Chapter 9 Nova
NOVA
Conrad Mecariee. That was a name I was going to remember.
It had taken far too much of my self-control not to answer his incessant invitations.
It wasn’t the first time someone had flirted with me to get something in return, but it was the first time I almost responded.
With the ravenous urge to put him in his place…
to pin him underneath me… I almost took him right there on his desk.
It was just a blip of a thought, but before I knew it, I was pressed against him, his arms circling me tight, the heat from my body transferring to his, spiraling out of control.
Getting this close, I could see the way his deep evergreen eyes burned with carnal desire.
When he licked his lips, my whole body tensed, ready to climb on top and ride him hard and fast.
Then I came to my senses and punched him.
Gulping down some air, I forced myself to walk away from that sophisticated grapefruit-crisp scent, laced with warm sandalwood and a cozy bite of nutmeg.
His scent called me to stay, to sink into his space and see where this could lead us.
My wolf let out a small whine at the loss, purposely making my steps louder to drown her out.
I tried to steady myself by thinking about Reece and that human kid, praying Jeremy hadn’t done anything stupid enough to get either of them killed.
That thought sobered me up fast. I turned to ask for Donnie’s address, only to realize Conrad hadn’t moved off the floor.
He was staring into space with a stricken look on his face.
What the fuck was he doing? Twiddling his thumbs? He might’ve been a turned vampire, making him weaker than someone who’d been born that way, but I hadn’t hit him that hard.
“You may heal slower,” I snapped, glaring over my shoulder, “but I didn’t touch your damn legs.”
His head swiveled around in a flash, eyes lit with hope at my words. My wolf all but wagged her tail.
I. Hated. It.
“Let’s go,” I growled, turning away before he saw the heat in my cheeks.
The door had no button or lever to open it, so I stood there, waiting.
Even without looking, I felt him approach, that broad, cool chest hovering behind me.
When he leaned forward, his chest brushed my back, making me very aware of where we were touching as his arm curled around me to tap against the wooden wall twice. A panel slid aside, revealing a keypad.
He entered the code slowly, deliberately, his body pressing harder against me with every number he keyed in.
With the way his heavy breath ghosted over my neck, I wasn't even paying attention to the code he was putting in. His presence pulled me in like a siren’s spell, daring me to lean back and let myself be enveloped by him and that delicious scent.
Grinding my teeth, I steeled my spine, refusing to bend. Hold, Nova. Don’t break. Show him how little he affects you. This was just another power play, one I was going to win.
“I’ll say this…” his voice slid against my ear, quiet and full of sin, “knowing you’ll probably hit me again for saying it, but you have the most intoxicating scent.
Drives me half-mad. No one has ever affected me like this.
” His ending words were breathless, like he didn't even know what he was saying, and my heart thumped.
Oh, he’s good. That damn male is gooooood.
The door slid open before I could respond, but I was glad since I needed a break from all this… heat. Instead, I came face-to-face with heat of a different kind. Zeth stood on the other side, hair disheveled, eyes wild, as though he was one heartbeat from tearing down the wall.
“Zeth—” I breathed, ready to step toward him, but Conrad’s voice coiled right behind me, dragging me back into his gravity.
“Oh, Zeth,” Conrad purred, “just in time. We were about to head out.”
I elbowed him sharply, opening my mouth to explain, but Zeth’s stunned reply had the words caught in my throat. “We?”
When I still didn’t say anything, Zeth’s fury-filled eyes cut to me. Pain peppered his gaze like I was the one betraying him, and I shook my head. I had to explain before this got out of hand.
“He has a lead on a location,” I told him quickly. “He’s going to take us to it.”
“Us?” Conrad’s voice pitched higher, incredulous, eyes snapping to me.
I bit the inside of my lip. This… was getting annoying. Ignoring both of them, I scanned the room behind Zeth. The ring was empty, and the crowd was at the cash-out station. A few women were lazily gossiping in their seats. The fights were over.
Walking around Zeth, I bolted for the stairs before the crowd surged for the exit, tossing back, “Come on, boys. We’ve got a guy to find.”
Two sets of footsteps followed close behind, but I didn't dare look back. Nope, I just kept facing forward until we got outside.
Conrad snapped his fingers at the valet, saying, “Get my car,” then turned that sharp smile on me. “It’s a two-seater, so Zeth will have to take his car. I’ll text him the address.”
