A Trail of Roses

Blythe

Alcohol is a bitch.

A beautifully deceptive bitch.

The devil’s nectar sold me on its sweet promises but delivered only a crushing hangover and morning-after regret.

After one too many whiskey glasses and a cosmopolitan that had looked too good to resist, I’d ended up completely wasted. And for what? I couldn’t even remember what had driven me to seek solace in that downtown bar.

As I groggily opened my eyes, the sudden light invasion forced them shut again. My skull felt like it had been cracked open and stuffed with broken glass. Every throb sent a fresh wave of nausea rolling through me. I groaned, burying my face in the pillows.

Then an alarm blared.

Loud. Insistent. And definitely not mine.

I never set alarms.

My eyes snapped open again. White walls. Mahogany furniture. Unfamiliar sheets.

Not my apartment either.

And that meant—

I turned my head, dreading what I’d see. The man beside me lay sprawled on the bed, platinum hair spilling over his pillow, tribal tattoos golden against his fair skin. Even half-asleep, he looked like something sculpted from moonlight and secrets.

Violet-blue eyes flickered through my hazy memory. A charming smile. Words murmured against my skin.

Great.

I forced myself to sit up, inspecting the damage.

Damn it.

What the hell are you thinking, coming here again? Stupid girl.

His alarm was still blaring, so I shut it off with a glare. Silence filled the air, punctuated only by his even breathing. I wanted more sleep and some Advil, but I couldn’t stay here. I had things to do – and a rogue to hunt.

I threw off the blankets, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. A wave of dizziness hit me, but I straightened up and paused, waiting for it to pass and then looking around for my clothes. They had to be here somewhere.

“Leaving already?” His voice was thick with sleep, yet still rich and commanding.

I spotted my jeans on an apricot-coloured chair and crossed the room to grab them. “Mmm.”

Rustling sheets, then footsteps. Before I could react, warm hands slid around my waist. His breath tickling the side of my neck as he leaned in. Warmth only known with him, caressing my skin.

“Why don’t you stay?”

I stiffened, goosebumps spreading along my skin at his closeness. Then, with practiced ease, I slipped from his grasp and turned to face him. “It’s a little concerning, you know?”

His violet-blue eyes locked onto mine, unreadable yet devastatingly beautiful. “What is?” His voice, though soft, carried the weight of centuries, a fact easily forgotten when standing before him.

I pulled on my jeans before turning away from him, avoiding those violet-blues. “The way you always ask me to stay.”

I could feel his gaze burning a hole into my skin. “And the way you always refuse?”

I exhaled sharply, searching for my tank top. There it was—on the other side of the room. “I have things to do.”

He followed me, his bare feet silent against the hardwood. “Are you certain you are not merely running?”

I snatched up my top, shaking it out. “From what?”

His sigh was quiet. “You know from what.”

I pulled the fabric over my head and reached for my boots, crouching to slip them on. He took a step closer, his presence a gravitational pull I refused to acknowledge.

“Blythe.”

The way he said my name sent an unwelcome shiver down my spine. As if he were invoking something. Something I preferred buried.

Seriously Blythe, why did you come here?

I looked up, meeting his gaze. His face was all sharp angles and perfect symmetry, but it was his eyes that always caught me off guard. Violet and sapphire, with speckles of light - like galaxies swirling in some celestial storm.

There was something else in them too. Something I’d seen before. Something dangerous.

Hope.

“If you allowed it,” he murmured, “this could be more than what it is.”

I scoffed, rising to my feet. “And what is that, My Lord?”

He didn’t flinch, didn’t even blink.

''More than a simple distraction?'' I raise a brow as our eyes meet. ''A good time?''

I moved closer, his familiar scent filling my senses. “Sorry to break it to you, but this will never be anything more than that. We both know that. I don’t do relationships, and I most certainly won’t do one with you.”

He didn’t react. He’d heard it all before. “If you are not happy with this arrangement then just say the word, I won't trouble you again.''

Then I slipped past him, my eyes glued to the door. “Otherwise…”

I opened the door and glanced over my shoulder, my face a mask of indifference. “I’ll just see you next time.”

And then I left.

Just like I always did.

As if it all meant nothing.