Page 52 of Body Tox

“And?” I said, circling her in a predatory dance of wills.

“And a creeper…I don’t need your old ass chasing me down. I will irredicate you. Don’t think I’ll take pity just because you are elderly!”

I gripped my heart and feigned a pained expression.

“Ouch, Little Wraith…You act like thirty-six is ninety years old, but that’s okay. I know you are scared.”

My stalking was backing her into a corner, so I leaned down and whispered, “I guess now I’ll have to show you how an old dog can teach you new tricks.”

She scoffed at me like I was an idiot. “That isn’t how the saying goes. It goes, ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.’”

I gripped her throat and squeezed.

“Looks like you’re the one collared here, Little Wraith, so you’re the bitch in this scenario.” She gasped in my grip. “The real question is, are you going to behave and stop yipping like a Chihuahua at my ankles? Or do I need to put you down?”

“Is this it?

Asher snickered, his hands tied in front of him, and his jacket covered the bindings from snooping eyeballs. This asshole had been leading me on a damn goose chase.

We had walked around the small town of Anchorage so often that I was getting whiplash.

“You think you’re so smart, don’t you?” I huffed, pushing my fist into his back and leading him forward.

I couldn’t see his smug grin, but I knew it was there.

“I am highly educated in many things, Little Wraith. Want a demonstration in some of them?”

Everything this man said had some hidden sexual meaning, and it pissed me off to no end that I loved that about him.

“Mr. Ballard, if you don’t take me to the orphanage, I am going to rethink your circumcision,” I warned.

He stopped abruptly, and I smashed into his back, which may as well have been a steel wall. I blinked, a bit dizzy, and he whirled around on me, trapping my hands with his bindings. I growled, but he pulled his elbows harder into his side, effectively immobilizing me.

“Why do you want to learn about my past?” he asked, his eyes looking scared.

I studied him.

The lean form of his body, the intricate patterns and images on his arms leading up to his neck…he was a wall of protection, yet somehow, this place was painful for him, a festering wound he couldn’t hide.

“I have my reasons,” I said, struggling with his hold.

He pulled my body closer to his, my face inches from his. I could feel the cool air warmed by his breath. His scent overwhelmed me. He was all man,with a hint of sweetness layered in. He smelled minty, like a tangy candy.

“Why do you smell as fruity as your personality?” I mused, but he looked as serious as a heart attack.

“Gum. I’m an addict. Addicts chew gum, Little Wraith.”

It made sense.

Why did the fucking smell of gum make me dizzy?

“You peel back layers of someone’s skin before?” he asked in that same serious tone.

I smiled, my knowledge of flaying fresh flesh in my mind. My hands itched for my dagger.

“Of course.”

He shook his head and shoved me away from him. Stumbling to find my balance, I finally caught my footing and made my way back over to him.

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