Chapter 2 #4
“Take the bucket and hold with ease, fill it with the nacho cheese,” a female voice sang through the chaos of the parade just as I approached the food stand line.
I froze mid-step as the whispered words of a siren’s song rolled across my back, sending a cold flutter through my hair. Her magic would have no effect on an angel like me. Virtues were immune to the magic of mortals in First Realm, but that didn’t mean I’d missed it.
Nor did I miss the way the lady pumped hot, melted nacho cheese into a bag of popcorn. “Here you go, dear,” she yelled over the music and handed the pumpkin bucket over to the people in the front of the line.
A skinny blonde girl reached into the bucket and screamed bloody murder.
She yanked her skinny little hand out and it was covered in liquid cheese.
I snort-laughed, then buried my mouth in my hand.
When other people leaned around to see what happened, I caught a glimpse of Monroe and Dawson standing with wide eyes.
The girl screeched and shook her hand wildly to try and get the cheese off, sending liquid cheese splashing all over Monroe and Dawson and even a few innocent bystanders.
“Kristie, stop screaming!” Monroe yelled. “Just stop—”
But she squealed right over his words. She reached out and wiped her cheese-drenched hand on his white T-shirt.
When he tried to hand her a napkin, she threw the bucket at him and the cheese-covered popcorn rained down across his chest. Dawson just stood there in the cheese splash zone, blinking as drops landed on his eyelashes.
I cackled. Mortals were so entertaining.
Dawson took his wand out and pointed it at the cheese smeared on Monroe’s chest like he was going to use magic to clean it, but Monroe grabbed his hand and swished it—sharp energy curved around me for a split second but long enough for me to taste the aura of the magic and determine it had no intent to harm.
Next thing I knew, another one of King Tirian’s siren daughters went rolling by on roller skates, screaming.
She sped by, picking up speed as she went across the sidewalk, screaming at a high pitch as she crashed into the crowd full of her fellow sirens.
“THAT’S ENOUGH! LET’S GO! YOU HAVE RUINED MY SWEATER!”
I looked over just as Monroe sighed and let his fiancée drag him back in the opposite direction. “It’s just clothes—”
“It’s cashmere, Monroe! You’re buying me a new one!”
I snort-laughed as I stepped up to the front of the stand. “Hello!”
“Hi, dearie!” The lady grinned with huge dimples. She was probably someone’s grandmother and had no idea who I was. “What can I get for you tonight, love?”
“Two jumbo soft pretzels, please.” I licked my lips at the exact time my stomach growled. “Actually, make that four.”
She grabbed four and held them out for me.
I didn’t wait for a price. I just handed her a wad of cash and hurried away before she could refuse my hefty tip.
Regan hadn’t resurfaced yet, so I turned to head back to the roof we’d camped out on when the siren princess sisters all gasped, their eyes wide as they watched something behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder and spotted the big float at the end with the Vauntero family on it.
I spotted Queen Zenobia at the front of the float with her new twin babies perched on her hips.
“That’s Constantine?” a young woman I hadn’t seen before whispered. “Not how I remembered him.”
The girl next to her flushed as she fanned herself. “I’ll remember this though.”
“Is that the Fruit Loops’ bird?”
Several of us all looked right up at the tree with wide eyes. I frowned and followed their stare. Sitting pretty on the lower branch of that sugar maple was a bright-pink bird I’d never seen before. What the hell is that? And why is it looking at us?
“No,” Reese, one of the siren sisters, said with a laugh. “That’s a pink parrot, though I have no idea how it got here.”
It squawked, then flapped its wings and took off.
“Unapologetically eavesdropping,” a deep male voice rumbled in my ear. “How uncouth.”
“Okay, grandpa.” I rolled my eyes and spun toward the unfamiliar voice—my eyes widened.
I took a step back, but it was my body acting on its own, like my feet required space between me and this .
