Cherry’s body completely froze up. Her pouting lips opened in an O shape. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I mean I’ll take you home. If that’s what you want.”Keep those big brown eyes trained on me and I’ll take you anywhere.
She turned to glance out the window. “What about the storm?”
My shoulders tensed. “I’m sure it will clear up in a moment,” I said, taking another sip.
Quickly, she reached across the table and covered the top of my cup with her hand. “Don’t drink that,” she said, her voice raising a pitch. I raised a brow at her as she closed her hand around the cup and pulled it from my grasp. “Oh, you know, now that I get a better whiff of the stuff, I think it’s gone bad.” A nervous laugh escaped her throat. “Let me get my things and I’ll meet you back down here in a moment. I don’t have much.”
At my nod, Cherry smiled again and raced up the stairs of the tower. I couldn’t believe my luck. Not only had I stumbled across my fated mate, she needed my help. On the flight to her village I could ask about what kind of mating gift she would be fond of. Get her some real fucking tea as well.
Excitement raced through my veins. I found myself feeling giddy to the point of euphoria. Sweat beaded my brow and my heart raced. I stood and paced about the kitchen. Unable to stay still.Was it normal to be so nervous?
“Might wanna calm down there, bud. You’ll scare the poor girl off if she catches you jumping around like a jackrabbit in heat.”
I stilled. “You’re right. I need to get a hold of myself,” I said. The roaring thunder outside simmered to a low thrum, as if in agreement. “Wait.” I looked behind me for the source of the voice, but no one was there. “Who said that?”
“Me, buddy,” said the bowl of fruits. A banana shifted and rocked its way upright, leaning against a mango for support. “Don’t see anyone else in this dingy little kitchen, do ya?”
Slowly, I backed away from the table. “What is this?”
The world shifted, and I found myself on the floor, staring at the ceiling. The wooden beams cracked, then bent toward each other forming a circle. Water drifted up from the floor and pulled into the circle. Pools of yellow and blue swirled to and fro until they formed into Felix’s face. “Oh, Dante. You’re about to fuck this up with her so bad.”
“I am not,” I snapped back. The sound of Cherry’s footsteps bled in from the floor above. The siren call of freesia had my fangs burning. She was so close. All I had to do was sink my teeth into her neck and she’d be mine forever. The lonely ache in my chest would vanish with my companion at my side and then I’d be able to claim whatever land she hailed from. I wanted that. I wanted that so fucking bad.
Felix let off an irritated growl and bared his fangs at me, bringing my attention back to him. I returned the gesture. Perhaps I was too nice to theBanshee’s crew, if a werewolf of all things thought they could get away with such insolence. “How did you even get here, what magic is this?”
“I’m not here, you idiot,” he replied. The uncharacteristic sharpness in his voice had my head spinning. “Focus. Fly away right now, and don’t come back. If you don’t, your arms will leave you and your woman will hate you.”
“Felix, what the fuck are you talking about?”
He snarled. His human-like features contorted with sickening pops until he took his wolf form. The beast snapped his jaw in annoyance. “You’re talking to a banana, Dante. She drugged you. Get up and leave before you make an ass of yourself.”
“Shit.” I leapt up, then crashed to the ground when the world dipped again. “Why would she do that?”
“Could I offer you a mango for your thoughts?” the banana called from the table.
With a thud, the mango in question rolled off the table and out the front door. “You’ll never catch me alive!” it screamed, before turning into a gaggle of bats and flying away.
“Dante, your arms!” Felix roared. Before I could even blink, my arms let off a terrible hiss. I jerked away from them and they popped off. Then slithered across the floor like snakes. One reared up to hiss at the bowl of fruits before they too, fled out the door.
“Oh gods, this is all wrong. I’m high, my arms are snakes, and they have abandoned me.” In the distance, I could hear the low thrum of my own existential dread.
Chapter 4
Cherry
Alright, I fucked up. Maybe my years locked up in a tower have made me a little too untrusting. In hindsight, I could’ve at least heard the stranger out before I just immediately drugged him. The sight of my would-be savior sprawled out on the floor was enough to make any woman feel a little guilty.
His gray eyes looked unfocused as they stared up at the ceiling. When I stepped further into the room, he tilted his head and sniffed at the air. He let off a low groan before a scowl marred his face. The dragon-shifter snapped his attention back to the ceiling and grumbled threats into the wooden beams. I didn’t know who Felix was, but he was in trouble. Dante’s long silver hair was spread out like a fan beneath him. I noticed a few strands caught around a loose nail in the wood floor and plucked them free before he hurt himself. The silky strands were smooth in my hand. I couldn’t help but take a moment to admire them.
“Hey, Dante,” I called, kneeling next to him. “Are you feeling OK?”
Stupid question. You gave the man month-old ayahuasca tea, Cherry. Of course he isn’t feeling OK.
Though, when I took in the large frame of the man on the floor, I never would have guessed him for a lightweight. He barely had half a cup. Not only that, it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes since I left him. How in the world he was so far gone so fast was beyond me.
His voice was solemn as he spoke. “My arms have left me.”
