Page 65 of Entranced By the Basilisks

Kalos leans forward. “Tell me, is this just lip service? A way for you to say that you’re trying to help her?”

My upper lip curls in annoyance. Going to a dragon is a gamble. He’s too long-lived not to see through any strategy I try to keep close to the chest.

“I made a promise,” I say instead of answering the question. “I’d be willing to pay.”

Kalos grins, a predator on the prowl. “I’d want to be paid half up front. I won’t send my people on unpaid wild goose chases just to make you appear like you’re not taking advantage of the situation.”

“Of course,” I say. “I just need time.”

“I hope she gives it to you.” He shrugs. “And that she doesn’t try to claw out your eyes when she finds out that, to your knowledge, this is permanent.”

I sigh.

“You know,” Kalos starts in a musing tone. “I always thought you’d mate that library director you sneak around with.”

I narrow my eyes at him. I’ve never wanted to sneak around with Jasper, but I accepted what he’d offered me to play the long game. The time to strike is now, and with them both privy to my intentions, it’s been torture to move as slowly as I have these past few days.

“Who says that isn’t still the plan?” I state.

“Ah.” The dragon finally looks surprised. “You’re playing for high stakes.”

“The highest.”

“Best of luck to you.” He takes a drink and speaks into his glass. “You’re going to need it.”

30

JASPER

Emilia issin when she dances. Sin and smoke, curling and bending with the music, if smoke could wrap itself around my heart and cause my cock to harden painfully. Like the masochist I am, I move with her.

My focus isn’t only on dancing. I also glare at anyone who gets too close so that Emilia doesn't have to interrupt her enjoyment with worry about the glamoured snakes. This club may cater to paranormal clientele, but we are still trying to keep news about Emilia from other serpent kin.

“You’re a really good dancer,” she says.

I blush, distracted. I’d never been one for dancing, but Ari dragged me to a couple of human clubs and demanded I partake in practice. It’s something in our nature that I’d neglected since nothing else about being serpent kin seemed to do me any good.

I shrug. “It's more to do with being a basilisk rather than skill.”

“I wouldn't ever imagine that the stern director from the library could move like this.” Emilia says, her face soft with the same desire that burns in my gut.

I narrow my eyes and pull her hips to mine, delighting in the grind of her body against my erection and her gasp.

I want to catch her gasp with my lips but control myself. I’ve gotten to know Emilia for days without giving in to the temptation to touch and taste this woman. Tonight should be no different, but the way she’s moving, the ease of her body around mine, pricks the hungry beast in me.

“And I'd never imagine that the woman who was too afraid of me to look me in the eye would be here dancing with me,” I say.

Emilia's moves miss a beat and instead of flowing together, our bodies clash in a way that traps a groan in my throat.

“I wasn't afraid of you.”

I eye her dubiously. All those moments I'd rushed our interactions, every time she'd avoid looking at the monster in front of her, how could it be from anything other than fear?

“I mean, you’re intimidating, but I wasn't afraid.” As if she senses that I don’t believe her, she starts to steer us off the dance floor. “Let’s take a breather.”

The music in the club doesn’t boom like in a human establishment. Which is a relief to my and other paranormal beings’ sensitive hearing and makes it easy to have a conversation. I glance around and the people near the wall with us inch away and flinch under my gaze.

“I wasn’t afraid of you,” Emilia brings my attention back to her, stepping into my space. Her body heat radiates through my clothes and makes the serpent part of me want to curl around her.

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