Chapter 13 Evira #2
Because I’d tuned out my senses earlier when I’d heard those jerks talking about Winter, I hadn’t even felt his arrival.
He stood there, his vibrant pink hair perfectly styled with a whole lot of mousse and sticking straight up.
He had on a studded black leather jacket with a metallic shirt beneath that was open at the collar and pulled taut across all that toned muscle, even highlighting those sexy abs of his.
It was untucked over a pair of pink and black striped jeans.
It was punk-rock meeting date-level effort attire.
He grinned out at Winter. “The jig is up, huh? You do still looove me, then?”
“There was no jig.”
“Sure, big guy.”
As Winter shook his head in dismay, while a chuckle escaped me that I couldn’t stop for the life of me.
Then his gaze flicked around the bar—and he tensed right up.
Zayn frowned, and followed his line of sight.
“Eyes off my boy, motherfuckers. Or get gone.” He hissed at them, his fire briefly sparking in warning. “I’m not as well-mannered, so keep that in mind. Zayn Riene. Look it up if you need to.”
He glared at them with disgust, then returned his attention to us.
“Really?” Winter spoke, shoving his hand through his hair.
“Assholes like that need a jolt, Win. You can’t always just let it lie.
” He gestured at me. “Evira making a stand would’ve come off way too dangerously aggressive with the whole dragon nature thing.
Plus, it would have announced her as the dragon princess, something she doesn’t want people knowing. So, yeah, I had to.”
“Fine,” Winter grunted. But there was a spark in his eyes. And then he even added, “Thank you.”
Zayn winked, but didn’t bask in it.
Then he turned his attention to me. “I’m so sorry I’m late. Really fucking sorry, Evira. I never intended to be, or to disrespect you. If you want, we can do this again, like a do-over, so this first date thing isn’t tainted by—”
“No. It’s all okay,” I assured him. “Things happen. Are you okay, though?”
“It’s all good. I just had something to attend to that couldn’t—well, wouldn’t—wait.” His gaze roamed over me. “By the way, you look gorgeous.”
“Thanks,” I said, smiling out at him.
He went to slide into my side of the booth, then stopped, and looked at Winter’s side. “Should I—which side is better? I mean, if I slide in next to you, I’ll be right there, but not facing you. And if I slide onto this other side—”
“My side,” Winter spoke. “Then you can face her while talking, no awkwardly turning your head every few moments.”
“Yeah, all right.”
Winter went to get up, but Zayn was already sliding in, his eagerness and nervousness both getting the best of him.
“Should’ve waited for me to get out,” Winter told him.
“You’re leaving?” Zayn and I asked in unison.
Winter stilled. “It’s your date.”
“You’re already here now,” I said.
“Yeah. Might as well stay, right?” Zayn added, winking at me, as we worked together.
“Okay. If you’re sure it’s not going to be strange?”
“Our whole dynamic is strange, Win. Evira kissed Vaxan earlier, so add that to it as well.”
Winter’s gaze shot to mine. “You did?”
“Yeah.” I pressed my fingers to my lips. “It was… really nice.”
“Nice?” Zayn chuckled. “More like primal heat colliding.”
“Brazen as ever,” Winter said.
“As if you don’t love it.”
Winter actually laughed. “Infuriating chaos machine.”
“Hot, irresistible, infuriating chaos machine, you mean?”
“Maybe.”
“Absolutely,” I told Zayn, grinning between them.
Heat sparked in his eyes.
“No,” Winter said, grasping his hand.
“What?” Zayn asked with false innocence.
“You’re not gonna lunge across the table and thrust your tongue down her throat.”
With my senses still toned down, I hadn’t even felt that from him.
I pushed them back to the surface, wincing as I struggled to manage to cut out the sound aspect in the process.
And then I jolted at the rush of scents that assaulted me.
Everyone’s in the bar.
Then Winter’s sandalwood scent.
Zayn’s spiced clove-like smell.
And then… something else from him.
For one, there was no magical signature right now coming off him, not even his own. That could mean only one thing—it had been wiped. Temporarily, as those things went.
But there was another scent clinging to him, one that wasn’t his own.
It was similar to Winter’s… not the sandalwood from the soap he used, but a blood-connection scent.
Zayn caught my eye as he noticed me sniffing the air between us.
Hmm… not Velra.
Sylas. He’d been with Sylas.
That was why he was late. He’d been dealing with those responsible for the attack on Vaxan.
And he clearly didn’t want Winter to know, judging by the fear in his eyes as he saw me register it.
I looked away and took a sip of my drink and asked Winter, “He wouldn’t really lunge across the table and do that, right?” I eyed Zayn. “Right?”
“Of course not,” Zayn said, before Winter gave him a look. “Fine. Maybe not. Who knows? Red-hot desire sometimes gets the best of me.”
