To my surprise, Kassam jerks to his feet. There's no pleasure on his face, only rage. His silvery eyes blaze and his fists tighten. "You did not call my woman a foul name, did you?" He grabs the man by his collar and hauls him up against the wall, a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "I can find just as much pleasure in destruction as I can in nose spices, my friend. So say something again. I dare you."
Things are just going from bad to worse. I race over to Kassam's side, pulling at his arm as he hauls the man effortlessly up against the wall. "No, Kassam, no. Don't—"
His intense gaze pins me. There's heated lust in his eyes, but also a banked rage. "Shall I kill him for you, my Carly?" he purrs.
Oh god. "No. No killing. Very frowned upon," I say, tugging on his arm again. I give his wrist a little squeeze, my fingers moving over his tanned skin. It zings me with a light, pleasant orgasm that makes my toes curl and my pussy clench, but I manage to hold my shit together anyhow. Kassam's look goes to pure heat and he drops the man, his focus entirely on me.
God, that focus is epic, too. It's like nothing else in the world exists but me and him, and the air practically crackles with sexual energy. Someone in the back of the bar grabs a man by his collar and starts making out with him, and I have a feeling there's going to be an orgy here if I don't do something. I let go of him and hold out my hand. "Come on," I say, and my voice is nearly drowned out by the sound of the packed bar. "Give me ten minutes. I'll wrap things up and we'll get out of here and go be hedonistic at home."
Kassam practically purrs at that. "I like the way you think, my light."
He reaches for me, but I just give him a naughty wink and gesture at the bar. If he touches me again, I'm never going to stay focused long enough to cash out. "Can I get you to sit there for a few minutes? I'll pour you some shots and you can guess which one is my favorite."
I can tell that intrigues him, because he follows me to the bar—well, not follows as much as “stalks.” I feel very much like a prey animal, and I'm reminded that he calls himself “Kassam of the Wild.” I shiver, and it's not from cold or fear, but from a tendril of pleasure snaking through my belly. Distracted, I duck behind the bar and pour him five shots, tapping the wood and indicating he should sit. People make room for him and I glance around for Charlie. I need to leave, but I can't just bail out without letting him know. I don't see him anywhere, though…
But I do see the cigarette-smoking woman at the far end of the bar. She's holding it up, one brow arched in my direction, and then chugs her whiskey. She sets the tumbler down and taps it, indicating she wants more.
I move toward her, grabbing the bottle of cheap whiskey she'd preferred and pour her a refill. "Thank you for the heads-up," I say. "About my boyfriend."
She shrugs one shoulder, looking surprisingly elegant despite the fact that she's wearing a plain white T-shirt. "When you get to know people like I do, you learn their hard limits pretty well." She stubs her cigarette into her napkin. "I figured that was a hard limit for you, and there'd be nothing he could do to win your good graces again."
"You're not supposed to smoke in here." I indicate her cigarette. "Sorry."
The woman tilts her head, smiling at me. "Then I suppose it's a good thing no one can see me but you." She pulls out a new cigarette, deftly maneuvers it between her fingers, and then lifts it to her lips. The moment it touches her mouth, the end flares with heat, as if it lit itself.
11
The room grows cold around me. I can see people at the bar, looking impatiently in my direction to get more drinks, but I'm frozen in place. All I can do is stare at the woman in front of me. She's neither young nor old, that middle range of age that could be anywhere from thirty to fifty with a good skincare regimen. Her hair is a bland color and her face is nondescript, but her expression is knowing. Bored.
Almost tired.
I lick my lips, moving closer. "Were you the one following us earlier?"
One of her brows arches again. She takes a drag on her cigarette and then pauses. "Were you followed? No, honey. That wasn't me. Sounds like you might have more interest than I thought. That could be a problem." She points at me with her cigarette. "Tell your mom to stop, by the way. She's going to get herself hurt."
I feel like I can't breathe. "Leave my mom out of this."
The woman gives me a patronizing smile. "Would love to. I actually like her. She's very scrappy. However, she keeps pushing at things she doesn't understand, and I can't be held responsible if she gets slapped down. I've warned her several times." The woman tilts her head, shrugging. "Maybe the warning will mean something coming from you. She's trying to read your future, but there isn't anything for her to read."
I glance down the bar, worried. Kassam is there, sniffing one of the shots I poured for him with a fascinated look on his face while some old man yammers in his ear. Satisfied that he can't hear our conversation, I move closer to the woman, leaning over the bar. "Is it…because I don't have a future? Is that why? Am I going to die?"
She shrugs again, flicking the filter-end of her cigarette with an impatient thumb. "No one knows, honey. That's why I'm here. I should know. That's my job. But someone's hijacked your destiny and now I can't read shit."
"Who are you?"
"I thought that was pretty obvious, but I'm Fate." She gives me a cool smile. "One of three, anyhow."
She's fate? "But…I thought you guys were spiders. That's what Kassam said."
"Mmm. Our counterparts in his world are." The stranger smiles. "You can call me Lachesis, but it doesn't really matter, since you won't be seeing me again. I shouldn't be here to begin with, but…" She gives a little shake of her head, as if fighting annoyance. "I hate a mystery, and right now, you two are a mystery. So I thought I'd find myself a few answers, but all I have are more questions."
Wait, I'm confused. "Our world has fates?"
The woman—Lachesis—shrugs. "Everyone believes in something. We're mostly retired at this point, but once you're created, you don't just disappear because people no longer pay attention to you." She takes another drag from her cigarette and then flicks the ashes. "Like your friend. His worshipers are long gone, but he's still around."
"They…are? Where did they go?"
The woman gives me a strange look. "You don't know? Did he tell you why he's here?" At my blank look, she leans in, her voice dropping. "Did he tell you anything?"
I suddenly feel incredibly stupid. There are big gaps in Kassam's story and I've been too dazzled to ask about them. "Um…that he's the god of the wild and he's stuck here."
"Did he say why?" When I shake my head, her brows go up. "Don't you think you should ask?"
"He said I had to die for him to return to his world. I have to admit, I kinda stopped asking after that."
Lachesis snorts. "A string may look flimsy, but it always has two ends. Remember that." She points her cigarette at me. "The rules are different in each world, too. Remember that, as well." She stubs out her cigarette and gets to her feet. "And I'm sure I've said enough to get me in trouble, so I'll be going."