He had to duck to make it around the fluorescent light that spanned nearly the entire space of the kitchen as he searched my barren cupboards. I could’ve helped him, but it was more fun to watch him find nothing but emptiness until he came upon the two cups I had. He poured a glass of water from the faucet and gulped it down. I had to hand it to him. He was handling my junk well.
“You know, some women find my size to be sexy.” I jerked my head back in surprise. Not the kind of words I would have found to come from an honorable man. Maybe he wouldn’t be so bad?
“No, they’re just hoping you have a huge dick. Do you? Have a huge dick?”
A grimace twisted his lips, but he chuckled, and I puffed with pride. Finally, someone laughed. It didn’t take nearly as long as I thought it would. I brushed the proverbial dirt off my shoulder with a smile.
“Hey, just because you’re huge doesn’t mean you’re not sexy. It just means you’re fucking huge, and I hope, for your sake, your dick is huge.” I couldn’t deny the man the fact that he made my mouth water.
“I am adequate,” he admitted, which was much more than I expected to ever hear from him. He filled his glass of water again and stalked off into the living room.
“That’s what someone says when they have a small dick.” I twisted the cap off a water bottle from the day before and took a swig, then I shuffled my five steps behind him.
“Why don’t you come over here and see for yourself if it is adequate for you?” He opened his arms wide and sprawled out on the couch. His cock pulsed as it grew, hoping I would touch it.
I guess he isn’t as honorable as I thought. He was … accurate in his description. It fit his large size, but of course, I would never tell him that.
“Typical male.” I played it off, revealing none of my approval on my face. Was he responding to the fact that I had no clothes? Or was it because we were talking about his penis?
“What?” he scoffed.
“A woman starts talking about your dick, and it gets hard. Typical.”
“You don’t like an erect penis?” Yuck, I cringed away from his words. Erect penis? Who says that?
Shrugging, I said, “Eh.”
“Ah, you swing for the other team.” His eyes glinted with satisfaction, the flames raging out of control. He liked the idea. He seemed to be full of surprises.
“I swing for both teams,” I corrected him matter-of-factly. His eyes burned brighter. I glanced down at the bulge in his pants. It was rock solid and standing at attention. “You are adequate,” I admitted. I had to since it was practically screaming at me.
I picked up my phone, clicked it on, then started scrolling through social media. My shadows stirred when I saw pictures of the parties from last weekend and thought of all the drunken souls causing mischief. I wasn’t a social butterfly, but I also needed to eat. Daddy required souls to keep the Underside running and kept the threats coming if I didn’t work. Social media with a bunch of college kids posting their parties made my hunt a little easier. So, I liked to stay informed. Besides, I had nothing better to do. My orders for tomorrow night hadn’t come down, so I hoped to score a party or two.
Nothing.
“I like to think so,” he murmured and worked to fluff the pillows. Precariously, I sat on the edge of the couch, waiting for him to get comfortable and to see if there was any room left. I positioned myself on a little sliver of blue cushion that remained. Our legs touched no matter what I did to avoid it. Finally, I just gave in and settled, keeping my legs closed like the proper naked lady I was. “So, what are you exactly?”
“I don’t know,” I said, even though I thought it was apparent. I was a Shadow … Whatever that meant. As far as I knew, there weren’t any others that existed.
“Where are you from?” he asked, his eyes straight forward as he sat still as a statue … ha.
“I don’t know.” He sighed, his face hardening with annoyance.
“What’s your actual name?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you have to be an asshole all the time?”
“Pretty much.” I shrugged and picked up my phone once again. I wasn’t evading his questions. I sincerely had no answers for him and simply didn’t want to get into why. I may not fear much, but talking about my lack of a life and family was not something I thought about often. I certainly didn’t want to talk about it with a total stranger that could be here to kill me.
He didn’t need a list of anything to use against me.
I pulled up solitaire and started rearranging cards, hoping he would let the subject drop. He sighed heavily once again. “Is there something I can help you with, sir?”
