Page 4 of Demon Touched (The Demon Syndicate #2)

Nova

S he studied his picture for the millionth time, wishing she could just get him out of her head, but it didn’t seem like it was going to happen no matter how hard she tried to push him out.

Nova missed him.

Rolling out of bed, she grabbed her favorite leather pants and a black, short-sleeved crop top. Nova wasn’t sure where Dex was going to be tonight, but as long as she looked cute enough to get into a club it wouldn’t matter.

She deserved a night off after tracking down every Black Lotus she could find over the last few nights.

Pulling the crop top over the body chain that went around her neck, between her breasts, and then around her waist, Nova adjusted it until it laid just right. She could feel the enchanted metal humming against her skin, and it had the added benefit of acting as a simple shield.

After what had happened her first night in the city, she wasn’t going out unprotected again.

Running her hand over her hair with a simple spell, she parted the curls until they covered her purple eye just right. Then she grabbed her wedge ankle boots and her cold weather jacket.

All she had as a weapon was a single knife. Anything else was too much of a risk.

The first place she’d go was the barcade. If she was lucky, Dex would be there instead of one of his clubs. The barcade had a more relaxed atmosphere and it was closer to the border of his territory.

After getting permission from the council, she’d moved apartments to one in the grey area, so now she didn’t have to worry about people monitoring her comings and goings from either side.

Nova decided to walk to the barcade. It was cold and the wind was bitter, but she preferred it over the heat and humidity.

Lights flickered and cars passed. Nova let the sounds of the city fade into a single noise until all she saw was the magic in the world.

It was easier to see people with enchanted tattoos like this even if it made her a little bit slower. She’d learned to look for them in the grey areas, and surprisingly, they were everywhere.

Purple neon spilled out from the barcade onto the street and Nova stopped just outside the doors, her stomach suddenly doing somersaults.

It was later than it had been the last time she was here, which meant it was busier.

Someone opened the door for her, and Nova ducked her head, thanking them as she walked inside. Taking off her jacket, she tried to ignore her nerves as much as she could.

Why was she so fucking freaked out about this?

She hadn’t seen Dex since the night she’d laid her trap, but they hadn’t parted on unfriendly terms either. He’d even done as she asked and kept his people from engaging with the Black Lotus.

There was no reason they couldn’t start over.

Nova studied the bar as the music settled into her body.

This place was bigger than she’d originally thought and it had more than one open room. There was the arcade area which she knew he wouldn’t be in, the area with the booths, tables and chairs, and a third area toward the back which sounded like it might be where a DJ was.

Did people dance here too?

Weaving her way through the crowd, she avoided making eye contact with the men who smiled at her and made her way toward the back. Nova only stopped when she saw something flash under the red neon.

Turning, she studied the room again, wondering if that had been a tattoo or someone’s jewelry.

A cute wolf shifter was at the DJ table and she walked over to him, dropping her eyes when he noticed her approach. The wolf shifter froze and there was a tiny hint of fear in the air.

“Do you take requests?” Nova gave him an encouraging smile and his answering blush was adorable.

The scent of his fear faded as he awkwardly cleared his throat. “What did you have in mind?”

Nova leaned forward to make sure he could hear her. “Levi Scented Lust,” she told him. If that song didn’t get Dex’s attention, she didn’t know what would. “Do you know that one?”

His eyes widened. “Actually, I do.”

“Why do I make you nervous, wolf boy?” Nova asked as she tilted her head to get a better look at him. Was there something she’d missed?

“I’m not very dominant,” he explained. The DJ looked down as he selected the song, and Nova smelled the truth, but that wasn’t the only reason.

“If anyone bothers you, just let me know,” she told him. “I know it’s hard without a pack.”

His eyes flashed silver for a second and she could practically feel his relief. “Nova, right?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Yes, that’s right. And you are?”

“Trever.”

Nova held out her hand, and he took it carefully. “Nice to meet you, Trever. And thank you for the song.”

Trever nodded and pointedly looked down, dismissing her for all intents and purposes.

Why did he know her name?

“Are you here alone?” Nova looked up to see some random, generically attractive guy smiling down at her.

“Can I help you?”

He seemed taken aback by her response. The smile on his face dropped ever so slightly, and he glanced over at his friends. Nova leaned back to see around him and checked out the pack of human males that all looked like various versions of the man in front of her.

“No, I just thought you were cute.” He tried to smile again but it wasn’t as cocky as before.

“Okay.” Nova looked back up at the guy who was most definitely human. Harmless but annoying.

Without another word she turned around and he tried to grab her arm.

Nova smiled then, tilting her head up until all she could see was the neon. Adrenaline flickered, ready to fight if she had to, but this was a human. She had to be careful.

“I was wondering if you wanted to join me and my friends?” he asked, letting her go when she turned back around.

Inspecting him from head to toe, she decided the scent of his anxiety meant he’d realized he’d fucked up somewhere. Nova looked over at his friends again and they were all standing now, as if they too had picked up on her flash of fury.

She grinned when a flash of uncertainty crossed his empty blue eyes.

“I’m actually looking for someone, but I don’t think they’re here,” she told him. “But I’d be down for a few games of darts while I wait.”

Nova pulled a twenty from her pocket and held it out to him with two fingers. “Care to make a wager?”

“Darts?” he asked, like he wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly.

“Or pool. Your choice.” Stealing his money wouldn’t be as satisfying as laying him out cold, but it would be close.

“Sure, pool sounds good.” He placed his hand on her lower back to lead her over to the pool tables and she let him.

His friends all grinned in encouragement, and Nova almost decided to leave then and there. She’d forgotten how exhausting human men could be.

Paranormals weren’t much better, but the male witches weren’t as misogynistic thanks to their matriarchal society, and the shifters were just looking for a good time until they found their fated mate. Vampires wanted sex and blood, but they needed consent for both.

Hooking up with any of them as a hunter wasn’t hard, but she’d never had a reason to date any of them.

“I really like your hair,” the human told her as he racked the table.

“Thanks.” Nova eyed the sticks and grabbed one that looked heavy enough for her.

She’d give it an hour before she tried somewhere else.

Texting him would be too easy, but if they ran into each other, he could decide whether or not he wanted to approach her.

Nova really wasn’t in the mood to be rejected to her face.

“You can go first,” she told the human, closing her eyes when she heard the song she’d asked for start to play.

Something about the beat was soothing, and on top of that, it was about everyone’s favorite anime captain.

If Dex was here, he’d recognize it.