Chapter 4
FOUR
KASO
I tried to avoid romantic entanglements on Megelle Island, partially because I struggled with commitment but mostly because I had a rule to not date anyone mortal.
I learned that lesson the hard way a long, long time ago.
Immortal hearts were safer with immortal hearts .
. . unless you pissed off said immortal heart and there were grudges held against you for centuries.
There were definitely a few vampire and fae ladies here that hated me, not that I blamed them.
But when that princess of a female ordered four pretzels and then handed over a wad of cash before running away, well, my feet carried me toward her before I could stop myself.
She was goddess-level gorgeous. She had that Helen of Troy kind of look.
Her face would definitely launch a thousand ships and all that jazz.
I didn’t normally care for pigtail braids, they usually made me feel old and creepy, but on this one I felt anything but old or creepy.
Those golden-blonde braids looked like someone was trying to tie down the sun.
I wanted to grab hold of them and use them like reins on a horse.
See now, Kaso, this is how you get yourself in trouble on this Island. You don’t even know if she’s mortal or immortal. Perhaps find that out before you let your fantasies run amok. Pull yourself together, man.
As I approached, Helen of Troy hadn’t noticed me yet, but she was rather preoccupied listening to everyone else’s conversations around her.
It was actually adorable how blatantly nosey she was being.
The oversized sweater and fuzzy sweatpants tucked into leopard-print Ugg boots was even more adorable.
She looked soft to the touch, and I had all the urges to squeeze her like a pillow.
“Is that the Fruit Loops’ bird?”
Several people in front of me looked up into the tree with wide eyes. Helen frowned and followed their stare, then her face morphed into surprise . . . and then confusion. I chuckled. Her face had all the subtitles on.
“No,” some redheaded chick said, “that’s a pink parrot. Though, I have no idea how it got here.”
It squawked, flapped its wings, and took off. Everyone turned to watch it fly away, which is when I slid up behind the goddess, then leaned down and whispered, “Unapologetically eavesdropping. How uncouth.”
“Okay, grandpa,” she snapped back without missing a beat as she spun toward me, and then her eyes widened. She took a step back, then looked concerned and confused about why. She definitely had some uncouth thoughts when she looked me up and down like that.
I wanted to hear those thoughts. I wanted to count every pale freckle on her cheekbones and fleck of green in her eyes. I cocked my head to the side, leaned in close, then gave her a sideways grin. “More like grand-daddy, I’d think.”
She gasped. Heat rushed to her cheeks. She was blushing hard.
We both knew it, and we both knew I saw it.
I couldn’t resist looking. When she licked her lips, those butterflies in my stomach fluttered like it was the World Series.
She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
This only made me grin wider. She was attracted to me.
Mutual attraction was always good. I just needed to know if she was immortal, and just looking at the face told me nothing.
Her outfit could’ve indicated young college student, yet that didn’t mean she was mortal.
I would have to ask, but judging by the way her gaze slowly surveyed my body, I didn’t think asking would be too difficult.
Finally she looked back up to my face, and to my amusement, let out a little sigh.
Yeah, she likes what she sees.
“Ohhh.” I leaned back and slid my hands into the front pockets of my black dress pants. Rocking back on my heels, I wagged my eyebrows and decided to tease her about her reaction to the word daddy. “Did I strike a nerve, Rapunzel?”
She narrowed her green eyes. “I beg your pardon—”
“Two kinks in one night? What revelations we’re having.” I gave her a playful wink.
“Aren’t we leaning a little too in character this far from Halloween? Mafia boss, really?” She gestured to my outfit as if she was insulting me while her eyes were busy undressing me. “With the suit? Suspenders were a nice touch.”
Wait. Did she call me a mafia boss? That made me chuckle. If only she knew.
“As were your pajamas,” I said slyly with a wink, then slowly and intentionally let my gaze travel down the length of her body and back up to make a point. “You look like you’re ready for bed, Sleeping Beauty.”
“Pick a princess and stick to her—”
“Maybe that’s never been my style.” I bit my bottom lip and eyed her body again. Then again, in my long ass eternity already, it was always females like this one who got me swooning and settling down.
Her whole body seemed to flush. “If I’m wearing this to bed, then I already know you’re clueless and I’ll be faking a headache.”
Ooh. She’s funny.