“Red-hot, huh?” I teased. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Mmm, you should.”
“So, how are you liking being outside the Dracoryn Realm, Evira?” Winter asked. I heard him whisper to Zayn. “Relax, you’re doing really well, Z. You don’t need to fall back on the sex talk.”
Zayn nodded gratefully, then cleared his throat and asked me, “Yeah, and how are you liking Loxley itself? I mean, we share some classes and then there’s our texting and stuff, so I know some of it, but… like… big overview and debrief-wise, what’s your verdict on it all?”
I grinned at the two of them being so considerate and attentive. “It’s been really great. Freeing and fun. The classes are all in service of us being our best selves, nothing about restriction or overwrought control.”
“Massive improvement from a couple of decades back,” Winter commented.
“So I’ve heard.” I looked at Zayn. “And thank you for what you’ve done. It’s made the transition a lot easier for me.”
“What I’ve done?”
“Now you’re playing coy?” Winter asked. “You had everybody back off her and tone down the dragon princess awe and intrigue.”
“Yeah, I’m treated like a regular student thanks to you.”
He lifted a shoulder. “Well, I had the means to do it. And I figured it would help you, especially after you made it clear that you hated all that notoriety shit.”
I laid my hand on his over the table. “It means a lot to me.”
“Means a lot to me, too, seeing your caring and selfless side,” Winter said, nudging against him.
Zayn beamed out at us. “Then, I’m even more glad I did it.” He looked at both our drinks and food. “I’m gonna go get something. What are you two drinking?”
“Cinder Milk Tea,” I told him.
Zayn frowned and asked Winter, “Is that the spicy stuff?”
“Yeah.”
“Not a good idea for me. Gotta go the calm route. What was that drink I had once, Win?”
“Sanctuary Steep. It’s rosemary, thyme, and barley tea. It gives off a grounding and centering effect.”
Zayn stroked my fingers, then rose to his feet. “Yeah, that’s it.”
He didn’t get far, though, as Winter suddenly grunted and slapped his hands to his head, grimacing in pain.
“What’s wrong?” Zayn asked.
“Winter?” I called.
His grimace deepened and his amber magic sparked to cast out what was attacking him. But it cut out all too quickly.
“I knew it,” Zayn muttered to himself. “Fuck, Win.” He laid his hand on his shoulder. “Tell me what it is, and I’ll cast it out myself.”
I jolted in the next moment when vermillion magic sparked around Winter’s head.
Torvek’s exact shade of magic.
No. Why would he—he couldn’t be attacking Winter.
It ceased in the next moment, then Winter staggered to his feet. “I need to head outside,” he told us, blinking and clearly out of it.
Zayn moved out the way, but grasped Winter’s arm, as he went to leave the area. “Why outside? What is it?”
Winter’s eyes met mine. “He’s out back.”
“It is Torvek, then? He’s here?” I asked.
He just nodded, then brushed past Zayn—or tried to, because Zayn kept his hand clasped on his arm, then we both headed out with him.
What the fuck was happening? I’d only just texted with Torvek.
We made it outside through the rear door, and Winter shook Zayn off and broke from us, then strode a good fifty feet away from the building.
I scanned the area with my dragon senses.
But I couldn’t feel anything.
Torvek was clearly cloaking himself.
Just before we reached Winter, a blast of vermillion magic slammed into him and sent him flying across the empty fields with a grunt.
In the next second, Torvek materialized from a sudden burst of teleportation, storming toward Winter with unrestrained fury, and roaring, “How dare you endanger her like this?”
Winter staggered back to his feet. “What? What’s going on?”
“Yeah, what the fuck are you doing?” Zayn yelled over, calling his power.
Oh, no.
“Torvek, stop!” I called out.
He ignored us both, his molten gold eyes blazing. Then he fired another blast of his magical flame at Winter. Thank fuck it wasn’t his actual dragon fire. While Winter couldn’t be killed, he could be hurt.
Winter’s Wraith frost sparked and he threw up a wall of it, just as Torvek hit, managing to hold it at bay.
But barely.
He was compromised by what had just happened. And… something that was wrong with his necromantic magic. Strategically, calling on that against the likes of Torvek and his sheer power would have been the best bet, hands down.
“Got too much, did it? Denying your desire for her? You decided to force the issue, give her no choice?” Torvek thundered. “That makes you no better than Keuric!”
“Stand the fuck down!” Zayn bellowed. “Or I swear to fuck—”
“Your magic so much as touches me and I’ll torch you where you stand!” Torvek yelled back.
“T! What is going on?” I demanded, as I grasped Zayn’s shoulder, urging him not to intervene. When Torvek got like this, which was super rare, all bets were off. Zayn would get hurt. Badly. And I wouldn’t have that.