Page 17 of Kisses at the Crossroads

Soon, Drake throws my plain yellow booty shorts at me. “Get dressed.” He slams the door behind him.

“At least I have full coverage,” I mumble as I slide the shorts up. The blow dryer is loud as I work on my hair. I have no idea what time it is, but Drake can deal with whatever consequences there are if I’m late for this appointment. So much hair takes a long time to dry and I ache for my magic from back home. In the Fae lands, just a thought would have my hair dry. Drake keeps me so low on sunshine it’s impossible to use my magic outside of the glow most day. Not to mention the spells he has wrapped around me. Finally, I brush glitter across my cheeks before opening the door to Drake pacing the floor.

“Finally. Now come on.” He grabs my arm and pulls me with him.

“I can walk on my own.” I dig my heels into nothing, but it stops him from continuing.

“Fine.”

I follow Drake. There’s too much pep in my step, but I’m relatively free for now. No binder. So far, it’s a great day.

Until we get to a door I’ve been told is off-limits. Drake turns to me and drops his hands on my shoulders. “I’ve gone back on my word before. I’ve never felt bad about it, not one bit. But this time…”

My heart pounds in my chest. “What have you done, Drake?”

“Three million dollars. Who could pass that up? Three million for twenty-four hours with you.”

I try to pull away. “You promised. I trusted you on this one thing.”

“Never trust a witch, Trick. Never.” Drake opens the door and pulls me inside. My legs threaten to buckle. “Trick, as you requested. Noon to noon.”

There’s a growl over my head. The Hellhound. I suck in a breath when I notice Pike frowning at Drake.

“I didn’t say traumatize the boy. What the fuck did you tell him?” Pike smoothes his hand down the Hellhound’s back, stopping the growls. “You know what? Never mind, get out.” He waves a hand toward the door. Drake finally lets me go and leaves.

Pike looks me over. “You poor thing. I can’t imagine what’s going through your head right now.” He steps over to a small table where there’s a box. “I have something for you. I think you’ll be more comfortable.” He pulls out a shirt. Not just any shirt.

“How?” I whisper. The shirt is silk, green, and Fae with a back that can accommodate wings.

“I visited the Fae lands.” Pike holds up the shirt and I walk right into it. He spins me to button up the back. “The queen of the Summer Court was very nice. She wanted to help.”

My cheeks burn as I take in the pattern of the shirt with its tiny yellow flowers. “Thank you.” The sleeves are a little long, but Pike rolls them up for me as I watch him.

“That’s not all.” He grabs something else from the box. “I tried my best to get clothes that should fit. I compared your size to one of the Fae running around the throne room, and the queen had someone bring these out.” He presents me with soft cotton pants.

“I don’t know how to thank you.” I pull them up and on. “Perfect fit.” I haven’t worn Fae clothes since mine became threadbare and Drake took them away from me. I hug myself and squeeze my eyes closed as I savor the sensation of how light the cloth is. “Thank you.”

Pike gives me a half smile. “I want to put you at ease. I didn’t pay to sleep with you. Even though that’s what I made Drake think.”

“He promised he’d never do that to me.” I tremble and cling to the table. The Hellhound boops my shoulder with her nose.

“Ah, this is Frankie, and I’m very glad you’re not terrified of her.”

“I think I remember snuggling with her.” I hold out my hand and she rubs her nose along my palm.

“You did. She won’t lick you. Her saliva is a bit like lava, and I know she doesn’t want to hurt you.”

I nod and reach up to give her head scratches.

“Frankie is going to keep a watch out for us. I already swept the room for bugs.”

My nose scrunches. “Drake does very good pest control.”

Pike’s lips twitch, but he laughs anyway. “Not bug bugs.” He taps a finger to his bottom lip. “Electronic surveillance devices.”

“Oh. Did you check for spells, too?”

“Everything and we’re alone. So I’m going to set Frankie right outside the door to keep Drake out.” Pike grabs her harness and leads her to the door. He opens and helps get her settled. “I’ve calmed the boy down,” Pike says to Drake, who must be somewhere I can’t see. “Next time you really need to work on not scaring him. I want a willing partner, not someone that’s going to fight me.”

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