“The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.”
― Dante Alighieri
The next week I was irritated and pissed off for no good reason. Maybe this had something to do with the fact that I stopped drinking or the fact that I was still recovering, trying to heal as quickly as I could. Tequila was out of reach. I didn’t have any more elixirs that would numb my achy muscles and help to heal me quicker. My thinking process was much sharper, but on the downside it was much more difficult to deal with overwhelming memories than before.
I had to admit I had an addictive personality and pumping my body with more magic could cause more bad than good. My relationship with Emma improved over the next few days, and I started paying more attention to what was going on around me. I mentioned to Ricky that we needed to give her a raise. She had sorted out all the files and began advertising our services online. Also the new working phone was ringing off the hook. Most enquiries were related to missing people, things and pets. It was going to take a while before we could start getting more serious clients, but it was an improvement. The past couple of months weren’t great. I had been absent a lot, and Ricky had been struggling to run the business when I was skiving.
On Saturday afternoon we decided to close the office earlier than usual. I wasn’t getting anywhere with any of my new contacts, and my sources weren’t much help either. Ricky had decided to take his work home. Sometimes he was determined to stretch the use of his brilliant mind with a glass of expensive scotch, away from any drama.
When I got back to my flat around three p.m. I didn’t know what to do with myself. Zach was taking me out tonight and I still couldn’t believe that I’d said yes. My dating experience wasn’t very good. I didn’t even know what I was supposed to wear tonight. Most days I walked around in worn jeans with an old hoodie. Zach was obviously experienced and he knew what to expect from a woman like me. After staring at my wardrobe filled mostly with combat trousers, T-shirts and jackets, I decided to go shopping. Back in the days when I worked in the palace, I had to wear a livery uniform or a suit. I kept things casual whenever I was out and about. The restaurants, cinemas or whatever other normal people did on dates weren’t for us, because Arthur could never officially date me.
My first real shopping trip didn’t go too well. I didn’t like any of the dresses that the blond sales assistant picked out for me in the huge department store. She kept telling me that I had great legs and I needed to show them off. Every time I put on something I felt underdressed. My aching body and lack of magical tequila was slowly making me lose my mind. Maybe one night of wild and adventurous sex could shift my perspective, but hooking up with the mouthy and arrogant Zach wasn’t something that I intended to do tonight. We were going out on a date, only because I needed to tear myself from obsessing over my assignment for at least a day.
Eventually I managed to pick up a black dress with lace on the front. I even bought new makeup to cover the remaining signs of my fight with the A’rea. At seven p.m. I stood in front of a large mirror in my tiny hallway ready to cancel the date. Panic settled and nerves kicked in.
For the first time since the breakup, I realised that I needed a girlfriend. Someone that I could talk to, a friendly soul that could pat me on the back and tell me that I was ready.
I had been sober for over a week now and maybe I was seeing clearly for the first time in my life. Changes were on the way. My phone buzzed half an hour later. Zach was downstairs waiting for me and I was losing my shit, thinking that this date would be a disaster. After a few deep breaths, I opened the door and headed out to meet him. It was time to stop stressing and get on with it.
He watched me as I walked towards him, his dark eyes drifting up and down my body, causing my pulse to jump. Yep, even after what he had been through he still wanted to get into my pants. I put my leather jacket on top of the dress, but deep inside I wished that I could slip back into my old jeans. It was cold outside, and my legs were bare, and it seemed that the dress was cut in a way to expose those parts of the body that weren’t for show. I was walking in an old pair of black heels that I bought a couple of years back.
Zach smiled wolfishly when I approached him, not even trying to hide the fact that he was very turned on. Yes, I was much more aware of it now than before.
“Flower, to tell you the truth, I didn’t expect to see you dressed like that tonight. You look gorgeous.”
He even opened the door to the car for me, which was nice. In all my previous experiences with the opposite sex, there was never foreplay or sweet talk or any nonsense like that. We simply hooked up, but this evening everything was about to change.
“So it’s true then, you totally want to screw me in this car?” I asked, and then wished that I bit my tongue. There was something really wrong with me. Hell, I’d never felt so awkward, even when I was sleeping with the most eligible bachelor in the country.
Zach lifted his hands, looking down on my naked thighs.
“Guilty as charged, Flower, but don’t worry. As much as I want to bury myself inside you, I want to enjoy you slowly and thoroughly. And a few hours won’t cut it,” he said, grinning. I felt warmth skittering over the nape of my neck.
“I told you, stop calling me Flower or there won’t be any sex to speak of,” I said. I hated that nickname and if Zach wanted me to forget about the prince he needed to show me that he was willing to be on his best behaviour.
He smirked but didn’t say anything else. This was crazy, my shoulder angel was screaming at me to stop messing with his life. My shoulder devil reminded me I was half demon and in Lucifer’s eyes only a second-class citizen, so the rules were less strict when it came to dating a human. This evening I was planning to enjoy myself and act like the past or the future didn’t really matter.
Zachary started the car and joined the flow of traffic. After some time his fingers slipped down, brushing the skin on my thighs, gently, barely touching them. Electricity crawled across my body, and that smouldering sexual heat was back. He was thinking about sex, and I was trying to breathe steadily and not melt into a pile of sexually repressed goo. Somehow I managed to ignore his tortures throughout the whole drive and after an hour in traffic Zach parked the car in one of the back streets. My stomach growled loudly. I was starving and I was hoping that he planned to feed me before taking me back to his place. My diet was based on cereals, ready-made meals and frozen food. I thought that I took care of myself the best I could. I’d never had a very good example to follow though. I needed to look after myself better.
