Chapter 78: Watching A Target

Skylar

At first, I tried to hold my ground. I turned my face away, trying my best not to get reeled in by the natural charm of an incubus who was definitely turning it on.

"Elroth, stop it. I'm being serious—"

My sentence cut short as his warm fingers caught my chin, gently but firmly turning my face back towards him.

Elroth’s eyes flashed with a deep, sensual glint. Before I could protest again, he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine.

The kiss started off deceptively gentle. Within seconds, though, it turned demanding and deep, filled with a burning passion.

The touch of Elroth’s lips sent a jolt of electricity right through me, completely wrecking my defenses.

I let go of the bag in my hand, letting it thud onto the floor as my hands crept up, gripping Elroth’s broad shoulders just to steady myself.

I was completely far gone, totally lost in his intoxicating, magical charm.

Suddenly, the loud buzz of my phone from the dropped bag shattered the intimacy we’d just built up.

I jolted apart, reluctantly breaking the kiss as I gasped for air.

Elroth let out a frustrated groan, resting his forehead against mine, his eyes still dark with desire.

"Just ignore it," Elroth whispered, proper gutted, as he tried to nuzzle my neck again.

"No, Elroth. What if it’s important?" I said hoarsely, weakly pushing his chest a bit so I could bend down and fish my phone out of the bag.

The screen lit up with a name that made me click my tongue.

“It’s Julian. I’d better answer it,” I said, showing him the screen.

“Whatever…”

I quickly swiped green and put the phone to my ear. "Julian, what do you want?”

"Blimey, bit harsh," Julian’s voice sounded rushed. "I just wanted to pass on a message from Mum. You need to come home to the Red Crescent Moon territory for Halloween."

I sighed, half-glad to hear about Mum, but also bricking it a bit about having to face the pack atmosphere again—it was bound to be proper awkward after last time. "Fine, I’ll ask the academy for permission later. Anything else?"

"Oh, and one more thing," Julian added, his tone suddenly turning a bit cheeky. "Check the extra message sent via official academy pigeon on your desk. Dad specifically added a note saying he’s invited Irlan to come along with you to the pack event."

My heart felt like it stopped for a second. "What?! Dad invited Irlan?!"

"Yep. Dad said he wants to see just how posh your chosen vampire is compared to your other boyfriends. Anyway, gotta dash, bye!”

The line went dead just like that.

I lowered my phone, my hand shaking a bit, and glanced over at the study desk. Sure enough, there was a letter with the official stamp of the Red Crescent Moon Pack.

I walked over, ripped it open in a hurry, and read the postscript written in Dad’s firm handwriting: Bring Irlan with you. I want to see if he's up to scratch.

Suddenly, the silence in the room felt incredibly heavy. I slowly turned to look at Elroth, who had been watching the whole phone and letter situation from near the door.

For the first time since I’d met this smug, hyper-confident incubus, I saw a massive shift in his face.

The cheeky smirk and playful look that usually plastered his handsome face vanished completely.

Elroth’s jaw clenched so hard the veins in his neck stood out. His eyes, which usually gave off a lovely purplish charm, went pitch black.

There was an invisible fire practically radiating from his aura.

“Do wolves always play favourites?” Elroth asked, his voice rough and deep.

“No, but…”

I didn't even know what to say to explain it. Dad did play favourites a bit. He paid more attention to Julian because Julian was obviously going to take over as Alpha of our pack.

“Your hesitation says it all, Skylar.” Elroth let out a long sigh.

"Elroth... are you actually jealous of Irlan?" I asked, bracing myself because I needed answers about his sudden 180-degree shift.

Elroth looked up, staring right through me. "I’m not jealous of that stiff, Skylar," he said, sounding proper offended. "I just want to be on equal footing. I want to be recognized as your partner, not a side piece."

At that moment, I was stunned. I saw a crack in Elroth’s confidence. The master charmer who knew exactly how to manipulate desire suddenly looked so fragile and human right in front of me.

His massive demon ego had crumbled just because of a name on an official pack letter.

I reached out, touching his tense arm to calm him down. I purposefully kept my words simple and straightforward for his demon mindset, skipping any complicated metaphors.

"Elroth, look at me. This isn't because Irlan is better than you in my eyes. My relationship with Dad... it's complicated. You've got to bear with me, because dealing with the pack’s demands and our hierarchy isn't easy for me either."

Elroth looked down at my hand on his arm, then let out a heavy breath. The tension in his shoulders dropped a bit, though his eyes still showed a lot of lingering annoyance.

Rather than staying stuck in his annoyance and the pack stuff that was winding him up, Elroth decided to change the subject. He straightened back up.

"Whatever. Let's talk about something else before I actually burn your Alpha’s letter to a crisp," Elroth snapped, eyeing the desk sourly. "What about Katya? The new girl who freaked you out in the library earlier?"

I felt a bit relieved by the subject change, even though Katya's name sent a shiver down my spine again. I pulled my hand back and started describing what she looked like.

"She’s got straight, shoulder-length black hair, and her look is always absolutely spotless. But her scent... that’s the weirdest bit, Elroth. It's a mix of sweet lily and spicy cinnamon. It smells like a witch from a specific region, but the problem is, I can't remember where."

Hearing my detailed description, Elroth paused for a moment. His eyes narrowed, mulling over the info.

Curiosity got the better of him. More than that, his male ego and protective demon instincts kicked in.

"Interesting," Elroth muttered, that familiar little smirk slowly returning to the corner of his lips. "A witch-vampire hybrid who can read minds and has a forgotten trademark scent, eh? How about I spy on her for you?"

I looked at him, unsure. "Spy on her? Elroth, what if you get caught?"

"I'm a demon, Little Wolf," Elroth said with his usual arrogance, leaning in towards me. "Slipping into the shadows and watching a target is second nature to me. I'll find out what she's playing at, approaching you in the library like that."

I bit my lower lip, looking at the letter on the desk and then back at Elroth. On one hand, I wasn't sure about letting an incubus mess with the mysterious Katya. But on the other hand, being so spooked by that girl meant I couldn't exactly turn down his help.

"Just don't do anything daft, Elroth!"