Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 126030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Sebastian stopped to speak, his face pale. “Did it work?” he whispered, the cape still hanging down his back. The Guardians kept glancing over at it, pissed but trying not to show it in front of Tristan. Clearly, they were wary of him. “Did we rile them up like she planned?”
“Oh, yeah.” Jasper nodded adamantly. “The Guardian that got tossed out on his ass is going to be embarrassed he didn’t fight back. He’ll funnel that into rage. The others will feel similarly since they are letting Tristan cow them. Tonight, when they are pounding beers and licking their wounds, they’ll forget how much power Tristan and Phil have, and everything will start to boil. They’ll want a battle.”
“They definitely will.” Ulric grinned. “Then you have those capes, and Fred comparing them to wings, which is a slap in the face for their egos. Nessa’s rudeness—they’re going to tell all the other Guardians. They’re going to be itching to teach us a lesson for throwing our weight around in their cairn. It sounds like they think we beat Gimerel because of Gimerel’s disorganization, not because we are that good.”
“And in the end, it was all succinctly shut down without a fight.” John shook his head. “You were right, Training Wheels. I didn’t believe it, but you were right.”
“Yeah.” Sebastian let out a gush of air. “I think I’m going to sneak out the back.”
“Actually…” Jasper grimaced. “I wouldn’t go anywhere alone, if I were you. The cape, you know. You might get jumped.”
29
Tristan
The tensions in the bar reduced to a simmer as Tristan ordered a cognac. He was given cheap whiskey in a shot glass.
“What is this?” he demanded of the bartender.
The bartender lifted his eyebrows indifferently in response.
Shadows swirled and rolled from Tristan’s body in anger. He leaned aggressively over the bar.
“What. Is. This?” he enunciated.
The bartenders eyes widened minutely. Fear dulled his disdain. “Your order,” he had the gall to say.
Tristan arched one eyebrow slowly, waiting. More shadows pooled out, leaking his nightmare magic. They polluted the air around the bartender, instilling fear. Pumping him with uncertainty the longer he resisted Tristan’s expectant answer.
“Sorry, sir,” the bartender said, trembling as he spun for the bottles of alcohol on the shelf behind him. “Sorry. I meant no offense.”
He grabbed the cognac with shaking hands and poured it into a snifter. He set it down in front of Tristan before backing away. “On the house. My apologies for the miscommunication. My fault.”
Tristan kept his eyes on the man as he downed the contents of the glass with a lazy flip of his wrist. Fire spread through his middle. Straightening, he ran his gaze over the Guardians to his right, who suddenly became very interested in their drinks. He let his magic affect them for a beat, then turned away.
A woman glided up to him, making him pull up short. She flashed him a sultry smile with bright red lips. Long black lashes fluttered.
“Hi,” she said, extending a dainty hand with long blue nails. “I’m Tammy.”
Another woman joined her, posing in an enticing way, her bust mostly exposed. “I’m Rita.”
Even as he stood there, two more women entered the bar.
He wasn’t in the mood for this. He had important business in this cairn with things to accomplish. He couldn’t do that with constant feminine roadblocks. Not to mention he wasn’t interested in any of them.
“Charmed,” he said, stepping gracefully around them.
He glanced at Natasha. She was sitting next to Phil, dressed in a hoodie and jeans and leaning over the bar chatting with Niamh. She seemed unconcerned about the women pursuing him, not at all possessive or territorial despite their growing interactions. Usually, that would be a good thing, something he looked for in a woman, but right now, he wanted the opposite from her.
“Hey,” he said in a low tone, stopping by her side.
She turned to look up at him. The moment their eyes met, her pupils blew wide open, and her mouth parted. Energy swirled around him, mixing and merging with his nightmare shadows. He’d forgotten to pull it all back in, and now he was glad for it. She clearly liked it when he was at his most dangerous. She swayed toward him as though she couldn’t help it. As though his darkness sucked her in.
“Will you do me a favor while we’re in this cairn?” he murmured, looking at those plump lips. Even without makeup--especially without makeup—she was stunning, easily the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Always had been, since the very moment he’d set eyes on her.
“Sure,” she said at once.
“Pretend to be my mate and scare away your competition.”
He barely waited for her hesitant nod before he grabbed her ponytail and yanked her head back. Wrapping his hand around her throat, he bent to capture her lips and the world dropped away. His lips moved against hers, his tongue delving, her sweet smell stealing all his focus.