Chapter 19
NINETEEN
Stay alert, you never know who’s watching.
CELINE
Street parked outside my apartment, I wait for Luca and let my mind drift to the tall, dark, and handsome complication I’ve added to my life. Alistair is good with his hands, I’ll give him that, but can I really treat him like a dildo?
My long-dormant libido cracked one eye open last night and loved what it saw. Dildo or not, leaving Alistair in the dusty storage room without returning the favor didn’t sit right with me. By the time I got home, I had discovered an uncomfortable truth: I wanted him inside me, rocking my world.
His little speech about fixing the Roscoe problem knocked over every one of my defenses. So much so that I feel bad for letting him think I killed the demon. I can’t expose Luca, though. Bringing Alistair in to help is my risk and mine alone.
Plus, if I’m trusting him with a murder confession, letting him get me off a few times is the least of it.
From the way he kissed me to the way he fixed my clothes after; Alistair’s sincerity was blazing hot.
I wish I hadn’t enjoyed it so much. Either way, it won’t stop me from ending our agreement when the time comes.
“Whatever you’re thinking about must be a doozy,” Luca says, whistling softly through his teeth.
I glance at my phone. “You’re late.”
He frowns. “No, I’m not. I’m exactly on time.”
“Which might as well be late.”
Luca rolls his eyes. “It’s good not to get your way all the time; keeps you grounded in reality.”
“I have wings,” I remind him. “The time I spend on the ground is my choice.” And to avoid scaring the humans, but that doesn’t fit into my argument.
“I’m . . . You know what? Fuck it,” he grunts. “I’m too tired to argue with you.”
Craning my neck, I study the dark circles under his eyes. They’re angry-basilisk bad. “It won’t let you sleep?” I ask, relieved he didn’t bail on watching the fight tonight. I’m not scared to be alone with Alistair, but his intensity can be overwhelming.
Luca sighs, then climbs onto the bike behind me and drops his chin to my shoulder. “Basilisks are stubborn bastards.”
“Sounds like someone I know.” I hand him my spare helmet, waiting until he puts it on to say, “Alistair knows, by the way.”
Luca grips my hips in shock. I crank the bike, rev the engine, and take off before he can respond.
I meant to continue the teasing tone of our conversation, but I’ve misjudged things—because the longer we drive, the more his body trembles.
By the time I find parking near the Mouth of Hell, I’m cursing myself for dropping it on him without an explanation.
Once I plant the kickstand, I rip my helmet off and cut the engine. “Everything is fine,” I assure him. “I didn’t tell him you were involved.”
Luca swings off the bike and tosses me his helmet. “That doesn’t make it better, Celine. Actually, that’s worse.” He takes off toward the crowded entrance, leaving me to stuff the helmets into the top case and scurry after him.
“Hey!” I curse when my raised voice draws some curious looks. “Godsdammit, Luca. Slow down.”
I plow into his back when he stops abruptly. Spinning to face me, he grabs my shoulders. “What were you thinking?” Luca demands.
“Chill out,” I whisper angrily, shoving his hands off. “I didn’t volunteer the information. Alistair figured it out after Ciprian’s little interrogation.”
“Fuck.” Luca groans.
“Exactly, and panicking won’t make it better,” I say, sagging as I realize how unfair I’m being. Luca is struggling, and I made things worse. “I’m sorry I dropped it on you. That was a shitty thing to do.”
Luca closes his eyes, takes a few deep breaths, then grabs my hand and pulls me toward the warehouse. “I’ll get over it,” he mutters, walking through the open door. “But I won’t sit on that splintery tower of garbage.”
I huff, then hide my smile. The stacks aren’t my favorite place to perch during a fight anymore, but telling him how much I enjoyed the view from Alistair’s shoulders is a terrible idea.
“Was he good to you last night?” Luca’s question shocks me, and I snap my head up. There’s a dark shadow in his hazel eyes, but we were discreet—there’s no way he knows what happened in the storage room.
“I don’t know what you mean,” I lie automatically, then wince from the sharp sting that shoots up my spine.
Luca narrows his eyes. “What the fuck was that?”
“I can’t lie,” I groan, knowing it’s way past time to come clean about this.
“What?” His jaw drops.
“I mean, I can, but it hurts like hell,” I explain, then glance around to make sure no one is listening in. As usual, the Mouth of Hell is packed. Everyone is way more interested in getting a good spot than eavesdropping on us, though.
Luca shoves a drunk guy away from him then looks at me, his eyes wide. “The runes,” he says. “While you were talking to Anika and Imani . . . They showed up when you were making promises.”
