“Allow me,” he whispers, bringing the rim to her lips himself.
His other hand lifts from the table, his fingers trail along her jaw, tilting her head back.
“Open.”
The single command sends her heart into a thrashing rhythm, each beat pounding against her ribs.
Annabeth obeys. She sips the wine.
“Good, yeah?” Kalix smirks, holding her gaze with every sip. He doesn’t let her look away, doesn’t let her focus on anything but him. When he finally pulls the glass back, she exhales sharply as she blinks up at him.
Her eyes drop to his lips, so close, drifting just above hers.
“Thirsty for something else?” He murmurs.
Her breath hitches as his fingers shift against her jaw. He grips firm enough to remind her of his control.
No one notices what happens next. But I do.
Kalix places the glass down. With movements both subtle and fluid, his thumb finds the side of his silver coin ring. As he presses against it, a near invisible compartment clicks open.
Inside, an odorless, tasteless powder.
He doesn’t pause, doesn’t hesitate. With barely a whisper of motion, the contents disappear into the wine. The ring clicks shut, and by the time he picks the wine glass up, poor Annabeth is already lost in him. Kalix brings it to her lips again, and this time, she drinks greedily, fueling the fire burning in her stomach.
Kalix chuckles, amused at her eagerness. “Such a greedy girl.”
Her pupils dilate. The shift is subtle but unmistakable.
I move to their side in an instant. “Let’s get her somewhere quieter,” I say smoothly.
Kalix sets the wine down, taking Annabeth’s hand.
Always so easy.
The drug in her system is working fast, her body loose and her mind pliant. The thoughts are easy to sift through.
And, damn, she actually thinks Kalix is a suitor.
Sitting in her thoughts makes this job even easier. Poor girl is lost in some fairy tale. I think the Abyss would turn into a land of sun and rainbows before Kalix settled down with anyone.
Kalix doesn’t mix work and personal life. Never has. He’s emotionally unavailable, drowning in an obsession hole over someone just as emotionally unreachable. I don’t question it. Who am I to demand Kalix make sense of the situation for me?
I’m not one to judge. Obsession? Love? Whatever they were, I’d never felt them.
As we walk, I glance at Annabeth again. Cute. Soft. Easily Led. I have no doubt she’d obey anything I asked her, but she’s not my type. Too fragile. Too breakable.
I don’t make love. I don’t cuddle or coddle. Sex is a release, nothing more, and I have plenty to release.
Outside of some chick bouncing on my cock, what else was there? My lovers were one-night things, rarely revisited, because they couldn’t handle the darker side of me.
A short time later, we guide Annabeth through the crowded room, her steps light and unsteady. She doesn’t question us or give any resistance. The drug is still working. Good.
The cool night air greets us as we step onto the patio. The garden stretches out into seclusion. Perfect. No unwanted eyes.
Kalix leads her down into the path, the distant hum of music fading as we traverse the shadowed gardens. A stone bench waits beneath a trellis, vines curling over the frame like grasping fingers. We sit her down. A precaution.
Kalix squats in front of her, casual and relaxed. I stay standing next to him, arms crossed over my chest. Watching.
