by LS Anders
Arriving at their stop, the city greeted them with horn blows and car exhaust as they took the stairs back up to ground level. The air was heavy with moisture as fat, gray clouds lumbered overhead, threatening rain as they walked the few blocks to his building.
He felt as if he’d aged two-thousand years as he slipped the key in the lock and opened the door for Alea. He was later than usual getting home because of all the earlier drama and making the pit stop at Alea’s.
Kat was where she always lay in the evenings, waiting for him to return. Cutting her eyes to the new arrival, she jumped down from the recliner’s seat. The sleek feline didn’t prance over to him in greeting like she always did, but went straight for her neglected food bowl. Lifting a paw, she gave it a lick before giving her face a cursory washing. Her bright green eyes shifting between Alea and himself.
He was definitely in the dog house and going by the frosty welcome, she wasn’t in any kind of a mood to play nice with the newcomer.
Setting Alea’s bags just inside the bedroom, he allowed her to tour his place on her own, so she was done by the time he was reaching in the cupboard for the bag of cat food.
“I never took you for an animal lover,” she said perching her perfect rear end on the edge of his recliner.
“I prefer them to people most days,” he replied. “She’s pissed at me for keeping her waiting, but I know she’ll be at the foot of my bed tonight.”
“There’s something to be said for unconditional love.” Her smile saddened him.
Her eyes stared off at nothing in particular, distancing herself from him even though she hadn’t physically moved. Something from her past that he had no clue about seemed to be playing out inside her head, and he was oddly eager to discover what it was. Never giving much more than a cursory glance at any female of any species, he was a stranger to himself.
“So, what’s your cat’s name?” Alea asked, fiddling nervously with the hem of her jacket.
“Kat.”
“Are you serious?” Alea scrunched up her perfect little nose. “I would think being an artist, you would have been more creative than that.”
“K. A. T. She’s named after the tattoo artist, Kat Von D.”
“Well, now, that makes sense,” she chuckled.
The chiming of her laugh was a treat to his ears, her smile a captivation that held his very existence in the palms of her hands.
What the fuck was wrong with him?
All these rampant romantic thoughts were so not him. She should be nothing to him except a rare female that he was seriously sexually attracted to. This thread of attachment had to be woven from his first sexual experiences with her and nothing more, because falling in love was inconceivable.
“So, how did you become a cat owner?”
His mind latched onto her inquiry like a starving man to a cracker being tossed his way. Exploring these unfamiliar feelings of longing for her was like lying on a bed of thorns which would be considerably less painful than probing around inside his own head trying to figure out what this new fucked up affliction was about.
“She was banging around in the garbage cans out behind the building one night,” he began. “She was a kitten then. All scrawny and covered in filth. So, I snatched her up, got her fed and cleaned up. She’s been with me ever since.”
“Poor thing. That was awfully kind of you.”
Grunting a response, he wasn't much on compliments.
“Have you lived here long?”
“A few years. After Sevin moved out on his own, Lucian and I went our separate ways.”
“You make it sound like the two of you were married.”
“Just trying to share in the parenting of a troublemaking, shapeshifter,” he growled with parental pride. “He was a handful.”
“I have no doubt,” she laughed.
As the small talk came to a grinding halt and awkwardness took center stage, he shuffled his feet, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Taking an exorbitant interest in Kat polishing off her belated dinner was only going to stretch out the uncomfortable silence between them for so long. Eventually, he would have to converse with her again.
“Mind if I use your shower before bed?”
The word bed dripped off her lips and nailed him in the balls, hardening him within a micro-second.
“Nope. Take your time.” I’ll just be out here icing down my crotch, he added to himself.
Tracking the sway of her small hips as she wove her way through the jungle of his gym equipment, he worried how impressed she was with his tiny apartment. He’d never given two-shits before what anybody thought and had setup his personal space to suit him. Well, except for the elaborate cat tree that Kat rarely used. But, his feline roomie had played with the waded up receipt for hours after he’d assembled the carpeted cat palace for her.
The sound of water splashing in his shower had him groaning and repositioning his already throbbing cock. Alea’s naked body all wet with water droplets clinging and rolling over her skin was too much for his imagination to digest all at once.
Cracking open the fridge, he wrapped his thick fingers around two long necked bottles at once. Popping the top off both beers, he downed one in three gulps. Sipping the second as he milled around collecting a pillow and blanket for the recliner he was making into a bed for himself.
Planning to sleep fully clothed was the only option, he quickly changed into loose sweats and a t-shirt before the rattle of the old iron pipes marked the end of Alea’s shower.
A few moments later, his senses were assaulted anew. Here she came walking towards him all fresh and pink from the heat of her shower just ready to be devoured all over again. She’d washed away all his kisses from her skin, and he needed to remedy that.
“If you didn’t want to me stay, then why did insist on me coming with you?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Her lips were moving, but her words took their sweet time filtering through the lewd images to register anything coherent in his mind.
“Wh…What?”
“You’re standing there growling at me. Doesn’t make a girl feel very welcome.”
