“Let’s go,” I said, voice low and tight. “We’ll talk when you’re sober.”
She threaded her fingers through mine, and the smile she shot me was devastating. “You have the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen.”
“Thank you,” I replied as I maneuvered us to my sister, who was watching with a raised brow and the straw of her hurricane hanging out of her mouth.
“She’s a menace,” I muttered under my breath as I adjusted my hold on Maple, who had now rested her cheek against my chest like it was her personal pillow.
“I can hear you,” she slurred, not moving an inch.
“I know,” I said, because honestly? I kind of hoped she could.
“How much has she had to drink?” I asked my sister as Maple glued herself to me.
Adelle chewed on her lip before she answered. “Well, we had a few drinks at a few other bars, but we weren’t feeling the vibe, and then we came here…” She held up the empty hurricane that was beside hers on the bar, making a face. “Uh, I guess she drank all of this before she went to dance. I thought she would be fine. I mean, I am.”
Deadpanned, I stared at Adelle. “You weigh twice as she does and have the liver of a seasoned warlock.”
She shrugged, entirely unbothered. “I didn’t know she was a lightweight!”
Maple giggled against my chest, her breath warm through my shirt. “I’m not a light… ship. I’m sturdy.”
Adelle snorted into her drink, while I let out a slow breath through my nose, trying very hard not to laugh.
“Rune?” Maple whispered, tipping her head up to look at me, eyes glassy but painfully sincere as she ran a light hand over my bicep. “You’re very… sculpted.”
“I am not,” I muttered, holding her upright as she wobbled.
Maple giggled and said something I didn’t quite understand. Adelle grinned at the both of us. I held my hand out to my sister to help her off the stool. She ignored it and hopped down on her own. “You’re going to have to tell her sometime.”
“Tell me… what?” Maple swayed on her feet before they gave out under her. I caught her easily. She swatted at my chest. “I told you… sculpted.”
I shot Adelle a glare.
Adelle just laughed, absolutely no remorse on her face. “Oh, come on. You can’t be mad at her—she’s a drunken marshmallow. Look at her.”
“I am looking,” I said through clenched teeth as Maple clung to me like she thought gravity had declared war on her. “And I’m also carrying her out of a bar after she made out with a vampire.”
“Shekissedhim,” Adelle corrected, holding up a finger. “There’s a difference. And honestly? You should be grateful it wasn’t more.”
Maple pressed her cheek back against my chest and whispered, “You’re warm. I like that about you.” Then, after a pause, she added dreamily, “And your angry voice is kinda hot.”
Adelle practically doubled over. “Ohmy ancestors, Rune. You’re doomed.”
“I would kill for some pancakes…” Maple mumbled as I carried her out of the bar.
Maple sighed and burrowed further into my chest, the scent of her hair—something sweet, like vanilla and a touch of spice—curling around me and settling in a part of me I’d kept locked down for years. Something sharp and unfamiliar tugged at my chest, and I hated that I knew exactly what it was.
She hadn’t deserved my distance. She hadn’t deserved the cold edge I kept between us like a blade.
But I’d put it there for a reason.
Not only did I not know her, but I also had so much to lose. My entire coven was my life now… I couldn’t afford a distraction.
A heavenly scentof smoky chestnut and vanilla wrapped around me. I wanted to bury my nose in it and never come out. I let out a soft moan as the silk sheets I was wrapped in rubbed against my body.
The last thing I remembered was kissing… Elias? Had I gone home with him?
My eyes snapped open, and I sat up in the bed. Surprisingly, my head didn’t pound, and my body didn’t feel like it was hit by a train, but then why didn’t I remember the rest of the night?