“I guess I should just expect this from the daughter of Hades,” he said derisively, eyes dark.
“And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” I scoffed—what a dick. “Look, we don’t have to like each other, and I don’t like this any more than you do, but you could at least answer my questions. We are stuck together whether we like it or not. We can try to make it a good time, or we can be miserable.” I chose miserable because either way, I would still be miserable.
I looked up from my phone. “Trust me. I don’t plan on keeping you around long.” His chest deflated, and he almost looked a little … disappointed? “I’m going to show Daddy Dearest that I don’t need some arrogant, big-dicked statue to keep me in check. I can do just fine on my own.”
“You can’t, or I wouldn’t be here,” he mumbled condescendingly.
“No, you’re here because he doesn’t want to deal with me. He needs to keep an eye on me. He doesn’t want me getting too powerful and taking over.” That was probably more information than I needed to give, as I believed Coal was probably here to kill me anyway.
“You’re going to take over one day anyway.” I shook my head. I didn’t like where this conversation was going. “What, you don’t want to?”
I had to give it to him. He was one hell of an actor. He knew damn well Daddy would never let me take over even if I could.
“No, I don’t have the genes for it,” I admitted. Coal snapped his head back and scrunched his brow. I gave him a few seconds to come to his conclusion, but after a couple of minutes of silence passed, I filled in the answer for him. “I’m adopted, dumbass. I can’t take over the throne.” That got him. He threw his head back and laughed wholeheartedly. Confused but not willing to let on, I said, “That’s rude.”
“You’ve got jokes, and I have to admit, you got me on that one.” I scrunched my brow and tilted my head. This guy was good at playing the fool.
Stone-cold sober, I said, “No, really, I’m adopted.” A few minutes ticked by of me just staring at him.
He sobered, and there was some other emotion wild in his eyes. “You’re serious.” I nodded, hating the feeling of being stripped and vulnerable. This conversation was hitting a spot that left me unsettled. A puzzled look creased his features. “I was there when you were born.”
“Okay, first, that’s creepy, and second, it wasn’t me. That was Hades’s actual daughter. I didn’t crawl out of no vagina.” He narrowed his eyes in disgust at my words, and I rocked with silent laughter.
“Well then, where is she?” he asked as if he didn’t know. I would have to be incredibly careful around this one. It was already easier than I wanted it to be to talk to him. Something about his naivety made me feel comfortable when it shouldn’t have.
“Not sure. Speculation is that Hades killed her. I mean, why would the Lord of the Underside keep something around that would take his position one day? He’s immortal. The only way for his reign to end is for him to give it up or die. He isn’t going to give it up, so he gets rid of the one thing that could kill him. His spawn. Thus, I was created.” I cleared my throat, pursing my lips. It was apparent I was in the mood to share my damn life story with this ogre.
“Created?” A look of pity washed over him. I nodded, re
vealing nothing of how much that word taunted me.
“Created,” I confirmed. “I have no memories or knowledge of where I came from other than darkness and shadows. I have no childhood memories because I never was a child. I woke up one day, forever ago, and just was. I knew he was my “master,” but other than that, I had no life before that day. He told me I was his daughter, but I don’t think he knew quite how to handle me, and when he realized my power was only growing, he sent me topside. I can imagine he was hoping that something up here would kill me.” I wasn’t sure why I was sharing this all with him. I didn’t know him any more than I knew any of my neighbors.
Emotion clouded my judgment. Coal managed to hit the only soft spot I had—the lack of love in my life. I hated him for it. I wasn’t sure what made me spill everything to him. For all I knew, he knew everything about me and was fishing for my father, searching for a weakness to exploit.
But I was typically a good judge of character, and despite him being hard to read, something told me he had no actual clue and perhaps believed that he was here to keep me in check. The sincerity in his eyes was undeniable.
