-HER-
Half an hour later, I was seated in the same passenger seat where I had sat earlier in the morning while Grim drove me home. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared out the window, feeling hassled.
I had somehow thrown a dress and done my hair and makeup before walking out the door with him. Even though I didn't want to do this date, I needed to know about Victor soon. Mainly because I was supposed to go to the office tomorrow and I was sure to meet Fiona there.
I didn't want to face her unprepared, or else I'd break. I didn't want to break under Fiona, but I didn't want to go on a fucking date with Grim, either. However, the latter was much more manageable.
"What's with the silent treatment, mate?" Grim asked beside me, looking like he walked out of a men's fashion show. That was also the part I hated. It was distracting!
"What did you find out about Victor?" I asked him instead.
"We'll talk Victor after the date," He returned firmly, "For now, it's only 'you and me' talk," I narrowed my eyes at him, glowering. "And if you wanted to distract me by shoving your boobs up, then it's working,"
I dropped my arms as soon as he said that. I wore a wide neckline dress, and folding my arms deepened the cleavage. I shouldn't have worn this. Nah. But my wolf was happy with his remark.
"Focus on the road," I grumbled, unable to say anything else. Gosh, why was I always so uptight? I wish I had a sense of humour. I wondered if he found me boring but stopped right on track. I shouldn't care what he thought about me. After all, this was a temporary setup, no matter how much he acted to be mesmerized by me. It was all temporary and a façade to lure me into his dangerous trap.
He chuckled, "You don't have to worry about that. Now tell me, what did you do all day? Did you miss me?" He asked, amusement in his voice while he gently brushed the back of his fingers against my thigh through the high slit of my dress.
I clenched my legs shut, unable to resist the heart-fluttering, tingling sensations that ran up my spine.
"Nah, I was busy with work," I frowned when he didn't touch me further. This was getting out of hand already.
"You're so workaholic," He commented, "You should take a day or two off,"
"I'd go mad if I did that," I told him honestly, watching outside to see where he was taking me. So far, the route was familiar, but he seemed to be driving somewhere uptown.
"Why?" He asked.
"I hate doing nothing,"
"Who said you'd be doing nothing on your days off? You'll be spending them with me," He grins widely, looking proud at his suggestion.
"I'd rather go mad then," I shook my head, and he gave me a look. I could tell he wanted to say more but held himself back, changing the gears and focusing on the road instead.
"Where are we going?" I decided to ask instead.
"Have you been to this side of the city before?" He asked me.
"No,"
"Then you'll find out," He answered, and the rest of the drive was silent. Well, as silent as it could be, I swear the sound of my racing heart was too obvious to miss. Even someone deaf could hear it. It didn't help whenever his hand wandered too close to my legs, making me anticipate his touch, but only to be disappointed when he wouldn't touch me. Not like I wanted him to touch me. Of course not.
Nonetheless, the tension in the car was hard to miss. I knew he was aware of it, too, due to how he clutched the steering wheel. His body looked too tense. It satisfied my wolf to a great extent to know that I was affecting him, too. To some extent, I liked to, too, but I knew this was a dangerous thing.
After all, it took only a few sparks to cause a wildfire.
He took me to an exclusive fine dining place I had never heard of before. As soon as we walked in, I felt slightly self-conscious, wanting to hide, but Grim placed a firm hand on the small of my back, leading me to the elevator. It ended up being a beautiful rooftop, candle-lit dinner.
"What do you think?" He asked.
"It's nice," I smiled awkwardly, feeling severely out of place, but his familiarity suggested that he frequented it. After the server took our hours, I felt even more awkward in the silence as he pensively studied me.
"Er... Victor?" I suggested.
"Not yet. I want to know more about you," He pressed, his features looking sharper under the candlelight.
"There's nothing much, really," I shrugged, tasting the wine. It was the exact pomegranate wine I had last night at its place. I tried to hide my satisfaction as I gulped down some of it.
"That's what I'd say if I wanted to hide things about me," He commented. I levelled him with a severe look.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I looked you up. There's nothing much. Did you remove your details from the council's system?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. I clenched my jaw. I might or might not have done so, but he didn't need to know.
"It could simply mean that I'm just a boring individual," I tried to dismiss it again, sipping from the wine. If I could find ways to make him lose interest in me, it'd be best for me, but my wolf instantly disliked the idea. Also, it could backfire. He'd drop Victor's case if he lost all interest in me. I didn't want that to happen either. Realizing I was walking a tightrope, I decided to steer the conversation. "What exactly does the job of an Underlord entail?" I asked.
He gave me a contemplating look, sitting back. The wheels were spinning in his head; I wouldn't say I liked that. It was never a good news.
"Well, it depends on your rank," He answered.
"Who decides the rank?" I couldn't help but ask. I always thought the Underlords were just a bunch of outlaws banded together, but seeing how Grim operated, I think I couldn't have been more wrong.
"We have the Night Court," He answered. "It decides your rank based on a lot of factors,"
"Like what?" I pushed, intrigued.
"I might tell them if you tell me why there are not enough details on you," He dished back, making me suck in a breath. I clenched my jaw. He was using my curiosity against me, and as much as I hated it, it was working.
I was hungry to know more about his world, and he was hungry to know more about me. We could have an equal trade if I didn't let myself get carried away too much.
"Well..." I licked my lips, sorting the story out in my head. He didn't need to know too many details, "You have to come from certain lineages even to apply to get into the council. Er... well, let's just say I don't perfectly meet that criterion at all," I tried to dismiss it casually, but the look on his face told me that I had committed the biggest mistake.
He closed in over the table, his eyes simmering with too much curiosity for my good. "That's scandalous. I love it," It wasn't what I was expecting to hear, but it made me smile for some fucked up reason. However, he was quick to wipe my smile off with his next question, "But I bet it's more than that,"
Well, he was right, but he didn't need to know.
"I answered my bit," I reminded him. He chuckled, realizing I was doing the same to him— using his curiosity against him.
"So... there's the Night Court, and it's ruled by the Arch Lord. The Night Court decides the ranks depending on how much you've served them," He explained, his eyes focused on something behind me, his body tense.
He was giving me exactly what I gave him— watered-down information. While it was something, it was hardly helpful. He was beating me in my own game so far.
"And what's your rank?" I dared to ask. His eyes flickered dark, and a menacing smile spread over his lips.
"I'll show you," He replied. Before I could ask him more, he stood up and shot someone behind me while he rounded the table to get closer to me. I heard more gunshots and shouting in the following moments. Right when I realized what was happening, something near me exploded.
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