“It’s nothing,” I told her gruffly as I moved away from her and her scent once more. Fucking. Shit. Damn. I took in the smell of lavender once again, the anger and heat from earlier rose like a phoenix inside me. When it wasn’t the hearts, it was her. Her smell. Her beautiful face, tempting body, and challenging eyes. It fed a beast inside me that roared to life every time she neared.
I didn’t know how to deal with the onslaught of emotions.
“Are you sure? Anything that causes you pain is my pleasure.” It was strange how I felt her arrogance long before I saw it. Her flawless posture was straight as she gawked at me. She was still too fucking close.
“Get away from me before I tear into your neck with my teeth.” My canines lengthened. Her face turned a deep shade of red. “I can’t stand the smell of you!”
It was literally driving me mad—worse than the one hundred and thirty-seven hearts beating in my chest.
“What the fuck!” She hissed back. “Then leave. No one’s telling you to stay.” She materialized two tiny swords and pointed them at me.
“Not until you take this thing off of me!” I yanked at the collar.
“Never,” she said with venom dripping off her tongue.
“I’ll kill you,” I promised.
She smirked. “Good luck with that.” She twirled on the tips of her black leather boots, thrusting her ass out in the process. Something about her actions made my nostrils flare, and I was blistering hot. This was anger mixed with something else, I think. Then again, I could just be furious. Anything was possible.
She faded right before me. She knew I’d follow. I materialized my portal chip and followed her scent. The Devil could travel anywhere without a portal chip. I never understood why he didn’t make his creations with the same ability. I was fully clothed when I dropped down into the place she’d gone, but it didn’t stop the necks from snapping around just to get a peek at me. Thousands of years spent asleep made me forget all the attention I got as an entity. The power I held dimmed everyone else’s in the building except for Maureen’s. Her power was like a sunset. I’d yet to see her use much of it, but the orange shadowy presence flowed around her freely—calm yet ready to strike at any given moment. She didn’t let people see it. Meanwhile, mine ran rampant all through the room much like my anger. I wasn’t good at soothing it either.
News of my appearance tonight would reach the ears of every demon in the Underworld. Demons, like humans, loved to spread stories and gossip.
Glancing around the room, gave me no idea of what type of place we were in. A foul odor—the stench of demons, booze, blood, and sex—hit my nostrils. I tried to shake it off, but it did no good. In the center of the room, two demons slung punches at each other while various couples groped one another in dark corners. A noisy card game took place at a far table. Maureen’s voice drifted toward me as she spoke to a bald warlock.
“I see Gavin is hiding himself after losing.”
“I see you brought your friend,” the warlock said. My hackles rose as I met his eyes and he smiled. “How’s that going?”
“Like I’ve adopted a stray dog,” she grumbled in a light tone of voice. Friendlier than she’d ever spoken to me which told me she was comfortable around the warlock. “Be right back. Gonna tell Molly to hook me up with a fight. I’ve got some steam to blow off.” My hearing enhanced, concentrating solely on her as she strolled over to the bar and spoke to a skinny woman behind it. “Where’s Ryan?”
“Out with Grim and Melanie,” the lady replied, sliding a drink to Maureen.
“Put me in the ring,” Maureen held the drink to her mouth and threw her head back, swallowing it all in one gulp. She slammed the glass down. “Put one more in too.”
“Who?”
“The giant man throwing daggers at me with his green eyes. Bronze skin. Built like a god.”
I met the woman’s gaze, and she smirked before glancing back to Maureen. “Oh, that one.”
“Yeah, he wants to fight too.” Maureen turned around and peered over at me through the hundreds of demons. “Don’t ya, Jackal?”
“Jackal?” the woman startled.
“Relax. I got it under control.”
“I hope so,” was the woman’s wary response.
