Page 18 of Burn of Obsidian

“We’re not finished with this conversation.”

“Oh, but we are.” Thea tilted her head back, holding his gaze as she raised her voice. “Help! This man is harassing me!”

A rumble came from Jax’s throat, and Thea smirked at the sound. She knew she probably shouldn’t piss off a man who could shift into a strange wolf monster, one who’d cornered her for over an hour before she calmed herself down enough to drift. But she was ninety percent sure he wouldn’t hurt her – in public, at least.

“You want to play it like that then?”

She tried to act innocent. “I thought you said this wasn’t a game?”

“Excuse me, sir, but you’re going to have to leave.” The bouncer looked ridiculous compared to Jax, who was several inches taller, as well as wider in the shoulders. The bouncer held more muscle, his arms so thick it was likely he couldn’t even cross them without breaking into a sweat. Jax, on the other hand, was naturally fit like an athlete. Just one the size of a small house.

Jax tensed, his irises turning from sapphire to silver. Thea sucked in a breath, mesmerised by the beast that looked out. She still remembered the great creature that he’d turned into, but unlike shifters who were the same regardless of shape, it wasn’t Jax when he’d transformed. No, it was something more primal. Something that was absolutely terrifying until she realised he was protecting her. Then he’d become as overbearing and insufferable as the man.

Thea watched Jax as he was escorted to the door, unable to tear her gaze away. She didn’t expect to see him ever again, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about him suddenly showing up with demands.

She didn’t have time in her life for distractions, even one with a sinfully dirty tongue.

Jax turned, knocking the bouncer to the side as if he were half his size. Thea held her ground, and he took his time perusing down the length of her body. He locked eyes again, his face no more expressive than before.

The air seemed to vibrate between them, even with the distance and crowd. The tension thickened the longer they stood at a stalemate. He expected submission, for her to hand over the document, like it didn’t mean life or death for her father.

He was going to be sorely disappointed.

So, she blew him a kiss, and when his jaw stiffened, she grinned in victory.

Chapter 9

Thea

Thea slammed the bathroom stall door behind her, quickly locking it.

“Fuck.” She hit the cubicle, then instantly regretted it when her knuckles screamed in protest. Jax had ruined it. She’d moved venues once he’d drawn too much attention, and still she’d almost been caught. Luckily, she’d quickly made her excuse, deciding to hide like a coward in the women’s bathroom rather than face any sort of consequence.

And she blamed Jax one-hundred percent for her situation. He’d thrown her off her game, his stupid bloody face stuck in her head.

‘I could bend you over the bar, right here, right now so everyone can watch you take me like a good girl.’

She was learning new things about herself, because never had she been so tempted to see whether he was all a threat. She didn’t usually react so viscerally to a man she didn’t really know, or particularly like. Something was clearly wrong with her.

Wild magic tickled beneath her skin, reacting to her agitation. She swatted along her arm, as if she could rub it away. If she didn’t calm down, she’d have to take public transport home, or even worse, walk.

Thea glared at her heels, her feet aching. Walking home wasn’t an option, so she had to wait until she’d calmed down enough so she could drift. Luckily, the bathroom was clean, the smell citrusy rather than something more unsanitary.

The stall door rattled.

“Occupied,” Thea said, sitting on the toilet. She had to wait for the adrenaline of almost being caught to wear off. She loved being one of the Fae and being able to use wild magic. But even she could admit that the idea that she had to be completely serene to use said magic was stupid. She knew that wasn’t even normal either, just some quirky inconvenience she personally had to deal with.

Sighing, she closed her eyes, stomach grumbling. She’d forgotten to eat – again.

The door rattled once more. “Swiper, it’s me. Open up.”

Reaching over, Thea unlatched the door, and Roach squeezed inside the small cubicle. “How long have you been here?”

“Long enough to see you almost fuck up,” she whispered, closing the door behind her. “What was that about? I barely see you make the move usually, but this time it was almost clumsy.”

“I was distracted.” Thea reached for her bag, finding the little pocket where she’d stored Ro’s necklace. “Here.”

Roach checked over them carefully before nodding to herself. “You got my cut?”