I pull in a wheezing breath and wince as the Demons’ Torment is pulled down my airways.
“Do you see anyone else?” I ask rhetorically.
He shakes his head as he starts to pick through the overturned desks, picking a few up. He looms above me as he moves the desks to make a space around me. Once he is able to, he crouches down beside me, pushing a piece of my hair out of my eyes. His chocolate eyes move over me, becoming more frantic and worried as he sees more.
“Why do you look like you’ve been burnt, and why is there blood? Tell me what he did to you. I promise he’s not going to get away with it,” he promises, his tone like his expression.
I push myself up further, leaning back against the wall for support. I look up and see that the wall is cracking from where I hit it both times.
“I’ll be okay,” I assure him.
“You look like shit,” he comments as his hand comes up to touch my lips. I pull back, hissing in pain.
“Thanks. You too,” I respond sarcastically.
“What happened?” he asks again, his face still serious.
What do I do? I don’t want Hunter to hate me like Reid did, but how do I explain Kyle running out of here faster than any human ever could? I could just forget about it, but I’m sure Hunter has hundreds of possibilities going through his head, and it’ll be better for him to hear it from me. At least that way I can control what he knows and how he finds out, so it won’t be through him going home and deciding to look up on the internet what he saw today. He would get back false results, mainly about superheroes, but if he were to find something on demons, not all the information is correct. We are usually all painted with the same brush—chaos-inducing, fear-striking, heartless monsters who only come out at night.
For a moment, I reconsider letting him do that. It’s highly unlikely that he would put two and two together and get four; all the information about superheroes would confuse him, and he would never get to the correct answer. But the big part of me that wants the reassurance that Bianca gave me—that in fact, I’m not a monster and I have a chance of people knowing me and not being freaked out—has me telling Hunter the truth. The worst that could happen would be that he stops talking to me like Reid did and I am taken from Earth by my dad for letting too many people know about the real me.
“Do you remember when you came over before my date with Reid?”
“Of course,” he tells me, nodding. “But what has this got to do with what just happened?”
I ignore his question and continue.
“And what you asked me—the joke?”
This takes him a bit longer to remember before he nods hesitantly. I can see that he’s already starting to work out exactly what I’m telling him.
“Well, I was telling the truth when I told you I was the ‘or something,’” I tell him, biting my lip as I wait for his reaction. I expect him to stand up, point at me, and yell that I’m a monster, but it never comes, only curious confusion.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m a demon of sorts. You could say goddess.”
“Goddess?” he asks.
“Yeah, Hades, the god of the underworld, is my father,” I tell him, wincing again as I bring in a shuddering breath. He slowly nods, trying to process everything that I just told him.
“How do I know that you’re not just crazy?” he asks, moving from crouching to sitting on the floor, his legs stretched out in front of him. At least he hasn’t said he doesn’t believe me.
Like with Reid, I let my demon side take over, allowing him to see my fangs, distorted face, red eyes, and most importantly, my horns. He jumps slightly, pushing himself away from me, but he doesn’t scream or shout. There is no fear on his face, just surprise. I feel hope rush through me; not everyone is going to react like Reid.
“So, why did Kyle hurt you? Is he like you?” he asks, moving back toward me, his legs crossing.
At the knowledge of a human who is not involved in any way knowing the true me and not judging, I let everything that has happened come rushing out. I explain what really happened with Meredith and what happened when I told Reid. As I go on, I see him becoming more comfortable around me. He sits there, his jacket on the floor beside him, and listens without interrupting. I didn’t know I needed that until right now.
When I get to how I found out about Kyle and the revolution from Adrian, a wet substance begins to run down my cheeks. I quickly lift a hand and wipe it away, worried that the Demons’ Torment is causing blood to come out of my eyes. A clear droplet sits on the top of my finger. I’m crying, again? Wiping the tears away, I carry on telling him what happened today when I confronted him.
