Chapter Eleven Damien
Chapter Eleven
Damien
“Damien.”
Her voice was whisper soft, laced with shock. Her cheeks, which had held a delectable hue of red to them, went white as bone, the sight of me wreaking havoc. I clenched my teeth as her shoulders tensed in my presence; like she found my very existence bothersome.
Same, sunshine.
“I see that you’re enjoying yourself slumming it in the Void,” I said, my tone cold, harsh.
I’d observed her from the main room the second she entered the bar.
I’d planned to make my way over, but then the fucking lord I’d stolen that watch from came sauntering to her side and took a seat like he owned the place.
He caused her to laugh—several times—her vexingly beautiful face lighting up the entire space.
It made my blood boil; they were in my bar. My side of town.
With my usual seat taken, I crept back to my corner and seethed, arms crossed, glaring daggers into the lord’s skull. The bastard had never been here before—and I would know—making me suspect that either he’d followed her or they had come together. All of it was suspicious.
When she snuck off to the ladies’ room, I made my move.
I hadn’t realized how close Wren and I stood in the narrow hall until her chest brushed against my own, her breathing uneven.
A bolt of electricity shot down my front whenever her soft curves grazed me.
If she noticed, she didn’t let on. Those turquoise eyes hardened at the corners as she tilted her chin to meet mine, all bravado, all fake.
A smile crept to my lips at the realization, and I stared down at her, enjoying the difference in our heights immensely.
I could tell it vexed her.
“I’m not slumming it,” she seethed. “I came here to find you, if you must know. Not that I wanted to.”
I rested my hand on the wall above her head, leaning forward. “Oh, you came to find me, eh? I’m flattered.”
The noise she made was nothing short of a growl. “I…I need help. And you’re just the devious kind of man who can deliver.”
“I prefer clever. Or creative, sly, resourceful—”
“Damien.”
“Yes, sunshine?”
“Shut up, please.”
I arched a brow. “So bossy. Here I thought you were a well-bred lady. Suppose I was wrong. Sneaking out to bars with men unescorted.” I faked a gasp. “Scandalous.”
I moved closer, my chest now fully pressed to hers. Through her simple dress, I made out the heavy thumps of her heartbeat, of her…
Those curves of hers were just as I remembered from the other night.
I expected her to move or shove me away like trash, but she didn’t, her attention locked on my eyes. Eyes most people tended not to look into for too long due to their unusualness, how they appeared “like an oncoming storm,” as Ruby lovingly put it. Yet they didn’t seem to bother Wren.
“You don’t know me, thief,” she remarked coolly, adopting some of that earlier coldness I’d seen her wear back at the guard station. “I’m here to offer you a job.”
“Hmm. A job? And I am the one you came to?” To mask my surprise, I lifted my hand, snagging one of the loose curls that had slipped from her updo.
Twirling the silken strand, I kept my eyes on her, waiting for her to squirm.
To my shock, she remained in place, stubbornly refusing to show any sign of discomfort.
She tapped her damn toe as if my presence bored her, but her right eye gave her away when it twitched, just once, and a smirk spread across my face. I grudgingly released her too soft hair.
“Well?” she demanded when I didn’t speak. “I’ll pay. A bonus would be you not having to rob anyone. Must be rare for you.”
I laughed. I’d make her work for this mysterious request. Even if I needed her, too.
My grin grew absolutely wicked when I asked, “What do you require of me? Bored with the usual lords? You know, I typically don’t offer such…services.”
She smacked my arm. “I’m not asking that of you, you cretin.” The tips of her ears turned a delicious shade of red.
“No?” My voice retained innocence as I cocked my head. “I assumed, seeing as you seemed to enjoy having me on top of you the other evening.”
Oh. I’d pushed the right button.
The red that had rushed to her cheeks traveled beneath the neckline of her dress. I wished to capture the moment—of her clenched fists and determined stare, how she didn’t pull away from me, no matter how much she might hate me.
“Enough,” she said through her teeth. “If you want a job that pays, tell me or I’ll find someone more capable.”
More capable. As if she could find someone as capable as me…who wouldn’t rob her blind. Or worse.
