Page 1 of Flirting with Death

CHAPTER 1

Samantha

Two weeks.

No contact. No apology. And no demon fighting.

Lex didn't question my decision to hide in Alastor's penthouse. Nor my decision to stomp my phone onto the bathroom floor. He stayed with me and grieved Bellamy's loss right beside me. Let me rant at the absence of Alastor, who made me feel something for him—some kind of hope had blossomed like the flowers he could create, only to be crushed when he left and didn't come back. Lex even stopped Raiden from entering the penthouse the single time he had tried.

I flicked through the television channels for something that had no romance in it because I was done with that part of my life. Well, except for Lex; he could stay. I pulled the soft white soft blanket from the couch around my legs, tucking the edges below my feet. Some action movie I'd never seen before played on the screen. I couldn't say I was really paying attention, because the window held all of my focus. The sky was darkening. Something inside me had enough of the hiding and was ready to face my life again.

"Lex, I think it's time."

He tapped his fingers on his well-fitting jeans and nodded. He knew what I meant. I was ready to face the unforgiving world and take my place in it. The demons still on the loose should be wary, because if they stepped a single foot out of line, that would be the end. I knew now that not all of them were pure evil, so if they behaved, they could stay. I didn't care about The Order's rules; they didn't apply to me now. Not with my newly broken heart. Ironic since I had built such a thick wall around it.

I kicked the white blanket off and went into the bedroom. My clothes from that night, still folded neatly on the stool at the end of the enormous bed after coming back from cleaning, were ready for me. My dagger laid across them. I gently placed the blade on the bed and then got my outfit on. If I was going to play the part, I had to look it too.

With my leather pants and skintight shirt in place, I strapped my dagger into its holder on my thigh, followed by all the smaller weapons in hidden pockets I always carried as a just in case. When I turned back toward the living area, Lex was leaning against the door frame, a soft smile on his handsome face. He uncrossed his arms, revealing the two tattoos that moved around his body. Tattoos I was pretty positive were the shadow creatures that helped us fight. "I'll come with you." He pushed off the frame to follow.

I returned his smile before shaking my head no. "You need to check in at the club, make sure Fantasia is still standing. I'll be okay."

He nibbled on his lower lip and watched me for a moment before giving in. "You're right. The calls and texts aren't enough to really know."

I strolled over to him, feeling powerful now that I had my armor on, not that it was actually armor, but it felt the same. "I'll drop in for a nightcap after I'm done hunting."

His chest was warm as he pulled me to him. He was my safety in this storm I had just weathered. It was hard to leave the penthouse we had shared for the past couple of weeks. And knowing that I would do it alone, by my choice, was almost too much for my heart to handle.

"I'll see you soon." I shrugged into my jacket and headed for the elevator. Taking a last look at the place that had become a haven for me, I sighed. I'll probably never see this suite again. With Alastor gone and probably never coming back, I know I won't have enough money to rent it on my own.

He watched me go, our eyes not leaving each other until the elevator doors shut between us. Would our relationship stay the same? He hasn't talked about loving me still and, although we cuddled, there had been no sex. It was uncharted waters between us.

The lobby looked foreign to my eyes. People milled about on their vacations, unaware of the fact that a demon had sacrificed himself for their safety. I wanted to shout at them that they were only safe because Bellamy had loved me. Because that was the truth, wasn't it? He never used his ability on me fully. I knew that now. After being hit with it right before my mom killed him, I knew without a doubt that he could have taken my life that first night.

"Sammy!" Raiden's voice yanked me out of my memories, and I blinked up at him. Somehow, he had closed the distance between us without me seeing him. "Your mom told me what happened. Are you okay?"

I forced a laugh. "My mom?" I still wasn't sure how I felt about her doing what she did. I knew she thought she was protecting me. It was what any mother would do. But the fact that she knew about Raiden being a fucking dragon and had kept it from me right along with the rest of my family, cut really deep. "You mean the one that cared more about you than her own daughter?"

"That isn't true," he said, automatically coming to the defense of the woman that loved him like a second son.

"You're a dragon, Rai! Not only that, but literally everyone in my family already knew. Everyone but me," I said, hitting my chest, when what I really wanted was to push him away along with all the hurt he was re-awakening inside of me.

"I'm sorry," he said. He looked like he was ready to get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness.

"Yeah, so am I." I moved past him, dismissing all the looks we had gathered at my outburst. In my leather pants, a tight shirt, and weapons all over my body, they would probably think it was some play we were rehearsing. I didn't get far before his fingers wrapped around my bicep, tugging me back around.

"It doesn't change how I feel. I tried to tell you, but we had more important things to do, like find your mom," he said.

I lifted my gaze to his. "I have a job to do. Let go."

He had been awkward right before we got the call, I'd thought about that moment a lot in the past two weeks. It had sent cracks through my resolve, but I hardened myself to his words as much as I could.

"We need to talk," he insisted, his voice breaking.

It was like he reached inside my chest and squeezed, and it made me relent. He was still my Raiden, the boy I had fallen in love with before I even knew what love was. The one that I never thought I could be with. Who had probably kept his distance for more than just being my brother's best friend, because I was pretty sure dragons fell into the same category as demons.

"Fine." I crossed my arms as best as I could with him still holding onto me. "But I have to hunt. Try to keep up."

He dropped his hand and gestured for the door. I didn't wait to see if he followed as I pushed outside into the chilly night. Fall had fully arrived while I hid away in my sanctuary. He fell into step with me as I headed down the street to the edge of the college campus. He shoved his hands into his pockets as the silence continued.

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