Chapter Ten #3
“I miss my best friend,” she confessed. “I miss Tala.”
He hummed, nodding to himself. It felt good to say the words out loud.
I miss her so much. It lifted a weight off her chest, even if he thought her weak or silly for it.
She wasn’t there to make him think of her as tough or to prove anything.
Avelina was stuck here until Callum decided he didn’t need her anymore.
Or I escape.
Then a heavy thunk echoed off the walls of the cabin as an opal was dropped onto the table.
Avelina gulped loudly as Callum slid it across the table.
Her right hand shot out to grab it, and he grabbed her by the forearm.
His claws dug into her skin, leaving skinny, red lines in their wake.
She straightened up, her attention glued to his face.
“You get one message.” He locked eyes with her, holding up his dagger in the other hand. “Understand?”
She nodded vigorously, the cool touch of the opal to her palm a flicker of hope. It was a flame, small and delicate in her belly as she curled her fingers around the stone.
“No. Funny. Business.” He spoke the words out curtly before slowly retracting his nail. She dragged the stone over top of the table and brought it up to her lips. Please, be there. Please hear me. I only get this once.
“Tala. Please don’t freak out. I’m okay. There was an incident at the Stronghold. Do! Not! Go to the Stronghold. I’m…I’m in Gloomsdale.”
The stone was snatched out of her hand and put back in the bag. She opened her mouth to fight, but he raised a finger. “That’s all you get. Ya earned one, for that fear spell. But if ya want more than that, yer gonna have to earn it.”
“How? You got any other Paladins you want scared or is this just a plot to get another kiss?” she spat, high off the adrenaline of getting to send a singular message to Tala.
Goddess, I’m starting to sound like her.
Her face exploded in red as she realized, that he said earn it.
Price has definitely gone up. Her overactive imagination kicked up all the dirt that had settled in her mind as she gaped at him.
He eyed her with befuddlement until she made the mistake of letting her gaze fall to his lap. No! Stop that.
But she couldn’t. Imagined all the things she’d do to get back the things she loved.
What am I willing to do for the comforts of my previous life?
Or just to see my best friend again? She wondered if that was who she was now, a warlock willing to pay the price.
Avelina played through all the scenarios in her head where Callum demanded something of her…
kill, he would tell her to kill someone.
She’d have to wake up covered in blood again.
Her heart picked up speed as panicked images of dead people clawing their way out of the mud filled her head.
Callum snapped two fingers in front of her face, and she blinked back to reality. “You do that a lot and it’s startin’ to weird me out, darlin’.”
“Sorry,” she blurted out reflexively. Everything moved so fast, she missed the murmur of sounds from his pocket, like Tala was responding back.
“And stop apologizin’ all the time. I certainly won’t ever apologize to you,” he scoffed with disgust etched into every pinched feature of his. Avelina truly woke up to glare at him.
“But you have apologized to me.”
“No, I haven’t.” He put up a hand, stopping her from pointing out he literally said ‘sorry’ about the spice levels earlier.
Guess that doesn’t really count. He leveled a frustrated gaze at her before he continued.
“Secondly, no, I don’t need kisses from you.
Nor am I about to let you pay off debts like that.
I’m not such a desperate, sad man that I take pussy that isn’t offered in actual desire.
If you want that bodice ripped, we can talk about tearin’ up the mattress but, until then, yer gonna pay yer debts like everyone else. ”
“With wet work,” she grumbled, partially relieved…partially devastated. I am going to have to kill people. Great. This won’t haunt me for the rest of my life.
“Just work for now. We’ll work up to wet when I’m confident yer gonna take the fuckin’ shot. Chicken shit, castin’ fear on them Paladins and then lettin’ them get away.”
Avelina threw up her arms, huffing and puffing. Callum ignored her mini temper tantrum, taking up their bowls.
“I can’t fucking win with you,” she muttered under her breath before she flopped back in her chair.
Watching him move about, the tingle in her belly returned with a vengeance.
Desire, hot and cruel, pumped through her veins.
Why? Why him! Why do I want him! She loathed to admit it, but she’d never wanted anything more than for Callum to reach over the table, snatch her by the back of the head and kiss her again.
Then, of course, with that thought, her mind raced with a thousand more terrible, awful fantasies of him with his mouth in places they didn’t belong. Great. Now I’ve done it. Again.