He could sincerely be in the dark. The lonely inner me tried to latch onto the fact that he might not be here to kill me. I didn’t have to give anyone a chance, but I’d rather not be miserable while he was here.
I pushed the thoughts aside. I couldn’t let myself get attached.
He might very well be able to kill us. I reiterated, hoping to shatter all hopes and dreams before they took on a life of their own. We didn’t need to repeat our time with a certain male in the past.
“Jesus,” he muttered, his eyes dulling sympathetically. He pitied me.
I didn’t need his pity.
A shiver skittered over me, and I stiffened. I didn’t like being vulnerable. I hated it, and somehow Coal had been in my life for all of two point five seconds and managed to crack my walls and had me sharing shit.
I grumbled and crossed my arms over my chest to squash the feeling of being so overexposed. I suddenly wished I had clothes on and hardened my armor. I would not let my lack of a life get to me. I was a cold, soulless bitch, and I would remain that way until something managed to wipe my ass out.
I would not be weak—no more mushy conversation. I needed the gargoyle gone ASAP.
The inner me cried.
Can’t we just enjoy his company?
No. Survival matters most, not feelings. I locked my inner self up tight; that bitch was annoying.
Instead of probing further, Coal picked up on my sudden emotional shut-off. He cleared his throat and picked up the remote. He clicked on the television with a grunt and searched through the guide, leaving me to my thoughts. A few minutes later, he settled on some hentai—something I didn’t expect from him. Maybe he thought it would make me uncomfortable? Was this retaliation for being naked?
Careful, two can play that game.
Maybe he isn’t so bad after all.
No. Keep trying, though.
He was awful, and he needed to be gone.
He set the remote on the table and leaned back. “This good with you?” His voice blended with the heavy panting and exaggerated moans, but I managed to catch what he said. I nodded, refusing to let him see my vulnerability.
3
I slipped on a tasty red dress that boosted my boobs, hugged my ass, and left little to the imagination length-wise––precisely what Coal should hate. A pair of black pumps made my calves look toned and some netted stockings filled in the rest. Phew, there was a lot of skin showing.
He didn’t mind you being naked. My inner self reminded me snidely, and I ignored her stupid ass. He may be okay with me being naked, but he was going to hate me going out dressed like this.
My bobbed hair was up in the perfect bun—gotta love extensions—with a few orange curls bouncing in front of my ears. I darkened my eyes with shadow and liner and put on the longest pair of lashes I could find. Air puffed from my eyelids when I blinked. Perfect. I finished everything off with blood-red lips. After blowing kisses at myself in my vanity mirror, I slipped from my bedroom.
I needed to make a little money and get rid of a gargoyle. I was hoping that my slutty taste in clothing and loud sex with some random stranger would turn him away. Gargoyles were known to mate for life, so I could imagine the lack of monogamy in mine would push him away. Or make him kill me sooner.
Whichever one came first, but I didn’t want him around. It was a feeble attempt, but hopefully mixed with hunting properly and proving I didn’t need him, it would leave just enough of a bad taste in his mouth that he would just go. At the very least, maybe he would stop asking questions and trying to get to know me.
Coal was tucked away in the far corner, which wasn’t very far away, doing a series of push-ups and crunches and a whole bunch of other nonsense that buff guys do. For the past three days, that’s all he seemed to do. That and annoy me. And ask a ton of questions. He was here to keep tabs and learn, or he was committed to making it seem like he wasn’t here to kill me. I just wanted him gone.
He wore nothing but baggy black sweats and looked very yummy. His chest was broad, his gray skin peppered with a bit of hair that swirled over his twelve-pack (a gargoyle thing, they are big enough to have a twelve-pack), and snuck down behind the band of his sweats. Scars like the ones on his face and forearm littered his beautiful torso, front and back. Lashes from a whip? No wonder he was so cranky all the time. His shaggy black hair fell all disheveled, framing his face perfectly.
His eyes blazed when they landed on me, and he stopped dead in his tracks. Chest heaving to catch his breath, he said, “Where are you going dressed like that?” I snickered. The look on his face said he didn’t approve in the slightest.
