Chapter 7 - Adalyn
Between avoiding Zephyr, working at the Emporium, and working on the shields, I almost completely forgot about the engagement party for Harper and Alex.
Harper had been talking about it all week, and I had run errands for her, but it wasn’t until my phone pinged on Saturday—the only day I had off from the Emporium—that I realized it was that day .
Successfully, I had arranged to completely avoid Zephyr ever since he had almost killed me in the woods—and I truly believe he had wanted to kill me, would have , if Alex had not stepped in to save my life—but tonight there would be a chance at sidestepping him.
When it turned five-thirty, I closed down the store, extinguished the candles with a snap of my fingers, and headed to Harper’s cottage to get ready.
***
The party was being held in the island’s only venue for parties and celebrations. The place had seen countless graduations, birthday parties, weddings, and Harper’s and Alex’s party was in full swing by the time I arrived.
Music spilled through the main rooms, glancing off the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. A bar was set up to the left of the room’s entrance. At the back, a singular door led to a hallway, bathrooms, and a garden area. Sunset oranges and reds poured through the windows, and people packed the room, dancing and talking.
I immediately found Harper and Alex, but my eyes unfortunately found Zephyr in the same sweep of the room. He was by the bar, laughing with Frazer and Johnson, the three of them pouring shots. The triplets were with my grandmother, and while Harper had wanted Greta there, she’d refused, saying she would much rather spend her Saturday with the children.
Making my way over to my best friend, I pointedly glared at Zephyr. My neck still bore bruises from what had happened in the woods last week.
“Congratulations!” I cried, rushing to hug Harper. She was beautiful, her red hair tossed down her back in gorgeous ringlets. She wore a stunning green, figure-hugging cocktail dress, the sleeves flared out to her elbows with black lace patterns along the edges of the neckline, sleeves, and hem. Alex stood next to her in a shirt and smart pants, beaming.
“Thanks, Addie.” Harper’s grin could have lit up the sky. Alex had a hand on her waist, pulling her in. Adoration filled his gaze when he looked at her.
“This woman,” he said, raising his champagne glass. “Is going to make me the happiest damn man alive in a few months.”
Harper giggled, going up on her tiptoes to kiss her cheek. “And you’ll make the happiest woman.”
Alex gazed at her. “I love you so much.”
I heard Harper’s laugh as she returned the words, leaning in to kiss him. They’d fought hard for everything they had—they deserved this and more.
“Wait, but hey,” Harper cried as I went to mingle, leaving them to their moment. “You should go talk to Zephyr.”
“No,” I answered sharply. “No, we’ve tried to be civil, and it isn’t happening.” I met Alex’s eyes. “You saw what happened.”
“I know,” Alex said. “But he won’t hurt you again.”
I snorted. “Okay.” I didn’t believe him.
“We’re serious,” Harper insisted. “He’s honor-bound to not harm you.”
“Honor doesn’t seem like something Zephyr thinks much of.”
Alex lifted his chin. With the shadows of the sunset casting over his face, he was intimidating, and I found I wanted to listen to him, to believe him. “Trust me, Zephyr takes honor very seriously. He won’t harm you, Adalyn.”
I forced a grin. “So does that mean I can hurt him and win?”
“No,” Harper answered. “It means we both want you to get along with him. You’re the triplets’ favorite aunt and uncle, and we want you both to be part of their lives as they grow up.”
“Which doesn’t include constant arguments and storming out,” Alex warned.
I wanted to protest further, to claim my innocence, that I had simply been existing when Zephyr decided we were locked in a feud, forcing me to either submit to his anger or fight back. Witches were never taught to back down. Unfortunately, neither were wolves.
“Fine,” I sighed, shoving a hand through my hair. “I will. Just not yet.”
Harper blew me a kiss, and I turned away from them, heading for the bar, which was mercifully empty of Zephyr now. Sweeney and Hector were hanging around there as I sidled up to them, smiling.
The bartender braced thick arms on the bar, smiling at me. “What can I get you tonight?”
Next to me, Sweeney whistled quietly, sniggering. Even Hector looked interested.
“Hey, Adalyn,” Sweeney said.
“Hey, guys,” I answered with a smile, tossing my hair over one shoulder. Then I leaned forward against the bar, looking at the bartender. “I’ll have a rum and coke.”
“Rum?” Sweeney echoed as the bartender started making my drink. “ Nice .”
“It's my night off,” I laughed. “I have to live a little, right?”
“Cheers to that,” Hector muttered, raising his own glass.
The two of them drank deeply. I tossed my hair back as I swept my gaze around the room. Zephyr was lingering by the windows, talking to Alex now. The exchange looked heated, and even Harper stepped in. Zephyr’s and Harper’s eyes cut to me. I turned away sharply.
