Unexpected Sting by Viola Grace (free reads .TXT) 📕

with me asreparations for using my body like that?”

She blinked. She turned andlooked at the dance floor. There were several couples dancingslowly, and the frenzy was windingdown.

She nodded. “Sure. Just set medown, and we can—”

He turned and walked into thecrowd, everyone moving away as they approached. He slid her downhis body, took her hand, and placed theother hand on her waist. His hand spanned her back, and she shivered a little at the feeling. She feltpetite and pretty, and it was notsomething that she felt often.

“Do you have a case ofmacrophilia?” He was amused.

She blushed. “No. I don’t have aheight fetish. Thanks for bringing it up.”

“What kind of fetishes do youhave?”

She looked up, and he wassmiling and looking attentive. “Nothing that you need to beconcerned about.”

“When was the last time you hadsex?”

She nearly stumbled on hisfeet, and then,she remembered she wasn’t around humans right now, and the air wasthick with pheromones. “With someone else in the room? A fewyears.”

“What about without someone elsein the room?”

Stinger smiled slowly. “Well, Ihad a quickie with myself after the gym, twice the night before,and an average of a few times per day as usual.”

“I think I just asked a questionthat I didn’t want the answer to in a public place.”

“Which is precisely why Ianswered it.”

He blinked. “Oh, so you andPeggy...”

“In the same room. She got hersnack, and I took one of my allottedorgasms off my list.” She shrugged. “I don’t begrudge her need tofeed. I just prefer to arrange my own methods.”

“Why? I would think that itwould be exciting to be touched by someone else.”

She looked at him seriously.“Have you seen her nails? There is a topographical differencebetween women and men. No way do I want those claws anywhere nearmy internal bits.”

He winced. “I see your point. Italways looks so natural in the movies.”

She laughed. “Another honestreply. Right, so you do know that those nice ladies get paid to dothat, right? Porn isn’t a volunteer service.”

“What would you qualify as thekinkiest thing that you have ever done?”

The music ended, and she kept her mouth shut. They paused, and thenthe music resumed. Stinger grinned. “That could have beenembarrassing.”

He blinked. “You are actuallygoing to answer?”

“We are in a public venuesurrounded by family members on my part and co-workers on yours. Itis the perfect place. So, the question was what was the kinkiestthing I have ever done? I suppose that would be using a mirrorprojection of myself and having sex with myself in front of acollege boyfriend. He got the memory wiped before he left myroom, but he had a silly expression onhis face for a few weeks.”

“That is rather hot.”

She nodded. “So I was told atthe time, but as you become an adult, you experiment with things,people, fruit.”

His expression wassurprised; she blinked and hastily said.“That last was a joke.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Hang on,I am just going through the fruit section of grocery stores in my head, and allI can come up with is a banana.”

Stinger felt her cheeks getwarm. “Okay, one time with fruit.”

He grinned and whirled heraround the dance floor.

Stinger sighed and wished themoment could last forever. She appeared to have found Mr. Perfect.Perfect never lasted, but he looked likehe could do a few rounds.

Chapter Three

She was at the bar with hermom, getting a custom cocktail. “Hey,Mom. Who was that guy you were talking with?”

“Oh. You guessed already.” Hermother grimaced.

“Golden skin, black hair, eyesthat flick black when there is a lot of magic going on. The factthat he looks at you like you are the last marshmallow in the bag.Super tempting, but there might be hard edges.”

Leetha snorted. “That’s animage. I don’t think much of me has turned to marshmallow yet.”

Stinger smiled. “So, what’s hisname? I am guessing that it came back to you.”

“Abrax, scorpion of the firewinds. I was abducted on that last gig of mine and brought to histemple. I threw a tantrum and almost hurt someone who didn’tdeserve to be hurt, and he stopped me.”

“Impressive. So, it wasn’tlove.” Stinger sighed. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I had you byconscious choice. I don’t regret a moment of everything that Icould remember. But... at least I know why you are prone tooverheating. That was his thing. The fire of the desert.”

Stinger sipped at her cocktail.“Lovely. So, you threatened him if he tried to talk to me,right?”

“Maybe. A little. A tad.” Leethasnorted and giggled.

“I am going to talk to him.” Sheset her glass down and took two steps when her phone buzzed. Shereached into her dress and fished it out of the inner pocket.Stinger headed outside and took the call. When she got the fullmessage, she said, “On my way.”

She tucked her phone back intoher dress and went outside. Her mothercalled after her, but she looked backover her shoulder, and Leetha stopped inher tracks. Arthur looked like he would follow, but her mother stopped him as she summoned herfirestorm and stepped into it.

* * * *

Arthur looked at Stinger’s mother andsaid, “Where did she go?”

The woman grimaced. “She’son-call with a lot of women’s shelters. When the person they arerunning from locates the shelter, she gets a call, and she is the one to greet them at the door.Sometimes they are human, sometimes they are not, but they arealways monsters.”

“So, she is out there in somecity somewhere and facing someone who has threatened women.”

“Yup. It helps her burn off someof her magic.”

“How?”

“You haven’t seen her stingers.”Leetha smiled.

Arthur blinked. “Like scorpionstingers?”

She shrugged. “More or less.They manifested when she was a teen, andshe has amazing control with it.”

A warlock came up and askedLeetha, “Is she on duty?”

“Yes.”

He whistled sharply, and a group of males gathered while he cast aviewing spell.

Arthur asked, “What are theydoing?”

Leetha snorted. “Maguspay-per-view.Sort of. When they were teens, Royus locked onto Stinger’ssignature, and if he knows she is onduty, he watches. At events like this, they place bets on how muchdamage she will do.”

“Damage?”

“Oh, yeah. My baby girl is amonster.” She grinned, and they watchedas the woman in the pretty dress with black leather accentsunfurled her bracelets as a car barrelled toward