Page 8 of Cruelly Fated
I swung my gaze back at him, and he arched a single brow. I offered a careless shrug in reply to his unspoken question. I wasn’t ogling him for his looks—though, stars above, he had them in spades. I assessed him strategically.
A low chuff of laughter rumbled from his chest, and the men nearby went rigid. Maybe he didn’t laugh a lot? I pushed my shades up, preparing to snare his mind in an illusion.
He gave me a curious, measured look—and that was all I needed.
He didn’t see the next move coming.
In the blink of an eye, I projected myself before him. The man flinched, muscles coiling in instinct, but the illusion immobilized him. His brows knit, confusion flaring, then eased as he realized what I’d done. Impressive—most took longer to see through my tricks.
He lifted his dark brows in a challenge, daring me to go further.Oh…game on.I set my insecurities aside. If this worked, I could make an ally and help Grandpa’s situation.
I placed my palms on his granite shoulders and slowly climbed into his lap. As I straddled him, my feet lost touch with the ground. His thighs were that thick. How big was this male? Our faces hovered just inches apart as I locked onto his gaze. His stormy emerald green eyes swirled with molten hue, and heat visibly vented from his nostrils.
A dragon shifter fae—I’d chosen well. And he reacted to my clumsy attempt at seduction. That response tipped the odds in my favor.
I leaned in, brushing my lips across his, testing the line between temptation and control. His chest rumbled in response—appreciative and primal.
Minor throbbing settled in the back of my skull like it’d done last time I used my gift, and I released him from the illusion. I slid my shades back down to appear harmless. Sunglasses, or any barrier over my eyes, blocked my thrall. A powerful fae like him would know that.
He studied me intently, his thumb grazing the edge of his jaw as if weighing every detail. Then he stood—rising to his full height, easily seven feet or more—and stalked toward the fence with steps that felt more like a warning than a greeting. He pressed one arm above his head, bracing it against the chain-link fence on his side, eyes narrowed into predatory slits.
“I’m intrigued,” he said, voice low and rough, like distant thunder.
He was?
“Do you know Old Pete?” I asked, assuming that was how Grandpa had introduced himself. He’d clung to that name for years, a friendly nickname given by neighbors he’d charmed with small favors and relentless warmth. In a district where most kept their heads down and lives private, Grandpa had somehow wedged himself into people’s hearts.
The dragon’s brow lifted. “Your relation?”
Relief rippled through me. “My grandfather. He needs protection,” I said, letting him put the two and two together.
He cocked his head, gaze raking boldly over my body. I mirrored his posture, tilting mine in response and catching his stare, unblinking. The corners of his mouth twitched in approval.
“Sorry,” he murmured, “it’s been a while since I’ve seen a beautiful girl…”
I was used to crude comments at the club—so used to them, they barely registered—but something about how he said it felt different. Like he wasn’t just making a pass. Like he’d seen me, which frazzled me a little.
I regained composure. “So?” I asked, my tone cool even though I was sweating bullets on the inside. The midday traffic in Avari would already be choking the streets, and Larry didn’t tolerate lateness, no matter the excuse.
“When will you be back?”
“Next week, same time.” Officer Marley had secured a weekly visitation for me.
“He has my protection for a week then.”
A week? That barely helped. Grandpa could be trapped in this place for years. I bit my lip, watching the dragon closely. He was dangling bait, and I could feel the hook hidden beneath his swagger.
“What do you want?”
He lips curved dangerously. “Hmm… Let’s start with letting me touch next time.” Then he pushed off the fence and turned away, leaving me no time to react.
I stared after him, pulse ticking in my throat. I hated being touched—another reason I’d resisted following in my mother’s footsteps. I’d seen too many hands graze across her body in the private rooms when I snuck around without her knowing as a little girl. Fingers that didn’t care if she smiled or flinched. As a child, I didn’t understand. She’d simply had pink skin after taking her bath.
With time I realized she’d scrubbed her skin raw, trying to erase the nights.
And yet…there was something about him—the dangerous calm. The heat in his gaze made me feel seen and devoured all at once. I didn’t want to want it—but part of me, the part I didn’t let out often, stirred in response. Maybe it was the power he exuded. Or perhaps it was the way, for a split second, I forgot I was afraid.
If letting him touch me meant keeping Grandpa safe… If it bought me time to figure out a way out of this, I could endure it. One illusion at a time. One game of give-and-take. But a whisper inside me warned that this dragon didn’t play fair—and I wasn’t sure I wanted to win.
