“I’ll dissolve into the flames, the very ones in which I crawled out of when created.”
“That’ll never happen.” I shook my head slowly, locking eyes with him.
“With every second I stand in your presence, the more I understand killing among most species. A moral compass is impossible with certain meetings.” His gaze, the way he exhaled, even his voice carried disdain. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you created enemies every time you opened your mouth.”
It didn’t matter that his words were truth. It was the fact that he said it that riled me. I said something about anger and control and whatnot—I was wrong. We had buttons when it came to emotions, and he was pushing a few of mine.
Anger.
Engage in dispute.
Fight. Fight. Fight.
Piss Maureen off.
Click. Click. Click.
“You really want to talk about a moral compass? You might as well call yourself a mass murderer with all the plagues you unleashed before going into hiding.”
I wanted a reaction, and I got one. I expected him to try to jump me again, but instead he winced and grabbed his chest. The same way I’d seen him do a few times already. “Don’t,” he whispered, and it was no fun because his words were like a plea.
I sought a fight and what I got confused me. He had plagued me all right, plagued me with curiosity. The longer he was in my presence, the more I was interested in him—and I hated it.
“Don’t what?” I placed my hands on my hip.
The pain in his expression was gone again, replaced with dilated luminous orbs pressing against my soul with his hatred. I almost liked it. The way his anger crawled inside me like he was taking up residence. “Don’t let your guard down.” His words were a promise. Ones I didn’t doubt were true if I wasn’t careful.
_____
The next day, I darted across an alleyway in the Underworld. Adrenaline raced through my veins and my heart pounded vigorously. I tended to get a little overly excited when it came to targets who tried to get away from me when I came to deliver their fate.
Octo Nar, a hideous demon with wings and a beak, was the name of my current job. The fiend spent years feasting on other demons roaming the Underworld. This wasn’t a problem until Octo Nar killed newborn males. Yes, there was some truth in human folklore—creatures from the Underworld did horrid things to children, including eating them. For some reason, evil spirits were drawn to the purity of youth. Frankly, some species couldn’t be redeemed. They were too dark, too vile, and too animalistic to learn discipline and morals.
He caught a whiff of me coming through the door of the bar and bolted. I had to slip between alleys and jump onto roofs to catch him only to discover that he was flying. He was proving to be more of a challenge than I anticipated. I could end it quickly if only I used fate’s eyes and cut his lifeline, but that would be too easy. Pride burned a challenge in a gut. One to myself. Never take the easy way. Pride could take on anything.
His wings were huge, but he had a face and a beak like a pelican. Truly an odd-looking creature. Materializing Ben and Jerry, I morphed them into one giant whip. Lifting my arm, I swung, and the whip whistled in the air before it met flesh. There was a hiss as it wrapped around his ankle, then a sizzling sound as it burned into his skin. He squawked and flapped his wings with desperation. Feathers fell in the process of a lame attempt to escape. I pulled, twisting my torso around with both hands on the whip. My biceps and shoulders burned excruciatingly as I used all my strength to throw him down on the rooftop.
He tried to raise up, but my whip was like a living entity, crawling and wrapping all around him. He squawked again as the smell of burnt flesh filled the air. “Why bother, you meddlesome Reaper?”
I sashayed over, flicking my hair off my shoulder. Pressing my boot into his throat, I added pressure until shades of purple and blue crept across his reddened flesh. “Hmm?” I batted my eyes at him.
He laughed. “Why bother anymore? Everyone knows. Everyone’s talking.”
That got me interested. I pressed my boot down harder until he squawked again. “What does everyone know?”
“That Reapers will be gone soon. With that bit of information,” he laughed, “gonna be awfully hard to keep every one of us in check. The closer it gets to the end, the braver others will get. No point in trying to keep evil in check. Evil will soon—” I pressed on his throat until his bones crushed underneath my foot. I breathed in an irritated sigh as I removed my boot and opened the portal to the flames as Octo’s furious soul came barreling out of his chest. As his raging soul was sucked, I rolled my eyes and watched the portal disappear.
His words were foreboding. The level of demonic activity has steadily been on the rise since what happened with Harvest over a month ago. If all the disgusting creatures we kept in check had a mindset like Octo had, then things were only going to get worse from here on out. If demons believed we were dying, they’d think they could get away with anything. I hung my head suddenly worn out after that bit of news.
“Is that true?”
Jackal’s harsh voice made me groan. I had forgotten about him while chasing after Octo. Jackal hadn’t left my side at all since yesterday. Normally, I liked being the one that got underneath someone’s skin, not the other way around. I had to lock him out of the bathroom of my own home just to pee. I didn’t know what he did when I slept, but I made a point of pretending his persistent presence didn’t bother me. Sadly, we both knew it did. Let him be miserable all he wanted. I slept fine knowing if he tried to do anything to me, the necklace would prevent it.
Who was I kidding? It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours, and I wanted to strangle him. I preferred my privacy, and now I had this giant, naked supernatural caveman—who resembled a sexy underwear model more than a Neanderthal—following me everywhere.
I don’t care. I don’t care.
