Chapter Three
Aaliyah
A fter devouring the best burger in the world and finishing my beer, I’m ready to call it a night. I don’t know what time it is, but I know it’s still hours until last call. I have no desire to be here until then. The later it gets, the rowdier the crowd gets. While I love the regulars who grace Danny’s, it’s the college kids getting drunk off their asses I can’t stand.
“Hey, there.”
Surprised at the foreign voice, I glance up to find a man smirking down at me. Not the annoying, smarmy smirk that douche canoes wear, but that cocky ass smirk that gets my panties wet. And the rest of him isn’t so bad, either.
He’s tall, well over six feet, with wide shoulders and muscles bulging beneath his button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal his gorgeous forearms. Yum, arm porn at its finest. I lift my eyes higher, taking in his long, auburn hair that’s gathered at the back of his head in a bun and his full beard that hits him mid-chest. If he was in a flannel, I’d have assumed he was a lumberjack—a yummy one, at that.
“Well, hello to you, too,” I murmur, lips tilting up as my dark eyes meet his crystal-blue gaze. “You’re a hot one, aren’t you?”
“I think that’s my line,” he says with a chuckle, offering me his hand. “I’m Tyson.”
Laying my hand in his, we shake, but he doesn’t release my hand as our eyes stay locked. “Aaliyah.”
“A beautiful name for a beautiful creature.” He leans in, his nose flaring, and it’s only then I realize he’s supernatural. “And such an unusual scent. I’m not sure I’ve ever smelled it before.”
It’s my turn to laugh. “I know you haven’t.”
“So what are you, beautiful?”
“Uh uh. That’s not information I give away for free.” Or ever, but he doesn’t need to know that. I push more power into my illusion, needing to make sure that not only can’t my extra limbs be seen but also felt. There’s just something about feeling ghostly limbs that puts a man off—not that I can blame them. Who wants to feel arms where they shouldn’t be? “But I’ll tell you what, big guy. You dance with me, and I’ll consider it.”
Tyson’s smirk only grows as he uses his hold on my hand to pull me from my chair and lead me to the dance floor. He spins me around until my back faces him before pulling me flush against his chest. Reaching up, I wrap a hand around his neck while his hands land on my hips. The two of us move together, and for a moment, all I can focus on is how fucking hot he is—I don’t mean how attractive he is, but how much heat is coming off of him where our bodies touch.
That narrows down his species a lot, and based on his build, I’d guess he’s either a fire giant or a dragon shifter. Likely a dragon shifter, since he’s not over seven feet tall. Even in their human guises, giants tend to be much taller than both humans and supes. While Tyson is tall, now that I’m standing, I’d say he’s probably closer to six foot four—a full foot taller than me. That might be tall for a human, but for a shifter, that’s about average.
My hips swing to the beat as I grind back against him. It doesn’t take long for him to harden, a smile crawling across my lips as I realize just what he’s packing inside those jeans that look like they’re painted on. Maybe I’ll take him home tonight or allow him to take me home since his place is likely much closer than mine.
“The moment I saw you, I knew I had to have you,” he pants next to my ear, his breath hot. “I don’t even know what a woman like you is doing in a dive like this, but I’m damn glad you are.”
Tipping my head against his chest, I look up at him with our lips just inches apart. “Danny’s is my favorite place in the city. There are too many places where people just put on false faces, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time for that shit. I’d rather know what I’m getting into from the get-go, you know?”
He chuckles, and I feel the vibrations in his chest throughout my body. I fight back a shiver, not wanting him to know just how much he’s affecting me right now. “I absolutely know, and now that I know you come here regularly, I know where I’ll be frequenting here more often.”
“Is that so?” I ask, our lips almost brushing as he moves closer to me.
“Mmmhmm.” Then his lips are on mine, and it’s like the entire world explodes around me. I don’t know that I’ve felt anything like this before.
My body feels like it’s on fire; like I could combust at any moment. Liquid heat courses through my veins before settling in my cunt. With just a kiss, Tyson has turned me on more than any other man or woman has ever been able to do—and I’ve been with a lot of men and women over the years. I spin in his arms, ready to climb him like a tree, when he jerks away from me.
