Chasing Promises: (Capturing Magic, Book 3) Page 4

  “Because, in order to fix your eye, you’re going to have to trust me.”

  Nervousness edges through me. “Why? What do you have to do exactly?”

  He rubs his lips together as he skims his thumb along the corner of my eye. “I have to put some of my magic in you.”

  “Okay.” I’m so confused. “What’s the big deal? Yesterday, I ate that cotton candy that was made of your magic.”

  “Oh, I remember that very clearly,” he promises me with a grin. “But this … it works a little bit differently.”

  “How so?” I ask. When he dithers, my nerves double. “Maybe I should just go get help from Arrow.” I start to step away, but he settles his hands on my waist, holding me in place.

  “Arrow doesn’t have that kind of magic, so he can’t help you with this,” he reminds me. Then he nibbles on his bottom lip, contemplating. “Remember when we were trapped by the worlds patrol while we were Shimmerland and Asher, Arrow, and I put our magic in you?”

  I bob my head up and down, at first confused, but then it clicks.

  “Wait … You have to kiss me?” Shaking my head, I slant back. “No. There has to be another way to put your magic in me.”

  Wisps of his blond hair fall into his eyes as he shakes his head. “There’s not. Or, well, I can put it in your skin, but it takes way longer for that to kick in.” His eyes flick to my injured eye. “And considering the rapid rate the magic is taking you over, I’m going to suggest not taking the slower way.”

  “Rapid rate it’s taking me …? Wait—is this going to spread throughout my body?” I ask in horror.

  When he gives a reluctant nod, I cast a glance in the mirror again then cringe. The fiery liquid that was leaking out of my eye has now taken over my eye completely and is spreading down my face. I hurriedly lift my hand to wipe it off, but East captures my fingers.

  “Don’t touch it,” he warns. “If you do, it’ll spread faster.”

  I grimace, turning back toward him. “I think maybe we should sterilize the place just in case any more of this is covering stuff.”

  “Normally, after a demon visits us, we do wipe everything down, but we’ve been too distracted.”

  While he doesn’t say it aloud, I know he secretly means: distracted because of me.

  “Sorry,” I mutter.

  He quickly shakes his head, molding his palm against my cheek. “We weren’t distracted just because of you. We’ve all had a lot of things on our minds.”

  “But I’m part of it,” I point out. “If I wasn’t here with my creepy, unknown identity and my weird-ass powers that can put an entire planet on lockdown, you’d have way less distractions.”

  “Yeah, so?” he says, traveling his hand down my face to my jawline then down my neck. “You’re the most fucking wonderful distraction.” His gaze tracks the path of his hand as his fingers skim the side of my neck, right along my pulse.

  Do not let your heart race, Harlynn. Just stay calm. He’s just touching you. It’s not a big deal. In fact, you should stop him.

  But that contact, that skin-to-skin connection is rendering me motionless, and my heart, the traitorous bastard, seems to really like it. Well, like/fear it.

  Honestly, I feel very contradicting right now, like there are two parts of me, pulling me in two different directions.

  “Your heart’s racing so fast,” he murmurs, his gaze scrolling up to meet mine. “Am I making you nervous?”

  While I trust East enough, I’m not about to admit to a faerie that he’s making me nervous. That’s like handing over your worst fear to a fear-eating demon.

  I shake my head. “No. The demon’s magic must be doing it.”

  “Hmm …” He rubs his lips together, his gaze burrowing into me. “I guess we should probably get it out of you then.”

  “Yeah, you definitely should.” I cringe at the breathlessness of my tone.

  “So, does that mean you trust me?” East asks, pressing back a grin.

  Do I? I mean, I guess I do in a way. Like, I know he won’t hurt me or anything like that. But this is different. This is basically trusting him to …

  To what exactly?

  Kiss me?

  “Do you have to kiss me?” I wonder aloud. “Or can you just touch my lips with yours?”

  He bites back an amused smile. “Isn’t that the same thing?”

  “No, it’s not. If you think it’s a kiss, then it’s a kiss. And you can’t put your tongue in my mouth or anything like that.”

