Predestined (Existence Trilogy #2)(19)

Yep, I hadn’t mistaken the snarkiness in her tone. The girl didn’t like me. But what she was saying made no sense. I knew for a fact Dank didn’t have “flings” and that I was the only relationship he’d ever been in. I wasn’t sure how to respond to her obvious lack of knowledge about him so I turned my attention back to the stage and watched as he brought thousands of people into a frenzy of excitement.

“Too good to talk to me, are you? Well, we’ll see about that. I’ve been around a lot longer than you and my daddy is the reason Cold Soul even got recognized by a label. Dank won’t like it that you were rude to me.”

Finally unable to bite my tongue any longer I turned my head to meet her glare with my own. “When you say something worth responding to then I’ll gladly reply. But it’s obvious you don’t know Dank at all. If you did you’d realize how incredibly idiotic you sound.” Her eyes lit up with fury and I wanted to laugh at her reaction. The girl could dish it out but she sure couldn’t take it.

“I hope you enjoyed your ride, slut, because it’s over. Dank won’t put up with that shit from you. I’m too important to upset.”

My blood began to boil and I took a step toward her, “Did you just call me a slut?” I hissed.

She looked entirely too pleased with my anger at first but then her amused grin vanished and a terrified expression lit up her face. She began backing away from me. I wanted to laugh out loud. She reminded me of one of those bullies from elementary school that was all talk. Once someone called them out they backed down. I felt a sense of power at being able to handle this situation myself. Instead of waiting on Dank to set the bitch straight I was doing it.

“Don’t,” the girl backed up against the wall and I kept my angry glare fixed on her loving her horrified expression. This was fun.

“Pagan, stop.”

I froze at the sound of Dank’s voice as he stepped in between the two of us. The sweat on his chest had soaked into his shirt and it clung even tighter to his skin. Then he turned and looked back at the other girl.

“What’s going on?” I heard him ask. What? Why was he worried about her?

“She attacked me, I was just trying to talk to her and she just attacked me,” the girl blubbered in tears. She was crying? Dang, she even sounded believable.

“I didn’t touch her. She--”

“Not now, Pagan,” Dank interrupted me and I stood there gaping at him and the girl he was apparently consoling. Had I just stepped into some alternate universe? None of this made sense.

“She... she hissed at me,” the girl stuttered, pointing one of her long red nails in my direction. Well, maybe I had done that. But she’d called me a slut.

“She called--” I began and once again Dank cut me off.

“Wait, Pagan.”

Confusion quickly turned to anger and I didn’t wait until he finished talking to the girl and listening to her mouthful of lies. He should be asking ME if I was okay. Not her. I wasn’t going to stand around and listen to this. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to stand there and try to defend myself to him if he wasn’t going to even give me a chance to talk. I stalked toward the back entrance expecting Dank to get a clue and follow me but once I opened the back door that we’d entered when we arrived he still hadn’t come after me.

Hurt, furious, and confused I stared out into the night. I didn’t have a car. Dank wasn’t coming after me. And he’d just completely blown me off and left me to hang in there. Tears blurred my eyes and I started to wipe them away and decided to leave them alone. No one was here to see me cry.

“I’ll take you home,” Leif’s voice startled me. Spinning around I found him leaning up against his truck watching me.

Not wanting him to see me cry, I wiped at the tears running down my face. I couldn’t get in a truck with Leif. He was an evil spirit after my soul. The concerned frown on his face reminded me of the boy who’d come to the hospital to see me after my wreck. He’d been so worried he’d slept outside in the waiting room all night. My entire life Leif had been there when I needed someone. Nothing about him was ever scary. Never once did he let me down. I glanced back at the closed door wishing Dank would walk through it but nothing happened. Anger burned my throat and my heart ached.

“Sure, thanks Leif. I could use a ride.”

Dank

Letting Pagan walk off hurt and upset had almost been impossible. But the more distance she put between herself and the soulless creature in front of me the better. The anger and pain rolling off of her had been so distracting. I needed to figure out what this thing was. I couldn’t do that with Pagan distressed behind me. I’d wanted to wrap her up in my arms and reassure her but I couldn’t give this thing a chance to get away.

“Who are you?” I growled, glaring down at the blonde.

She smirked and straightened up from her cowering stance once Pagan rounded the corner.

“No one you know Dankmar,” she replied and ran a long red fingernail up my shirt, “but we could change that.”

I slapped her hand away with enough force that she gasped in pain. Good. I wanted her to hurt. She’d been too close to Pagan. And my foolishly brave girl had been glaring her down like she could take on a demon from Hell with her bare hands.

“You’re beneath me,” I reminded her in a cold flat voice. “Now tell me why you were near my Pagan.” I demanded.