Iwill notthink of him.
* * *
The morning has wastedaway with me stalking outside of Fortuna Fitness. I’m staring through enormous glass windows, my mind swirling as I figure out how to get inside without raising suspicion.
This was the first gym I happened across in a five-block radius. I had no desire to waste more time looking for a new one when I was sure the wards would be cast over every peppy threshold leading to the locker rooms.
A very toned Daemon female stands behind the desk. To describe the expression on her face as “glowering” would be an understatement. When there are no patrons to greet, she just stands there with her arms behind her back. Her focus and dedication to keeping those who have not paid out is impressive. If she took that work ethic to Daddy, I am confident he would hire her to help with the frontiers of Aqualis.
The enormous, circular building boasts three floors filled with various exercise equipment. Perhaps I would enjoy coming here under other circumstances. The diversity of this city makes me long for the ability to live here and relax under the safety of the King of Daemons.
Beings filter in and out of the gym over several hours. I am lounging at a gentrified cafe on the corner, watching the building while nursing a leftover cup of coffee abandoned by some businessman who took one look at my disheveled appearance and thought the worst.
It is pathetic, but I don’t care. Coffee is delicious, and this one has the perfect, equal part ratio of cream, caramel, and caffeine.
As I sit there, I can’t help but listen to the people sitting next to me. A pair of Winter Fae holding a FaePhone between them with wide eyes.
“Malinda, I’m telling you, the new Queen is amazing. Without her, we would never have been able to come to Lethe for our vacation. Just look at this phone. It’s incredible!”
The other Fae scoffs. “Listen to you, talking as though you know the Queen personally. Wilhemina, I know the closest you’ve ever gotten to her is watching her monthly addresses on TV.”
Wilhelmina crosses her arms, pouting. “Well, it’s not like you know her any better than me...” her voice trails off as the two women pay their tabs and go on their way.
A Summer Fae with a fancy FaePhone is hurrying along at an alarming pace. “I need the reports yesterday, Patricia,” he barks. “I’m sorry, I’m on edge. Just need a quick swim.”
The Fae fumbles through his ratty gym bag and produces a small gym card. I stare at the luxurious metal card hungrily. That card is what stands between me and a shower.
“I said I was sorry, Patricia!” he yells. His voice is frantic now, and I smile as a furious voice reaches a volume loud enough for me to hear several feet away. In defense, his hand flings up, and the card goes flying.
His pleas for forgiveness are unsuccessful, so he turns and stomps away to wherever he came from. People continue to move down the sidewalk a hundred miles a minute. The card stays on the ground, forgotten and shining in the hazy sunlight.
No one so much as looks down. The card is calling me like a beacon, summoning me.Use me, it says.
Oh, how I want to heed its call. Looking one way then the other, I push myself to my feet. My fingers itch as I walk over to where the card lies on the ground, like a dead fish on a beach.
The metal card is cool in my hands, and I allow hope to fill up my insides. It is cut short when my gaze returns to the large glass doors and see the Daemon's green eyes staring straight ahead. They watch my every movement.
Damn.
Pacing back and forth is such a lame response, but it’s the only one I’ve got. I wander around in circles, weaving through the crowded streets and trying to remain unnoticed by the thing of nightmares inside the gym. I pretend to look into unremarkable stores filled with conservative, business-related fashions.
At last, the effects of my hyper-sweet coffee begin to wear off, and I am left with a slight headache. My body isn’t used to how much sugar they use on land. I sit on an empty bench, putting my head between my legs. Minutes pass as I stay like that, suspended in my own thoughts.
When I look up, what I see causes me to blink. I find a thoughtful-looking human man in place of the hulking Daemon inside the gym. For a second, his dark hair and tanned complexion make me think he is Erik.
I can’t contain the gasp that escapes me. Nor can I stop the rush of fury that floods my whole body because, for a moment, I feel relieved that he has finally found me. Something is reassuring about the pirate.
Curse my weak heart and my soft brain. It’s not him. You don’t want to see him. He betrayed you.
Apparently, my heart and my head aren’t listening to each other because the memories of Erik’s kisses still send warmth through my body. Despite his betrayal, I yearn to be held by him.
I must deal with those cravings because I don’t want to see that pirate again. My resolve is firm as I stand, ready to take a risk I wouldn’t have dared with the previous employee.
My hair is twisted up on my head into a crappy bun, and I straighten my clothes. Squaring my shoulders, I force myself to muster confidence and charm before strutting through the doors.
The place smells like chemical cleaners. Ducking my chin into my chest and looking up through my eyelashes, I walk up to the attendant and smile. He is sitting down.
The Daemon female would never.