Surely not. Wouldn’t he be aware if he was growling?
“No. I wasn’t.” His eyebrows slammed down in denial.
Popping her hands onto her hips, she huffed, “Yeah, you were, demon.”
What with the live porn feed his imagination kept churning out of her on her back with his tongue buried deep between her thighs, he realized it was possible that he’d been doing just that. There was nothing that could compare to the taste of her—
“You’re doing it again.”
“What?”
“The growling. You’re doing it again,” she accused.
“Sorry. It’s late and I’m tired. Go to bed, little fairy.”
Reaching into the overnight bag she had carried with her from the bedroom, she began to spread out the ratty blanket she had brought with her on top of the makeshift bed he was about to try and get comfortable on.
When she made to lie down, he stopped her. “What are you doing?”
“Going to sleep.”
“That’s my bed. You’re sleeping in there,” he said, pointing to the room beyond.
“There’s no way you’ll fit on this tiny recliner, and I’m not taking your bed away from you, Vex.”
“There’s no way I’m letting you sleep out here on this.”
“That leaves us at quite an impasse.” She quirked a perfectly plucked brow at him. “We can’t exactly share the recliner, so I suppose that leaves us to share the bed.”
Her demon had won the standoff. Before Alea realized Vex had even moved, she was being slung over his shoulder and carried like an economy sized bag of dog food into the bedroom. Dumped on the bed, she bounced a few times before coming to rest in the center, a punctuation on his final decision that would not be argued again this evening.
Spreading out her electric blanket Vex had carri
ed in one beefy hand with her to the bedroom, a soft patting against the door got her attention.
What the hell was that?
Turning the knob, she opened the door only a crack and in popped a furry, black paw waving at her in the air. Smiling, she widened the crack and in slunk Vex’s cat.
Hopping up on the bed, Kat wasted no time claiming a spot near the foot. She would bet that’s where the feline always slept.
Plugging in her mobile summer heatwave, she snuggled into the gigantic bed and felt bad about Vex making do with the recliner. She would fit on it perfectly as small as she was, but his huge frame would be spilling out all over the place.
It wasn’t right for her to stay here if he was going to be inconvenienced. She was going to have to come up with some sort of plan to get a place of her own soon or find someplace else to stay. Maybe she would insist on sleeping on the recliner and threaten Vex she would go back home if he didn’t comply.
Her demon was quite the enigma. She was coming to realize beneath his gruff exterior and the grim set of his jaw, he possessed a kind heart that couldn’t turn a blind eye to a soul in need. A total sweetheart with a surly attitude, and she couldn’t stop her heart from swelling just from thinking of him.
Glancing down at her new bed buddy, she realized they had something in common. They were both strays, weren't they? Vex had taken her in much the same as he had the cat. Worried about her living conditions, he was simply giving into his baser instincts to lend a hand to those in need.
He obviously didn't discriminate when it came to helping out a lost soul. Animal, shapeshifter, or fairy. But she didn't want him to feel sorry for her, she wanted him to love her.
The following morning, she’d literally rolled out of Vex’s enormous bed. Stretching up on her tiptoes, her tired muscles had protested. It had been a short night’s sleep fraught with constant tossing and turning despite all the surface area she had all to herself.
She could only imagine how worn out Vex was feeling.
He hadn't had much to say to her after they’d both gotten ready for work. Maybe he wasn't a morning person, but his silence left her feeling like an intruder that was being tolerated.
Lucian had shown up at Vex’s door not long after she’d shouldered her purse and was ready to leave.
Accepting the invitation to join them for breakfast, there wasn’t much in the way of conversation as they made their way to the males’ usual morning haunt. Throughout the meal, the angel’s eyebrows remained glued to his hairline as he looked between the two of them, his perfect lips tilted upwards as if he were anticipating the punchline of a really funny joke.
All the staring had made her a nervous wreck, feeling like a complete outsider as she choked down her food. It was an indescribable relief as they got up, done with the meal and were on their way to the shop.
Vex unlocked the door. Passing him, she flipped on the open sign just as Sevin burst through the door. Jumping out of his way, he tossed her a hasty apology as he hightailed it to the back office.
She was about to go after him when that group of purebreds paused outside the glass front. Flipping the lock back into place, they had no business coming in.
That alpha asshole looked past her, scanning what he could see from the glass storefront.
Why couldn't they just leave Sevin alone?
Studying the group, she didn't think he would be so tough without his posse of thugs.
One of the males caught her eye. Standing in the back and apart from the others, the dark headed shifter kept his head down and eyes on the ground as if he didn't approve of what his pack was doing.
He flipped shame filled eyes up to her that narrowed her gaze. So much like Sevin’s silver eyes, she had to wonder if they were related.
The alpha thug lunged at the glass and rattled the door trying to scare her.
What was his name? Oh yes, Micah. What a prick.
For whatever reason, they no longer viewed her as a threat. Maybe they'd learned the truth behind the rumors that fairies were actually dangerous creatures.
Smiling through clenched teeth, she flipped him the bird. They all stepped away as one, an ashen expression washing over their combined faces.
