Unleashing Chaos

Chapter Four

I don't have any intention of sleeping with anyone on the first date, but it would be nice to be kissed, maybe even touched. But just the thought of it has my heart hammering out of my chest, and as I apply my eyeliner, my hand is trembling.

Taking a deep, cleansing breath, I shake the nerves out and start again, feeling a little steadier as I finish my makeup and begin to tame my wild mane of curls. I'd never been able to get them to behave, and I'd always attributed it to the chaotic energy of the realm from which I hail. And now that I'm on Earth, they lie a little more calmly, a little sleeker than before. Still wild and sexy, but without the frizz I'm used to.

I slide the dress I'd chosen to wear off the hanger and slip into it, zipping it up on the side, smoothing the emerald green satin over my shapely hips and adjusting my breasts so my cleavage is fully on display. One thing I do appreciate about my realm—we've never been encouraged to hide or be ashamed of our bodies. Remembering Kyle's considerable height, I choose a pair of stilettos, slip my feet into them, and when I check the final product of my efforts in the full-length mirror on the back of the closet door, I take a note from my brother Fier and admit that I look pretty damn sexy.

Snatching my clutch and a black leather jacket off the chair in the corner, I make my way down the stairs, hanging onto the handrail for dear life. Jace leans over the island in the kitchen, flipping through a stack of papers. His hair is just as disheveled as yesterday, and he wears a plain black t-shirt and gray joggers, eating a bowl of cereal.

"Hey," I say, walking across the kitchen, my heels clicking on the tile floor.

He glances up at me through his glasses and stops with the spoon halfway to his lips. "Hey. You look..." He shakes his head and shovels the cereal into his mouth. "Nice."

I raise an eyebrow and place a hand on my hip as I lay my jacket and purse over the island, uncovering the rest of my body. "Nice? Are you sure you're not talking about that cereal you're currently stuffing in your face?"

"Nope. This is good and you look nice."

He doesn't need to say the words; the way his eyes roamed up and down my body said it all. Even now he continues to steal glances. My roommate thinks I look smoking hot. And I do! It's been a while since I've felt this good in my own skin.

"Don't you think your contacts might be overkill for a first date though? Maybe hold off on the sexy witch thing until the second date when you strap him to the bed and sacrifice his poor soul to Satan," he says.

Satan. I nearly laugh out loud at the mention of the name, but more than that, the notion that I'm wearing contacts. "What are you talking about? These aren't contacts. This is my real eye color."

"No way. They practically glow. I've never seen green eyes like that before." He steps around the counter and bends down until we are eye to eye, inspecting me as though he's never really looked at me. "Fuck. They are real. Your eyes are amazing."

"Th—thank you," I stammer, and I clear my throat, surprised by how close he is to me. "So are yours."

I don't mean to say it; it just rolls off my tongue. I noticed them the first time we met. Eyes like his aren't common in Infernis; nearly everyone's are green, red, or purple, and his are the smokiest, richest shade of gray that remind me of a stormy day that's perfect for staying inside and reading under a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate.

He stiffens at my compliment and takes a step back, returning to his cereal. "Thanks. When is your first victim supposed to be here?"

I bite my bottom lip and glance at the clock on the microwave. "Any minute now."