Chapter 12
OLIVIA
“Are you serious right now?! You’re really not going to tell me about your night with that tall, brooding vampire?”
Lark’s voice bounced off the garage walls as she planted herself in the open bay. Her eyes locked onto me, bright and demanding. That was my cue, and I rolled underneath the car and kept working, the metal frame echoing each turn of my wrench.
She didn’t wait for an answer.
“You disappear with Mr. Tall Hot Vampire and come back like nothing happened?” She scoffed, pacing a tight circle near my feet. “That is criminal behavior, Via. Criminal. I'm your best friend, and you're being a real B for keeping all the details to yourself. Just saying.”
I pressed my tongue into my cheek and kept working, letting the steady rhythm of tightening bolts ground me while she spiraled above.
“This is actually insane,” she mumbled, dragging a hand through her hair before pointing down at me. “My idea, by the way. Going out. Celebrating. Dancing. All my idea. I should at least get a thank you.”
I slid the wrench into place again, gave it one last turn, and exhaled. “You already know the basics,” I said, my voice muffled by the undercarriage. “I went to his place, had my brains melted, and his… roommate drove me home.”
There was a pause.
“Oh.” The shift in her tone was instant. I could practically hear the gears turning.
“So he’s broke?” she surmised. “For supes, needing is definitely a sign of being broke.
A human I could get, but a supe? Yeah. I get why you wouldn't want to tell me.” That was the farthest thing from the truth, but in the interest of keeping both of us safe, I was keeping a tight lip on the specifics. It was better this way.
She leaned down like she might peer under the car at me. “That’s fine. Better, honestly. We weeded out the scrubs early, and now we can work on finding you someone to rely on.”
Her hands flung outward again like she was pitching a lifestyle. “There are plenty of rich, powerful supes out there. With a face and body like yours, you don’t have to settle.”
I rolled my eyes where she couldn’t see it and checked the last bolt.
“Now—” She snapped her fingers, dropping back into place beside the creeper. “Tell me the real stuff. When he bit you—”
“He didn’t.” The words came out flat, and everything went still for a beat.
Then the creeper jolted as she yanked it hard, dragging me out from under the car before I could brace myself. The sudden light made me squint as I slid to a stop at her feet.
“What?” she demanded, crouching down, brows pulled tight together.
I pushed myself upright, reaching for the nearby rag. “I said he didn’t bite me.”
She grabbed my hands before I could wipe them clean, her grip firm, like she was trying to hold the answer in place.
“That makes no sense,” she rushed out. “He’s a vampire. That’s literally their whole thing. They need blood. And they…” She faltered, glancing off to the side as color crept up her neck. “They usually mix it in with sex because it feels…”
Her voice trailed off, and I caught it, the shift, the familiarity. I raised a brow.
“Oh,” I said slowly. I mean, I already knew she and Nathan did that since it was part of her blood contract and they were together romantically. It was only natural.
She still cleared her throat, looking anywhere but at me.
I huffed quietly and pulled my hands free. “Yeah, well, I told him if he tried, I’d kick him in the dick.”
Her head snapped back toward me, eyes going wide.
“You did not.”
I nodded, a small smile tugging to one side. “I did.”
For a second, she just stared at me like she couldn’t decide if she was impressed or horrified.
Then I added, unable to help the small grin pulling at my mouth, “But the sex was actually amazing. Best I’ve ever had.”
Her hand smacked my arm before I could dodge.
“See!” she crowed, popping back up to her feet. “I told you! Worth it!”
Her laugh burst out, loud and bright, and I couldn’t help it. I joined in, the sound slipping out easier than it should have.
Bang.
The office door slammed open hard enough to rattle the walls, and both of us turned.
Yendor stormed in, a stack of paperwork and a set of keys hitting the nearest surface with a sharp clatter. His shoulders were tight, movements stiff, like every step was forced.
“Are you still not done with the yellow GT?” he snapped, his eyes narrowing on Lark.
The laughter died instantly.
I wiped my hands slower this time, watching him. “Yeah. Just finished. I’ll bring it around.”
“No need.”
He didn’t look at me as he crossed the space. I scooted the creeper out of his way just as he slid into the driver’s seat, keys already in the ignition. The engine roared to life a second later. The car jerked back harder than necessary, tires biting against the concrete as he pulled it out.
Lark’s hands landed on her hips as she watched him go. “What the hell is his problem?”
I stared after the car a second longer than I meant to, something tight settling in my stomach. “No idea,” I muttered. “But you should probably head out before he decides to take it out on you too.”
