Page 27

There were a lot of similarities between her and Raven.

Except where Raven had been more guarded, contemplative, and soft, Sydney was the opposite.

She was bold, not afraid to speak her mind to anyone, and acted with less information to go on than her sister had.

They both had confidence that radiated off of them, but Sydney’s was like a punch to the gut.

You couldn’t ignore how she walked into a room and commanded attention.

Her spunk was sexy. The way she didn’t back down from a challenge and how she had come up with a plan to get the man who had taken her sister’s life put away for good so fast were things I couldn’t help but admire.

“Not sure you should stare at my ass like that,” she said as her eyes glanced up at mine.

I chuckled. “How do you know I was looking at your ass?”

She shrugged and picked a shirt off the rack and tossed it at me. “Just a hunch. No offense, but I’m not interested in getting with my dead sister’s secret boyfriend.”

I grabbed the shirt midair and tossed it onto my shoulder. “We weren’t serious like that. We had a good time with each other, but it wasn’t more than good conversations and casual hookups.”

I never fully opened up my emotions and feelings to Raven, so I wasn’t exactly lying. Even if I’d had a hunch that she was really into me and I had liked her, we never got past that point.

“Just go put the shirt on. I need to see if they have another size if this one doesn’t fit,” she said as she walked around the other side of the clothing rack.

I smirked and yanked my hoodie off right there in the middle of the shop, tugging on the new one in its place.

I straightened the skintight sleeves that went down to the tops of my elbows and chuckled when I noticed that a certain someone who was trying really hard to not stare was doing exactly that as she pretended to browse more.

I flexed in it, rolling my shoulders to see if the fabric constricted my movements.

“It looks good. Hides most of your tattoos too.” She nodded in approval. “I also found something else. This, without your hat, will really create a new look. If I’m right, you’re going to be incredibly intimidating-looking with everything put together.”

She walked back around the corner and held out a mask. It was a half mask—made of silicone with mesh over the nostrils and mouth openings. It looked like a monster with large fangs.

“It’s an oni mask. Samurai used to wear them back in the Edo period. It’s a symbol of a fierce warrior,” she said as she gestured toward a mirror.

I walked over, slipping the mask on over my head as I went.

I stared at myself. She was right. In my opinion, I looked intimidating on a normal day if I wanted to, but with this getup and mask?

I looked like a monster, ready to rip a man apart.

The way the lighting in here picked up the amber tones in my eyes almost made them glow.

“ Akuma .”

I barely heard Sydney’s whisper as she walked up and stood next to me.

“What?” I glanced down at her out of the corner of my eye.

“ Akuma . It means demon. You looked like a demon just now. I think it’s perfect.” She smiled at me for the first time since we’d met.

It looks good on her.

“Perfect for what?” I said as I turned to face her as I took off the mask.

“For your new ring name. It’s fitting—don’t you think? My sister called you a Hero because it’s what she needed. I don’t need a hero. I need a monster to destroy my enemies.”

And just like that, her smile disappeared as a frown took its place, and her eyes turned cold.

I reached my hand out and placed it on her shoulder, pulling her into me. I leaned down, meeting her glance in the mirror as I muttered into her ear, “I’ll take down anyone who gets in my way.”

She shifted her weight from foot to foot, and her cheeks turned rosy.

“That’s what I’m counting on,” she said as she lifted my hand off her shoulder and walked away, clearing her throat. “Anyway, let’s buy these things and head out. There are still a few places we need to stop at before heading back.”

I removed the shirt, tugging my sleeveless hoodie back on as we made our way back up front. She paid for the clothes as I walked outside. The air was cool against my skin, making my body shiver at the sudden change in temperature. Until I felt her warm hand on my biceps.

“Let’s go,” she said as she led the way back to my car.

We got inside, and before I could say anything, she put in an address on her phone and placed it on my dash.

“Time’s ticking.”

We drove in silence to the next stop. It was an old-ass traditional building, and when we parked, she grabbed my wrist as I went to open my door.

“Stay here. I won’t be long.”

I raised an eyebrow and settled back into my seat as she nodded and left the car. I watched her walk up the stairs to a big wooden door. Fuck, she shared the same sexy ass as her sister, except her walk was more assertive, wasting no time to get where she needed to go.

The door opened, and she disappeared inside for a few minutes before reemerging. She slid into the passenger seat. Her energy shifted, and excitement filled the space.

“The first meeting was a success. Two more to go!” she said as she buckled in and grabbed her phone, no doubt putting in a new address.

“Gonna fill me in?” I asked as I started the car up.

She leaned over and the seat belt locked, forcing her to strain to try to place the phone back on my dash. She went to unbuckle. Which meant, at the angle she was leaning, she basically fell onto my lap as the belt snapped back. I wrapped my arm around her so her face didn’t hit the steering wheel.

“Damn, baby. Thought you weren’t interested?”

I chuckled as I teased her. The hand she had placed on my thigh gripped slightly. Only her hand wasn’t on my thigh. I felt my dick twitch under her warm palm as she peered up at me, a look of embarrassment on her face.

“Oh shit! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to …” she mumbled, trying to move her hand and slipping more, and it came down on my balls, causing me to groan and grip the steering wheel tight.

“Dammit! I can’t believe this is happening.” She was panicking and doing her best to be careful as she untangled herself from my arm and lap, flustered as fuck.

She looked out the passenger window, holding her cell out toward me. Her face, in the reflection, was bright red.

It was sexy in a way. Here was this woman, who had been oozing confidence and malice from the moment she thought I’d killed Raven, fumbling around like a damn girl with her first crush.

Something about her behavior reminded me of Rosalie the first time we’d had sex.

She’d been so nervous and needed a bit of reassurance, but damn was that night unforgettable.

I couldn’t help but tease her, especially since she’d been giving me crap since the day we had met. “Well, if you’re that sorry, you could always kiss it and make it better, baby,” I said, lowering my voice to a sensual growl.

I smirked as I leaned toward her, grabbing her phone to put it on the dash.

“Oh, shut up! It’s not like I was intentionally trying to grab your … you know what? Just forget it and drive already!” she snapped as she buckled up once more.

I chuckled and put the car in gear, driving to the next place in a better mood than I’d been in for weeks now.