She placed her hands on my chest as if to push me away. That wouldn’t do. Grasping both her wrists, I held her to me, a thrill shooting down my spine when I leaned inches from her pouty mouth.
“I never said I wouldn’t help,” I argued, inhaling her every exhale. “I just might want something in return.” When her eyes widened, I hastily added, “A favor, and not the kind your wicked little mind is thinking of.”
“I—I wasn’t thinking that,” she enunciated, clearly thinking of exactly the dark things I accused her of. “You would be the last person on earth I’d ever want.”
Like I would want her. A pretentious know-it-all who hadn’t a clue about life. Ridiculous.
“Good to know we’re on the same page.” I raised a finger and trailed it down her cheek, feeling her burning skin just to provoke. “Go on then, sunshine. Tell me what it is that only a, what was it you called me? A devious man like me can offer?”
My curiosity gnawed at me, my little prey growing all the more interesting. She had guts, coming to the Void. And to the Broken Wing, of all places, I’d give her that. Wren must want something badly enough to leave her rich town house and well-manicured streets.
Our hearts thudded against each other, my own pulse surprisingly quick. Ever since I’d been tossed into her life, I felt like something inside me had awoken. Like a slumbering bear emerging from years of sleep.
The thrill of the chase. It had to be.
“I won’t tell you here,” she said quietly.
“There’s too many people.” Her eyes scanned the empty hall before moving to the main room.
“And don’t be such a bastard about it. If you agree, we work together as equals.
No more of…this.” She peered between us, to where we were connected.
Too close. Even so, Wren made no indication that my closeness bothered her.
Well, aside from those rosy cheeks. Her delectable tell.
Fates. Riling her up was too easy.
Too fun.
I raised my head far enough to appraise her. “Fine. But word of advice? Coming here with him was a very bad decision. I can practically smell the arrogance from a mile away. He’ll be a target for any cocky drunkard who wants to put a northerner in his place.”
He’d tried to dress like he belonged, but anyone with sense could see otherwise.
When he hadn’t been speaking with Wren, he’d been too busy downing a beer and studying the tavern, his condescending face twisting.
Of course, he flipped on the charm like a switch with her.
People like him were actors on a stage, and Wren was na?ve enough to fall for the act. Not surprising.
She believed herself tough, while she continued to see the best in people. A shame, really.
A finger pressed into my chest, startling me. “You’ve been watching me,” Wren accused—correctly—doing her very best to sound intimidating. Such an adorable yet incompetent attempt.
“Obviously.” I shrugged, pressing deeper into that little finger of hers. “You were practically begging to be robbed.” Again.
“You would be the expert,” she snipped.
My smile blossomed. I captured the finger she used to poke into my flesh and wrapped my own fingers around it.
She gave it a fruitless tug, and the frustration wrinkling her pert nose caused my chest to swell.
Slipping one hand around her waist, the other pressing into the small of her back, I dragged her firmly against me, her lush body molding to the hardness of my muscles.
Heat filled me but I tamped it down, or tried to. But when she let out a gasp of surprise, that heat grew into something devious. Something I didn’t want. Not with her. I merely liked to play—a lion toying with his food before a meal.
Dropping my head, I whispered into her ear. “Go home before you get yourself killed, sunshine,” I warned, thrilled by the ensuing shudder I felt go through her. “Your tenderhearted lord won’t be able to protect you here.”
I still required answers from her, mainly a list of possible attendees and other suspects who could’ve stolen her locket the night of the ball.
Once I found it and returned it to Wren, surely things would return to normal, and my gift wouldn’t continue to fail me.
I held on to that sliver of hope with both hands. Her locket was not worth my own magic.
In the meantime, Lord Pompous would wind up getting them both robbed or beaten. The image of someone hurting her flashed in my mind, and I ground my teeth.
“He’s doing just fine,” Wren breathed, her voice a little rougher. Raspier.
I pulled back, studying her face in the way I knew she hated.
“What are you trying to say?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” I asked. The hand grasping her hip tightened and she let out a deep sound that ignited the cursed spark in my chest. “A few friends of mine already had eyes on you, but with me present, they wouldn’t mess with you.
I’ve already done you several favors, and you hadn’t a clue.