We both stare at one another, panting. After a moment, he jerks and reaches into his pants, pulling out his phone.
“Fuck. I’ve got to go.”
Without even looking up at me, he storms off the dance floor and toward the exit.
What. The. Fuck!
What could have been on his phone that was so important that he walked away from me without even a glance or a fucking apology?
You know what? Fuck him. He’s the one missing out—not me. If he wants to walk away from all of this, then it’s his loss.
One thing’s for sure. I’m so over this night.
Stalking back to the bar, I toss down a couple of hundreds.
“Everything alright, Aaliyah?” Danny asks hesitantly.
I wave him off. “Yup. I’m just done for the night. I’ll see you in a few days.”
He picks up the money, his eyes no longer popping out when he sees how much I’ve left him. I always tip him at least a hundred dollars, if not more. When I first started coming, he tried to give it back to me, but now he knows better.
“See you then. Drive careful, and try to enjoy the rest of your night.”
I give him a finger wave over the top of my head, already heading for the door. I should’ve known the fates weren’t done with me yet tonight. After all, throwing shit at me one after another seems to be one of their favorite pastimes. But I never would’ve expected what happens next.
“Aaliyah.”
My name is spoken so softly, I shouldn’t have been able to hear it, but I do. I freeze immediately, eyes falling shut. There’s no way that it’s his voice. He can’t be here. It’s just my head screwing with me after a bad night.
Only when I blink my eyes open, Archer is standing there in all his glory. To top it off, he’s not alone.
He looks good, but he always has. His hair is shaved short on the sides and cut longer on top, styled to perfection. The sides of his hair are silver, with strands of more silver running through his brown hair. It’s been like that since I met him nearly a thousand years ago. After all, demons don’t age. His skin carries a permanent tan and his green eyes are more beautiful than the most brilliant emerald. He’s the silver fox of every woman’s, and some men’s, dreams.
Archer just screams daddy . Which is probably why he drew my attention so long ago.
Shaking my head, I force my attention to the woman beside him. She’s drop-dead gorgeous. Her tawny skin is only a shade or two darker than my own, though our origins couldn’t be more different. Her ebony curls fall to her mid-back and her eyes are nearly as dark as mine. She’s taller than me, around five foot ten to Archer’s six feet. If she wasn’t standing next to the man I despise most in the world—besides my lovely father, that is—then I’d probably be flirting with her. But if she’s with Archer, I want nothing to do with her.
“What are you doing here? I thought you were stuck in the underworld after what you did to me,” I spit out, barely containing the rage threatening to spill from me.
At least he has the grace to look abashed as he ducks his head. “My sentence was one thousand years in service to the ruler.”
“Oh, I’m aware.”
He pauses as if waiting for me to get to something, but I have no idea what it is. “It’s been over a thousand years, Aaliyah. I would’ve found you sooner if I could, but you’re awfully hard to find.”
I scoff. “For a reason. And why would you be looking for me? Surely, I made myself clear the last time you saw me. I never wanted to see you again, and that still applies. So, I’ll ask again, what are you doing here?”
“I want to apologize—“
I laugh, but there’s no joy in the sound. “If you’d wanted to apologize, the time to do that would’ve been before, during, or even after your trial. Not a thousand years later. It’s a little too late for an apology now.”
“I just didn’t want you to leave,” he says softly as if begging me. But begging me for what? To forgive him?
Yeah, that’s not going to happen.
The woman clears her throat, offering me a soft smile. “He’s really quite obsessed with you.”
“Let me guess. You’re his new slave.”
She doesn’t even look offended as she laughs, shaking her head. “No, darling. I’m his lover, and I’d love to be yours as well. He said you were exquisite, but he didn’t do you justice.”
I’m sorry. What? Did she just hit on me? She admits to being Archer’s lover and now she’s hitting on me? Did she not just hear what I just said to Archer? How I don’t want to see him ever again?
Make it make sense.
“You know what? I’m not dealing with this right now.” I stalk past them, calling over my shoulder. “And Archer? You can stop looking for me. Whatever you’re selling, I don’t want. Stay the hell out of my life.”
And to think, the night had started out so well.