Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 81261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
“You too good to accept a drink from me?” he asks with a charming smile.
“Not at all,” I assure him as I turn slightly his way. “I’m just not interested.”
This seems to offend as his chin jerks inward. “It was just a drink, for God’s sake. Not like I’m asking you to sleep with me.”
I turn away from Jonas, take another sip of my beer. “That’s good, because I wouldn’t be interested in that either.”
Karen snorts, but it’s not really funny. It was a direct cut, delivered so he will go away and stop wasting time on me.
“Frigid bitch,” Jonas sneers as he pushes away from the bar.
I catch movement behind me in the mirror, a large presence that has moved in close, and the words make me light-headed. “I suggest you apologize to the lady before I knock your teeth down your throat.”
It’s not the words so much. It’s the voice.
Amell.
I focus in on the mirror, see his large frame behind me, how he towers over Jonas. How had I forgotten how tall he was?
Jonas tips his head way back and holds up his hands in surrender. “Sorry, man.”
“Not me,” Amell growls. “Her.”
I still haven’t turned around so Jonas has to push back in beside me and lean forward so I can see him. “Sorry, Nyssa. That was uncalled for.”
“It’s okay,” I murmur.
Jonas scrambles away, and now it’s awkward. I don’t look at Amell. I don’t know that I can handle it, so I hunch over my beer.
Karen nudges me again. “I don’t think this guy wants to buy you a drink.”
“I don’t know what he wants,” I say, and then loud enough so I hope he hears, “but it would be nice if he just went away.”
Amell moves to my left, takes the place Jonas just vacated, and leans on the bar. I refuse to look at him.
“I just want to talk, Nyssa.”
“You know this guy?” Karen gasps, then nudges me in the ribs again.
“Unfortunately, yes.” I look at Amell, and for a moment, I’m struck dumb by the yearning in his blue eyes. But I shut it down. “I don’t want to talk. Go back to Hell.”
“Damn,” Karen mutters, but she has no clue I’m not being rude. Just wishing him back to his actual home.
Amell sighs. “I wish you wouldn’t make this difficult.”
I open my mouth to tell him off, because how dare he accuse me of being difficult when he shredded my heart and kicked me out of his home. The same home he’d asked me to stay in forever.
But it strikes me mute when I realize that it’s utterly quiet in the bar. No music, no patrons talking, no pool table balls clacking.
I twist in my stool and see that everyone is frozen in place. My gaze goes to Amell, and he smiles. I twist the other way and see that Karen’s frozen as well, her eyes wide and focused on me since she was watching my exchange with Amell.
“What did you do?” I exclaim as I wheel around on him.
“Gave us some privacy,” he says as he straightens.
And then it hits me… he’s wearing normal clothes. A pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and—
“Where are your wings?” I exclaim in a panic, jumping off my stool and moving around to his back. Nothing but broad shoulders and a tee stretched taut. “Oh God… where are your wings?”
“Easy, Nyssa,” Amell says gently as he faces me. “It’s an illusion. They’re hidden so I can move freely in the First Dimension.”
“How are you even here?” I ask, completely dumbfounded. So much so, I’ve forgotten I’m mad and not speaking to him.
“Special dispensation from the gods,” he replies. “And I don’t have long, so can we please talk?”
Now that the surprise and wonder have abated, the crushing pain caused by looking at him floods back. I shake my head adamantly. “No. There’s nothing to talk about. I need you to leave.”
“I won’t,” he replies stubbornly. “I don’t have a lot of time, but I’ll stay here until I’m pulled back.”
Sighing with frustration, I hold out my hands. “Amell… I just… I can’t.”
“I made a terrible mistake with you,” he says.
My body goes rigid as my eyes lock onto him. I glance around at the surreal stillness of everything else in the bar, and it’s so quiet, I hear my heart pounding in my chest.
“Give me five minutes, Nyssa. I’m begging you, and I can guarantee the king of the Underworld has never begged anyone for anything before.”
A long breath escapes, and my resolve melts. I guess part of me wants to hear what he has to say so maybe I can make sense of how badly I misjudged things.
“Fine.” I look around and wave a hand. “But not here. Put this back to rights, and we’ll go somewhere else.”