Turning away from their sudden change of attitude, she wasn’t surprised to find Vex looming large behind her. Talk about stealth mode, she hadn't even heard him approach.
With a thick arm, he brushed her easily aside and unlocked the door. Before the glass paneled door even broke the seal, he had them on the run except for the one in the back. Wide-eyed and walking backwards, he stepped off the curb.
Vex rushed out and pulled the male forward by a wad of his jacket before he was mowed down by a passing cab. Keeping a hold on the shifter, Vex had a few words to impart before releasing him. “What the fuck has he ever done to any of you? If I ever see you pricks around here again, you'll have me and an angel to deal with.”
“S…Sorry,” the silver-eyed shifter stuttered before running off to catch up with the others.
The male didn't seem to belong with the rest of the pack. She could sympathize with him, knowing firsthand what it was like to feel like you didn’t fit in with your own species. But, that still didn’t excuse him from harassing Sevin.
“You good?”
“Yeah,” she said.
“Don't let those assholes scare you.”
Nodding as he strode away, she stared at his retreating back measuring the width of his shoulders. He was such an impressive male. All big with rolling muscles that seemed to be layered one upon the other.
With such a harsh face, it seemed impossible how beautiful he was on the inside. He was a champion of all those smaller than him. Her hero that had taken her out of her shitty house in the middle of the night and to a place where he could offer her his protection.
What had he been like in Netherworld? After all, he was a demon, a keeper of the most horrific of souls. She couldn't imagine he would come across any opportunities there to lend anyone a hand.
Shaking away her thoughts of the demon, she plugged in her space heater and readied the cash register.
Jason strolled in with a wave and a smile. “If it gets any colder, I'm moving to Florida.”
“I'm right behind you. I freeze to death in the winter,” she laughed.
Shrugging out of his heavy coat, he draped it over his arm and eyed her. Something was on his mind. “How are you getting along with Vex?”
Ironic after last night that he would be asking her.
“I say, 'good morning’, and he says 'grrr’,” she answered curving her hands into claws as she spoke. “I ask how he's doing, and he says, 'grrr’. So, I'd say we're getting along pretty well.”
“Don't let him get to you,” Jason said. “He’s rather abrasive, but I think he means well in his own...strangely dark way.” He mumbled the last part as he wandered back to the office.
Ok, Jason was a sweetheart for worrying about her. She had liked him before, but the more time she spent around him, the more his actions endeared him to her.
Sevin hesitantly made his way over to his workspace. Getting the tools of his trade ready for his first client, he stayed watchful of the door and windows. That's when she noticed the bruise beginning to form under his left eye.
“What the hell, Sevin!” She rushed over to him. Lifting a hand to touch over his injury.
Pulling away, he hissed, “Hush, female. Don't draw attention to it. I don't think Vex or Lu have noticed. Is it really getting bad? It throbs like a bitch.”
“Was it that Micah prick?”
“Yeah,” he drew the word out as if ashamed.
“You have to tell someone. You can't let those assholes keep picking on you.”
“Who would I tell, Alea? Vex and Lu? So, they can fight my battles for me? No thanks. I'd rather take a beating by those purebreds rather than run to my dads’ like a scared little bitch.”
“But—”
“No, Alea. You have to promis
e you won't say anything to them. You got any cover up or some makeup that can hide this?”
Digging through her purse she'd stashed under the front desk, she pulled free her small cosmetic bag and covertly passed it to him as Lucian wandered up from the office. The angel was too engrossed in the latest tattooing magazine to pay any attention to what Sevin was up to.
Vex was next to make his way to the front from the back office.
Parking his ass on his artist stool, she grabbed the moment to approach him. “We need to talk about tonight’s sleeping arrangements. You're taking the bed because there's no way I'm gonna let you sleep on that recliner one more night. Enough with the chivalry, not that I don't appreciate it, I just can't stand the thought of you cramped up on that thing.”
“Alea, you're my guest. I can't—”
“Or, I'm going back home.”
It had been one rough as hell day for Vex. Beginning with Alea withdrawing from him this morning, then the trouble between Sevin and that pack.
Between worrying himself down to a nub over the both of them, he had also kept one eye on Jason. Thankfully, the human seemed pretty much business as usual. Sevin’s issue was ongoing and would be until something was permanently done to the alpha of that pack, but Alea took center stage.
His head full to bursting with new feelings he had no idea what to do with. He kept toggling back and forth between wanting a relationship with her and keeping her at arm’s length. His brain had turned into a rope that was being pulled from both ends.
He was thrilled to be unlocking the door to his apartment when Alea’s words hit him with a hard slap across the ass.
“So, we agreed you’re taking the bed tonight, or am I packing my shit and going home?”
“You are absolutely not going back to that house”—he stood a little straighter as if more height was going to make his point any clearer to her—“even if I have to tie you to the fucking bed.”
“Now you’re talking,” she beamed up at him. “I never pegged you for a kinky demon, but I'm down with whatever as long as it's with you.”