“I won’t apologise for what I’m just about to do, gorgeous,” he said in a hushed tone. I shivered at the heat of his stare, suddenly aware of my own soaring desire. After that one night with the stranger from a couple of weeks back, my libido was on the rise again.
I shook my head, confused, trying to will my heart to slow down.
“Apologise for what?” I asked stupidly. He moved his arm so quickly and then pulled me towards him. The next thirty seconds were lost in sensations that were far from ordinary. Boiling heat rushed through my veins. He kissed me like no other human had before. His lips were tender and demanding at the same time, like he was desperate to lose himself in me. Zachary used both his palms to hold me gently and then devoured my mouth.
I moaned, enjoying every part of him touching me, and my body was slowly turning into a fireball. The passion and sparks flew, zooming between us. By the time he pulled away from me, I was out of breath and flustered. Zachary’s breath was erratic too, but the inferno in his eyes told me that this was just the beginning.
Crap, I was in a lot of trouble, acting like a normal human being for a change.
“That’s just the pre-foreplay, baby. You have to wait a bit longer for the real deal.” He grinned, ran his thumb over my cheek, and got out of the car. I’d made out with Arthur in the limo a couple of times, but we always had to be so careful and in a hurry. This, whatever it was that was going on between Zach and me, was much more explosive.
I smoothed my dress, feeling slightly off balance once I was back on my feet.
“Where are we going?” I asked, looking around, knowing that I had never been in this area. The streets were vibrant, filled with people from around the world. I was too distracted in the car to wonder what he was planning to do this evening. He grabbed my hand and entwined his fingers around mine.
“Part of my family is from Iran, so tonight we are having a Persian feast,” he said, leading me to the other side of the street. I felt oddly calm holding his hand, protected and like myself from my pre-palace life years ago.
Zach took me to the corner restaurant, with colourful windows and a name that I couldn’t pronounce. After that kiss in the car, my whole body was charged with energy and I was having trouble blocking the human emotions around me. There was a cosmopolitan feel in this area, and I was feeling good being surrounded by people for a change.
“Zachary, my boy, so good to see you. How the devil are you?” shouted a large man that raced towards us. He had dark hair, with salt and pepper streaks on the sides, and was most likely from Iran too. He started hugging the detective next to me, shouting greetings in a language that I didn’t understand.
“I’m fine Uncle Azero. Let me introduce you to my date. This is Maxine, we are currently working together,” Zach said, once he was free. His uncle looked at me and beamed.
“A date, that’s impossible… You don’t date, my boy, but this creature. She’s so beautiful,” Zach’s uncle shouted. Everyone in the restaurant was staring at us and I was trying to hold it together. The place was quite busy, but most of the customers were foreigners. He hugged me without warning, cuddling me into his large chest. “Maxine, good strong name. She doesn’t like to be touched that one.”
“I’m sorry?” I asked, baffled when he let go of me, and I could breathe normally.
“Azero, be a gentleman. Maxine is having dinner with me tonight and she desperately needs to taste your khoresh,” Zachary said, pulling me closer to his body. “I presume that you have a table for us?”
Azero narrowed his eyes on his nephew and took me by my elbow.
“No need to ask. Tell you what: Zach doesn’t know how to treat women right. Let me show you around. The food is good, delicious here, and you look like you could put on a few pounds.”
Over the next couple of minutes I was forced to listen to Azero going through his life in the UK, and telling me about his dead wife. After that he let me sit in front of Zach. We had a quiet table at the back. His uncle fussed over me a few more moments, asking about my work and Zach about his mother. He was very loud, outspoken and didn’t care that there were other people in the restaurant. He should have annoyed the crap out of me, but I could feel his pride and love for Zach and hoped that I could make him happy. His emotions were so genuine it was hard to be annoyed.
“So you are half Iranian then? I should have guessed earlier on. I had a feeling that your family was from somewhere in the Middle East,” I said, once we were finally alone. The restaurant was cozy, keeping in tradition, painted in vibrant red-maroon, blue and sun-gold colours. His uncle had tried really hard to use the antiques, old copper lamps, rugs and carpets to bring out the atmosphere from his home country. It was nothing posh or extravagant, but it felt really warm and homey like you’d be happy to spend the night chilling here.
“Yes, my mother married my father after six months of knowing him. They met in London in the British library. He was British, died of a heart attack when I was four,” Zachary explained, putting the napkin on his knees. A moment later, the waitress brought two beers to our table. “Cheers. All alcohol is banned in Iran, but my uncle is trying to adjust to the British culture.”
I didn’t drink much beer. I always preferred something much stronger, but tonight I was detoxing. My throat burned, but I was planning to stick to my resolution and stay away from tequila.
“So you have never brought any other ladies in here then?” I asked, thinking about the blonde woman from a couple of weeks ago. Zach gave me the impression that he was the kind of guy that always took what he wanted and hooking up with random women was something that he enjoyed doing.
“I don’t do dates, prefer keep my ladies in the bedroom, Maxine. I like you, so I’m making an exception,” he said, smiling. His dirty mouth was a good distraction.
I was just about to ask him about his mother, when his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and frowned. I guess the fun was over.
“I have to take this,” he muttered obviously not too happy that we were interrupted. I nodded and drank some more beer. Zach got up and went outside to take the phone call. A second later Azero appeared back in front of me with a plate with something that looked like crackers and dip.
“Try this, beautiful, it’s freshly made hummus,” he said, waving the plate in front of me. I reached out and then felt it. The new demonic energy that rippled through me suddenly. A full-blooded demon just walked in and when I looked up I realised that we were somehow connected. And that evening had been going so well.