Page 112 of Chaos
I glared at him as I pulled the shirt over my arms. “What?”
“Are you sure that’s what you want to wear?”
Halfway through buttoning the shirt, I snapped, “Clearly.”
“Okay then.”
I knew he was fucking with me on purpose. I knew it, and yet it was still on the tip of my tongue to ask what was wrong with my selection. As I finished with the last button, I turned and faced myself in the long mirror. Dark trousers, sleek shirt, shiny dress shoes that pinched my fucking toes. I looked good. My beard was neatly trimmed, hair slicked back, violet irises brighter than usual because of the shirt.
“Not everyone wants to wear ripped jeans and studded belts, Sinclair.”
“I’m just fucking with you, man. You look good. Better than good, actually. I haven’t seen you cleaned up like this in at least a century.”
“Fuck off.”
“I’d say you were trying to impress someone, but Merri’s staying here so...”
“I said fuck off.”
Sin chuckled quietly to himself before sobering. “I need you to be careful. I’m not gonna be there to watch your back, and you and I both know that trusting anyone is usually the wrong decision. This could go badly.”
“Could and probably will,” I agreed.
“I mean it. At the first sign of funny business, get your ass out of there and back home.”
I quirked a brow at the completely uncharacteristic display of concern. “Why, Sinclair. Are you worried about me?”
“Me?” He snorted. “No fucking way, but Merri will be pissed if something happens to you.”
“Why would something happen to Malice?”
My gut twisted at the concern in Merri’s voice as it filtered into the room from behind Sin. I was angry with her for invading my privacy, but dammit, the way she worried over me softened my ire just a little.
Merri appeared next to Sin in my doorway, her eyes widening in surprise as she took me in. “Where are you going?”
“Out,” I said, my voice clipped and not inviting further inquiry.
Not that she heeded the warning.
“Out where? In case you’ve forgotten, the sky is fucking falling.”
“Technically—”
“Not now, Sin,” she said.
He mimed locking his lips before eyeing the two of us. “I’m sensing a little tension in here. Maybe I’ll just take a walk while you two uh... work things out.”
The incubus slunk away like the slippery snake he was, leaving me alone with Merri.
“Did you need something?” I snapped, pretending to fuss with my collar just to give me something to do.
“No,” she snapped back.
“Then why are you here?”
“No, I mean you don’t get to be mad at me. BecauseIam mad atyou.”
That drew my full attention. “How could you possibly be upset with me? I’m not the one who invaded your privacy.”