Giving in wasn’t my style. In a battle of who gave in first, it wouldn’t be me. Not because I was hellbent on winning. No. I blamed the curse. It truly changed me, making me so different from my siblings. Theirs made them react in sometimes unpredictable ways. Mine changed my entire personality. The curse left me lost, unsure of myself, with nothing but pride.
An image of me holding Joy as a newborn filtered through my mind. The smile on Mom’s lips as she trusted me with her, even going as far as walking out of the room. Dependable. Loving. The words faded just as Joy grabbed my finger with her tiny fist and that emotion left me just as the images did.
I lied. I knew who I would have been like. That was why I was left with a giant hole inside me—where all my good should have been.
I blinked and turned to face Jackal. “Are Reapers dying?” he asked me.
Fighting Octo and reliving jaded memories left me uneasy, and that made me hostile. “We’re not going anywhere. Might as well get that out of your head.”
“Actually, it makes sense.” He nodded like he was figuring something out. “When the end is here, there’d be no point for the Grim Reaper or any of his Reapers so it’s only natural that you guys would fade away.” When I said nothing, he added. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Do you enjoy staying up my ass?” I asked as I strode over to him.
“I think I would know if I was in someone’s ass.” Despite his words though, something in his persona changed like saying and thinking ass was some unsolved mystery. He completely stiffened up as his slow, gawking gaze ran up my long legs. Now he was staring at my hips with a bewildered expression. His Adam’s apple bobbed with his hard swallow. Intriguing. As much as I wanted to say I had him figured out, I couldn’t.
Wanting to push further, I arched an eyebrow as I jutted my hips out. “Speaking of ass, it’s been a long time since you’ve had any.”
His eyes widened. At that moment, I swore I heard his heart pick up speed. No, it was more than one heartbeat. I stared at his chest as he stepped back. “I’m an entity. The Jackal—that’s not something I’m mea
nt to do.”
Now, I was surprised. My mouth dropped. “No… You mean you haven’t…not ever?” My words had me staring at his crotch. The man was the most gorgeous creature I’d ever seen, and that was the truth. I had no problems admitting it. I might not like his personality but his looks…
“I am aware of sex. I’ve seen plenty of it. What’s confusing to me is why you’re shocked I haven’t had it? I assure you I’m not interested in breeding.”
Breeding? Yep. There were a lot of words he might not know but that word was a clear giveaway to how long he’d been asleep.
I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. “It’s nothing. I mean, it’s not a big deal. Plenty of people don’t like sex.” It was a damned shame he wasn’t a sexual creature when he was built like one. I refused to let myself peek down as my thoughts ran rampant.
“Your heart beat is louder than all of mine,” he acknowledged.
“What?” I almost sputtered which wasn’t like me, then I pinched my eyebrows together. “All of mine?”
Just as I asked, Jackal’s stomach growled. He grabbed it, glancing down at himself almost like he was confused by it.
“Sounds like you haven’t eaten since you’re staying up my ass.” I saw that he was about to question my words again when I added, “You’re hungry.”
“Hungry?” His stomach growled again.
“I guess it’s been a long time since you’ve eaten.”
“I don’t eat,” he said. “At least I didn’t.” His hand slid up from his abdomen and rested on his chest again. “So this is hunger?”
“Wait? You’ve never been hungry before?”
He shook his head. “No. I killed a lot in wolf form. Blood coated my tongue many times, and yet I’ve never had the desire to eat. Never had this gnawing in my stomach before—the strange ache for something.”
I scrunched up my nose at the vivid detail. “Ew.” I shook my head. “You should go eat and leave me alone.”
His eyes swept over me. “Like you let me be when you stormed into my cave and collared me?” His stomach growled again. “I should try eating.”
Why was he staring at me like he was waiting for me to feed him?
“What?” I barked. “Go eat.”
He glanced around, and I nearly barfed right then and there as I realized what he was about to do as two rats scurried below in the alleyway. Jackal shifted into a huge-ass panther and jumped down. “Wait, not that—”
Too late. A squeak from below made me coil up, and I looked away in disgust. I could still hear Jackal though. Crunch. Crunch.
Even as a panther, his eyes shined green as he glanced up at me. “Disgusting,” I told him. “That is not what I meant when I said go eat.” I faded quickly, wishfully hoping he wouldn’t show up at my place.
A few seconds later, he filled up my house with his intense presence. He was in human form again as he wiped the poor mouse’s blood from his mouth. “I have your scent. There’s nowhere in either world you can go that I can’t follow.”
“How privileged you are to know my scent,” I deadpanned. “A rare treat if you ask me.”
He didn’t agree if the way his entire body jerked back in a visible jolt was any indication. “You hold yourself too highly. Your scent clashes, a mixture between peppermint and lavender. Lavender always made me sneeze when I ran through it… There’s also something else you carry but I can’t quite place what it is.” He was suddenly examining me carefully with his gape.
By collaring Jackal, I pretty much adopted a wild animal. I ran my hands through my dark hair and exhaled. “If you’re not leaving, then you’re giving me no choice.” He watched me carefully. I materialized more clothes on him—a white T-shirt and dark pants that only seemed to highlight his skin’s golden color. “Keep them on.” It was an order, and I knew he felt the collar react to my words. He growled, baring his teeth. I held my hands up in the air. “You can be naked all you want if you leave.” I smiled triumphantly.