I pushed and shoved as I made my way to Maureen. “What is this place? And what did you say about fights?” I flashed my teeth, touching the tip of one of my canines with my tongue. “I know you didn’t say I was fighting.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll go first.” She winked. “This is The Den. It’s a bar, fight club, sex den, and poker house—all in one. Pick your poison.” She rolled her eyes at my expression. “I forgot how old you are. Why would you sleep so long?” she practically growled at me.
“I haven’t missed anything,” I told her dryly. “Everything smells like decay and disease in here.”
“You’re a real party pooper, Jackal.” She shook her head.
I peered around trying to figure out the appeal she saw and found none. A giant ogre tore a head off of a small fairy-like demon in the ring. The crunch and crack of bones breaking and separating put me on edge. My skin rippled as I bared my lengthened canines at everyone that so much as glanced in my direction. When a tiny banshee female bumped my side, I whipped my head around. A deep guttural hiss tumbled out of my throat, and she dipped her head and scurried away.
“Jesus, will you relax? I’m serious. I’ll make you leave if you don’t chill. I came here to get away from you,” Maureen muttered next to me.
I knew her words were empty. If she could make me leave, she would have done so already. I sighed. “Do what I ask and I’ll leave.” After I cause her pain.
“Yeah, and you’ll spend the seconds after I take off the collar trying to hurt me.”
Could she read minds? I squinted my eyes at the side of her face as she took another drink.
“Here.” She handed me a glass. I peered down at it like it was poison. “Oh, God. You’ve been eating out of the palm of my hands the last few hours, and now you’re acting suspicious?”
Her tone only spiked my anger.
Even so, I picked up the diminutive glass and sniffed, and promptly sneezed. It had a stout odor to it. Maureen’s cackling caught my attention. She rolled her eyes when she noticed my glare. Refocusing on the curious drink before me, I held the glass up and swallowed the liquid before it could hit my tongue. A burning sensation filled my neck and chest as it went down. I grabbed my chest and peered at her. Should I ask if that was normal to assume I swallowed dragon flames? Seeing her giddy expression, I chose not to. I set the glass down, strangely intrigued by the heat still tickling my insides.
“More?” she asked.
“More,” I agreed.
From inside the octagonal cage, a short stocky demon called Maureen’s name. Yells along with a few snarled comments rang out as she made her way to the cage and stepped inside. Instead of allowing the jeers to distract her, they only fueled her pent-up fury.
“You know the rules with an entity. You only have to kill her once to win, that is, if she doesn’t kill you first.” The small man was talking to her opponent—a demon with pointy fur-covered ears and a tail. His demeanor, hunched over and eyes shifting side to side, reminded me of a feline creature.
His yellow eyes flashed at Maureen. “Soon all those lives will run out, aye?”
The beast goaded her by bringing up her fate. Although her body remained calm, her power angrily flared around her. It was true then. The Reapers were going to die.
The moment the lesser demon left the ring the match began. Maureen cocked her head to the side, one hand on her hip, the other beckoning her opponent with the other. He rushed forth, extending his nails like weapons. Maureen took a deep, audible breath, looking away like she was bored and ducked just as his claws swung out. His second hand was already in motion, coming from the right and she dipped back. He swung hard and fast, left and right. She bobbed and weaved every single one until h
e surprised her with a jump kick. Quickly, Maureen crisscrossed her arms over her chest. The force of his hit made her stumble a few steps back, and by then he was already mid-air, claws out. She dodged his strike, but a few lone strands of her hair were nipped and fell to the floor. Time seemed to stand still in the ring as she stared at where her strands lay.
Her dark eyes swirled with anger as they hardened on her attacker. She rushed forward, body hunkered low then all at once, she rose and swung her fist out at the same time, almost like she was using the force of her lower body strength to deliver her attack. He blocked the punch with an arm, hissing and cupping the battered limb. The next throw was dead-on. A crack echoed from the ring, blood squirting from his nose as he bent to hide his face from her. She was already grabbing his shirt collar. He clawed at her arms, ripping her skin but she ignored it, completely focused on what she was doing. I watched as she gripped his chin and shoved her fingers up his nostrils, forcing him to open his mouth until another sickening crunch filtered over everything around me. What she did next stunned everyone into silence. She rammed her hand in his mouth, grabbing his tongue, having to do so several times before she got a good grip and yanked it out. Blood poured from the feline’s mouth.
