Page 10 of Tyson (Ariel Kimber 4.50)

It killed a little piece inside my soul to admit it, but I didn't think I'd jump in the water to help her out if she were drowning. What's more likely is I would have turned my back on her and walked away. Which killed me and I shouldn't have been surprised by that either. Every thing she did hurt me, what was one more thing? This was nothing in comparison to all the rest.

"What can I get you to drink?" A hopeful female voice asked from beside our table.

I didn't even bother looking at this one either even though I knew that hopeful tone was in her voice because she found me attractive and wanted me to notice her. No such luck, girl, not even on your best day.

I didn't even have to look at her to know she wasn't up to Ariel's standards. For one, she gave off no seductive heat. Heat I wouldn't give up for the cold, not ever again.

One look at the evil sitting across the table from me and I couldn't help but grimace. There were different kinds of levels to heat. The kind where you'd happily walk into the flame, allow it to burn you up entirely and you'd love every second of it, even if it did leave you charred on the outside. Then there was theotherkind. The bad kind. The kind that burnt you to a crisp and left you a tiny little black ball that not only flaked off disgustingly when you touched it but it left a sour, bitter taste in your mouth afterwards. Guess who was who...

Annabell turned on the poor waitress with a viscous sneer that made her fucked up face downright nasty to look at.

"What's the matter with you?" She sneered at the waitress who took a hesitant step backwards away from our table. And, who could blame her? I wanted to back away as well.

"I'm sorry...ma'am?" Came from the timid but no longer hopeful waitress. Now she sounded tense and scared.

I couldn't blame her for that, either.

Unlike the waitress, I knew what was coming and I wasn't tenseorscared.

Only pissed and sad. Sad because I had actually allowed that hideous thing seated across the table from me to touch me in any way, and sad because she'd been my first love and the whole thing had been a lie. Weren't first loves supposed to be sweet until they were over, like puppy love?

If so, I had been surely cheated.

As gently as I could, I pried the menus that I had no intention of looking at out of the waitress's hands before telling her in a kind voice, "She'd like some time to pursue the menu before giving you her drink order, or any order for that matter. If that would work for you?"

The waitress let go of the menus and stumbled back, further away from our table. I wished it had been me stumbling back away from the table, away from the bitch across form me. I wondered if the waitress knew just how lucky she was. Doubtful.

"That's..." She stammered. "That's... fine."

She cleared her throat once before turning around on her cheap, white sneakers and fleeing from the dining room.

I almost got up and ran after her. Almost.

"You're such a bitch," I muttered under my breath towards Annabell.

Her eyes flashed dangerously before she leaned forward and spat at me, "How dare you call me a bitch!"

I dared because she was one.

Christ, how could she be so offended by the damn truth?

Her expression changed drastically and the half of her face that wasn't ruined curled upwards in a sinister smile that gave me the chills.

"What's her name, Ty?" She rasped gleefully. "This new chick who thinks she's all that and has the Council all up in an uproar?"

The hackles on the back of my neck rose as I realized she was talking about Ariel, even though she clearly had her information wrong. The person she described didn't sound like my girl in the slightest. She was sweet, humble, she didn't think she was all that at all.

Once again, Annabell was proving just how big of a bitch she was. But she scared the shit out of me because I didn't need her thinking any thoughts about Ariel. Ariel, unlike myself, didn't have a tattoo on the inside of her wrist that kept crazy bitches from using their magic on her. If I hadn't been trying to keep the whole thing on the hush hush I might have gone to Uncle Quint and demanded he put a similar tattoo on our female so she didn't succumb to this psycho's magical whims.

I knew better than to go running to my Uncle Quint, though. He'd burry this bitch and then the Council would come after us all. They'd also likely start looking for another female to slate their carnal needs with. And we sure as shit did not need them looking in our coven’s direction for a way to fulfill that particular need.

"She's none of your business," I growled menacingly at her from across the table.

"Ohhhh," she purred happily. "Tyson thinks he's big and bad all of a sudden and is going to threaten the little girl for inquiring about his hussy girlfriend."

I snapped my mouth shut and bit back the retort that was sharp on the edge of my tongue ready to be flung back at her. I might have been cool with finally shitting on her but that didn't mean I was cool with having her toss it in my face. What could I say, we were all hypocrites at times. There was nothing for it.

She arched a dark eyebrow and asked in a voice that mocked, "Do you looove her, Ty? Does she hold a special place in your heart?"

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