commoditize it and shoot it into the veins of human addicts...or worse...use it as a weapon against the rest of us.
We spent the next night and day in relative peace. Though my father wasn’t happy about my plans to go back to the Golden Taurus, he stopped objecting.
So on the next night, I stood in front of the mirror and put my look in place. It was just me. My father had escorted my mother to a Council meeting. They wouldn’t return for hours.
Tonight felt like red. A night to play with literal fire. I found the dress in my mother’s closet and knew it belonged to her mother. One of the very few things she still had from her. Vintage. Red silk with a plunging neckline and spaghetti straps. I’d hemmed the skirt, so it hit me mid-thigh. I slipped on my same leather boots and smacked my lips in the mirror. I went with pink gloss and cat eyes. I didn’t dare use a glamor. I twisted my hair into a high ponytail and grabbed a rhinestone studded clutch purse.
No one saw me leave. No one would see me come back. I drove to the edge of town until I reached the sign with the ominous message, “You are now leaving the Durness Oasis. We cannot guarantee your safe return.”
I cut the engine, checked my look in the rearview mirror and got out. I made it just a few yards to the Ring checkpoint and flashed my ID. The guards looked me up and down, one going so far as to lick his lips.
I snatched my ID back and kept on walking. The driving beat of the music from the Golden Taurus reached me from all the way up here. I could have hailed a transport but liked the fresh air. It calmed me. It helped me focus on my cloaking spell. No one on this side of the fence would ever know ancient fire magic flowed through my veins.
The lights of the Golden Taurus beckoned me. A breeze picked up, kissing my skin.
Then...he was there. A looming presence with broad shoulders and shining blue eyes that seemed to pierce straight into my soul. I took a breath, gathering my strength around me. My spell stayed in place.
“Archer,” I said. “Isn’t that your name?”
I felt a little sizzle in my blood as he stepped out of the shadows.
“How long have you been standing there?” I asked.
“Long enough,” he answered, his voice deep, barely more than a growl.
He’d shifted. Recently. I sensed his primal essence, and it sent a shiver of doubt through me.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.
“Where all the fun is,” I smiled. Human girl. Strung out. Look hungry.
“You could get hurt,” he said, his eyes flashing. He wasn’t even trying to hide the wolf behind them. He closed the distance between us. I had to crane my neck to keep his gaze.
“Well,” I said. “Maybe I need a big, bad wolf to protect me.”
His lips curled, and I saw the hint of fang. What big teeth you have, I thought. All the better to eat you with. My God. My heat churned. Pure lust. I took a faltering step backward.
Archer caught my elbow. “They’ve been expecting you,” he said.
“Oh?”
“You made one hell of an impression the other night,” he said. “That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”
“What...I…” My tough girl act left my head. I couldn’t stop thinking about the way his hand felt on me. Strong. Hot. His whole body seemed to thrum with a power I didn’t recognize. Whatever it was, it called to me.
“I can pay,” I said, jiggling my purse. “Last time I checked, that’s all that was required.”
“You could get hurt,” he said again, more forceful.
“Suppose I told you I don’t mind a little pain. It’s worth it. And maybe I know how to take care of myself.”
He laughed. “They all say that. They never can.”
“You don’t know me. You don’t know anything about me.” It was just a line. But the way Archer looked at me, it felt like a lie. He knew...something.
“We’ll see,” he said, gently pulling me forward.
“You’re...you’re taking me in?” I asked.
“I told you, you made an impression the other night. They’re expecting you. The boss wants to talk to you.”
“The boss?” My pulse quickened. My ruse had worked better than I thought. It couldn’t have been a coincidence Archer found me on this path. He was smart enough not to try to cross the border