Burning Dawn (Angels of the Dark #3)(39)
Author: Gena Showalter

Despair danced at the edge of her mind, but she pulled a Bellorie and gave it the finger. This day would not be spoiled!

With Bellorie at her side, she talked and laughed as she spent the rest of her “go wild” money on a new wardrobe. She bought a couple of pairs of jeans, a pair of leather pants—what?—a dozen pretty tops, a few summer dresses, workout tanks and shorts, lingerie, pajamas, boots, tennis shoes, high heels and a robe.

“Everything will be delivered to the club by the end of the day,” Bellorie had told her earlier.

She had protested. “No, I—” Or rather, she’d tried to protest.

“Can’t carry it, you don’t have the biceps,” the girl had interjected. “And I’m not going to help because I need my pimp-hands free.”

But she hated the thought of letting the prized items out of her sight, even for a few hours. Mine, all mine.

“Come on,” Bellorie said now, tugging her from Vladmir’s Closet. “Axel told me he has a booth today, and I don’t want to miss him.”

“Axel?”

“You met him last night, at Thane’s table. Dark hair, piercing blue eyes.”

Most Beautiful, the male she’d threatened with arsenic. Great.

His booth was at the end of the street, white scarves acting as walls and dancing in a gentle breeze. He offered no clothes, no foods, no jewels or furniture. He sat in the center of the empty stall, leaning back in a chair, his hands folded over his middle, his legs outstretched, his wings spread.

He grinned when he spotted them, his entire face lighting up and, somehow, making him more beautiful. “Well, well. If it isn’t my favorite Harpy and Thane’s favorite human. We weren’t properly introduced, lovely. You’re Elin. I’m Axel. And, don’t worry. I know how this works. I tell you my name, and you say nothing—because you’ve fainted.” He paused for several dramatic seconds, waiting.

She fought the urge to roll her eyes.

His grin grew wider. “So how’d it go last night with Mr. Won’tsharemytoys?”

I am a strong, confident woman and I won’t blush. “What are you selling?” she asked, ignoring his question.

“Blow jobs,” he replied without missing a beat, and she blinked in surprise.

Bellorie didn’t fight her urge—she did roll her eyes. “What he means is, he’s willing to let women suck him off if they pay him with new and exciting weaponry.”

“And there isn’t a line?” Elin asked drily.

Unoffended, he patted his lap. “Take a seat and I’ll show you why I’m offering such an exceptional deal.”

The wicked gleam in his eyes… Yeah, she’d been right to view him as a candidate. He clearly knew his way around a female body. But only one man tempted her to plow full steam ahead, and Axel wasn’t him. “No, thanks.”

He shrugged, not even a little bit disappointed. “Your loss.”

“So, the reason we’re here…” Bellorie prompted. “You wanted information about William the Ever Randy, aka the Panty Melter, and I heard something last night. A Fae came into the bar, said William’s daughter, some girl named White, was murdered in his realm by a Phoenix named Petra.”

Petra. Kendra’s aunt. According to gossip at the bar, the girl was dead. Like, never-coming-back dead. Someone must have eaten her heart—which meant she’d actually had one. Surprise, surprise.

Axel jolted upright, the teasing light extinguished from his eyes. “I knew that. But what else did you hear?”

“William the Panty Melter and his sons, Red, Green and Black, disappeared immediately afterward. William was later seen with the Lords of the Underworld, but the boys haven’t been seen or heard from since.”

Elin had no idea what they were talking about, and strolled to the booth to the left. Her gaze traced over the items for sale—jewelry—only to land on a big, strong Sent One. Merrick, she realized, the lead singer of Shame Spiral. Dark hair shagged around a face that had to be the epitome of beauty. Long, dark lashes shadowed eyes of the most luminous silver.

His only imperfection was the big bruise marring his jaw. He must have been in a fight.

Perfect. He was a brawler. He could be a candidate again, since Thane might have gone from hot-and-cold to permanently cold.

Forgetting the note?

No. Still just majorly confused about it.

Merrick grinned when he spotted her, the slow bloom of welcome unbelievably sexy. “I do remember you,” he said, confusing her. He closed in on her. “You’re the human, and I did not sleep with you.”

“Uh. Correct.” He smelled good. Like, really good. Dark, romantic and spicy, as if he’d just stepped out of Arabian Nights. But for some reason he did nothing for her hormones.

“I never realized Thane was the possessive type.”

“I don’t understand,” she replied, her heart rate increasing at the sound of his name.

Merrick’s grin widened. “He warned me away.”

“From what?”

“You.”

“Me?” She thumped her chest to make sure they were talking about the same “you.”

“I don’t know what gave him the impression I planned to make a move—”

Her moan stopped him. She did. She knew. She’d mentioned Merrick’s name to Thane.

Merrick’s eyes twinkled. “But you do, I see.”

“Yes, and I’m sorry. So sorry. What did he do to you?” And why am I aroused by the thought that Thane went fists of thunder on another guy?

“Merrick,” a whining female voice called before Elin could finish her reply. “I miss you already.”

Merrick took Elin’s hand, his eyes gleaming with amusement as he kissed her knuckles. “Make Thane beg you for it. The hardest battles have the sweetest victories.” Then he was off.

His words, though seemingly delivered with an ulterior motive—that amusement did not bode well—haunted her long after. Make Thane beg for her? Yes, please. No. Bad Elin. But…she wanted to be a prize worth winning.

Make up your mind already! You want him, you don’t, you want him again.

In an effort to distract herself, she walked to the next booth. Thousands of pelts greeted her. Some were from animals she recognized…some she didn’t.

Thane wanted her all to himself?

Ugh. Don’t go there, either. She picked up the most beautiful, a black and white in a mesmerizing pattern, with a shimmery inlay. Soft. Warm, as if it were an electric blanket. The card attached said it was made from the hair of a unicorn and griffin hybrid.