Zeth growled, the sound odd coming from a demon, but he’d practically been raised by wolves, so it made sense. He took a step forward, eyes burning at Conrad’s words. “You lead. We’ll follow.”
Before the situation could turn into another pissing match, I cut them off. “Zeth’s going with you, Conrad. I’ll follow.”
Zeth’s lips parted like he was going to argue, so I crossed my arms and lifted my brow. “It’s my car.”
His jaw moved from side to side before he glared at Conrad, who sent him an equally annoyed look. They were making it clear that they’d rather have their toenails ripped out and spoon fed to them than ride together, but that wasn’t my problem. I was in charge. End of story.
A deep green Chevrolet Corvette 3LZ purred beside my jeep, the color almost a match for Conrad’s eyes.
Sleek and polished, it looked like the perfect counterpoint to my rugged, terrain-built ride, like they’d been bought as a set.
One for the city, the other for the mountains.
I didn’t know why that irked me, but it did.
Snatching the keys from the valet, I called over my shoulder, “Don’t lose me, or Zeth will kill you.”
Zeth bared his teeth in a grim smile. “I hope you drive fast, vamp, or it’s your funeral.”
Conrad sneered right back. “I’d never give you the satisfaction.”
Well, this was going to be fun.
I couldn't help but think that Conrad was either really worried that he would lose me… or he had a death wish.
He kept a sluggish pace the entire time, which drove me insane, so I could only imagine how Zeth was handling it in the passenger seat.
The image was clear in my mind. Arms crossed, scowl carved deep, throwing Conrad hate at every single mile marker.
The mental image had me laughing most of the ride.
Still, I hoped this little excursion hammered my message into their skulls. If they wanted to fight like dogs, I’d treat them like dogs. Let them swipe at each other until it was too much then yank on their leashes, making them heel at my feet. Wouldn't that be a pretty sight to behold?
Conrad turned off the highway early, winding us through back roads and skirting the edge of the city until we hit a dirt road that led into a hidden trailer park pressed against the forest. It was a sharp contrast to the expensive homes and polished city center we’d left behind.
I rolled the windows down, letting the night air sharpen my senses. Gravel crunched under my tires, and the acrid scent of marijuana hung heavy.
The deeper we went, the clearer it became.
This was the side of Whitefish that people rarely saw.
People lounged on makeshift porches, smoking or drinking, their conversations quiet but their eyes tracking everything that moved.
Rows and rows of small box-like, broken-down trailers were propped up on stilts.
A fairy woman with a ratty neon blue ponytail, miniskirt, and a jacket that was pinched too tight caught my attention.
Her clothes weren't magicked to conceal her wings, and they were lying flat through the self-cut slits of her jacket.
The faint shimmer of her wings sputtered like a dying bulb, so I knew she was running on fumes, too low on life essence.
Life essence wasn’t cheap when it came in a bottle, and even if it was concentrated, which meant a little went a long way, most average fairies couldn’t afford it. That was why they usually signed up for sex work and sipped on it that way.
A human man whistled at her.
“Cherry! How ’bout a blowjob for a couple months?!”
She didn’t even look back.
“Six months!” he yelled desperately when she kept walking. “A-a year!”
That made her pause.
“A year if you swallow, and I’m in control,” he bargained.
From my rearview mirror, I watched her lips curl into a private smile. She turned on her heels, walked straight into his trailer, and shut the door. Her wings would glow bright again tonight.
Conrad pulled up in front of a crooked trailer, and I rolled in next to him, killing the engine at the same time Zeth flung open the door.
“How do you stand this guy, Boss Rossey?” Leaning against the hood of his car, Conrad jerked his thumb toward Zeth, his nose wrinkled and his eyes rolling up into his head.
“Don’t worry about my second,” I shot back. “Worry about finding Donnie or, better yet, Jeremy.”
When we rolled in, the neighborhood buzzed with life, the hiss of cats, dogs snarling, a baby wailing, gossip spilling in hushed tones.
The moment we climbed out of our cars, silence fell.
Curtains twitched, shadows shifted, and eyes gleamed at us from behind the glass.
No one moved. No one spoke. They left us to do whatever it was we came here to do but kept an eye so they knew what would be coming next.
Ignoring the stares, we mounted the steps of the trailer and knocked. Nothing. I tried again. Still nothing.
“Well, I gave you a chance.”