This wasn’t blood-thirst. Once again, her powerful essence was reeled in and calm, serene, around her. Holding the tongue, she peered around the room like she wanted to gaze into the eyes of every demon here.
“What’s wrong? Reaper got your tongue?” Maureen pushed her opponent away. “Have anything else to say?” She was speaking at the crowd.
That was when I understood what she was doing. She was making an example out of him. By taking the tongue of the demon, she was showing them what she could do to any who spoke ill of the Reapers.
Again her eyes bounced around the room. The woman was so arrogant that I didn’t doubt that she frightened everyone in the building. That was how the rest of the match went. She didn’t kill him immediately. She let him bleed out from his mouth while she kicked his body on the ground every time he dozed while walking around the ring. Long before the one hundred and thirty-seven hearts came to reside in my chest, I watched animals when I was in wolf form. I recognized when animals killed for survival, but I also witnessed when they played with their food. If she had been a lioness, this would have been her toying with a meal. But she had a point to make, and she was tossing her authority around the room for every demon to witness.
I was on fire again. I didn’t think I was angry. I was indifferent. I didn’t care for her or her opponent. The demon taunted her, and she was ending him like they went in the ring to do. But I didn’t know how to explain the rush of adrenaline coursing through me. I should not watch her, I decided. But I did, anyway. More like, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Her ferocity drummed a hypnotizing spell on me.
The crowd had quietened down long before the feline finally bled out. Their distaste for the situation hung in the air, but she didn’t let it bother her as a murmur of hisses rippled from the demons. She flicked her ponytail off her shoulder and wiggled her hips back and forth as she stepped out of the cage. The same smoldering heat I’d felt before slithered its way over my neck and down into my stomach.
“Jackal,” the small demon in the ring said my name. His hand moved to his head to scratch it as he pinched his eyes together, peering down at the paper he held. “Jackal?” he said again. “The entity Jackal?” His eyes wandered around the building until he found me. “That explains the power in the room.”
The crowd roared with laughter. I caught a gleam in Maureen’s gaze as she made her way back to the counter where I stood. “Go on,” she said grabbing a cloth behind the bar and wiping the demon’s blood from her hands. “They’re waiting on you.”
Maureen’s voice was soft, catching me off guard. Killing the demon had taken the edge off of her. I turned on the stool but stopped when I felt a foreign object against the side of my leg. Glancing down I saw the outline of my engorged cock through the jeans the Reaper made me wear. Why was I aroused? I’d never experienced this before. Now that I was aware of it, I couldn’t focus on anything else. The scratchy material of the pants I wore rubbed against me when I moved slightly, a tantalizing friction I’d never encountered until now. The smell of sex never affected me before but the musky, aroma was only adding more pressure to my loins. My hearing was hypersensitive to the repetitive groans from the couples copulating in dark corners. It filled my ears and a sensation of warmth spread over my body making my flesh strangely hot and tingly.
“You’re being weird,” Maureen spoke, and I faced her.
My cock throbbed, and I groaned with the realization that she was responsible. Somehow, I already knew it was her. It made sense even when I didn’t know why it made sense yet.
This was lust. I growled as I hurried to get away from her. The desire was worse now that I knew. Something about her eyes appeared different before I left. Like I was really seeing her for the first time—as a creature that got emotional. The way she smelled… My nostrils flared. I hated the way I was suddenly in tune with my growing cock and why it continued to harden. I bumped into a demon, and his scent replaced Maureen’s, and for a second, I welcomed it. I breathed easier without the lavender flooding my senses. I pushed him away, losing myself within the crowd of demons. By the time I made it to the cage, my cock was back to normal, and the fire had died.
