Chapter 9
Just a One-Night Stand
Iwake up alone.
The bed is cold. Empty. Just me and rumpled sheets that still smell faintly of smoke and something dark and spicy that I can’t quite name.
My body aches in unfamiliar ways. Good ways. Ways that make my face burn when I think about last night. About Hex’s hands on my skin. His mouth. His voice in my ear saying things that made me forget my own name.
But he’s not here.
I sit up slowly, looking around my tiny bedroom.
The morning light filters through the thin curtains, grey and weak.
Everything looks exactly the same as it always does.
Clothes on the floor. Books stacked haphazardly on the nightstand.
The crack in the ceiling that looks like a rabbit if you squint.
Nothing has changed.
Except everything has changed.
I swing my legs out of bed and stand up, wobbling slightly. My phone says it’s six-thirty. I have an hour before I need to leave for work. An hour to process whatever the hell happened last night.
Can Hex only materialise at night? Is that why he’s gone? Or was this just a one-night stand? Did he get what he needed and disappear?
My stomach twists painfully. Was I used? Did I just let a shadow creature feed on me and then he vanished the moment he was satisfied?
I stumble to the bathroom and splash cold water on my face. My reflection stares back at me. I look different somehow. My eyes are brighter. My skin has more colour. I look alive in a way I haven’t in years.
But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m alone.
Will I ever see him again? Do I want to see him again?
Yes. God, yes. The realisation hits me like a punch to the gut. I want to see him again. As completely insane as it probably is, I want to hear his voice and feel his presence, and have him look at me like I matter.
But what if he doesn’t come back? What if that was it? What if I gave him everything and now he’s just gone?
Despite all the promises he made?
I grip the edge of the sink hard enough that my knuckles turn white. This is exactly why I don’t let people get close. This is exactly why I keep everyone at arm’s length. Because caring about someone gives them the power to hurt you. And I’m so tired of being hurt.
I shower and dress on autopilot. Black jeans. Black tee shirt. The walk to Coffeelicious passes in a blur. I barely notice the grey streets or the other commuters. My mind is too busy spiralling through every possible scenario. Each one worse than the last.
Felix is already at the counter when I arrive. He takes one look at me and his eyes go wide.
“Oh my Satan,” he breathes. “You did it. You actually did it.”
Heat floods my face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Liar.” He grabs my arm and pulls me into the back room, away from any early morning customers. “Your aura is insane right now. It’s all over the place. Purple and gold and swirling like a damn kaleidoscope. Something major happened.”
I busy myself with my apron, avoiding his penetrating stare. “Nothing happened.”
“Adam.” His voice is sharp. “Don’t lie to me. Did you let him feed?”
My silence is answer enough.
“Holy shit.” Felix’s expression shifts from concern to fascination to something that looks almost like pride. “How was it? Are you okay? Did it hurt? Do interdimensional beings have big dicks? Give me details!”
“I’m not giving you details!” My face is burning so hot I’m surprised I haven’t combusted.
“Come on! Just a little bit! Was it the best sex of your life or did you…”
“Felix!” I practically squeak his name.
He grins, shameless and delighted. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop. But you’re okay? He didn’t hurt you?”
“No. He didn’t hurt me.” My voice softens. “He was actually really gentle.”
“Good.” He squeezes my shoulder. “I’m glad. You deserve someone who treats you well.”
The words make my throat tight. “He’s gone, though. He left. I woke up alone.”
“Shadow creatures probably can’t stick around during daylight. Too much energy or something.” Felix waves a hand dismissively. “I’m sure he’ll be back.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because from the look on your face, last night was wild. He’s gonna want to tap that again.”
I don’t have an answer for that. Because what the hell do you say to that? I doubt there is an appropriate response in the entire English language.
So I mumble something about the flapjack display, and get busy with work.
The morning rush is brutal. Endless orders and impatient customers, and my mind is definitely not on making perfect cappuccinos. I mess up three orders in a row and have to remake them. Felix covers for me, handling the register while I focus on not burning down the espresso machine.
Around eleven, during a brief lull, the bell above the door chimes. I look up automatically, ready to greet whoever has just walked in.
Two men enter. Large. Broad-shouldered. Wearing expensive suits that don’t quite hide the muscle underneath. They look like they’ve walked straight out of a gangster film.
My stomach drops.