“Your drink,” the bartender announced, placing it down.
“Thanks,” I muttered. All I could think about were fingers on my throat, tightening, tightening. A wolf pursuing me through the night, blood dripping down from his maw. I shuddered. I wasn’t an idiot; I knew how close I had brushed death that night, pinned beneath Zephyr. I despised him—he thought he was the only one capable of hatred, but no. No . I had that right, too, and mine burned fiercely.
I downed half my drink, feeling the effects start to softly seep into me almost immediately.
“Steady there,” Sweeney warned. I glared at him.
“I don’t need looking out for, thanks,” I snapped. “Especially from a shifter.”
“Hey, don’t hate the species because you hate one man,” he countered.
“Whatever,” I muttered, finishing my drink, before walking away from the bar. I wanted to dance—I wanted to dance with Harper. I waited until Alex pulled Zephyr aside so I could slink over to my best friend and looped my arm through hers.
Together, we danced across the floor, giggling and laughing, and it was just like old times. No shifter trying to kill me, no enemies, no worries. Just Harper and me. She’d gotten her happy ending. Where was mine?
***
The hallway was dimly lit by the time I stumbled in search of the garden for some fresh air. Golden mood lighting was thrown across the narrow, long space, and I stumbled between the two walls. One rum had turned into two, and while I still had my wits about me, my coordination had completely left.
It wasn’t until a body brushed up against me that I cursed my stumbling feet.
“Hey—watch it,” I called out. But as I turned, arms encased me. A scent rose in the air—like a fragrance that mixed black vanilla with smoke—and I let out a soft sound at how good the smell was. I turned against the body, tipping my head back to smile—
—Up at Zephyr.
“Oh,” I muttered. “Oh, no, not you.”
In the dim light, I saw his eyes harden. “Were you expecting another man to follow you into the hallway?”
I shook my head. “No, but I didn’t expect you to, either.”
He let out a harsh sound that was almost a laugh. “Yeah, me neither.” He smelled like he’d been drinking whisky, and I wondered how it might taste on his tongue.
“How drunk are you right now to even be enduring a conversation with me?” I mumbled.
“I’ve only had two,” he answered. “Whisky hits me hard, but not that hard.”
“Then why aren’t you being shitty?” I asked. “You’re always shitty to me.”
I tried to push him away, my hands batting his completely solid chest, and— Adalyn, why are you thinking about how solid his chest is ?
“Hey,” I said before he could answer. “I heard you’re honor-bound to make sure I don’t die by your hand.” I laughed. “I bet that’s tearing you up, Zephyr.”
His jaw tightened. His hair was mostly slicked back but the ends were curling into those vivid green eyes. You’re almost handsome ? I thought, biting my tongue so the words didn’t leave my mouth. If your words weren’t so ugly, I might find you attractive.
“It isn’t,” he answered.
I sniggered. “Let’s not pretend like you didn’t try to kill me a few days ago.”
His eyes flickered past me, upwards, as if to steel himself. “Adalyn, your zipper on the back of your dress is down a little. I wanted to tell you.”
“Oh,” I said, reaching a hand up to feel for the open zip, but I ended up just awkwardly patting my shoulder. Zephyr cursed under his breath before roughly pushing me around and guiding my hand.
“There,” he growled.
And I swore—it was just the rum, surely, but the way his voice went so rough and deep made me shiver. For once, not with fear.
Get ahold of yourself , I scolded myself. But when I couldn’t see the hatred burning in his eyes, I let myself imagine a world where Zephyr and I cooperated with one another. The sad thing was that I could almost see it.
My fingers brushed the zipper, but I couldn’t figure out how to tug it up. I gave up quickly, sighing, only to find my hand replaced by Zephyr’s. He was tense; I could feel his breathing growing slower, steadier.
Despite every hard, fast line of anger he showed me, the way he zipped up my dress was surprisingly gentle. Gentle in a way that made me crave more of it. A soft noise sounded in my throat. Zephyr’s hand withdrew quickly.
I turned to him, thinking of every awful thing he had ever said, only to find his eyes searching my face. But all I could see was the shifter who had hunted me through the woods. How does it feel to know that your life means so little that it will end at the hands of a wolf ? He’d asked. I had pleaded for my life.
I shoved him away, staggering back. “Don’t touch me,” I hissed.
But he was there, his hands on my hips, pushing me into the wall, and I only resisted for a minute until those green eyes bore into me once more.
“Your hatred only stokes me,” he murmured, his voice tight and flat. “Don’t forget, witch, I hate you just as much as you hate me.”