“Built in proof of sincerity,” I confirm his theory, then shrug, not surprised he made that connection quickly. “I’d rather not talk more about it here.”
“Of course,” he says. “I shouldn’t have asked you something that personal, anyway.”
I roll my shoulders, trying to make the uncomfortable tingle go away. It’s been a while since I tried to lie, and my magic wasn’t a fan.
“Can you scratch my back?” I ask him. “The itching is awful.”
Luca steps around me, his fingers searching out the spot where my wings usually are. He scratches my back with the perfect amount of pressure, and his warmth seeps through my tank top, luring me into an almost-relaxed state.
All around us, people are drinking, talking, and jostling past, but it feels as if we’re the only ones here. “I hate that you lied to me, Celine,” Luca whispers, his voice low.
“I didn’t like it either,” I mutter, sagging into his touch. “Maybe you shouldn’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to.”
I turn to face him, and he winces. “That good, huh? Wait, don’t answer that. Gods, I’m doing my own damage now.”
I laugh, playfully shoving his chest. “You like Alistair,” I remind him. “Which is good, because I forgot to mention it when I invited you, but he’s meeting us here.”
“You invited me on your date?” Instead of being mad, Luca’s lips curl into a devious smirk.
“It’s not a date,” I correct him. “But I figured you wouldn’t want me discussing the .
. . incident without backup.” He nods, and I hold my finger up to keep him from interrupting.
“Luca, this doesn’t mean I’m going to do what you say.
I’m not interested in being bossed around.
I can promise to communicate with you better, though—no more surprises. ”
“That’s a pity. Surprises can be hot, angel.” Alistair materializes by my side so smoothly that I’m reluctantly impressed. “You brought a friend.” He smiles at Luca, and the expression is strangely genuine. I don’t know how to take that—I expected him to be annoyed.
“Alistair,” Luca says, clearing his throat.
“Can we skip the death threats and go straight to the part where I swear on the sun I won’t betray her?”
Luca glares, obviously annoyed by Alistair’s interruption. “That’s cool, but I’m not a fucking astrologer. Is this you trying to tell me your sign or some shit?”
“I haven’t seen the sun in almost two decades, Luca,” Alistair says quietly. “I dream of it every night and long for it every day. I’m swearing on the sun to show you how serious I am.”
The skin on my arms pebbles from Alistair’s quiet intensity. I elbow Luca hard to get him to play nice, then elbow him again to show I mean business. He groans and covers his side protectively. “Shit, Celine, how was I supposed to know it was an emotional thing? He sounded like a crystal mommy.”
“He’s very sorry,” I say to Alistair, who barely manages to hide his grin.
“I’m sure his ribs are, at least.” Alistair offers me his arm, then glances at Luca. “I’m a Scorpio, by the way.”
I chuckle, linking one arm with his and preparing to cut a path through the crowd with the other.
I don’t get the chance, because Luca slides into that space, effectively sandwiching me between them.
No one gives us any trouble, and by the time we’re in the pit, I feel cheated out of my full fight night experience.
“I’ll let you sock someone on the way out,” Luca promises as he sees my scowl. He bends to my level and narrows his eyes at the floor of the ring. “They changed the cage. How the fuck will you see?”
“We can lift her once the fight starts,” Alistair says, casually including Luca in the plan, then winking at me.
Luca shrugs. “Okay, I’ll get us some drinks if you two hold my spot.” I smirk, and he scoffs. “Don’t hurt anyone, killer.”
He gets swallowed up by the mass of bodies, and I turn to Alistair.
“What are you up to?” I demand.
He blinks at me, his baby-blue eyes wide and innocent. “I’m sorry, angel. I thought you might want to add to your collection.”
“I don’t collect things. I hate clutter. What are you even—” I choke, my words catching in my throat as one possible meaning flickers through my mind. Surely . . . he can’t mean that.
Alistair winks. “Every woman needs more than one dildo, angel.”
I plant my palms on his chest with every intention of sending him barreling into the sea of bodies, but Alistair catches my hands and laughs at my expression.
The crowd roars as the fighters enter the cage, and it saves me from coming up with a response. I can’t stop thinking about it, though. By the time Luca gets back and the bell rings, the idea has wormed its way into my brain.
The flying fists help me forget for a while how messy the consequences of my actions are becoming. Alistair and Luca take turns as my chair, passing me between them like a rag doll every couple of rounds. They never once put me down. I enjoy it too much.