His eyes became slits as his eyebrows pulled into a straight line. “You’re trying to get me out of your hair.”
“Did you figure that out all on your own?”
“I’m staying,” he pointed out.
“I can force you to leave.”
“You can’t.” Jackal surprised me when he said, “If you could, you would have already. The collar wants us close, doesn’t it?”
Shit. Even I didn’t know why I couldn’t order him to leave when I could make him do everything else. Maybe there was some magical clause in the collar that meant we had to be near each other. Taking that I had not so discreetly told him to leave several times yesterday, I assumed the collar was a dud. I had hoped, though, that he hadn’t noticed the strange coincidence with the device.
I needed to check in with the family. If I showed up with Jackal, who knew what would happen. But then again, Barron probably already told them, or he would the second he saw them.
“I will make staying by my side a living hell,” I told him ever so sweetly.
“Lucky for me. I’ve never known what Heaven was like.”
His response made me want to bring Ben and Jerry out, but instead of wreaking havoc, I turned away from him. “And for your info, you smell like a wet dog. You wouldn’t know the smell of something nice if it smacked you in the face.” That was when it came to me. I peered back around with a devious expression. “Go shower. I’ll show you how to adjust the water.”
“You want me to bathe?” he said incredulously.
I nodded. “If you’re staying here…”
I hoped he was already regretting his decision as I flounced over to the bathroom door and pushed it open.
“No.” He stood firm.
“Oh?” I said coyly.
He stiffened at my slow drawl, then clenched his fists together at his sides like he was already mentally bracing himself for what I was about to do.
“Go shower,” I commanded this time, activating the collar. There was a magical shimmer in it as it worked. One step forward as the veins on his neck protruded in his exertion to stay put.
“When this collar breaks…” He snarled as he took another step.
“You’ll kill me. We’ve established that already.”
I waved my hand around beckoning him toward me as I ventured into the bathroom. A minute later, his menacing essence filled the small space. I stood by the tub while he scowled at me. “They didn’t wash this way back in the day, did they?” I asked as I pointed toward the faucet. “Left knob is hot, right is cold.”
When I heard nothing from him, I peeked over at him. He was still simmering in his anger. He wasn’t even paying attention to what I was showing him. Instead, he glowered at me. “You gonna take them off? Or should I?” I quirked a brow at his clothing.
He glanced down. “I can figure it out.”
“Strip,” I ordered. “I don’t trust you to do a good job.” I went ahead and turned on the hot water and plugged the drain. “Want a bubble bath?” I offered although I was already squirting a hefty amount in the water. “Want to leave?” I gave him an out.
“Am I supposed to sit in that?” I turned as he scoffed. “I won’t fit.”
I lowered my head and bit back a chuckle. It was right on the tip of my tongue to say something about his massive cock but of course he wouldn’t get it. Didn’t keep my chest from tickling with the need to laugh though.
Cute.
Heat spread across my cheeks as I thought of how oddly adorable he was. Then my smile waned as I noticed the strange affection I was having for this entire situation.
“You’ll fit,” I assured him. I had one of those rounded porcelain tubs. He’d fit but he’d have to sit straight up with his legs bent up.
I saw that he was still dressed. “Have a change of heart about clothing so soon?”
The clothes came off after that. I splashed the water with my palm encouragingly as he stalked near me. It was a job itself not to stare between his legs, but gawking at th
e sinewy muscles of his abdomen and chest was equally frustrating.
Because holy shit! This man was flawless. It physically hurt to gaze at him. My core clenched in response to every muscular inch of him. I focused on the water at that point, swallowing slowly as he stepped into the tub.
Why did I get myself into these situations? Didn’t pride ever get tired of testing me in some way?
“What is that smell?” His lips curled upward into a snarl as he sat down in the water. As I thought, he fit but it was a sight to see. Not that I expected him to lie back and relax, anyway. Stiff and uncomfortable was what I envisioned from the beginning. He propped his elbows on his knees.
“What? The bubble bath? It’s strawberries and cream scent.” I really did add a lot. He was already covered just by sitting in the water.
He started blowing air out of his nose like he was trying to blow a booger out, then reached up with his hand to cup it. Soap clung to his fingers. “Jack—” Too late, he was already smearing it in his eyes.
He flinched. “It’s burning my eyes.” He continuously rubbed more into them.
“Stop, you’re making it worse,” I told him pulling his hands away from his face. His eyes were squinted shut but his face turned in my direction. Cute, I thought again briefly. “Splash some water over them.”
He spread his legs and grabbed a huge clump of soap. “What water? It’s all fizz.”
I lost it. I fell to my knees and snickered.
“Are you laughing?” His voice was equally shocked and angry. “Do something.”
“Here,” I said through tears. Grabbing a washcloth on the rack next to me, I bent over and stuck it under the faucet. It was easier than trying to stick his head under it—he was too big for that. I wet the cloth twice and wrung it out over his eyes before he stopped nagging.
Jackal's Pride (Seven Deadly Book 2) Page 5
