Ash Arrow, the flirt of the band, wants to go live in the human world with me. Well, if I choose to go back there.
“Why would I what?” East wonders, searching my eyes.
I wet my lips with my tongue. “Why would you even want to go with me?”
Instead of answering me, he just stares at me, uncertainty and even a trace of fear in his eyes. The sight of it makes my heart start to twist. Or maybe it’s a fracture. Can hearts fracture?
What in the damn crazy trolls is going on?
“East?” Asher says suddenly.
East blinks then slants to the side and looks at Asher. “Yeah?”
I turn around just in time to see Asher’s lips set in a worried line. “Did you guys hear anything Arrow and I just said?”
“Nope. Sorry,” East tells him, although he doesn’t sound very apologetic.
Asher’s gaze bounces back and forth between us, and then he shakes his head. “We were talking about the best way to distract Ava, since she’s a succubus and is immune to our charms.”
I raise my hand, causing Asher’s lips to quirk.
“Yes, little thief,” he says with amusement.
“I was just going to say that, while the succubus may be immune to your charms. She might not be to Maxton’s,” I inform him.
Maxton turns his head toward me. “What charm?” he wonders with a cock of his brow. “Because, trust me; I don’t have any.”
“Oh, I know,” I assure him, and he scowls at me but is struggling not to smile. “Which is my point. Succubus like innocent creatures, because they’re easy to seduce. At least, that’s what I’ve always been told.”
“She’s right,” East says, looking at me with pride in his eyes. “It could work. That is, if Maxton is up to doing it.”
We all look at Maxton, and with the way he squirms, I kind of feel bad for suggesting my idea.
“I feel like I may mess it up,” he admits with hesitancy.
“Give yourself some credit,” Asher tells him. “You spent decades carrying out our father’s plans.”
“Under the influence of his magic,” Maxton stresses. “Almost every single thing I’ve done, minus a few things here and there, have been controlled by him. On my own, I’m nothing but a powerful creature who, trust me, won’t be able to flirt with a succubus.” He lowers his voice to a mutter. “I don’t know how to fucking flirt.”
“I can teach you,” East offers. “I am, after all, the best that’s ever existed.” He lightly pinches my side. “Just ask my little mouse.”
I give him a nasty look, to which he responds with a cheeky grin.
“I don’t know why you’d tell him to ask me,” I say with a smirk. “I’ve always been immune to your charm.”
His brow teases upward as he skims his fingers up my side. “You sure about that? Because I’m pretty sure there might be a few times that contradict that statement.”
I smash my lips together. Damn faerie has me on that one.
I clear my throat. “Okay, maybe he can teach you how to flirt,” I tell Maxton.
East chuckles under his breath. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“So what?” Arrow interrupts. “East just teaches Maxton to flirt, then he goes and flirts with Eva, and then he lets her lure him away from the desk and to a room? Because that still leaves us with the problem of getting into the magic box to get the crystal ball.”
I let out a wicked laugh. “Oh, my dear best friend, that’s not a problem at all.”
Arrow stares at me like I’ve lost my damn mind.
“I know how to get into magic boxes,” I assure him. “It’s easy-peasy. It’s even easier than it was for me to break past East’s magic seal on you guys’ vehicle.”
“She does make a very valid point,” East chimes in. “She got past my seal pretty fucking easily.”
They grow quiet as they consider my idea.
“You’re sure you can do it?” Asher double-checks, his gaze boring into me.
While it’s a little complicated to remain confident while he’s staring at me like an intense lunatic, I make myself stand firm. “Yep, I’m sure.”
“All right then,” Asher says. “Let’s get to work.”
Arrow
Before we part ways to work on the plan, Asher, East, and I step outside the room to discuss some things. Asher acts as if these “things” are related to the plan, but I’m pretty positive they’re not. And the moment Asher opens his mouth, I get confirmation that I’m right.
“I think it might be time to talk about Harlynn,”