The rest was a blur. I stepped into the ring with the hearts pounding. I was still thinking about lavender when my opponent attacked. I wasn’t aware of what I was doing. Still processing my rapidly increasing desire, I was consumed by her. How strangely obsessive and maddening my sudden hunger was. It made me ravenous. The yearning turned into bloodlust and my hand went straight into my adversary’s chest, ending the fight immediately. The sickening crunch of bone and the pop of his heart brought me back out of thoughts.
I sought her face in the crowd. She watched me from the same spot I had watched her. Her eyes hardened, and once again, I was consumed with the mutual hatred we harbored for one another.
Getting rid of the collar became my primary objective. Being so close to the woman, along with the presence of the one hundred and thirty-seven hearts, made me into something I wasn’t.
Chapter 6
Maureen
Jackal was different.
He followed me home from The Den like I assumed, but he didn’t argue or glare like he’d been doing. He stepped into my living room and stayed there until I joined him. Then what did he do?
He avoided me.
Yet I could detect his overwhelming presence all through my home, even when I slept. He made no plan to leave, and every second that ticked by, the beast grew more and more agitated. His power clouded the entire house while rattling mine. Our powers were at odds and determined to clash. The more his irritation seeped out, my essence sought to attack.
I could end everything. It was simple—remove the collar and be done with Jackal. I could dodge his attacks, not that it wouldn’t get messy when he came after me. I’d never been an easy girl though. When someone wanted me to do something, I had to make it my life’s mission to do the opposite. I was never one to follow rules. The only rules I had ever been able to abide by was that of a Reaper. If I could listen to any man’s orders, it would be that of my father’s. No one was more fair or honorable than the Grim Reaper. I took on my father’s fate with pride, promising to do right by his name.
Getting Barron’s text regarding Dad made me feel bad. The last person I wanted to disappoint was my father, and he wasn’t happy with what I’d done to Jackal. Sadly, my remorse set off a vicious, never-ending cycle. First came remorse then pride jumped in and I got angry for being that way.
So what did I do? I often ignored it. I materialized clothes on since I slept naked, then re-read the text message.
Dad wants you to bring Jackal to the castle.
That was all it said. Taking a deep breath, I stood up and ventured into the living
room where the beast was lying on the sofa. He wasn’t asleep. I didn’t think he’d slept since I awoke him two nights ago. But then again when you’ve slept thousands of years who needed anymore?
His eyes were on me the second I stepped out of my room like he was waiting. Placing a hand on my hip, I smirked. “Come on, my pet. It’s time to meet the family.”
His eyebrows flattened. “What are you up to?”
I held my hands up. “Not me. Grim.”
His power clouded the room. “I have no interest in whatever the Grim Reaper wants from me.” He stared at the ceiling as if the conversation was over.
“You don’t have a choice.” His eyes snapped back and seared mine, making me smile. He understood perfectly. “Come on.” I said it like a command and watched his entire body flinch, then stiffen as he tried to renounce the collar’s magic.
“Keep testing me,” he gritted out. “It won’t be pretty when I finally get my hands on you.”
I wasn’t afraid of much, but for some reason a cold chill pressed over me. I believed him. My words and actions only made his hatred for me fester. “Good. It’s a date.”
____
“What’s wrong with this place?” Jackal asked when we arrived in Grim’s woods.
Everyone who saw this place for the first time reacted the same way. When Dad first created this place, I would have loved to have known what he was thinking. So many vivid pink and purple trees and other unnatural colors he used in place of the green on earth everyone was accustomed to. The place was like a rainbow of color. The rivers glowed, the leaves were more like cotton candy than leafy. I couldn’t imagine what Dad was like before he met Mom. Lonely. It was easier envisioning that Dad filled his world with color because he didn’t know love. Now that he had had someone to love, the tiny haven he created here was a testament to what he yearned for.
Jackal's Pride (Seven Deadly Book 2) Page 7
