Chapter 10
The guys were back in fifteen minutes, sweat and masks gone. They were dressed in jeans, boots, and hoodies, and Logan held
our coats over his arm, having known to retrieve them from the coat check. He was the most observant warlock I’d ever met;
there was a reason I called him Stalkcaster.
He handed Sara and Haley theirs, before holding mine out and helping me into it. “I should murder you,” I said as I slipped
my arms into the sleeves. “What the Hel were you thinking pulling us onstage? Going incognito doesn’t work when you choose
friends to serenade.”
Noah answered with soft laughter. “That was Logan’s attempt at flirting. He’s just terrible at it.”
The scowl Logan shot his way would have scared a lesser warlock. “I’m terrible at nothing, asshole. Precious might be a tough
nut to crack, but I’m chipping away.”
An undeniable truth. “So, what’s the plan now?” I asked, desperate for a subject change before I slipped up and revealed just
how close Logan was to cracking my nut. Tobias stepped closer, and without his mask of magic, we could see his handsome features. He had messy blond waves, longer
on top and short on the sides. His face was clean-cut, with an aristocratic nose and dark brown eyes.
“We’re heading to our place in the city,” he said with a casual shrug. “You ladies want to join us?”
Haley piped up first. “Hel yes, we’d love to join you. The night is still very young.”
“Speak for yourself,” Sara huffed. “We should hit some clubs. I need drinks and dancing, in that order.”
“Aw, come on, love,” Tobias said, stepping closer even though Sara couldn’t be giving off stronger don’t touch me vibes. “Don’t be like that. You’ll spoil your friend’s fun.”
I had no idea why she’d instantly disliked him so much, but she was making no attempt to hide her disdain. “I’m not your love,
love.” She mimicked his accent and I tried not to laugh.
Tobias pressed a hand to his chest. “You wound me, Sara. Shot through the heart.”
“If only that was the truth,” she said with her sweetest smile before swinging around to Haley and me. “If you two want to
go back to their creepy, serial-killer pad, I’ll tag along to make sure they don’t wear you as skin suits. But that’s all
I’m there for.”
Logan’s laughter was warm and enticing, and I wanted to press against the heat of his magic.
“I spent all year keeping this one alive,” he said, brushing a hand across the bare skin between my neck and coat, “and as
pretty as her skin is, I’d rather it stayed perfectly intact on her body.”
Noah—clearly riding the same euphoric high from their concert as the other two—wore an actual smile, softening his scary exterior.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
The party in the warehouse was only getting started by the sound of it, but backstage everything was being broken down and stored. Logan led us to a door off to the side, and after making sure no one was in the vicinity, he opened another portal for us to step through.
“Quickest way,” he said when I raised an eyebrow at his continued illegal activities. As long as he didn’t get caught, I honestly
wasn’t fazed by his loose interpretation of the law.
We emerged in a marble-lined entrance, outside of a double set of white and gold doors. Behind us was a single elevator, and
there were no other rooms on what was clearly the penthouse floor in an expensive apartment building.
“Whoa. One of you is rich,” Haley said, wide-eyed.
“I’d hazard a guess all of them are,” Sara said with a huff, as if she were mortally offended by their wealth. Outside of
Belle, who had a father on the council, the rest of us were solidly lower middle class. There wasn’t any extravagance in our
lives.
“Remember, what’s mine is yours, Precious,” Logan murmured, leaving me flustered as he opened the doors—without touching them,
of course.
“I’m extremely rich,” Tobias drawled. “Like my family is related to the royal family and we have billions sort of rich.”
Sara shot him the fakest smile I’d ever seen. “The third after your name kind of clued us in on the rich and royal.” She made a show of sidling past the warlock without touching
him. “And the fact that you used the third after your name clued us in on your douchebaggery. We know all we need to.”
The general air of joviality he’d been rocking faded as he watched her enter the apartment. It wasn’t darkness in his gaze
exactly, but she’d struck a nerve. It wasn’t like Sara to be so judgmental, but this warlock rubbed her the wrong way.
“It’s all good, moneybags,” I said, patting his muscled arm. “We won’t judge you for your bank account, if you don’t judge
us for our lack thereof.”
That sliver of darkness faded from his eyes. “No judgment from me. Your little friend isn’t wrong about money turning witches and warlocks into douchebags. My family is chock-full of sanctimonious bastards, and I’ve done my best to escape. This band saved my life. I’d take homelessness
before I returned to the Brietlin fold. Thank the goddess for a trust fund that’s free and clear of the rest.”
It was a shame that Sara missed that little speech; it would have gone a long way to softening her ire.
Inside, the apartment was no less extravagant, but it was warmer. White-and-gold marble floors were covered by thick plush
rugs, mostly in shades of black and white. We took our shoes off at the entrance, and I was relieved to be free of the heels.
Padding along the nicely warmed flooring, we ended up in a huge open-plan living, kitchen, and dining space. It spanned across
what felt like the entire level and had floor-to-ceiling windows, similar in style to the ones in Logan’s farmhouse.
The spellcaster enjoyed having a view, no matter where he was living.
Drifting over to see what lay below, I was caught in the millions of lights and the beauty of the city at night. “Central
Park is down there,” Logan said, joining me at the windows.
I didn’t jump. I’d felt his energy before he reached me. “How many homes do you own?” I asked, turning to face him.
“We, Precious.”
I blinked at him. “What?”
“How many homes do we own.”
I shook my head. “Logan, come on. I mean, sure, I appreciate your continued implication that I’m your true mate and we have this unbreakable bond.
