted candy from the store.” I declare.

Carly Beth lifts her drink and takes a sip, “To be fair, my high school friend dared me to. It was a Twix.”

Beside me, Silas makes a face and drinks, clearing his throat, “Reese’s Pieces.” He glances over at me, “Never have I ever had sex on an airplane.”

Carly Beth drinks.

“Really?” I ask.

Silas shrugs, “Not much for air travel.”

Because he teleports. I choke out a laugh, covering my mouth to hide my smile, the expression perfectly mirrored in his eyes. They look softer than usual. I’d assume it was the alcohol, but he’s on his third drink and hasn’t once slurred his words or given me a slow blink. It makes me wonder if demons can get drunk.

“Oh! Never have I ever kissed my college ‘friend’.” Carly Beth nearly yells with excitement.

He watches me and lifts the beer bottle to his lips, taking a swig.

I sigh and roll my eyes, drinking from mine to Carly Beth’s raucous applause, while Silas continues to pin me with his gaze.

It’s the first time I’ve taken a drink in over half an hour, which has me feeling a little pathetic. I’m not trying to compare myself to a 237-year-old demon, but my best friend and coworker is nearly ten years younger and already has so much more experience than I do.

When I was her age, I was barely out of college and working two jobs. Most of my friendships kind of fell away after I started dating Chase, since I let him take up my entire world. I wonder how drunk I would be right now if I never met him, but I also wouldn’t be sitting next to this gorgeous wolf demon or have half of the experiences I’ve crossed off my list tonight.

“Silas is such a good friend tagging along with us all the way to Madison.” She says, leaning down and drinking out of the brightly colored straw.

“He is.” I swallow, feeling his attention heavy against my skin, the nudge of his knee against my thigh nearly making me jump.

The music shifts and Carly Beth jumps up at the first few chords of a familiar melody, squealing, “It’s my song! C’mon, Emilia.” She reaches out, grabbing for my hand.

“I love you to pieces, Carly Beth, but I need to sit this one out.”

"Okay," she says, glancing over at Silas, "Well, I'm going to go dance." She pushes away from the table, singing along with the song and swaying her hips in time with the beat as she makes her way out onto the dance floor, "Oh my, good lord."

“Friend?” He asks, his voice low.

“Yes, what else would you be?”

Silas grips the underside of my bar stool, dragging it across the floor, the music swallowing the screech, “Friends don’t fuck their hands thinking about one another, sweetheart.”

That one ‘sweetheart’ settles right between my legs, pulsing in time with my heartbeat. I run my hands over the sweat on my glass, my chest heaving as he watches me.

“Witches don’t get involved with demons either.”

“You know that’s a lie.” He runs his warm fingertips across my jaw, hooking his fingers under my chin, turning my head. “Why are you so afraid of me, Emilia?”

“I’m not.” I say, lost in his gold eyes. “But what if he’s right, and he ruined me for everyone else?” My hands move on their own, running down his chest and stopping at his waist to gather his shirt into my fist. “I haven’t done half of the things you have. I haven’t had sex in a public place or in the back of a car. It’s only happened in a bed, missionary or nothing. Hell, he never gave me an orgasm. What if I can’t have one?”

Silas laughs, “Sweetheart, I’ve seen you come all over your fingers nearly a dozen times.”

“Alone, sure.”

He tilts his head, leaning close to me, “I could make you come.”

I shudder out a breath, my body almost shaking with need as he tucks my hair behind my ear.

“With my fingers, my tongue, or my cock, if all you want is to be proven wrong.”

It’s not, though. I reach for the remnants of my buzz, feeling it slip through my fingertips. If I was tipsy, this would have sobered me up immediately. So I have nothing to blame for the words that fall from my lips.

“Then why don’t you?”

“Here? Now?” He laughs, taking a sip of his ale.

“Silas, I tended bar at a place off-campus half of my senior year and well into grad school. I know what happens in the bathroom.”

“Don’t tempt me, little witch .”

“Why not? If I tell you to fuck me outright, it’d be considered a command.” I lift my wrist, shaking the gold bracelet.

Silas’ ears go back as he reaches between us, fingertips catching the shimmering faint green chain of magic that links us. One tug and it snaps with enough force to rattle the bottles on the table and nearly stealing the breath from my lungs.

“Tell me, Emilia.” He growls.

“Wait.” I breathe, my hands falling onto my lap as I look at the now useless chunky jewelry encircling my wrist. “You could have done that this entire time?”

“Of course, it was a first level spell.” He smirks and inclines his head, “I enjoy following your rules and being your good boy. Tell me exactly what you want, Emilia, all you have to do is say the word. You hold all the power.”

“Hey,” Carly Beth says, grabbing her drink and downing the rest of it, “I’m thinking of ordering another round. You in?” She pauses, looking between us, “Woah, did I miss something?”

“No.” I stammer, slipping off of my bar stool, Silas’ fingertips brushing back and forth against my thigh as I stand beside him, “Could you watch my stuff? I need to—” I gesture towards the hall.

“Sure.” Carly Beth smiles, grabbing my purse, “I’ll go talk to the cute bartender.” She wiggles her eyebrows and bites down on her plastic straw.

“Not the one in the navy shirt.”

She nods her acknowledgement and walks off towards the bar.

I stand in the large hall just before the bathrooms, already losing my nerve. It’s probably for the best, since fucking in the bathroom isn’t really something I figured I’d ever have on my bucket list, anyway.

“How drunk are you?” Silas asks, fingertips gliding down my spine until his palm settles at the small of my back.

“I was tipsy maybe an hour ago.” I say, turning, “What about you? You’ve had three drinks.”

He smiles at me, “Demons metabolize things differently.”

“Do you think she suspects anything?” I look out towards the bar where Carly Beth is thankfully staying far away from the demon bartender, “He’s not dangerous, is he?”

“I think the entire bar suspects something and no, he’s a pride demon. He actually seems like a nice guy.” He takes a step forward, “Here, give me your hand.”

I look down, placing my hand in his outstretched palm, “What are we doing?”

“I’m getting us some privacy.” He slides his other arm around my waist and pulls me close, “Take a step back.”

“If you wanted to dance with me, you should have just said so,” I tease.

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes.”

“Then keep your eyes on me and,” Silas presses forward, and I stagger backwards, the world shimmering as magic surges around us. It crackles against my skin, filling me with this giddy warmth, better than alcohol.

The bastard teleported.

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