“You wouldn’t be fakin’ nuttin’ wit’me,” I said before I could stop myself, then I wagged my eyebrows and licked my lips because apparently I had all the flirty audacity tonight. “But you may still need one of Peggy’s potions the next day.”
“Cocky much?” Her eyebrow arched like she was trying to be sassy and annoyed, but I didn’t miss the flush in her cheeks or the way those green eyes dilated ever so slightly.
I shrugged one shoulder and almost lost all self-control when she dragged her teeth across her bottom lip like she wanted to bite me. “You mispronounced confident.”
She smiled and finally stepped up closer to me, close enough to count the freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks and to see her green eyes were actually two-toned, with darker emerald-green around the ring and a pretty apple-green on the inside.
They were intoxicating. She probably hypnotized men without realizing it.
I breathed her in and almost moaned out loud.
She smelled like a cannoli and it was sending my thoughts on an express pass to sin city.
She glanced at my lips as she licked her own, then peeked up at me through her dark eyelashes. Something told me she had no idea how seductive she was. “Is this where you tell me you’ll make me forget how to spell?”
I chuckled deep in my throat. “I bet I can make you do all kinds of things.”
Her eyes widened and her nostrils flared. I saw her desire plain on her face. Then she cleared her throat. “Should we be concerned that a girl in pajamas has worked you up so much?”
I see what you’re trying to do, Helen, but your sassy is a little too heated to not be foreplay. I grinned. “Go ahead, report me to the Virtues.”
She stood up straight, pushed her shoulders back, and then white angel wings popped out from her back.
My heart stopped. No. No, no, no. Wait. Hold the fuck on.
Those wings are WHITE. Pristine white. Not a fleck of another color in there.
I felt my pulse thundering through my veins, a heavy pounding in my ears.
I knew my jaw had dropped, but for the first time in a long time . . . I was struck fucking stupid.
Because this goddess of a woman was an angel.
Not a Nephilim. They had gold wings with colored tips to match the realm they guarded. All white wings were for the full-blooded angels. There were ten angels who made up The Watchers, but I was well aware of each of them as it was our goal to stay out of their sight. That meant she was a Virtue.
She arched one eyebrow. “Consider yourself reported.”
“I . . . uh . . . um . . .” I stumbled back a step, throwing my hands out in front of me and shaking my head. This ain’t good, Kaso. Look what you’ve done now, wise guy. “Fuck. Me.”
She 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.”
My jaw hit the floor. Every nerve ending in my body was firing and tingling.
What the fuck just happened? I was just flirting boldly with a Virtue.
Is it illegal to proposition a Virtue? Before I could voice any of the thoughts in my head, she grinned and shot straight up into the sky.
I stared up as another blonde angel with white wings joined her and then they took off together. Uh oh. That’s gonna have side effects.
“Hey, where’d you go? What’re you doin’?” Andreas strolled up to me with his arms out wide. “Did you find out where Bow Ties is? Your leavin’ me standin’ here wit’ my dick in my hand.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I got the answer. It’s over—ya know . . . you can take two rights then three doors down . . . Ya know, it’s right there.”
“Okay, let’s go then—”
“But listen, I gotta tell ya’ somethin’—”
“Oh, I gotta tell you somethin’. Let me tell you what I found out about these Virtues—”
“Yeah, I gotta tell ya something about the Virtues too.”
“Well I found out how they hunt. I found out how it works. I was schmoozin’ up—”
“Who’d you schmooze?”
“Josiah Vauntero.”
“Hold on, hold on.” I stopped him with my hand. “The gay one?”
“What? I’m pretty? You sayin’ you don’t think I'm pretty?”
“Nah, you’re pretty, okay? The glasses are a nice touch. Adds a couple points, okay? You’re pretty.” I shrugged. “I’m just sayin’, how far did you go for answers?”
Andreas narrowed his amber eyes on me. “I didn’t get down on my knees if that’s what you’re askin’.”
“Yeah, but did he?” I wagged my eyebrows. “I couldn’t blame ya if you did. Josiah is one good lookin’ vampire.”
“You know what, would I be standin’ here if he was on his knees? I mean, he should be so lucky.”
“So did ya’ give ‘em ya’ number? You guys gonna have a drink later? What’s goin’ on? Is this a new side of you I didn’t know about? Are you not being open with me?”
“What’re ya sayin’? I’m not allowed to be gay?”