Page 10 of Jinx

The extreme rush of possessiveness that surged through me was so alarming that I abandoned the cart and ran back to the counter. I was going to throw up. Or pass out. Possibly both. My chest was tight with a burning pain, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I hoped that maybe it was a heart attack and I wouldn’t have to deal with all this for much longer. It was one thing when all I had to do was be chill and keep my hands to myself. If I had to start fighting crazy magical impulses too…

Nope. Hard pass. I’m out.

To make things even worse, Margo and her air-brained friends weren’t wrong. I did do that to Tommy. I’d do the same thing to Bellamy, and I’d hate myself for the rest of my life.

For the next half hour, I sank into my duties, not daring to be idle for a single moment. I was hoping the focus would help me regain some semblance of calm, but my magic was still coiled like a viper, ready to strike. My hands shook, and I fumbled the books as I scanned them. Every beep of the scanner reminded me of the truth.

Beep. You’re dangerous.

Beep. No one loves you.

Beep. You shouldn’t even exist.

“Hey, Blue!” A shadow fell over the counter. I flinched at the sudden arrival, but quickly set my teeth and dared the tears welling in my eyes to even think about falling. I couldn’t acknowledge him, couldn’t give him the chance, no matter how much it hurt. I needed to push him away for real this time.

“No! He is ours!”

The scanner clattered onto the countertop, and I stumbled back a step. I stared at where it landed, unable to look Bellamy in the eye in case it weakened my tenuous hold on the vicious impulse stealing my breath.

That voice again. Crackling power worked its way up my spine, pricking my bones like needles. This wasn’t…oh, this wasn’t good. I didn’t know what it was, but it definitely wasn’t good.

“Cordelia?”

He needed to leave. I needed to make him leave. “No. Go home, Bel-baby.”

“Hey.” His voice pitched to a low rumble. “I’m not with Margo or anything.”

I managed a stiff shrug and turned to organize a pile of books on the opposite counter. “Does Margo know that? Besides, I don’t care.” My cursed magic responded by burying its claws in my heart. Apparently I should care very much.

“Don’t be like that.” Bellamy rounded the corner to face me again. “Talk to me!”

And then he made the biggest mistake of his life.

His hand went around my sleeved forearm in a reckless bid to demand my attention. Alarms shrieked through my body to pull away, but I couldn’t. I was a statue. Even though he hadn’t touched my skin yet, my magic was overriding everything. Time seemed to stop as we stared at each other. The gold of his eyes swirled, reflecting the flames that blazed through me.

“Please let go,” I managed to force out, tearing back control despite the desperate desire spiraling through my limbs. Bellamy gave my arm one more squeeze before opening his hand to release me.

“Okay,” he said in a hushed tone, raising both hands in surrender as if trying to placate a wild animal. “Just tell me what’s wrong.” His gaze was heavy with concern, but I could only shake my head. I clutched my arm to my chest like it was a broken bird and put as much distance between us as the counter allowed.

“I’m wrong.” My heart fractured behind my ribs. “You need to go.”

Bellamy’s brow furrowed into a scowl. He opened his mouth to argue, but the words were thwarted when someone else suddenly joined him at the counter. The world tilted, and I felt off-balance.

If Bellamy was the warmth of sunlight, then this man was the chill of a moonless night. The first thing I noticed was the ink. It covered his arms and hands, crept up his neck, telling a story I suddenly needed to read. His jet-black hair was cropped short and faded on the sides, making the severity of his pale features all the more prominent. Everything about him was sharp, from the angles of his breathtaking face to the piercing intensity of his quicksilver eyes.

He pinned me with that steel gaze, like a butterfly to a board, whatever his intentions for being here still unannounced. I was frozen in place, captivated, as he drew in a slow breath through his nose and leaned further over the counter toward me. My skin sparked, magic snapping over it. Like a snake tasting the air, his tongue darted over his lower lip, revealing a flash of sharp canines.

“Aren’t you a tasty little thing.” His voice was smoke and sin.

“This one too,” the haunting voice of my magic declared, whispering in my ear. “Yes.”

Oh no.

7

LUCIAN

I tilted my head, as if looking at her from a different angle might reveal an answer. The little enigma wore darkness around her like a cloak, hiding whatever it was that linked her to our world. The Other world. She was captivating, her ethereal beauty enough to coax a man to his own death like a siren’s song. I found myself willing to brave the rocks if it meant I could taste her.