20. Bree
Word about the upcoming fight had gotten around the gym, and talk of a “mystery” fighter stirred the excitement into a frenzy that was sure to alert the authorities. Sure to alert them had Frankie not had ironclad charms protecting the place, that is.
But not literal iron, seeing how she was fae. The metal could be downright lethal to her kind.
Iron properties aside, I was pretty sure she had friends on the force who made a pretty penny with bets on fight nights.
My boss scheduled the event for Friday night, right before the debt was due, to give us the most amount of time to prepare and train. I’d argued that the date was cutting it way too close. All sorts of things could happen over the next few days that might set us back, which we absolutely couldn’t do with potential homelessness looming over our heads.
But she’d waved away my worries as if they were nothing more than pesky piranhas. She loved the adrenaline rush that came with a tight deadline.
That made one of us.
As I wound my way past groups of sweaty gym members and weight benches, Marissa’s laugh by the front door caught my attention. I paused to watch her in action. She rested a delicate hand on some gym member’s arm, leaning into him as she dazzled him with her smile. Then she handed him a flyer announcing the fight.
I guess that made two of us who loved the adrenaline rush.
At least the flyer would disintegrate once it left the gym thanks to a fae spell. Shaking my head in amusement, I continued toward the basement door and slipped inside our semi-underground sanctuary.
I wished I could be as carefree as she was. Maybe I would be someday, once Marissa was finished with school and able to stand on her own two feet. If that day ever came.
When I’d told her about the upcoming fight, my sister had jumped in to help without hesitation. She’d always wanted me to compete, not because she was proud of me but because she thought it would bring fame and fortune—for her.
Okay, that might have been too harsh.
She was proud of me, but she also wanted fame and fortune. Who could blame her? Most people seemed to want the same. As usual, I was the odd fish out.
We didn’t even know who I would fight against yet. Frankie was collecting names, and she didn’t want to rush the decision. Whoever it was, they needed to be among the best Subliminal had to offer to draw the biggest crowd possible. We’d even consider someone who hadn’t fought at our gym if word spread far and fast enough.
After feeding Finley some canned crab meat—yes, he usually ate better than I did—I took a quick shower before curling up on the corner of my bed. I grabbed the book I’d started the night before and cracked it open. I’d have the next hour all to myself to read in peace and quiet.
Only three pages in, my phone buzzed next to my leg. I glanced at it briefly, expecting a junk mail notification or something, and returned my attention to the book.
Then my brain caught up with what I’d read on the screen.
I snatched the phone up too quickly, fumbling it between my hands before I caught it and stared at the screen. My smile grew as I read the message again: Not kissing those delectable lips for two days is unacceptable.
Yes, somehow two days had passed since I’d last seen Dominic. In person, that is. I saw him every night in my dreams and just as often in my daydreams while cleaning. We’d both gotten caught up in our respective responsibilities, but I agreed with him completely—two days was too long.
A sharp knock came from the back door leading up to the street level.
I yelped and nearly dropped my phone again. Other than Marissa and me, no one ever used that door. No one could because Frankie had cast a glamour to hide it.
Finley chirped within his aquarium. A bubble floated out of his mouth as he swayed sleepily among the seaweed, his belly nice and full. He tilted his head to the side with an expression that said he was just as confused as I was.
My heart thudded wildly. I thought I’d been overly paranoid lately, thinking my father had finally found us. But maybe I wasn’t so paranoid after all.
I slipped off my bed and over to the wall, sliding closer to the door and holding a finger up to my lips to keep Finley quiet. There was no real reason to be sneaky. Without windows, no one could see I was home. But my yelp might have given me away.
The knock came again, and I jumped, pressing a hand to my chest. This was getting ridiculous. I could take care of myself.
Squaring my shoulders, I grabbed the closest thing that could act as a weapon and yanked open the door, ready to defend myself.
A man’s back was to me as he was about to head up the stairs. He turned around, one foot on the steps, and my brain practically melted.
Dominic.
Today, he wore something completely unexpected—black jeans that hugged his sculpted thighs and a black leather jacket over a white t-shirt that stretched tight across his pecs. A black helmet with the Sato’s fire dragon family crest painted across it was tucked under his arm.
A slight scruff covered his chin, the shadow effect accentuating his strong jaw, and his black hair was disheveled in a super sexy way that made me want to run my fingers through it.
Tides, he was so freaking beautiful.
