Page 124 of Firestorm
A sharp laugh from close by had me cringing. I glanced over at Lena Iykos, her head thrown back while she laughed way too loudly at whatever her Link had just said. I hoped for their sake that neither of their children were here tonight. Skye may have forgiven Landon for being a fuckface, but I hadn’t.
I turned away from them sharply. This was becoming unbearable. There was alcohol here, but Mr. Buzzkill wouldn’t let me get more than two feet away from him.
“I wish you’d cut your hair,” my father muttered from beside me.
“And I wish you’d leave me the fuck alone,” I replied, feigning sadness.
He scowled. I rolled my eyes.
I was hopelessly bored.
Which was bad. Really bad.
Once, when I was younger, one of my instructors had told Alejandro that I was a‘dangerous child to be lonely or bored for too long’. Instead of taking that to mean I was incredibly destructive and impulsive, Alejandro had decided it meant I needed friends.
I smirked inwardly, remembering that was how poor Wyatt and I had ended up hanging out for the first time. Just two kids, six years old, bored out of our minds and brimming with more affinities than any six year old should have.
I glanced at my father, who was now scowling at my ripped jeans. I grinned when his eyes came back to my face and his scowl deepened.
“I told you to change,” he said quietly, taking a sip ofhisalcoholic drink.
“I did,” I replied, looking out across the glittering ballroom to see just how many people were here.
A lot. A lot of people were here. All pretentious, rich fucks who only wanted to suck up to me or my family Chain in hopes of something in return.
This was why I hated coming to events. And why my father had to lie to me to get me here.
“Would it be too much trouble to ask you to bring your new Key to the next meeting I call you to?” My father asked.
I snorted.
I would never bring Skye here. Not that she couldn’t handle herself –I knew exactly what my mysterious little Key was capable of– but because these people were insufferable, and she’d be bored out of her mind. And the last thing I wanted her to associate me with wasboredom.
That, and we still hadn’t officially met. She was slowly growing fonder of hershadow, but I knew she’d fry me the moment she finally realized who I was. Skye didn’t like liars, I’d figured that out quickly. Ironic, considering how many secrets she harbored.
“Too much trouble,” I replied to my father. “She’d be so bored she’d never speak to me again, and I won’t have that.”
Alejandro made a disapproving sound in his throat, and I grinned.
“You know how that feels of course, don’t you, dad?”
My insult landed exactly as I’d hoped. Alejandro pursed his lips, his knuckles turning white from how hard he clenched his whiskey glass.
My father had always been too easy to read. He wore his insecurities out in the open, where anyone could see, and that made him aneasy target for my angst. Even as I was getting a bit old for it, I still never passed up an opportunity to nail him.
“You should be more careful,” he said, drawing closer to me. I almost took a step back, his advance weirdly jarring. “A pretty little Key like yours? We have enemies, son. Plenty of them would jump at the chance to harm her to get to you.”
My blood ran cold. Shadows vibrated around my feet, waiting for my signal to burst out and fucking kill this man for threatening Skye. He held my glare with a pointed stare, until a shadow snaked around his ankle, tugging him toward me ever-so-slightly. Only then did his expression flicker, real fear crossing his face.
My eyes flicked down to the angry scar between his neck and shoulder before my gaze settled back on his. He swallowed slowly, holding my gaze with his own terrified expression.
“Don’t call meson,” I warned in a low voice. He jerked a nod, his eyes darting down to the shadows pooling at our feet.
Was I really about to hurt him? Probably not. But he needed to think I would, witnesses be damned. I could get away with it.
Probably.
“Alexander,” a woman’s purr from nearby felt like a cold burst of water.