It absolutely makes a witch feel good about herself, but you have to stop.
Don’t . . .” I ran out of steam, unable to finish.
Don’t make me fall in love with you, because I won’t survive the end.
The betrayal that I knew was coming.
No matter the sexual chemistry between us, and the undeniable connection between our magic, nothing had changed with his father
or mine, and sooner or later that feud would come to collect.
Logan didn’t react as I’d expect. He didn’t get angry and snarl back at me. His touch was gentle as he reached out and brushed
my hair back. “One day you won’t have to question my motivations toward you. I promise it will all make sense soon.”
“I’ve heard that before,” I responded dryly.
“Drinks!” Sara shouted, interrupting further conversation. “Thank fuck. I was starting to worry that this was a dry party.”
Logan and I turned to find three of our four friends crashed out on the black suede sectional, making themselves comfortable.
Tobias was the only one still standing as he mixed drinks behind a bar that ran along one wall.
“I’ve got witch wine in a variety of brands,” he said, gracefully depositing glasses onto a round stone coffee table. “I’ve
also got regular alcohol for those who can’t handle the buzz.” He shot a quick glance at Sara, and she sat straighter on the
couch.
“Ah, fuck,” I muttered, and Logan glanced at me. “He’s challenged her now.”
Sure enough, Sara reached out and snatched up two of the witch wines, downing them almost in one gulp. “I’m the goddess-be-damned
life of the party,” she drawled, the wine taking effect so fast her eyes were already shiny. “Don’t question me, you overgrown
pubic hair.”
Tobias stared at her. Then stared some more. As if he’d never seen anyone like Sara in his life. “Did she just call me a pubic hair?” he finally asked. He was talking to us, but he was still staring at her.
That set Noah and Haley off, as they fell into each other laughing their asses off. They had been sitting rather close to
start with, but now Haley was practically in his lap.
“You’re as annoying as one,” Sara said. “Hence why I spell my coochie bare. Not. A. Fan. Of pubic hair.” Tobias’s eyes draped
down her body, as if he could prove that statement through X-ray vision. Sara got to her feet and prowled across to him—she
was tiny enough that he looked massive next to her. “Not that you’ll ever find out, moneybags.”
She’d adopted my nickname, and I covered my mouth to hide my laughter.
Tobias’s eyes flashed. “Babe, I’ll have you naked before this night is through and you bloody well know it. This pretend hate
is nothing more than intense chemistry.”
“Chemistry masquerading as hate,” Logan murmured near my ear. “Feels familiar.”
With a shake of my head, I headed for the couch, grabbing a witch wine on my way. Just one tonight. Then I’d switch to regular alcohol.
“Come on, guys,” Haley said, selecting a vodka mix. “It’s a party. Let’s relax.”
For once, she was following her own advice. No book in hand, no constantly checking her watch to escape. She was snuggled
into Noah’s giant side, looking content as Hel there.
I went to drop into the seat beside Sara, who thankfully also had a vodka in hand after her wines, but a firm grip yanked
me back onto Logan’s lap.
“What are you doing?” I asked, tensing across his hard thighs.
“Just for tonight, take Haley’s advice and relax,” he said. “Tomorrow you can go back to questioning my every motive.”
“Right,” Tobias declared. “Truce all around tonight. Think you can handle that, badass?”
Sara narrowed her eyes on him, but Haley’s pleading expression caught her attention. “Fine. Tonight only. We’re all friends,
and Tobias Brietlin the Third isn’t an impossible dickhead.”
Tobias just laughed. “If you want to see my dick, you only have to ask.”
Sara smiled sweetly. “Me and every other girl you randomly meet, I’m sure.”
“This truce is off to an excellent start,” Haley said with a smirk. “I can’t wait to see what the rest of the night holds.”
Noah got music playing, and I relaxed against Logan, letting myself just enjoy the feeling of being with him. The guys chatted
and laughed about their show, and it was clear they knew each other well. The sort of old friends who’d grown up together
and had that comfort and familiarity of a true bond.
When my witch wine was empty, a pleasant warmth infused me, and I was boneless as Logan kept one hand wrapped around my waist,
while the other stroked along my thigh. Just tiny teasing touches, and the feel of his hand on my bare skin drove me crazy.
It had been too long since we’d had sex, and I hoped tonight he’d put me out of my misery.
“How did you three meet?” Haley asked, reaching for her third vodka. I’d never even seen her drink a full one before, but
she was different tonight. All of us felt different. As if for one night we were part of the book world, living out lead-character
stories.
My story was that Logan was my true mate. A forever partner who would soothe my soul as I’d seen Dad and Mom do for each other over the years.
For tonight, I let myself drift in that fantasy.
“At the academy,” Noah said, lifting his huge arm and draping it across the back of the couch behind Haley, who shivered at
the sensation of being surrounded by the massive warlock. Me too, girl. Me fucking too.
These guys were potent, and we were unequipped to handle their energy.
“Called it,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. “I knew you rich boys would have all attended an academy.”
“Westminster Prep,” Tobias drawled, his accent deepening. “Creating the warlocks of tomorrow.”
Logan shifted under me, his hard length pressing against my ass. “Our fathers weren’t really fans of being fathers, and none
of us have mothers. They either died or fucked off with the hired help. We bonded over our general lack of quality family.”
The mention of his mom dying had me tense once more, but he didn’t let me pull away, his hold keeping me firm against him.
Truce.
Tonight we had a truce, and I’d enjoy this while it lasted.