“I don’t know what to do now. I’ve never been in a situation like this before. The only thing that has come close is when a single demon decides to rebel. I can deal with that, but this…” I feel the tears trying to resurface.
“I can’t say that I know what you’re going through, or have been through anything remotely similar, but I do know this: you are strong, and you can get through this.”
“So, you don’t think I’m a monster?”
“I knew there was something different about you from day one, albeit, I didn’t expect this, but it doesn’t change who you are. I know you’ve been yourself, and this,” he says, motioning to my face where my demon features are still present, “is only a face. What matters is what’s inside. I know you’re not a monster because your human side is stronger. You would have killed me already if the demon side of you was who you were.”
I let out a small sob which has Hunter bringing his hand up to my cheek, wiping away the tears. My face changing back to normal, I hold my breath as I watch him curiously. I forget the pain which is caused by my sharp intake of breath as I feel his stay hand on my cheek, his rough fingers moving. My heart is beating faster, as I see his brown eyes are gentle and caring. Hunter clears his throat, bringing his hand down from my cheek and looking away from me.
“Sorry.”
What is he apologizing for?
“It’s alright,” I mutter, as a comfortable tension fills the room.
“Are you feeling better?” he asks, standing up and brushing the dust off his jeans, his back to me.
“I’ll be fine. We should try and put the room back to the way it was before everyone arrives,” I say, skirting around the subject of how I’m feeling as Hunter turns to look at me.
Emotionally, I feel like a small weight has been lifted away from the rest on my shoulders. Physically, I feel like those weights are real with my lips, throat, and mouth screaming at me in complaint every time I take a breath in. I push myself to my feet and go to take a step forward when my knees buckle. I go falling toward the floor, my hands flying out to the sides, trying to grip onto something to keep myself up. It’s affected me more than I thought, and as a result, I didn’t expect to be this weak. Hunter’s hands find my armpits, holding me up.
“Whoa,” Hunter exclaims.
I lean against his chest, pushing myself up, so I am standing straight.
“I just need to get home. I’ll be okay after that,” I tell him, trying to step away from him.
“You’re not driving anywhere like this. I’ll drive you. Why do you need to go home?”
“I need to get some blood. It will help me get my strength back up and will kickstart the healing process,” I tell him.
He contemplates something for a moment before speaking quietly.
“You can have some of mine.”
“No, you don’t have to do that,” I insist.
“I want to if it means you’ll feel better.”
I press my lips together, studying his face for any signs of hesitancy. He looks determined and sincere and is showing no fear. It will be pleasurable for him and me. Do I want to get that intimate with him?
“Okay,” I finally agree.
I get a glimpse of nerves as he closes his eyes, looking like he’s bracing for pain.
I hold onto h
is shoulders as I allow my fangs to extend again. Hunter opens his eyes, and the fear is replaced by admiration. I lean into his neck, not wanting to look at his face anymore. I let the tip of my fangs touch his neck, pushing against the skin, and I hear a gasp come from Hunter. I breathe out and then let my fangs sink in. His hands run down my body and to my waist, pulling my body closer. I grip tightly onto his shoulders as his sweet and intoxicating blood touches my senses. He grunts as I gulp the liquid down, trying to get even closer to him.
I smile when I notice the bulge in his pants, how I am affecting him. The more blood I take, the more I feel stronger; I no longer feel the pain of being thrown into the wall, and the blood going into my mouth and down my throat soothes the burn from the Demons’ Torment. Even though I know I can pull away, I don’t want to.
If I could, I would want to stay this way forever, but eventually, I would drain Hunter, and that would be no fun. The thought of if Reid found out and how it would cause him to become more distant as his trust was broken again has me pulling back from Hunter. I lick the holes that my fangs made and go to step back, but Hunter’s hands on my hips stop me. I lift my eyes to meet his and see lust.
