Page 58 of Burn of Obsidian
Jax huffed, and Thea smirked as he nudged her with his nose. She wanted to turn, to wrap her arms around his neck and bury her face in his fur. For an animal, he didn’t smell like one. More leather and spices with just a hint of dog.
Jax’s ear twitched, and Thea frowned, wondering if she’d spoken that aloud, too.
“I need you to stay still.” Faye’s hand on her arm tightened a little, warmth spreading from where they touched.
“I’m trying.” She wasn’t, not when her butt was starting to numb from where she’d sat on the cold, hard concrete for too long.
Jax’s tails tightened until she couldn’t turn anymore, pinning her upper arms to her torso. In any other situation, she would’ve reacted, but he was so comfortably warm against the bitter cold. The wind brushed against all her exposed skin, leaving goosebumps, and only then did Thea remember she was in a short dress. And she wasn’t wearing underwear.
“Your face flushed red.” Faye palmed her forehead, slightly panicked. “Are you feeling sick?”
“Fine,” Thea blurted. “It’s just I’m not wearing anything underneath, and I respectfully don’t want to flash you my vagina.”
Fuck! She wasn’t supposed to say that.
Faye’s eyes widened slightly, and while Thea was sure she was the colour of a tomato, Faye’s cheeks weren’t much different.
“Like you’re cute and all, but you’re not my type,” she continued like word vomit. “It seems tall, dark, and emotionally incompetent is my type.”
Shut the fuck up, Thea!
Jax draped his remaining tails over her lap and she would be more thankful if she wasn’t in this predicament because of him in the first place.
Faye cleared her throat, her attention intent on Thea’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, it’s just the spell.”
Thea bit her tongue, terrified of what else would come out. Having to concentrate on not speaking, she found herself staring, eyes blurring before she blinked rapidly. Grey’s body came into focus against the opposite wall, his features barely recognisable. “Grey’s dead. Like dead, dead,” she said. “That’s really sad.”
Why did vampires shrivel?
“Should I be more emotional?” She turned to Faye. “Am I in shock? I feel like I’m in shock.”
“You’re fine,” she said. “Probably the spell.”
“Okay. That’s good, I guess,” she said, trying desperately to distract herself from the decomposing body that no one else seemed bothered by. “So, what was the thing that tried to eat me?”
The man moved to block her line of sight, and Thea would be more thankful if he wasn’t so creepy.
“Unhallowed,” he replied, anxiety and stress radiating from him in waves. His red eyes darted from Faye to Jax, then back again. “I think your Guardian would call them Shadow-Veyn. Or even a hellhound.”
Thea kept trying to meet the man’s gaze, curious. But he was too busy glaring at Jax. She’d never met a man with red eyes, and she was pretty sure it wasn’t glamour or a charm.
“Leo won’t hurt you,” Faye said, and the man finally looked over. His features were sharp, his nose a little too pointed. There was something about him that made her uncomfortable. “He’s different from the other Daemons.”
A Daemon that was clearly upsetting Jax. But then again, Jax didn’t like anyone.
Also, what the fuck was a Daemon?
“My coven abandoned me when a summoning went wrong. Without him, I would have been tortured worse than I already was,” she continued, her voice softer. “Or killed.”
“Faye,” Leo warned, but Faye simply shook her head.
“I need him not to see you as a threat.” She nodded to Jax before dabbing at the edge of the cuts on Thea’s shoulder. Thea was too chicken shit to look down and see the damage, but she was grateful she wouldn’t have to call Molly. Although, she wasn’t sure Faye was much older.
“I’m old enough,” she replied, and Thea wanted to bite her tongue off completely.
Stupid fucking spell, she thought.
“Trust me, it’s worse without the spell.” Faye hummed low in her throat. “I still can’t believe you’re conscious. Even with the pain muted.”