The Purest Hook (Second Circle Tattoos) Read Online Free Page A

of wanting to fade into the floor like Elphaba at the end of
Wicked
. That was why she’d dyed her hair purple. It kept her present, visible, even when she felt the need to disappear.
    She fixed the hem of her black dress. The short number with only one sleeve was her favorite. Perhaps she’d made a bit more effort than usual, and the heels she wore were going to kill her feet before the night was over. While she wanted to believe she’d gone to the trouble to feel good about herself, it was pointless trying to pretend it wasn’t for Dred’s benefit.
    Pixie adjusted the shoulder of her dress.
    “Stop fussing. You look lovely, Pix. At least a certain singer will think so. He tracked your ass in those leggings like a guided missile today.”
    Cujo waved as he walked toward them. With him were Drea, Eric, Trent, and Trent’s fiancée, Harper.
    “Starting early, girls?” Cujo kissed them both on the cheek.
    “Can you believe this?” Drea, Cujo’s girlfriend, hugged Pixie tightly. “I swear I saw M. Shadows when we arrived.”
    “You did not. Where? Show me,” Lia insisted, tugging Drea away.
    “I need the washroom, honey. Help me find it?” Harper said to Trent.
    “Eric and I’ll get the drinks in,” said Cujo, disappearing off to the bar.
    Pixie laughed at the absurdity of it. Surrounded by her friends for a moment, then alone all of a sudden to watch the table.
    A young man with long blond hair walked over. “What’s a cute little thing like you doing by yourself?” His accent sounded European, Swedish maybe. It was hard to tell with all the slurring.
    “I was just asking myself that same question. My friends left me as quickly as they arrived.”
    “I’m Viggo,” he said, the air around her suddenly ripe with lager and cigarettes. “My band,
Antända
, is on next.”
    Pixie moved farther around the table. “That’s great. Shouldn’t you be getting in the zone or something?”
And sobering up, maybe?
    Viggo tracked her, sidling up even closer. “I’m the drummer. I
am
the zone. Without me, the rhythm would be
skit
.” Pixie looked for signs of the others returning, but she couldn’t see any of them. Viggo wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed the back of her neck. “I have time,” he offered suggestively, “for you to test out exactly how good my beats are before I go onstage.”
    The feel of his fingers on her neck, clammy against her skin, made her feel ill. Pixie stepped out of his reach and knocked his arm off her shoulder. “Please don’t touch me.”
    It was so noisy that nobody was paying them any mind. She looked around to see if any of the guys were close by but she was out of luck.
    Viggo stumbled and nudged her further into the corner. “That’s why girls like you are here, right? You want to
fuck
the band, right?” His hand returned to the back of her neck, but this time he tugged her hair.
    “No,” Pixie said shoving against him. “Get away from me.” She pushed by him, but he gripped her arm tightly, the callused pads of his fingers digging into her muscle, sending pain shooting down to her hand. Putting her entire body into it, Pixie attempted to break free by wrenching away from him, but failed to loosen his grip. She opened her mouth to scream.
    “Get the fuck away from her.” Dred ripped Viggo’s arm off Pixie and pulled her close to his side.
    “
Dra

åt

fanders
, Dred. Get lost. We were just having a little fun, right,
älskling
?”
    “Want me to show you a little
fun
? I’ll start by removing your fucking arm at the shoulder, douchebag.” Dred seemed to grow in height as he spoke. Viggo’s confidence left him.
    “Don’t sweat it, Dred,” he slurred, hands raised in surrender by his chest. “She’s all yours.”
    Viggo turned, but Dred yanked him back. “Apologize to the lady.”
    It was the second time he’d been her hero today, first when Bill from Boise had shoved his phone at her, and now, the thought helping her regain some of