“Nic? What are you doing here?”
“So you are home.” His deep amber gaze dipped to the object I gripped tight, and he grinned. “Expecting rain?
Hastily, I set the umbrella against the wall and slipped on some ratty sneakers I kept near the door. I stepped outside and closed the door, not wanting him to witness the mess that was living with Marissa. “Wait, how’d you see this door?”
His eyes swept over my body, glinting with a hint of humor. “The magic only keeps the non-Gifted from seeing it.”
Too late, I realized what I was wearing. Leggings and a faded, oversized shirt weren’t exactly what I’d want him to see me in. Or anyone, for that matter.
I tucked my wet hair behind my ears, trying to hide my discomfort but probably making it more obvious. Such was my luck. “Can I help you with something?”
“I want to take you somewhere,” he said and held out his hand.
Caught off guard, I simply stared at his hand. “Right now?”
He slipped his palm into mine. His touch spread warmth through my body like an inferno as he pulled me toward the stairs. “Trust me. You’ll love it.”
I was too shocked to do anything but follow him until we reached the street level, where he plopped the helmet on my head. His intense gaze roved over my face as he buckled it into place.
Was he…smoldering at me?
“What are you?—”
I stopped when I saw the motorcycle, adorned with a matching dragon crest painted along its side. I’d never ridden on a motorcycle before, but after reading more than a few books involving them, I’d added the experience to my bucket list. They seemed dangerous in an adventurous and fun way.
Sadly, I’d never known anyone who had a motorcycle before today. I guess times were a-changing.
He grabbed the other helmet and tugged it onto his head then swung a leg over the bike. He started it up and revved the engine before facing me. “Get on.”
“Nic, wait, I’m not even dressed in real clothes, like going out in public clothes,” I gestured to myself, panicking slightly, ”and, uh, I’ve got stuff?—”
“You don’t need to impress me, Bree. I happen to find you uncomfortably sexy right now.” His gaze captured mine as he adjusted the front of his jeans, proving his point.
Heat flushed across my cheeks as I stood there, dumbfounded. My heart and head were at war with one another. I wanted nothing more than to slide on that bike behind him, feeling his warmth between my thighs, a thought that had me gulping.
Except this kind of behavior was reckless. I had to get back to my job soon, and I hardly knew Dominic. I mean, I knew quite a bit about him from my years watching him fight and my recent internet stalking.
But I didn’t really know him, and everything I’d read practically screamed to stay far, far away from him.
“When was the last time you did something for yourself?” His words cut to my core and snatched my breath away. His smirk taunted me, knowing he’d struck a nerve. “Live a little. Now, get on.”
He was right. I never did anything for myself besides read, and that was only when I had breaks. I mean, sure, I’d let him pamper me before our date, but that was because I’d been kidnapped and forced to enjoy it.
Stop overthinking it, Bree!
Before I could dart away faster than a spooked clownfish, I slung my leg over the bike behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. It was like holding onto a… Well, a dragon. The man was all hard muscle and delightfully rigid planes.
A rumble passed through his body into mine, teasing every nerve. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want you gripping a little lower. Hold on tight, beautiful.”
He revved the engine again and the tires squealed against the asphalt before we shot forward. With a precision that demonstrated his obvious experience but did little to calm my racing pulse, he wove around cars and dodged pedestrians, rarely slowing down.
My heart pounded with every wild second, and on more than one occasion, I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed for mercy. But as we flew through the streets of D.C., the fear slowly melted into something else—exhilaration.
If I thought riding the Metro trains was the closest sensation to swimming, it was nothing compared to the rush of wind through my hair and tugging at my clothes.
I had the wildest urge to let go of his waist and raise my arms toward the sky, but I didn’t. Not that I was afraid, necessarily. Gifted types were much stronger than typical humans, and we healed faster too.
No, I just didn’t want to let Dominic go. I leaned into his warmth and smiled.
We followed a winding road away from the bustling city streets, where the trees towered toward the sky and formed leafy archways over our heads. In my decade of living on land, I’d never once explored this far away from home. While I didn’t regret it, I realized how much I’d been missing out on.
He slowed, and I peeked around him to see why we were stopping. Only we didn’t stop. He turned off the main road onto a barely visible path leading through the trees and then revved the engine. We soared through a sea of green, bushes and overhanging branches trying to impede our way.
When he finally slowed again and stopped, I leaned around his shoulders and gasped.