Then his mouth crashed against mine, and I tasted the whisky on his tongue, and I let him kiss me until it wasn’t just the alcohol making me dizzy. I didn’t know I was moving my hands, but suddenly, my palms flattened against the hard line of his shoulders, feeling every tense muscle there. He hated this—he hated that he wanted this.
Even his mouth against mine was a grimace, even as he kissed me.
“I should kill you,” he snarled against my mouth.
“Kill me then,” I told him, feeling suddenly sober.
Zephyr only kissed me again, his mouth on mine with a fervent urgency. Teeth and tongues clashed, and he let out a rough noise as his hands skittered down my sides, snatching at the hem of my black dress that bore far more skin than I remembered. I was made more aware of the cut-outs in the dress by how hot Zephyr’s body burned against me, a stark contrast to the cold metal of his lip piercing against my mouth.
I shuddered, both sickened and overwhelmed with desire, when the edge of his palm brushed my thigh, where my dress ended.
A glass smashed.
We broke apart.
Zephyr’s eyes glared that fury and loathing into me. I shoved him away, but he grasped my wrists.
“Don’t move,” he said quietly, his head whipping to the side to search ahead, in the hallway, where the party was. His face was still tight in a grimace, as if he couldn’t bear the thought of having wanted to kiss me. I was barely stomaching it myself. My mother told me not to make them allies, never mind kissing them.
It was a poor judgment, I assured myself. Don’t think about it too hard.
And I barely had a moment to think about it when a scream rang out. “ Demons !”
“Everybody out! Get to safety!” Alex’s own shout ordered. Zephyr bolted, and I wasted no time rushing after him, my hands raised to summon my power and cast. Demons swarmed the party room. The buffet table was overturned, glasses were smashed on the marble floor, and the gifts we had all given Harper and Alex were in disarray, wrapping paper torn everywhere. At least ten of them were banded together, hissing at the room.
“Here,” Zephyr whispered, as the demons zeroed in on Alex as he pushed Harper behind him. They chanted Harper’s name, and I remembered how, this summer gone, they had almost taken her to their realm.
I had no choice but to follow Zephyr as he crept along the outskirts of the room, slipping behind the bar. I crouched behind it next to him.
“Stay down,” he snarled. “If they shift, I’ll shift. You stay—”
“And what? Play at being a defenseless damsel?” I spat.
“You want to risk your life instead?”
“Only as much as you do.”
Zephyr ducked behind the bar as a knife came spinning for us. I dropped to the floor before muttering a spell under my breath. Blasts of power grew in my palms. I dived up to the bar’s height, throwing out orbs of pure power, and slamming demons anywhere I could. But my powers were weaker, weaker than they had been ever since I discovered I was a witch.
Still, they hit the demon, which disintegrated. Zephyr tutted under his breath before rummaging underneath the bar, set right back, into the counter. When he brought out a rifle, my eyes widened.
“How did you know that was there?”
“I put it there,” he answered dismissively before he checked the chamber, which was full. He spared me a second to show me the shining navy bullets inside. “Demon bullets. Save your—strength.”
I didn’t get a chance to respond because he began firing. The others, opposite us, moved out of the way. One of them had already shifted, tearing into demons, while Zephyr blasted the remaining ones quicker than I had been able to.
But more kept coming. The ten we had originally found had doubled, and more blueish lights illuminated the ceiling and walls, the pre-warning of a portal.
“There’s too many!” Frazer yelled.
“For you, maybe,” Sweeney called, back-to-back with Johnson, as they fired at the demons with those different bullets, specifically designed for demon extermination. Johnson had a manic grin on his face as he fired, one of his shots forcing me to duck beneath the bar.
Helplessly, I threw up a shield in front of us, watching as Zephyr cringed back from where he braced his elbows on the bar.
“Don’t touch me with that shit,” he spat.
“I’m helping to save your ass,” I snapped. “Just be thankful and fire.”
Bullets rained down on the demons, whose squeals and screams filled the room nightmarishly. It wasn’t a sound easily forgotten. All six of them were fighting, spread across the room. I was only glad to see Harper kept back and shielded from the demons, but even Alex’s attention was torn, half fighting the demons, half ensuring none had swarmed his mate.
More and more kept spilling into the room, too many for even Zephyr’s bullets to keep up with. They filled the room, overwhelming even the wolf one of them had shifted into. Hector was yelling that there was no sign of them slowing down anytime soon.
“Everyone out!” Alex yelled, reaching for Harper, gathering her up in his arms. Her face was white, her eyes fearful and wide as she stared out at the dark masses of hellspawn forming. “It's not worth trying to win this. Get to safety. Lay low. Stay with whoever you’re with now, no exceptions, we don’t have time to argue. Go .”