  He juts out his lip. “Well, that’s no fun.”

  “Dude, you’re getting a magic demon spell infection out of my eye. None of this should be fun.”

  “Touching you is always fun,” he says with a grin. When I give him a really look, he sighs. “Oh, fine. I won’t put my tongue in your mouth.”

  “Good.” I stand straighter, resting my hands on his bare shoulders. “Then I trust you to do this.”

  His tongue slips out to wet his lips, his eyes briefly shadowing over. I’ve seen this happen before but still don’t know why it happens. He’s always told me the story was for a later time. I wish I knew, though, what darkness lies inside him. One day, I hope he tells me.

  He doesn’t put his lips to mine right away, hesitating. I’m about to tell him to get this over with when he dips his head forward and seals his lips to mine. He doesn’t slip his tongue into my mouth, keeping his promise, something I like him a bit more for. The problem is that, the moment his sparkling magic slips into my mouth, floods my taste buds, and pours down my throat, something snaps inside me. I’m not even sure what it is, but it causes me to lose control.

  Before I can even process what I’m doing, I’m slipping my tongue into his mouth.

  What the actual hell did I just do?

  I freeze, confused over what to do next. Or why I even did what I did.

  I should pull my tongue out of his mouth, right? This isn’t what I want. This isn’t what I can want.

  East groans, and the scent and taste of him floods every part of me, spun sugar and strawberries taking over my senses. My mind becomes blurry, my hands wandering downward, across his lean chest and along his toned abs, all the way to the hem of his pants.

  His skin is so soft…

  Do all creatures have such soft skin?

  A shudder rolls through his body, his hand on my cheek tensing as he pulls his lips back a sliver of an inch from mine. He doesn’t move too far away, resting his head against mine.

  “If I’m not careful,” he breathes out, “I’m going to break my promise to you … And I can’t let that happen … I need your trust, little mouse.” Taking one more deep breath, East steps back. His eyes are no longer shadowed over, and he looks surprisingly calm. “You know, you’re lucky I trust you, because that violation of your tongue might have scared the fire bats out of me if I didn’t.” The corners of his lips quirk.

  Heat rushes to my cheeks as I work to get my breathing under control. “I didn’t … I don’t …” I trail off, getting pissed at myself.

  Why, oh why, out of all the things to get embarrassed out, did my brain choose any and all things related to intimacy?

  “Gods, that fucking blush,” he murmurs, sketching a path along my jawline with his fingertip. “It drives me so damn crazy sometimes.”

  “Me, too,” I mutter, pulling myself together. Then I take a step back so he can’t touch me anymore, because him touching me seems to make my head foggier. “Look, I’m sorry I put my tongue in your mouth. I’m not even sure why I did it. I just … I don’t know. I think the magic made me foggy-headed or something. But it’s not an excuse. I made you promise that you wouldn’t do that to me, and then I turned around and did it to you.” And I touched his chest, but I’m not about to say that aloud.

  “You don’t have to apologize for that,” he assures me. “Any time you want to stick your tongue in my mouth, feel free to do so.”

  “Don’t worry; I won’t ever want to do it again.” I aim
for a bored tone.

  His grin is all sorts of wickedness. “We’ll see.” He pauses, musing over something. “One day, I have a feeling you’re going to finally accept that you’re attracted to me, and then you’re going to want to lick me all over.” He slips his tongue across his lips. “And you’ll let me lick you all over … along your sexy as hell belly, those long, gorgeous legs of yours, between your legs …” His gaze tracks his words, his eyes darkening like thunder clouds.

  His tongue sliding across my belly … my thighs … between my …

  I can almost visualize it.

  East lets out a soft groan, brushing his fingers along my hip. That yanks me out of my daze, and I realize my cheeks are flooded with warmth again.

  Great, I’m blushing again.

  I need something else to focus on.

  “Your eyes are doing that shadow thing again,” I tell him, watching his eyes cloud over.

  He pauses then blinks a few times, and the shadows dissolve.

  “Why do they do that?” I ask, even though I’m pretty sure he won’t tell me, since I’ve asked the question before and he wouldn’t.

