disheveled appearance. I’d been running from the Devils for the last two hours, and my body bore the evidence. My white hair was tangled, hanging in limp snarls down the front of my face, and dirt was streaked across both of my cheekbones.
“Just some rude bullies,” I huffed, flushing with embarrassment at being caught in such a disarrayed state by this beautiful man. I lowered my head and attempted to tuck a strand of my sweaty hair behind my ear.
As if on cue, Cassian’s voice rang from the inky darkness. “Where ya at, Pee-ony? Come play with us.”
“Unless you’re scared,” Karsyn taunted, and all four of them broke into laughter once more.
“Peony?” The new guy quirked a brow. “As in, Peony Simone?”
“Yes?” I stared up at him in wide-eyed wonderment, shocked that he knew my name. But then that shock quickly transformed into terror as thoughts of stalkers and creepy men flitted through my mind.
No doubt seeing the hesitation splayed across my face, the man chuckled warmly and extended a hand, palm up. Immediately, a tiny flame danced across his skin, the perimeter a deep orange while the center was a sky-blue.
I inhaled sharply as I stared, mesmerized by the flame flickering in his hand and lighting up his chiseled face.
“You’re a warlock,” I whispered, awed.
“I am.” He chuckled deliciously, the sound vibrating through my bloodstream. “I’m actually interning with my coven’s leader, so I have meetings with your mom often.”
“Greengate?” I queried, referencing the coven located just to the north of us. His smile broadened, two dimples appearing in his cheeks, as he nodded once.
“Now, tell me about these bullies of yours,” he demanded, and with only a small amount of trepidation, I did.
His grassy green eyes hardened the further into the story I got, until they somehow appeared darker. In all honesty, they might’ve been. Some witches’ appearances were tied to their emotions. For example, I knew a girl named Libby Young whose eyes turned bright blue when she was excited, brown when she was pissed, and a gorgeous green when she got upset.
“They don’t just sound like bullies. They sound like sociopathic assholes,” he seethed, indignant on my behalf, and I’m not gonna lie, I totally developed a crush on him right then and there. It was nice to feel cared for, if only for a moment and by a complete stranger.
“Princess!” Karsyn roared from somewhere nearby, and I automatically blanched, taking a step behind the newcomer’s hulking frame.
“They’re coming,” I whispered tersely, already preparing myself to crouch back down and wait until they left. But the warlock surprised me by holding up a single finger, indicating for me to wait. He then smirked deviously as he peered around the corner of the building, watching as the four Devils sauntered their way forward as if they had absolutely zero shits to give. My heart hammered in my chest, the uneven rhythm threatening to send me into cardiac arrest, as I stared at the warlock in wide-eyed horror.
What exactly did he plan to do?
I watched as he lifted his hand and pointed a single finger at first one Devil, then the next, then the next, and then finally ending on Lucas.
And then all four of their pants fell down around their ankles.
I covered my mouth with my hands to contain the giggle that wanted to escape as I watched the four of them gasp in disbelief.
“What the fuck?” Cassian exclaimed as he stared at his green-colored boxers.
Karsyn was as bright as a tomato as he quickly pulled up his own, covering his tighty-whities.
Only Elias and Lucas seemed unperturbed. Elias was more amused than anything as he slowly pulled his jeans up, covering his pitch-black boxer briefs, but Lucas’s expression could almost be described as calculating. Maybe even a little impressed.
“Come on,” the warlock whispered, grabbing my arm and forcing me out of my hiding place. This time, my heart wasn’t just pounding erratically. It was practically in my throat, making it difficult to swallow. Still, the warlock didn’t slow down as he meandered towards the Devils, still holding my hand to drag my unwilling feet forward.
“Boys, that’s inappropriate,” he lectured, garnering their attention. All four of their heads snapped up, but instead of focusing on him, they turned towards me. Their eyes darkened twenty shades when they noticed his hand in mine, and Cassian’s jaw clenched. “Peony, let’s get you home.”
Elias stepped in front of me before I could leave, expression intense. There was no sign of his