“Nowhere, Dad,” I drawled like a teenager. He snorted with laughter. “Bills are due. Gotta make some money.” His smile faded, and he cocked his head to the side.
He came to the conclusion I expected when he said, “You’re a prostitute.” It was more of a statement than a question. The judgment in his eyes asked every question that was flowing through his mind. His distaste was painfully evident.
Perfect. I giggled.
“I prefer the term hooker. I hook fools in and take their money.” He shook his head and huffed a breath, clearly not in the mood for my antics. That’s fine. I hadn’t the time anyway. Thinking the conversation was over and my plan was working, I grabbed my keys and made my way to the door.
“Are you truly a hooker?” he asked before I managed to get out. He tried to hide the look of concern and disgust on his face, but I caught the emotions before he tucked them away.
“Someone’s gotta pay the bills here.” I motioned to my apartment like it was a grand display. He stopped what he was doing and slipped on a shirt, covering all the deliciousness. I pouted. “What are you doing?”
“I’m coming with you.”
“No, no, you’re not.” He clicked his fingers, and his sweats and bare feet were replaced by a pair of black jeans and matching Vans. Admiring his style, I continued and held up a hand. “No need to change any more clothing, sir.”
“If you’re going to put yourself in that position, then at least let me watch your six.” A long, exaggerated sigh fell from my lips.
Talk about backfiring.
“For fuck’s sake, I’m not a hooker,” I admitted. Coal breathed a sigh of relief as if that statement meant something to him. “I hustle the pool hall on the other side of town. It’s sort of like my human superpower. The one thing I’m good at without the shadows.” I snapped my lips shut, pissed with myself for oversharing, once again. “I could never be a hooker. That’s disgusting.”
“At least we agree on something. Still, I’m coming with.”
I grumbled, clenching my fists. This whole plan had gone wrong.
“You can’t just invite yourself. Who does that?” He shrugged, his eyes full of challenge. “No, I don’t need your protection or distraction, big guy.”
“You’ll hardly know I’m there,” he argued and ran his fingers through his hair. I heaved another sigh and rolled my eyes. He was so totally going to ruin my game.
“Trust me, everyone will know you’re there, Gigantor,” I grumbled. He gritted his teeth, which made me smile. It would never get old picking on him. “Stay out of my way, and keep your mouth shut,” I ordered. He opened his mouth, then shut it. “And no interrupting. I may not be a hooker, but I can be a bit of a tease when the stakes are high.” His lips opened again, then closed to a thin line, and he squinted his eyes. “Ah, ah. No judgments. Remember, you’re in my world, my rules.”
Maybe this was a good thing. Maybe seeing me throw myself over other men and women would disgust him, and it would work after all.
Without a word, he grabbed his jacket and threw it over my shoulders, then opened the door. I let the chivalrous acts go. He just couldn’t help himself, even if I were a raging, annoying bitch.
It sort of feels good to have someone looking out for us.
My inner bitch betrayed me. With the outfit I was wearing, I would get a ton of bets flowing. At least tonight, the pervs would leave me alone with him around, and I could focus on my game.
No, we’re going to flirt with everything that walks. I corrected my inner muse. I couldn’t be held responsible for anything that happened tonight.
Bring on the sluttiness.
4
The cool night air caressed my bare skin, and I shivered. There was a lot of it exposed, even with Coal’s jacket. We stepped out onto the landing and made quick work of the stairs as we headed out to the cars. The parking lot was quiet as everyone geared up for their last day of class before the Thanksgiving holiday. I set off towards my car, and Coal followed like a good little gargoyle. When we were close to my car, he made his way to the passenger side of a nice-sized, beige Camry that had dents in the door and long keystrokes gouged into the side panels.
I snickered as he reached for the door handle. Like I would drive something like that. Bitch, please.
Pawns Daughters of The Underworld Book 1 Page 2