One of them lurks by the door and glares at the few customers who are sitting at tables. The customers quickly gather their things and flee. They know trouble when they see it.
As the last customer leaves, the man by the door grins and flicks the lock. The click echoes through the suddenly silent coffee shop.
Felix moves closer to me. I can feel his tension, the way his body has gone rigid and ready. I know he has a baseball bat somewhere, but I think it’s under the till. Five whole steps away. Maybe I can distract them so he can get to it?
The two men approach the counter slowly. Deliberately. Their footsteps heavy on the wooden floor.
“Can I help you?” My voice comes out steady somehow, even though my heart is hammering against my ribs.
The taller one leans in close. Too close. His breath smells of cigarettes and something sour.
“You disrespected our boss yesterday.”
Oh god. The customer. The one I refused to give a refund. He sent these men. He actually sent thugs to a coffee shop because I wouldn’t give him three pounds back.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I manage.
“Don’t play stupid.” The second man moves around the counter, boxing me in. “You embarrassed Mr Peterson. Made him look like a fool in front of everyone. That’s not okay.”
“He was trying to scam us,” I say, but my voice is shaking now. “The coffee wasn’t cold. He was lying.”
“Doesn’t matter.” The tall one smiles, and it’s not a nice smile. “What matters is you disrespected him. And nobody disrespects Mr Peterson.”
Oh god. Just my fucking luck. The one time I have the balls to stand up to someone, I go and stand up to a sleazeball who has thugs.
Felix shifts beside me. Is he getting ready to make a dive for the baseball bat? Or to run out the back door and leave me?
“So here’s what’s going to happen,” the tall one continues. “You’re going to apologise. Publicly. You’re going to post on social media about how wrong you were. How Mr Peterson is a respected man in this community. How you were having a bad day and took it out on him.”
“No,” I hear myself say.
The word hangs in the air. Defiant. Stupid.
The man’s expression darkens. “That wasn’t a request.”
He reaches across the counter, his hand going for my shirt collar.
Then the lights flicker.
Once. Twice. The overhead fixtures swing slightly on their chains.
Coffee cups on the tables start to rattle. A low vibration runs through the entire building, like a bass note played too loud.
The two men freeze. They look around nervously, their confident swagger evaporating.
The temperature drops. I can see my breath misting in the air. Frost spreads across the windows in delicate patterns.
Felix starts grinning. A wide, vicious grin that makes him look absolutely feral.
“Yeah,” he says conversationally, like we’re discussing the weather. “You don’t want to fuck with Adam. His boyfriend will feast on your souls.”
A glass explodes. One of the empty cups on a nearby table just shatters, sending shards everywhere. The sound is deafening in the tense silence.
Both men flinch violently. The tall one backs away from the counter, his face pale. “What the hell…”
Another cup explodes. Then another. The lights flicker more violently now, strobing like a nightclub. The vibration intensifies until the entire building is shaking.
“We’re leaving!” The shorter man is already heading for the door, fumbling with the lock. “We’re leaving right now!”
They scramble out, nearly tripping over each other in their haste to escape. The door slams behind them with enough force to rattle the frame.
Immediately, everything stops. The lights stabilise. The temperature returns to normal. The vibration fades away as if it never existed.
Felix lets out a whoop of laughter and slaps me on the back hard enough to make me stumble forward. “That was awesome! Did you see their faces? They looked like they were about to piss themselves!”
I’m too dazed to respond. My hands are shaking. My heart is still racing. That was Hex. That was Hex protecting me. Even though he’s not here, even though I can’t see him, he was watching. He knew I was in danger, and he did something about it.
My phone buzzes in my pocket.
With trembling fingers, I pull it out.
Are you okay, My Love?
My breath catches. My love. He keeps calling me that. And he was here. Somehow he was here when I needed him.
I type back quickly. I’m fine. Thank you for your help.
I shove my phone back into my pocket and just stand there, staring at the broken glass scattered across the floor.
Felix is watching me with knowing eyes. “He’s got your back, huh?”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “Yeah, I think he does.”
He grins and starts sweeping up the glass. “Told you he’d be back. Because damn, your booty is so fine he gotta protect it.”
I cringe, but despite Felix’s crudeness, I realise I’m smiling. A real, genuine smile that reaches my eyes and makes my chest feel warm and light.
It wasn’t a one-night stand.