Page 28 of Eye Candy

“Lola, huh? It’s been a while. She does have one of my favorite pieces.” The man nodded along. “Fine. You can comein. Let’s talk for a while, Princess.” He stepped aside while holding the door open with his arm, as if to let me pass.

Figuring the man had to be Fang with the way he was talking, I walked into a dark hall. I didn’t know this guy, but Lola did, and I didn’t think Lola would send me to a creep. I stopped a few feet in, turning to watch Fang set a hand on Kieran’s chest. Kieran had tried to push his way in right after me.

“Not you,” he told him. “Just the girl.”

“I cannot emphasize this enough, but fuck no,” Kieran told him. “You’re not going anywhere alone with her.”

A strange chuckling sound left Fang’s chest—or maybe it only sounded strange because of the welder’s mask he still wore. “So protective of her. Don’t worry, I won’t bite. She’ll be safe and sound when she’s with me.”

Kieran looked as though he wanted to throw down with Fang, so I moved to stand next to him, catching Kieran’s furious stare. “Kieran,” I said, watching him visibly calm just by looking at me and not Fang, “I’ll be fine.”

Fang waved at Kieran as he closed the door between us, which only further irritated him. I imagined Kieran would want to sit down and have a long talk with me after this, about how I couldn’t go trusting strangers, how I shouldn’t be alone with anyone, especially after what happened to me, blah, blah, blah.

I let Fang lead the way. We walked down the hall, passing an open door. With a quick peek in, I saw a whole bunch of big machinery I didn’t recognize, but I imagined that was why he was wearing those gloves and that apron, along with the mask. In the far back of the hall sat a stairwell, and up we went.

“So, Princess, how’d you find your way into Big Mike’s company?” he asked, slowly picking off his gloves as we walkedup the stairs. “He’s always been a Luciano man—up until recently, I guess, since he’s now with you.” He tossed a glance over his shoulder, still wearing the mask so I couldn’t see his face. “You never did tell me your name.”

We stopped on the top floor, and I was damn near out of breath. My legs were like goo. I struggled to keep my aching, weak joints to myself as I answered him, “I’m surprised you don’t know who I am.”

Both his gloves were off. He stopped before the door, his hand slow to curl around the handle. “Eh, I don’t really keep up with everything going on out there. I like it in here.” He pulled open the door, the hand holding onto the gloves gesturing for me to go ahead.

I walked past him, my legs coming to a halt when I saw the top floor was unlike the rest. A huge open-concept space, it was giant, the entire floor opened up and made into a single living space. Decorated with mostly black furniture, industrial bookcases made of painted pipes and dark wood. A leather couch facing a mounted TV sat on the far side of the room, near a bed. The kitchen, with what I assumed was original exposed brick, sat near the windows on the left side. A small table sat nearby that area, along with a washer and dryer. The rest of the wide-open space was decorated with metal sculptures ranging from big to small.

I could see why Fang liked it in here. It was very different, but at the same time, it was pretty cool.

“Don’t just stand there. Come on,” Fang spoke as he walked around me. He set a hand on my back, pushing me forward, and he brought me to the black leather couch. “Sit. I’ll get you something to drink. It seems the princess is very out ofshape, along with missing two fingers. How did that happen, by the way?”

My legs were intensely grateful when I sat down on the couch. I leaned back, turning my head to watch Fang set his gloves down on the kitchen counter. His apron came off next, the movements so natural they told me did this on a daily basis. If I had to guess, I’d say he made every sculpture here. He lifted the mask up and off his face, setting it on top of his apron.

“You really don’t know?” I asked, lifting my left hand and dragging my eyes along the scab as I wiggled what was left of the last two fingers. Two nubs, that’s it. It was weird, because even though it itched like crazy in a place that shouldn’t itch at all, I still forgot I was missing them sometimes.

Fang got out a glass and got me some water from the tap on the fridge. He even put a few ice cubes in it, all without touching it, thanks to the dispenser. “No, as much as I’d like to say I recognize you, I don’t.” I was busy staring at my hand when he walked over to me. “Here.”

I took the glass from him, lowering my left hand to my lap. Unlike his arms, his hand was clean, thanks to the glove, and I was able to see just how strong that hand was. He probably worked with his hands all day, every day.

Fang let out a sigh, turning and plopping down on the coffee table in front of the couch, sitting on it so that he could face me. It was the first time I’d seen his face, the first time I could focus on it now that he wasn’t wearing his mask.

A slow, sly smile tugged at his mouth, flashing a set of pearly whites at me. “So,” Fang spoke, something silver in his mouth glinting and catching the light, “who exactly are you, Princess?”

He sat less than a foot away, his gray-eyed stare so intense—but that wasn’t what made my stomach tighten. Nor was it the fact that he was younger than I’d anticipated, around Mike’s age, with short, pitch-black hair all messy on his head, save for a small tuft of silver hair near his left temple.

No, what made me a little uneasy were the two silver teeth in his mouth, the canines. They were so long and pointed they looked like vampire teeth… like fangs.

I couldn’t say a word, but Fang could. He flashed me another smile, and this time he ran his tongue along his upper teeth, drawing it down along one of his silver fangs. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”

Chapter Ten – Fang

It wasn’t often a pretty, lost girl showed up at my door. Never, really. She was the only reason I stopped what I was doing and answered the door to begin with. I didn’t care about Big Mike or whoever that other guy was. No, it was only for her.

The pink and blue-haired girl who was missing the majority of her pinky and ring finger on her left hand. The girl whose blue eyes seemed both sad and furious at the same time. The girl who was currently staring at my mouth with a mixture of horror and curiosity.

She was young. Younger than should interest me, but there was something about her…

“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?” I sat on the small table in front of the couch, leaning forward, my knees apart, staring at her. I wore a smile, flashing her my teeth. It’d been a long time since I’d used them, a long time indeed.

She fidgeted a little, unable to take her gaze off me. “Your teeth. They’re…” Her right hand held onto the glass of water I’d gotten her; she hadn’t taken a single sip yet, and now that she’d seen my teeth, I doubted she would.

“It’s just the two. The rest are all natural, Princess.” I couldn’t help but call her that. With her hair, she looked like a cotton candy princess I wanted to take a bite out of.

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