“You’re beautiful. You know that, right?” he says, dazed from the bite. He brings one of his hands up to my cheek. Not giving me any time to think, he leans forward and captures my lips in a kiss. I don’t know what makes me do it, but I return it with the same vigor. My earlier thoughts about Reid go out of the window; technically, we’re not together. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
I wrap my arms around Hunter’s neck as his hand on my cheek moves to the back of my neck. His lips are soft as they open, allowing his tongue to run across the seam of my lips. He walks me back until I feel my back hit the wall, and Hunter’s hard body presses into me. This is the only time I want to be stuck between a rock and a hard place.
I moan as I let my head fall back, giving us both a breather. I could continue, but Hunter is human and can’t hold his breath as long as me. Hunter’s mouth doesn’t leave me as his mouth moves over my face and down my throat. I gasp when he places his own bite there.
I rub my hands over his shoulders and down his chest, stopping at the hem of his shirt, tugging it up marginally so I can get my hands under it. Hunter continues to attack my neck as I drag my nails down his muscles. He grunts, pulling back and dragging the shirt up his body and over his head. I trail my finger lightly over his chest, watching them go over the ridges of muscle and up onto his tribal tattoo on his right shoulder, continuing onto his chest.
Hunter’s hand comes to my chin, lifting my face up so he can go back to kissing me. This time, the kiss is gentle and slow. Hunter lifts me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist. I move against him, enjoying the friction, a distant ringing starting up.
It takes me a moment to conclude it’s my phone. I ignore it, not wanting to stop. If they really need me, they can call again. Sure enough, when the ringing stops, it starts up again moments later. I ignore it again, but when it stops and starts again, I groan and pull back from Hunter.
I keep one hand on Hunter’s shoulder as I grab my phone from my pocket. I look down at the screen, seeing that Reid is the one trying to get my attention. A short spurt of panic runs through me, thinking Reid knows what Hunter and I were doing, but I quickly push it away. There is no way that it’s possible. I look at Hunter, biting my lip as I feel guilty for what I’m about to do. I need to be sure that Reid will never find out. If Reid is calling, he must have realized how stupid he’s being.
“You can’t tell Reid what just happened. It’s not going to happen again. I just needed a distraction,” I tell him, trying to convince myself at the same time.
Hunter drops me abruptly, hurt obvious on his face. He clenches his jaw, his back to me as he grabs up his shirt, putting it on. He clutches the jacket in his hand as he begins to pick his way through the mess to the floor.
“Yeah, it was just the hormones from the bite. It would have never happened otherwise,” he tells me. Was it true? Would I have still kissed him and him me if we both weren’t affected by the bite? A stab of pain hits me in the chest as if my heart has just been ripped out. I have to check that it hasn’t, as the pain is so real. Was everything he said a lie?
He pulls the door open, striding out of the room, his exit being made final by the slam of the door behind him. I stand there a minute, staring at him. I clear my throat as I look down at the still ringing phone and answer it, bringing it up to my ear.
“I need your help,” Reid announces straight away, sounding scared. I bet something rarely scares him.
“Where are you?” I ask hurriedly as I make my way out of the room, every bad situation running through my mind. Has Kyle got to him? Has he been hurt? I forget about the mess I’m leaving behind as I run at the fastest normal pace that I can. I hear Reid tell me he’s at his house, and I tell him I’ll be there shortly.
I don’t see Hunter as I make my way out of the building, and the guilt returns. I didn’t mean what I said; I was just surprised by the feelings I felt toward him. When Reid and I were having problems, I went to two of his gang members. If Reid didn’t trust me before, he definitely wouldn’t now. He’s shown me that he doesn’t trust easily. The betrayal would probably be worse than him finding out I’m not human. I push all of the thoughts and guilt about what happened with Hunter out of my mind as I rush out to my bike, ignoring the students who are slowly arriving.
***
I skid to a halt outside of Reid’s gates ten minutes later. I lean and press the button on the box so I can gain approval to come in. When I hear the speaker crackle, letting me know that the mic has been activated, I talk.