You were under my protection the whole time. ”
It was true. Sandy and her drunk of a husband, Maurice, had been deliberating the best way to corner the pair before I shut that down. Bella and Lonnie, too.
Wren bit her cheek, considering. Meanwhile, my traitorous eyes dropped to her lips, taking in the fullness of them, the natural pink shade they held.
Why did the woman I robbed have to look like that?
If she weren’t some spoiled noble, I’d seduce her and purge her from my system.
As it was, there’d be no chance in the underworld of that happening.
Besides, something told me once wouldn’t be enough. I liked sweet things.
Bad thought. I was getting off track.
“Take my offer,” she demanded, her breasts pushing against me, turning my brain all hazy again. She exhaled unevenly, more noticeable than before, her body slightly trembling against mine.
That trembling didn’t stem from fear, but rather, sheer determination.
“Again, shocked to see that the princess of Ward One is so bossy.” I sighed, dropping my hand from her waist and giving her as much room as the hallway allowed.
I watched as she nearly stumbled backward in her haste to be rid of me, but she quickly righted herself, her expression turning cold once more.
I rolled my eyes at the display.
“Name a price. And a reasonable one,” she added. “I’ll give you the details when it’s decided.”
I pretended to consider, narrowing my eyes. I couldn’t let her know how desperately I wanted her help as well. She would have easy access to all the guests who attended the event.
“Three pieces of silver for every day my services are requested.”
An unintelligible noise slipped from between her lips. “One piece of silver. At most.”
I scoffed, crossing both arms. “Sunshine, you can’t afford me, then.”
“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?” Her lips thinned into a straight line.
I laughed. “But you’re so nice and bright. Always a ray of light,” I teased, gently flicking her nose. “The nickname suits you far too well for me to stop.”
She glowered. “If you’re going to be an ass, then I’m leaving. I knew I never should’ve come here.”
She started to slip around me.
I shot my arm out, blocking her in as I leaned close. “Two pieces.”
She crossed her arms, grinding her teeth so hard I feared she’d crack her jaw. “One.”
“Damn, you’re stubborn, aren’t you?” I groaned, aware that I couldn’t let her walk—even if I wasn’t sure why the hell she needed me.
All right, truth be told, I had an inkling.
“Fine, one piece of silver,” I ground out, hating to give in easily.
She called my bluff, and my desperation to find her locket and restore my own power rioted against her slipping away. Pride be damned.
Wren beamed, her glower turning into a victorious grin, all of her teeth on display as she silently boasted.
“You can stop smiling like that,” I grumbled.
“So I can’t smile now?” she asked innocently. “It wouldn’t hurt you to smile every now and again instead of acting all grumpy and tough all the time.”
“Grumpy?”
“Most definitely,” she chirped, apparently having regained her confidence. “You and your stormy eyes and scowling face are the epitome of the word.”
How rich that she made assumptions about me.
“Oh, no. I don’t like that face. It’s much worse,” she murmured, likely reading my look of sheer exasperation.
“Good.” I went to her ear again, making sure my stubbled jaw rubbed against her smooth skin. “Now be the proper lady that you are and scurry home. I’ll meet you at your house tomorrow at noon.”
A hand fisted my shirt, and I pulled back a little to lock eyes.
“You don’t tell me what to do, Damien,” she bristled, my name sounding like a curse.
“This is to be a partnership. And I’ll go home after I’ve finished my drink.
” As if she was just remembering she’d ditched her fancy lord back at the bar, her face paled.
“Tomorrow. Don’t be late. Oh, and we’ll talk about your favor then too. ”
My mouth opened, but I never got a chance to reply. The ward princess slipped beneath my arm and practically sprinted around the corner and out of sight.
She’s a means to an end. A way to fix your mistake.
It still pissed me off when I rounded the corner and found her and her precious lord slipping out the door, his arm possessively around her waist. I didn’t understand what drew me to the woman, but it had to simply be the mystery of the locket.
All right, and perhaps a little bit of attraction, which could be controlled.
Stifled. I planned to stifle the hell out of it.
When the time came, I would be waiting, and then Wren Hayes would lead me to the locket and all would be well. Then I’d never have to see her again.