  He offers me a small smile. “Now’s definitely not the time for that story.”

  “Will there ever be a time for that story?” I question.

  He presses his lips together, looking oddly serious for him. “Maybe one day …” He trails off as someone knocks on my bedroom door.

  “East,” Arrow says from the other side. “I’m supposed to tell you that we’re getting ready to head out to get the succubus and incubus souls.” He gives a short pause. “And I’m supposed to tell Harlynn to get ready. But I’m also supposed to stress that she’s only going in order for us to keep an eye on her, and that she’s not going to participate in this part of the mission.”

  Normally, I’d be pissed off about his remark, but the reason the guys aren’t having me be a part of this mission is really sweet—they don’t want me to have to seduce an incubus after the whole incident with Yellow.

  “All right,” East calls out to Arrow then looks at me. “Are you sure you’re ready to go out in public? Because, if not, one of us can stay here with you.”

  “I’m fine,” I insist. “It’s not like I’m going to be doing anything really, since you guys don’t think I should help you collect the souls anymore.”

  “We just think it’s probably better if you don’t … after the incident with Yellow.”

  “I know. And I’m”—I search for the right word—“grateful for that. Still … I feel kind of useless. I mean, what’s the point of me even going with you guys? Not that I don’t want to go,” I hurriedly add. “I’m in desperate need of a break from this vehicle.”

  “I completely agree with you on that.” He pauses, mulling over something. “There might be something you can do to help.”

  “Really?” I ask, perking up slightly. “What?”

  “Well,” he starts, his tone laced with uncharacteristic caution. “Usually, when we go out to clubs and stuff, we get bombarded with fans.”

  “Oh, I’m not surprised by that at all,” I assure him. “I saw that firsthand when we went into the city.”

  “Yeah, but being in a club is a bit different,” he explains. “There’s really no way for us to hide from it and, honestly, we usually don’t.”

  “Okay …” Confusion webs through me. “I’m not sure how you think I can help with that. I know I’m badass and everything”—I throw a cheeky grin at him—“but I’m not sure I can keep all your fans away.”

  “All our fans won’t be there—we’re going to an exclusive club.”

  “Okay … Why are you being so wary about telling me what you want me to do?”

  “Because you’ve expressed several times your disgust about the subject matter.” When I continue to stare at him like a confused idiot, he blows out a sigh. “Usually, when we’re at clubs, we have several aftershow women throwing themselves at us, and it’s out of character for us to turn down all offers. So, if we go to this place and turn all of them down, it’ll make us look a bit suspicious.”

  I crinkle my nose. “There’s never been a time when you’ve never hooked up—” I shake my head at myself as I feel that stupid flush creeping up my cheeks. “You know what? Never mind. That doesn’t matter.”

  “Doesn’t it?” he questions, observing me closely and making me want to squirm.

  Fortunately, I manage to appear cool. “No, it doesn’t. But I still don’t get how you think I can help with that problem.”

  “Well, if you agree to it, you could help tremendously.”

  “Agree to what?”

  He briefly hesitates then plasters on his typical, amused smile. “Agree to be our aftershow woman for the night.”

  Harlynn

  At first, I’m certain I heard him incorrectly, but then I realize I didn’t.

  I immediately shake my head. “Dude, I told you the first time we met that I’m not a whore.” I turn around to head to … well, I’m not really sure since the only thing behind me is a closet and a bathroom.

  He wraps his fingers around my arm, stopping me. “And I told you the first time we met that I didn’t want you to be our whore. And I definitely don’t want that now.”

  Pressing my lips together, I twist to face him. “Then what do you want from me? Because I’m not sure.”

  His eyes flicker, his lips curling into a grin. “That, little mouse, is a very dangerous question.” He slides his hand down my arm and skims it along the inside of my wrist.

  “That’s not what I meant,” I mutter, willing my cheeks not to flush. “I just meant, what do you want from me tonight?” When his grin broadens, I quickly add, “I mean, when we go out?” No matter what I say, his smile continues to grow.