. . this . . . man. I felt the sharp tingle of my swords strapped to my thighs like they thought I was about to summon them for battle.
And they weren’t the only body parts ready to go.
More like grand-daddy.
The mystery man cocked his head to the side, leaned in close enough for me to see just how bright the gold color of his eyes were, and then gave me a devastating sideways grin. “More like grand-daddy, I’d think.”
I gasped. Heat rushed to my cheeks, and by the way those pretty gold eyes shot down to them, I knew I was blushing.
Hard. I licked my lips and opened my mouth, but no words came out.
Who the hell are you? He was deliciously tall, with lean, chiseled muscles that somehow were still on display despite the button-down shirt he wore.
The suspenders had my brain going fuzzy, so I looked back up to his face.
To my horror, I let out a little sigh. He had hair the color of dark chocolate, with strands just long enough on top to tug on with my fingers.
His dark eyebrows had a natural arch to them that really leaned into this wickedly handsome vibe he had going on.
“Ohhh.” He leaned back and slid his hands into the front pockets of his black dress pants. Rocking back on his heels as he wagged his eyebrows. “Did I strike a nerve, Rapunzel?”
I narrowed my eyes. “I beg your pardon—”
“Two kinks in one night? What revelations we’re having.” He gave me a playful wink.
“Aren’t we leaning a little too into character this far from Halloween? Mafia boss, really?” I gestured to his outfit, which I wasn’t going to admit out loud looked damn fine on him. “With the suit? Suspenders were a nice touch.”
A very, very nice touch.
“As were your pajamas,” he said slyly with a wink, then slowly let his gaze travel down the length of my body and back up. “You look like you’re ready for bed, Sleeping Beauty.”
“Pick a princess and stick to her—”
“Maybe that’s never been my style.” He bit his bottom lip and eyed my body again.
Heat flushed through my veins. This dude had some nerve flirting with me so well. “If I’m wearing this to bed, then I already know you’re clueless and I’ll be faking a headache.”
“You wouldn’t be fakin’ nuttin’ wit’me.” He wagged his eyebrows and licked his lips. “But you may still need one of Peggy’s potions the next day.”
“Cocky much?”
He shrugged one shoulder, and I had the urge to bite him. “You mispronounced confident.”
I smiled and stepped up closer to him, close enough to feel his breath sweep across my forehead and to see the glittery gold specks in his eyes as they dilated.
This close I could smell that plant vampires liked to smoke to chill out, a plant that only affected them in that way so I never remembered the name of it.
Part of me suddenly wanted to be that plant.
I glanced down at his lips as I licked mine, then peeked up at him through my eyelashes. “Is this where you tell me you’ll make me forget how to spell?”
His answering chuckle was the sexiest thing I’d ever heard. “I bet I can make you do all kinds of things.”
Dear God. What is this manchild trying to do to me? I cleared my throat. “Should we be concerned that a girl in pajamas has worked you up so much?”
The cocky grin on his face was not in the least bit flustered. “Go ahead. Report me to the Virtues.”
I stood up straight, pushed my shoulders back, and let my angel wings pop out loud and proud. Unlike the few Nephilim who existed these days, my wings weren’t golden with colored tips. No, my feathers were white.
His eyes went wide, his face almost as white as my wings.
I arched one eyebrow. “Consider yourself reported.”
“I . . . uh . . . um . . .” He took a big step back and held his hands out in front of him. Then he shook his head. “Fuck. Me.”
I shrugged one shoulder, then leaned in and whispered, “Nah, you haven’t been naughty enough. But I’ll be watching, so don’t bore me.”
His jaw dropped.
I grinned and then shot straight up into the sky. What has gotten into you tonight? Virtues don’t encourage bad behaviour, Chanel. Cool your shit.
“Chanel!” Regan yelled out from behind me.
I plastered a smile on my face and spun around. “There you are!”
“C’mon! I found Constantine.”
I held her two pretzels out toward her. “I found food.”