Reine got to his feet. To his surprise, the human was almost as tall as he was. “What are you going to do about it?” he asked.
The man’s eyes narrowed, giving Reine the impression he was considering his next move, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sam’s arm move. The closed fist aimed for his side, but Reine quickly sidestepped it. He laughed. Suddenly, he felt alive again. Battle. At long last, after more than a year of stillness, he was going to fight. Every nerve ending in his body tingled. He hadn’t felt this way in a long time. Blood pumped through his veins as he picked up the human from the collar of his polo-shirt and flung him backward.
The man was quick on his feet and aimed a kick at him. Reine punched him in the stomach. Sam doubled over but didn’t give up. He lunged forward. Catching him off balance, Reine slipped backward, knocking over the empty bottle which shattered to the floor. He heard someone scream, but he was beyond caring. He waited for Sam to recover. He needed this. He needed to feel another man’s anger at him. To feel alive.
“Come on you piece of shit. Get up.”
Sam growled something intelligible. Reine narrowed his eyes, waiting. The other man threw himself forward. Reine caught him and pushed him to the floor. He laughed and kicked him.
He lifted his arm and stopped. Shock shook him to the core. He had no arm. There was nothing there but a stump. He stared at what was left of the limb. The world around him crashed like a wave against a cliff. This was the reason why he couldn’t fight. He’d lost the ability. Sam knocked him off his feet and started to pummel him. Yes. This is what he deserved. He never should have survived that Sin’s lair. He should be dead.
“Stop, stop.”
Reine heard voices he didn’t recognize. Somebody took the man off him and helped him to his feet. Reine shook them off. He wobbled to the door. Blood dripped over his eyes. He needed to get out of there. He needed to fly and get away from everyone. What was he doing here?
“Wait, Reine.” The cool touch of feminine fingers on his arm made him turn around. Mystique’s large brown eyes surveyed him with worry. The urge to bring her into his arms and kiss her crossed his mind. His lips tingled. He took a step back and she released him, breaking the spell.
“What do you want?”
“Are you okay? You’re bleeding.” She handed him a kitchen towel. Reine dabbed it at his forehead.
“I’ll live.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t go home alone.” She swayed on her heels, clearly wanting to say more. Reine shook his head, he wanted to smile and reassure her, but he didn’t have the heart.
“I’ll be okay.” He started to walk away but stopped. “Thanks for worrying.”
“Listen.” She ran up to him. “Let me show you around town tomorrow morning. I’ll take you on a tour.”
Reine started to shake his head but stopped when Mystique smiled.
“There’s more to see here than you’d think. Please.” Her large eyes begged him and again the urge to bend his head and kiss her crossed his mind. “I won’t take no for an answer.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Reine swept his gaze over her. Fuck.
“All right,” he conceded. She looked stunned for an instant, as if taken aback by his quick acceptance.
“You’re pretty persuasive and annoying. If I don’t say yes, I can see you knocking down my apartment door. Better get it over with.”
Mystique laughed. She jumped back and clapped her hands together like an excited child. “Fantastic, I’ll see you tomorrow, at 8:00 AM here.” She hesitated as if she wanted to say something more. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Reine.”
“Bye.” Reine watched her as she went back inside the bar. He spit on the ground. He’d just agreed to go hiking with a human girl because he liked her tits. What was wrong with him?