She glanced at me, then toward the exit, weighing it before nodding.
“Yeah… fair.”
She grabbed her purse off the floor, already pulling her phone out as she turned back.
“You’re still coming out tonight, right?”
I hesitated.
Images from last night slipped in uninvited. His voice, his hands, the way everything had felt just a little too easy. Heat crept up my neck before I could stop it.
Calix. That alone was enough to make my stomach twist.
I dragged my teeth over my bottom lip and shook my head. “I don’t think so.”
She groaned immediately.
“Viaaa—”
“I’ve got stuff to catch up on,” I cut in, softer but firm. “Tonight’s not a good idea.”
It wasn’t just him. It was everything.
Manshu hadn’t called with his demands yet, which just felt… wrong. I didn't want him to come chasing after me in public if I could avoid it.
I flicked a glance at my phone, and something in my chest tightened further when I found nothing.
“Maybe next Saturday?” I offered.
She rocked back on her heels, clearly unhappy, but after a second she sighed and threw her hands up.
“Fine. But you owe me details. Real ones.”
I snorted. “We’ll see.”
She pointed at me like she didn’t believe it for a second, then turned, heading for the exit with one last wave over her shoulder.
The garage door rattled shut behind her, and just like that, the space felt too quiet.
***
The garage gate rattled as I dragged it down, the metal slats clanging into place one by one until the last strip hit the concrete with a hollow thud. The sound echoed too loudly in the empty shop.
I stood there a second, hand still wrapped around the handle, jaw tight.
Enough. I’d had enough.
Turning on my heels, I headed for the front office, boots striking hard against the floor. Shoving the door with a sharp creak, I walked in, crossing my arms over my chest.
Yendor sat behind the desk, head bent, flipping through receipts like nothing in the world was wrong.
“What’s your deal today?” I asked, voice cutting through the room. “You pissed at me for telling Alto about the oil inventory mix-up?”
Nothing. He just kept sorting, stacking, sliding papers into place like he hadn't heard me, but the pages in his hands crumpled slightly under his grip.
Fine.
I shifted my weight, tilting my head as I tried again. “Guess I’ll just ask Alto then. See what—”
The sound cracked through the air.
His hands slammed flat against the desk, papers jumping under the impact. His chair scraped back as he shot to his feet, chest rising hard, green eyes flashing too bright, almost glowing.
“Shut up, Olivia.” His voice came out raw, shaking at the edges. “Just shut the fuck up!”
He rounded the desk in two quick strides, stopping just short of me.
“Do you even know why I’m here and why Alto’s not?” he demanded.
I blinked, caught off guard. He didn’t wait.
“You really thought he wouldn’t find out?” he snapped. “Thought you could just keep working for Manshu and nobody would notice? Nobody would tell him?”
The words hit like a punch. My chest tightened, breath catching halfway in.
“What happened to Alto?” I asked, the question slipping out before I could stop it. “Why isn’t he here?”
For a second, something in Yendor’s face cracked. His mouth twisted, his anger folding into something uglier, heavier.
“Last night,” he started, voice rough, “someone called him. Told him they saw you with Manshu.”
His gaze dropped, jaw clenching hard.
“He lost it. Went looking for him.” His hands curled into fists at his sides. “Cornered him. Told him to stay away from you. Stay away from the shop.”
My grip tightened around my own arms as guilt filled me.
“And?” I pushed, stepping closer. “Where is he, Yendor?”
He hesitated.
That hesitation snapped something in me, and I lunged forward, grabbing his arms and shaking him. “What happened?!”
He tore himself out of my grip and stumbled back a step. His eyes flashed again, this time with something hotter.
“It’s your fault!” he shouted, the words tearing out of him. “Your fault his wings were almost ripped off!”
The world tilted. My arms dropped to my sides, lifeless.
“What—no,” I breathed, shaking my head hard. “No, that’s not—”
The image hit anyway. Alto on the ground. Blood. Wings torn.
“No.” My voice cracked, and I surged forward again. I grabbed his shirt this time, my fingers twisting into the fabric. “You’re lying!”
He didn’t fight me. Didn’t deny it. His silence was enough.
A broken sound dragged out of my throat as the weight of it crashed down.
A fairy’s wings. You didn’t touch those. You didn’t damage them.
That wasn’t just the pain; it was a theft of their identity. Lifeblood. The only way to find your mate was when the colors changed, signifying you were taken.
And because of me, he….
“Why would he do that?” My grip tightened, knuckles whitening. “Why would he do that for me? For some stupid—”