Page 11 of Darkest Valley
“Would you rather I be seriously hurt instead?” Her hands land on her hips. I wince at the fire in her eyes, and... are her wings smoking?
“Oh, fuck off, Celine, you know what I mean. You can’t keep going this way; someone is going to take it too far.” I don’t even know her, but I agree with him. Her strength is challenging, and for some supernaturals, well, let’s just say they might have a hard time not testing the limits.
“They wouldn’t if somebody didn’t over serve the angry lightweights,” she snaps.
“I swear, I didn’t. I gave Rex one pitcher and reminded him of the limit. There’s no way he got another one unless...” His eyes narrow, then he shuts them all together and groans.
“Unless what?”
“Chico,” he hisses. “That friendly fucker bought a pitcher while I was slammed. I didn’t notice where he took it.”
Celine blinks up at him, unimpressed. “Rookie mistake, Luca. Chico hates beer.”
“I know. Fuck. I’m sorry,” he whispers. “I got distracted.”
“By what?”
“This dude . . . You know what, never mind, this is all my fault.” He drags a towel over the bar top, his movements jerky.Ishe talking about me?That’s exciting. I smile and lean closer, limiting my movements to keep anyone from noticing ripples in my nightmare.
Celine puts her hand on his arm, then drops it back to her side awkwardly. “It’s okay, Luca.”
“No, it isn’t,” he says, his voice brimming with tamped down frustration. “It will bruise.”
“And then it will heal. There’s no harm done.” Her tone softens, and I’m a little disappointed in her for going easy on the sexy bartender. In her defense, he is ridiculously good-looking, but I’d rather watch her rake him over the coals.
“You coming over for another binge tonight?”
“Probably not.”
“Come on,” she whines. “Don’t get sulky on me now. How will we ever know if Ashley Y. and the roided-up personal trainer bone if we don’t keep watching?”
Luca grimaces. “Do we even want to see that? You know his ballsack is shriveled up like a clump of sun-dried raisins. Ashley Y. is going to be seriously disappointed when she sees the cost of those muscles.”
“Yeah, and then she will console herself by sitting on Brianna’s face.”
Celine leans toward Luca as she talks, and I wonder if she notices how his eyes soak up her every move. Their conversation makes no sense to me at all, but I want to be in the middle of all that unresolved tension, stirring them both up until they snap.
Slipping back to my table, I unravel the nightmare and wedge a hundred-dollar bill under my empty glass as I plot. If I spin this right to Dad, maybe I can turn this business into pleasure. I deserve a vacation, don’t I? Nodding to myself, I leave the club, not bothering to ask a single person if they’ve seen Roscoe.
FIVE
Unspoken rule of the Fringes #1:
Don’t show the humans anything.
CELINE
Sitting up in my tub, I dig through my bowl of bath bombs and select a lavender one. My favorite scent after a long shift. I drop it into the water and watch it fizzle, inhaling deeply as I lean back against the curve of my cramped tub.Relax, dammit.
My body doesn’t listen.I groan in frustration and drop beneath the water, blowing bubbles with my nose until I’m forced to come up for air.
I’ve got an itch, and it has nothing to do with my dry spell or keeping my wings tucked in public. This is a warning itch, a prickling across my palms as I hover over the edge of something unknown and outside of my control. I hate it.
Moving here at twenty and leaving everything I knew behind was supposed to give me a fresh start. Fewer resources, hence the cramped tub, but also something I couldn’t earn in a million years back home: freedom.
The itch... It reminds me of how I felt before he lashed out. I shake my head to clear the dread and remind myself he’s not here. I’m free of him. Safe. We both got what we wanted when I left, and even if he tries to bring me back, I’m strong enough to resist.
I’m powerful now. I don’t hide anymore. And if anyone has a problem with that, I’ll show them exactly how dangerous an angel can be.