Page 11 of Blue Embers
“Now?” I asked, unable to think of something more witty to counter him with. “Everything is closed.”
“Not for me,” he answered, his tone printing a perfect picture of his smile in my head.
I rolled my eyes, leaning back on the table behind me. “Is this how you do it?” I asked. “You flex your status and people fall over you?”
Killian’s chuckle was an expectedly attractive one. I felt my cheeks turning red with heat but bit my lip to keep that from coming through in my voice. Unfortunately, I knew Draak had keen senses. He was probably listening to the brief acceleration in my pulse through the phone.
“Tell me where you live,” Killian said. “I can be there in twenty minutes.”
“Well...actually.” I scratched my head. “I’m not home. I’m at the museum.”
“The museum? This late? On your own? You know, I was told you were a hard worker, but it’s long after hours, Persephone.”
“Yeah, um,” I said, my words a messy arrangement of uncertain notes that I didn’t like. “Like I said, it’s been a long day. I just sort of needed something to do, so I came here to...organize.”
“Well then. I’ll be there soon.”
“I’m--”
Before I could try to talk him out of coming to the museum, Killian ended the call, leaving me on the phone with a silent receiver as my words faded off my tongue. I lowered the phone, unsure exactly what happened and not entirely certain I wanted to eat with him. In my somewhat emotional state, I couldn’t tell if I was going to be desirable company. I looked and felt unprofessional and my boss was on his way to witness it all. On top of all that, there was little doubt that Killian was the type to feed on the affection of women and I wasn’t too sure I would want to resist with everything that was going on in my personal life. Dividing it from my job was always easy, but when things took a turn that morning, I was beginning to wonder if I could hang onto my discipline much longer. I was half considering finding a bar and sinking into a few drinks for the rest of the night.
“Fuck it,” I muttered to myself, tossing my phone on the table and rubbing my tired face with my hands.
Trying not to let my nerves get to me, I started doing some actual work to get my mind off the idea that Killian was coming over and I had no idea what to say to him. The whole sector knew who he was. A gorgeous Blue Breath with wealth and status and an undeniable ability to charm the clothes off men and women alike. Not that being beautiful and charming wasn’t something all Draak had in common, whether it was a dangerous sort of appeal or the elegant, seductive kind. And I wondered if indulging in some conversation with someone I barely knew would help calm my mind and refocus my objectives. That was if conversation was all he wanted.
Finding a place for the dagger behind a glass covering on one of the display cases along the weapon wall, I carefully uncovered the unique piece and propped it on a small stand. It fit well among a few other knives and shards of old metal and weapon pieces. I smiled, surprised at how much the dagger completed the display, balancing out a sea of reds, blacks, and dark golds with its bright silver and blue accents. Closing and locking the case over the collection, I stepped back, admiring the fully arranged weapon area. All that was left was matching the plaques to each weapon before the opening.
Turning toward the other side of the room, I roamed to a few vertical display cases where jewelry and small trinkets were set up on numerous shelves. In one of them was the necklace that I’d shown Killian the day before, draped neatly on a black, velvet neck. I couldn’t help feeling a bit bitter about the piece now as my thoughts wandered to my sister.
The Draak who’d marked her could help her. He could return, touch her, heal her, and leave again if that’s what he really wanted, but he couldn’t be bothered to even do that. I knew a Draak’s connection to his Ashling would have told him she was dying, no matter where he was, but he stayed away. The idea didn’t hurt nearly as much before as it did now. Before, I’d imagined my sister wasn’t really dying, but when I got that morning call and rushed to the hospital, everything became real. Hewasn’tcoming back and he left without so much as an explanation.
I wasn’t usually one to let anger get the best of me, but I was suddenly fuming. My jaw muscles tightened. I reached out, barely thinking, and unlocked the display case, reaching in to snatch the necklace from the neck.
Closing the case again, I stared at the pendant in my hand and tried to contain myself, but the disappointment was there and it was screaming loudly in my head. I took a few steps back, pressing my lips together in an attempt to control my actions, but once I was out from behind the displays, I chucked the necklace across the hall, careless as to where it was going to land. Part of me hoped it wouldn’t be found. To my surprise, as soon as the necklace left my grip, I watched it fly toward Killian as he walked, nearly undetectable, into the room. He moved about half an inch to avoid getting hit and raised his hand, catching the necklace in his palm.
5
Persephone
. . .
I immediately pressed my hands over my mouth with embarrassment, watching Killian’s eyes glide in my direction with more intrigue than offense. He slowly lowered the necklace, opening his hand as if to confirm what he’d caught. Seeing the pendant in his grip, he looked up at me again, cocking his head. I wanted to give him an explanation, but I felt so utterly stupid and ashamed that my tongue had turned to lead in my mouth. I watched Killian walk calmly to a table near the stairs where coffee was usually set up during the day. He set down a bag of what smelled like Chinese takeout on the surface.
“Sorry,” I finally expressed.
Killian looked at the necklace again and slowly walked in my direction, knitting his brows.
“Part of me thinks I shouldn’t ask,” he said. His voice was somehow soothing, despite that almost hitting him was the reason I was probably beet red in the face. “Another part of me wants to know,” he said, looping the string of the necklace on his finger to let it hang from his hand in front of him. “What was that about? I thought this was important to you.”
I opened my hand, letting him coil the jewelry into my palm.
“It is,” I said. “I just had a bad day.”
“Something that involved the original owner of that necklace perhaps?”
I pivoted on my toes, walking briskly back to the display case to replace the necklace behind the glass. Once it was straightened back on the velvet neck, I took a second to peek up at Killian and saw him watching me. His icy blue eyes sunk down along my bare legs and back up my body again as I slowly stepped out from behind the display.
Killian was fond of looking me up and down like that. I felt naked now, which I was sure was a common feeling women got around men like him.Draaklike him. He was more than a man. They all were. He was the type of creature that could see you naked no matter how much clothes you were wearing. I stood tall, straightening my dress, and waited for Killian to say something...hopefully not about the necklace.
