Crunch.

The seatbelt locked over my chest, hard. In the rearview mirror was a black SUV that definitely hadn't been there a minute ago.

I killed the engine and sent a quick plea to the Universe. With a rent hike and Dad’s sixtieth birthday, it had not been a cheap month.

The other guy was already standing by his car, looking down at the scene with a frown. His tall frame was encased in a sleek charcoal suit, his dark hair just long enough to sweep the side of his temples.

Not your usual type of opal-seeking tourist. They arrived in tour buses, or vans packed with fossicking gear. This shiny black 4x4 had a luxe badge and… zero damage.

On the other hand, Betsy, my third-hand Corolla was done for. I’m not an expert, but the back bumper was hanging off in a very unroadworthy way.

The stranger’s flint-black eyes flickered over me, unimpressed. Damn, of course he had to be gorgeous. 

The Universe just didn’t care.

***

Owen’s undamaged SUV was firmly back on the road when his thoughts returned from autopilot. He’d cursed at the jolt when the cars collided, but the choice insults he’d lined up died on his lips when the other driver got out of his car.

His slim frame was clad in a pair of well-worn jeans and a loose t-shirt. When he leaned over to inspect the damage, it pulled tight over his shoulder blades. Owen tried to focus on the sizeable dent that his own towbar had made in the little old car, but forgot about it completely when the young man stood up and looked at him.

His blue-grey eyes were embarrassed, rather than angry. Between his eyebrows only a small furrow betrayed his exasperation.

“Looks like the bumper bar’s done for,” he sighed, before giving Owen a wry smile, “You came off alright though.”

“You should look where you’re going.” Owen blurted defensively. 

The furrow became a frown. “You backed into me, mate,” his easygoing manner cracked for a moment. But he quickly gave a little shrug and pasted his smile back in place. “let’s just exchange details.”

“You want my details?” Owen’s ears suddenly warmed up. Was this guy flirting? 

“Yeah, for insurance? I hate to break it to you, but this is a one-way lane.” The young man tapped his toe on the gravelly asphalt, where a faded white arrow bore mute witness to their meeting. It pointed the wrong way.

“Oh, for damages.” Owen patted his pockets in panic. He’d only come without a chauffeur because Gregory had made a snide comment about his driving. Did the company even have a human insurance policy?

He pulled out a couple of opals, samples from the mine he’d been visiting. They were small, but high quality. “Will this cover it?”

The young man gave him a look. “This is the Thunderbolt Springs. That much opal isn’t worth spit here.”

Of course, he should have known. The little town’s economy was built on shiny stones like the ones he was holding, but an air of desolation hung about the cluster of buildings. The tiny carpark they were standing in had seen better decades.

Owen’s watch buzzed. It was Gregory. They’d carefully planned this outing when Chloe was at a conference, but time was getting tight. Soon she’d be back in the office, and she’d notice him missing straight off the bat.

“Look, I don’t have a lot of time.” He looked again at the man’s youthful face, and something inside him bumped unexpectedly. Without thinking, his hand had reached inside his lapel and pulled a small, enamelled case from the inner pocket.

“Here’s my details,” he swallowed. It was true, the company’s address was definitely on there, “you can look me up.”

He bolted back to the SUV and slammed the door.

Now, he passed a faded sign bidding him ‘Farewell from ’Bolt Springs!’ and pulled off the road. His hand went to his lapel.

The empty pocket made his face heat up. What had possessed him to give that young man his token?

Had it been the shoulder blades? Or the narrow waist below them, maybe.

He shook his head mechanically. That token had been burning a hole in his pocket since Mother had insisted he take it from the Dark Palace, the Prince of Demons’ main residence down in Tenebralis. It was time, she said firmly, that he settled down. It didn’t even have to be with a demon.

He could have healed the guy’s car instantly, of course. But mindful of the Prince’s strict instructions, he was extra careful around Thunderbolt Springs. A human businessman would have known what to do, would understand things like insurance. For the first time, he missed the complicated machinations of Tenebralian court politics. It might be bloodthirsty, but at least he was good at it.

 Humans. They held such power in their hands, yet they couldn’t sense it. In the Underworld, each opal pulsed with vast energy. Mounted onto great, strategically placed altars, they powered everything from streetlights to the Portal itself. Yet humans just polished them up and stuck them on ugly jewellery. When he arrived at the Upper Bureau, he’d been astonished to find the humans didn’t even like opals anymore. They were dated. Daggy.

Whatever. He braced his hands on the wheel and turned back onto the road. Either the token found its way back to him, or it didn’t. He had bigger things to focus on.