  Frustrated, I start to pull away from him, but he tightens his grip on my arm and pulls me closer to him.

  “Relax,” he tells me with an amused smile. “All I want from you tonight is to play the part of an aftershow woman while we’re out. You don’t actually need to be one. Just pretend to be one. And since you’re so good at pretending, I think you should be able to pull this off.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “What do you mean by that? That I’m so good at pretending?”

  He gives an innocent shrug. “I just meant you’re good at it.”

  I assess him with suspicion. “You said it like you had an underlining meaning.” When all he does is shrug again, I heave a frustrated sigh. “Whatever. Just tell me what I’m supposed to do.”

  His gaze bores into me. “Are you sure you can handle this?”

  I give a steady nod, pretending to be more confident than I really am.

  Always pretending.

  Maybe East is right. Maybe I am really good at pretending.

  Pretending.

  Pretending.

  Pretending.

  Is anything about me real?

  Harlynn

  After I agree to pretend to be they guys’ aftershow woman, East leaves me to get changed, telling me to come out when I’m ready. Then the four of us will go over the plan of what all our parts are for tonight. He also takes the drumstick with him so he can sterilize it and the rest of the vehicle.

  Of course, the minute he leaves, the realization that I don’t have a damn clue what I’m supposed to wear tonight dawns on me. I consider putting on the outfit I wore the last time I went out, but since I’m not really sure what aftershow women on this world wear, I don’t know if it’ll fit the part.

  After rummaging around in my closet for a while, I give up and go look for Arrow to get his help. He’s playing his drums in his bedroom, the door agape and music is playing from somewhere, the rhythm of his drumsticks matching the beat. He’s changed since I last saw him, now wearing a pair of pinstriped pants decorated with silver chains and buckles. A pair of thick, buckled boots cover his feet, and metallic bands wrap around his wrists. His chest is covered up with a grey shirt, the sleeves short, revealing h
is bronzed skin ornamented with gadgets.

  Instead of interrupting him, I watch him play for a while. It’s fascinating how his mechanical arms and fingers allow him to move the drumsticks in an inhuman speed. He’s so into the tune, too, that he doesn’t notice me standing in the doorway.

  Once the song ends, he stops playing but doesn’t make any effort to move. Instead, he stares off into empty space with a pucker at his brow.

  “A penny for your thoughts?” I say, curious as to what he’s thinking about so deeply.

  He startles, nearly dropping the drumsticks. “Holy fuck, you scared me.” He shakes his head and sets the drumsticks down. “East was right. You do move as soundlessly as an elf.”

  “That may be mostly true, but this time I wasn’t moving soundlessly,” I assure him. “You were just in some sort of dazed zone. Plus, you were playing when I walked in.”

  The crinkle between his brow deepens. “You were watching me play?”

  I nod, puzzlement webbing through me. “Is that okay?”

  He nods, perplexed. “Yeah, it’s fine.”

  Then, why is he frowning?

  “You play really well. It’s crazy how fast you can move.”

  A trace of a smile cracks at his lips. “It comes with the territory of being part cyborg.”

  “I know.” I push from the doorway, standing up straight. “It’s still super cool how you can move like that. I mean, I can’t even twirl a drumstick and end up poking myself in the eye.”

  His smile expands. “Yeah, I heard about that.” His gaze flits to my eye. “It looks okay now, though.”

  “Yeah, thanks to East. But don’t tell him I said that.”

  He softly chuckles. “I won’t.”

  “Thanks.” I take a step into his room. “So, I have to ask you for a favor.”

  He sets the drumsticks down and stands, reaching for a bottle of water that’s on a dresser. “Sure. What’s up?”

  “Well, as I’m sure you’ve probably heard, I’m supposed to be pretending to be you guys’ aftershow woman or whatever.” I roll my eyes at the absurd statement. “But I have no idea what to wear. I thought about just putting on the outfit I had on the other day, but then I realized I know zero about how aftershow women dress and act. All of my knowledge is based on stories I’ve heard and observations I’ve made from afar … so I’m wondering if you could help me pick something out and give me some pointers on how to act.”