Page 13 of Horns for the Holidays

Devlin fucking Thorpe, in all her purple-skinned, yellow-eyed, unholy glory.

Rage and betrayal crashed over me in a suffocating wave. How dare she? Howfuckingdare she show up here? After everything she’d done?

Devlin’s lips curved into a smug smile. “Well, well. If it isn’t the great Kotos Mavridis.”

Memories of our falling out flooded my mind. Late nights hunched over laptops, arguing about MythMatch’s direction. The way she’d looked at me when I rejected her advances, hurt quickly morphing into cold fury. Her parting words as she stormed out of the incubator for the last time.

I forced a neutral expression, refusing to give her the satisfaction of seeing me rattled. “Devlin. What an... unexpected surprise.”

I clenched my jaw, fighting the urge to throw her out the nearest window. It would be so easy. Just a few steps and...

No. I couldn’t let her get to me. Not without looking like a petulant child throwing a tantrum.

“Oh, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit paradise. Especially not when there’s business to be done.” She smirked, clearly enjoying my discomfort. “And who’s this? Your new assistant?”

I bristled at the thinly veiled insult, but Laramie beat me to the punch.

“Laramie Scanlon,” she replied, extending her hand and delivering a megawatt smile. “Part of MythMatch’s marketing strategy team. I have to say, your emphasis on kink-specific algorithms is quite innovative. Have you managed to solve that pesky churn issue yet? I’dloveto hear how you’re retaining users in such a niche market.”

I stared at Laramie, torn between amusement and disbelief. What the hell was she doing?

Devlin’s composure cracked, if only for a moment. Her eyes narrowed dangerously before her mask of civility slid back into place.

“My, aren’t you... enthusiastic,” she purred. “Perhaps you’d like to see how arealdating app operates? We’re hosting a little soiree this evening. A chance for Elysia’s guests to experience Shadow Daddies firsthand.” Those unnaturally yellow eyes shifted to me with a malicious glint. “You’re welcome to attend as well, Kotos. For old times’ sake.”

Every instinct screamed at me to refuse. To tell Devlin exactly where she could shove her invitation. But before I could open my mouth, Laramie spoke up.

“We’d be delighted,” she said, her tone so sincere I almost believed it myself. “Wouldn’t we, Mr. Mavridis?”

“I—”

My mind was too busy short-circuiting at the thought of Laramie at a Shadow Daddies event. Did she have any idea what kind of debauchery went on at those things?

“It’ll give us a chance to talk pain points in onboarding,” Laramie continued with her precision strikes. “I’m sure Shadow Daddies has made huge strides in solving those privacy complaints from last year. A year or so of complimentary dark web search protection did the trick, didn’t it?”

Devlin’s eyes narrowed. “You seem quite well-informed, Ms. Scanlon.”

“Oh, I try to keep up with industry trends,” Laramie said airily. “Knowledge is power, after all.”

Devlin’s answering grin was all teeth. “Excellent. I’ll have my assistant send over the details. Now, if you’ll excuse me...”

She sauntered away, leaving the scent of brine and betrayal in her wake. I waited until she was out of earshot before rounding on Laramie.

I wanted to yell at her.

I wanted to kiss her.

“What the hell was that?” I hissed.

But Laramie was already sliding around me towards the door. I hurried after her, hissing her name and shooting tight looks at Andreas and his team gathered on the other side of the room.

“Ms. Scanlon,” I called, trying to keep my voice low. When she didn’t slow, I reached out and caught her arm. “Laramie.”

She whirled to face me with fire in her eyes. “What?”

I swallowed hard, momentarily at a loss for words. The heat of her skin beneath my palm sent sparks racing up my arm. The mate bond hummed between us, urging me to pull her closer. To claim her right here on the table in front of Andreas and anyone who passed.

With Herculean effort, I pushed those thoughts aside. “You’ve scheduled my evening, Ms. Scanlon. I believe I’m entitled to some details.”

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