Page 35 of Of Mercury and Mist

“Good.”

We arrived at the picnic table, Micha breathing down my neck, and everyone went quiet. A tense atmosphere descended like a tsunami, instantly wiping everyone’s smile from their face. Karissa eyed us warily, not really being comfortable around strangers to begin with. She knew who he was, but their paths very rarely crossed when she’d been employed at Ipomoea.

Andy looked ready to shoot the man standing behind me and I didn’t doubt he would, if he could. Mike appeared confused and Ike was the only one to act normal.

“Hey man, what’s up? Pleasure to meet Ashley’s man,” Ike said, holding out his hand. Micha didn’t take it, choosing to remain silent and unmoving.

“He’s not my man. I’m taking off, got some work stuff to handle. I’ll see you guys later,” I said, moving to head toward Karissa and give her a hug.

Micha didn’t shift so much as an inch, forcing me to rub against him as I turned. His hand drifted to my waist, like he was guiding me, but I felt the warning in the firm clasp of his palm, the wordless message of what he would do if I tried to raise the alarm.

Andy was now glaring at Micha while Ike was oblivious to everyone’s discomfort and nonchalantly massaging Mike’s shoulders. Karissa met me halfway and stretched an arm over me to give me a hug, turning her head away from Micha. My heart was pounding, and I began getting annoyed with myself over my reaction to my stalker of a boss.

What it all boiled down to was, if he was going to do something to me, he already would have. I kept telling myself this, and I knew it, but I had yet to truly stand up to him. There was just this little thread of doubt that kept wiggling in my subconscious over whether I should test him and whether I really wanted to be away from him.

There was no denying the chemistry anymore. When’d put his hand on my waist, I’d leaned into him like I belonged there, like my home was right there in his possessive grasp. He had to have sensed the connection, the spark between us as strong as steel. This didn’t feel like a casual attraction; it felt like two planets colliding.

He had all the resources in the world at his disposal to get rid of me if he wanted. The support of his friend, Josiah was unquestionable, and untold sums of money backed the two of them up. He could’ve ordered a hit on me or just killed me himself.

So, what was his problem? I doubted he had women he didn’t like hiding under his desk to give him blowjobs.

No, there was something else going on here.

TWELVE

Micha

Andy was like a guard dog, chomping at the bit, dying to grind me to bone. It was laughable really—I could’ve killed him before he ever saw me move. If he’d still had romantic intentions toward Ashley, I may have done just that.

As it was, he wasn’t worth the bother or the clean up a public execution would’ve required.

Shuffling Ashley into my car, I tucked myself in after her and my driver closed the door.

“Where are you taking me?”

“To the office. You’ll shower and get dressed. My people will prepare you.” I pulled out my phone and messaged Lester, one of my assistants, our arrival time. It was early but I wanted everything to be perfect.

The woman glowered at me and leaned an arm on the window, turning away. “Then what?”

There was no harm in telling her. “Then you’ll be escorted to Fleur de Luna where Josiah and Kiam will be joining us.”

Her gaze snapped to mine. “Will Della be there?” Hope filled her eyes as she leaned forward slightly.

I shook my head. “She will not. This is a special night, just for you.”

Her back hit the leather, but she kept her focus on me, weighing and measuring. Possibly even plotting. Her aura had tucked in, barely detectable, in a self-protective measure. She was harder to read this way, but I knew, with her, it was a sign of nervousness. The thought of going to an exclusive, secretive club with myself and the two other men had given her significant pause. No surprise, really. But there was something else lingering about in the ether around her and I didn’t like it.

Ashley was thinking so hard I wouldn’t have been surprised if steam started flowing from her ears. What was my little pet up to? Examining her didn’t really tell me much but I knew, in that moment, I’d lost some of my power over her. The expected level of fear was greatly diminished, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

Her lips didn’t stretch into a smile, but the corner of her eyes crinkled lightly as she tried to stare me down. I couldn’t read her mind but without a doubt, she was aware that I was fully cognizant of the fact she’d loosened the leash a sliver on her own.

This wouldn’t do. She’d risked everything with her foolish actions. She’d thrown away all possibilities of a future for herself and ruined my plans.

After everything that’d been stolen from Josiah and I, all that had been ripped straight from our spirits without any regard for our wellbeing, I couldn’t tolerate deception. It wasn’t allowed.

Josiah and I had reclaimed much of our stolen heritage but none of that erased what we’d been through. All the nights in our youth when I’d held his once-frail figure through night terrors and horrors weren’t for naught. It was a wonder we’d made it as far as we had. Much of our natural magic had been stolen and what remained, was stifled or manipulated. We’d been beaten and abused, subjected to horrors under the tutelage of the Collective.

He’d eventually killed Ezra, one of the primary five figures of the Collective, but that still left four hell-bent on revenge for their loss. Neither Josiah or I had heard anything or had anything happen since we’d retrieved Della, but the men were known for their patience. I couldn’t imagine they’d let our actions remain unpunished and Ashley would be ripe for the picking if I claimed her.

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