Page 32 of Kingdom of Chaos (Creatures of Chaos #2)
Seeing my eyes start to shine, Talon tries to reassure me again that he’s okay and everything is all right, but how could it be? These sudden powers on top of everything else are just too much.
I do my best to rein in my emotions. This isn’t the time to fall apart. I can deal with this new magic once we find Becks and bring him home.
Becks.
A wave of guilt slams into me.
I love Becks. I want to be with Becks. Yet I just allowed myself to fall into Talon’s arms and almost crossed a line I don’t know I could have come back from.
Whatever this thing is that keeps almost happening with Talon, it needs to end. Now.
“The others are probably wondering where we are,” I say in a small voice, looking anywhere but at him.
Talon tries to catch my eye, but I keep my gaze lowered.
He sighs. “Yeah, let’s get some food.”
I grab his bag as he unlocks and opens the door. As we’re headed out, he slides his shirt over his head and almost runs straight into a large male in his thirties dressed in biker gear.
Puffing up his chest, the male gives Talon a once-over, a touch of malice in his eyes, before he shifts to the side to let him pass.
Talon shakes his head and scoffs as he passes.
I start to follow behind him when the male steps in my path, blocking me.
His gaze rakes over me in a way that makes me feel gross and somehow violated, before he says, “Hey, honey, since you’re finished with him, I’ll take the next ride.”
It takes a beat for me to realize what he’s saying, and by the time I do Talon has already grabbed him by the back of the neck and thrown him against the opposite wall hard enough to crack the drywall.
“Hey, what do you think—?” the guy starts right before Talon’s fist smashes into his nose.
The crunch of a broken nose is unmistakable. Blood gushes from his nostrils, and he howls in pain and rage before dropping a shoulder and rushing Talon.
I know that move, and I’m shouting a warning at Talon when, lightning-fast, Talon shifts to the side and hammers his fist into the male’s temple, putting him down.
It all happened so fast, I’m still standing in the restroom door when Talon reaches under the unconscious human’s armpits and hefts him up. I scramble out of the way as Talon drags the human into the bathroom and drops him on the floor with a look of disgust on his face.
He turns to me, his features softening. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah. Is he . . . ?”
“Just knocked out. He’ll probably be out for a while, but we should get going in case someone finds him.”
“Right.”
Talon crouches down and checks the male’s jacket pockets. I curl my lip in disgust, a little disappointed he took him out so quickly. I wouldn’t have minded landing a punch myself.
Hitting him now, while he’s unconscious, would be wrong. Though the thought definitely crosses my mind before I push it aside.
Talon pulls a set of keys from the human’s pocket, then straightens and locks the door behind us as we leave, making sure no one accidentally stumbles across him before he wakes.
“Come on,” he says, and then takes my hand to guide me down the hallway toward the dining room.
We spot the others right away. It looks like they’re finishing their meal, with a couple of to-go boxes already stacked on the table. I immediately notice that both Ensley and Titus have rounded ears now, like the humans around us, and assume she glamoured them to blend in.
Smart .
As we approach, Ensley’s gaze drops to Talon’s and my clasped hands. She frowns, then lifts her eyes to mine, a silent question clearly written across her face.
As discreetly as possible, I tug from his grasp.
“Where have you two been?” Imogen asks with a smirk and quirked eyebrow.
“I needed to re-dress my wound and then we ran into a little bit of trouble,” Talon says. “We should get out of here.”
The smile slips off Imogen’s mouth. Titus and Ensley trade concerned looks.
“Need help with anything?” Titus asks.
Talon shakes his head. “Nope. I took care of it.”
Titus gives a curt nod and then slides out of the booth. Imogen and Ensley follow his lead.
Grabbing the to-go boxes, Ensley hands them to me. “Got you a double cheeseburger, fries, onion rings, and a salad.” She glances at Talon. “Imogen said she didn’t know what you like, but it’s a lot of food, so you guys can share.”
Talon waves her off. “I’m good. Locklyn can have it.”
“I don’t mind,” I say, but Talon just says he’s not hungry. I can’t tell if he’s lying or not.
We start to leave and then a thought occurs to me. “Wait, how are we paying?” I ask in a lowered voice. We don’t have any human currency. At least as far as I know.
“I’ve got that covered,” Imogen says with a wink.
“How—?” I then realize what she means. She used compulsion to make the waiter think we’ve paid.
I don’t feel good about it, but this whole situation is extenuating circumstances.
“We should switch rides,” Talon says, his gaze fixed on a large SUV that’s pulling into a parking spot as we exit the restaurant. “Think you can help out with that as well?”
Imogen grins. “I thought you’d never ask.”