“Hello, how are you today?”
“Oh God! It’s you again,” the guarder of the gates, Clive, mutters.
I hear a bang. Either he dropped his head onto the table, or he shot himself.
“Hello?” I ask.
I earn a grunt in response. He’s still alive, thankfully.
“There’s no need to be rude. I only asked how you were.”
“Just go in,” he pleads like last time.
I chuckle as the gates slowly slide open, allowing me to pull through and zoom up the drive. I jump off the bike, putting the kickstand down before I go running up the steps toward the entrance. I am about to pull the door open when a shout stops me. I turn to find Bianca lying back on the grass on the other side of the drive, sunbathing.
“Hey, bitch, what are you doing here?” She stands up and walks toward me. I meet her halfway, going back down the steps.
“The almighty one called me,” I tell her.
She smirks. “Yeah? He’s been acting pretty strangely today,” she comments.
“He might be like that for about a week, but he’ll be fine. He’s had demon blood, and his body is telling him to have human blood,” I say. I see hundreds of questions going through her mind, but I stop her by changing the subject. “Do you know where he is?”
“I think he’s down in the training room,” she tells me. I thank her, feeling glad that he’s home, before running back up the stairs.
“Okay, I’ll just wait here then,” she calls after me.
I laugh. “That’d be great. See you later,” I call back to her over my shoulder as I go through the door. I walk through the hall and down the stairs to the training room. I try and forget that the last time I was down here it didn’t end well as I see Reid waiting for me outside the closed door.
“So, have you decided that you’ve had enough space now? You ready for me to be around you, or are you going to say you need more space?” I ask, coming to a stop in front of him.
He nods as he talks.
“Yes, I’m sorry. You’re not a monster,” he says.
I raise my eyebrows at him. “Really?” I ask sarcastically.
He looks apologetic as he exhales loudly. “It was just a shock to see the person you love and trusted the most to change into a demo
n,” he admits.
My breath catches at his words, and I try not to get too hopeful.
“Love?” I ask, thinking it was just a slip of the tongue. He doesn’t hesitate as he steps closer, his hands going to mine.
“Yes. I love you, Scarlett Hades.”
No one has ever said that to me before. Well, my dad tells me, but to have someone who isn’t family say it with the emotions that were in Reid’s voice is new to me. I feel a smidge of guilt, but I ignore it as Reid leans forward. He stops, looking at my face for permission, and what he sees there has him leaning further and placing a soft kiss on my lips. I let a small smile come to my lips. However, I try to keep it as minimal as possible. I don’t want to go straight back to the way we were because he’s said he’s sorry. I need to be sure; I don’t want to be hurt again by him changing his mind. I’ve survived without a man for this long, but as soon as I am up on Earth, it all changes. I shouldn’t need or want to rely on anyone to make me happy or be there for me.
“Why did you call me here? Were you just lying to me so I would come?” I ask.
At my words, Reid’s face visibly pales.
“No. I really do need your help,” he says, pushing the door to the training room open.
The smell of blood hits me, and if I hadn’t eaten already, I’m sure Reid would be pinned to the wall as I feed off him. I look around the room as I enter and see that it looks like a massacre has happened. Four bodies are scattered around the room, blood pooling around them. I pick through them, listening to see if they have a heartbeat. They don’t. I hold my breath as I turn back to Reid who has closed the door and locked it.
“Did you do this?” I ask.
His eyes flick around the room, and I know that my blood inside him is telling him that he’s thirsty and that seems to be scaring him. I move back to him, gripping his face between my hands so he looks at me, getting his attention away from the mess.
“Yes,” he starts off shakily. “I was at the punching bag when one of them cut themselves. It smelled amazing, and when I went to help him clean up, I went into a sort of frenzy. I attacked him, and then it just didn’t stop. I had fangs, and the blood was like nectar,” he rambles, sounding panicked.
Hades’ Daughter (The War of Fate) Page 28
