by Bea Biddle
"But for breakfast?" he questioned.
"The customer is always right," Karen reminded him. "Now, just get out." She opened the door, ready to push him out. He wouldn't get very far, the doorway was blocked. Cef. She was almost too scared to show any kind of joy by seeing him again, but she couldn't deny the surge of excitement that ran through her like a current.
“You,” Cef said, eyes fixed on Karen. His voice was so gruff, so laden with heavy intensity it made Karen swallow hard.
His presence was overwhelming, his being filled her senses and she was captured like a deer in headlights. The look in his eye burned into her, the raw energy he exuded pulsated through her. There was something different there, something feral, something that probably should have frightened her with its power. But all she felt was the intensity he brought, the overpowering elevation that her own body suddenly throbbed with at the mere sight of him. “M- Me?” she asked, cursing the hopefulness that showed itself in her voice. He moved towards her, walking like a lion stalking its prey. She bumped back against the counter, her fingers gripped the edge hard, steadying her. She huffed out a short giggle she couldn't contain. It's happening, she mentally screamed, It's actually happening!
“Just who do you think you are?" Colin demanded, acutely aware that this newcomer had taken all of Karen's attention and not liking it one bit. “We were talking.”
Like a whip, Cef tore his attention from Karen and looked down at Colin. Colin stumbled backward, the intensity was still there, only now coated in anger at being interrupted. Cef's nostrils flared as he stared the other man down, saying nothing, the silence threatening. He hadn't noticed him before. He had noticed nothing but Karen when he walked in. The urge to strangle this whelp who dared burst in on his conquest pressed on, but the world was returning to him, his surroundings became clearer. Bloodlust no longer pounded through his veins, neither did the need to claim, to possess. Fresh air finally reached him and he felt as though he had waddled through a dream only to wake up in the diner.
Colin, who had decided against challenging the bigger man, scuttled against the wall towards Karen. And when he reached her took her hand in his again and pulled her against him. “Karen, we need to talk,” he demanded, his gaze shifting suspiciously to Cef a few times, trying hard not to turn his back on him. “We can work this whole mess out.”
Karen blinked furiously, her attention kept drifting to Cef. She couldn't concentrate on anything Colin had to say. She didn't give a damn. There had been a moment, she was so sure there had been a moment. A delicious, electric moment, the kind of moment she had longed for, for such a long damn time. And now it was slipping through her fingers. "What?" she snapped, shaking her head. "No, Colin, just get out of here." She couldn't help comparing them. Couldn't help noticing just how much of a boy Colin looked standing there, with Cef looming in the background. Cef towered over him, all manly and dark and mysterious. A warrior from another time, another place. For fuck's sake, she purred in her mind, That damn Demon looks positively good enough to devour. Only then did she notice his bruised eye and split lip. Why hadn't she seen that before? "What happened to you?" she asked him, taking a step towards him, her hand slipping out of Colin's grasp.
"Karen!" Colin raised his voice, unable to hide his annoyance. He jumped in front of her, blocking her path. "Karen, tell me you'll at least go out for coffee with me? We'll talk, work everything out."
"Colin, just get out," Karen exasperated with a growl and pushed him back out the door. She managed to get him out, but he wouldn't let her close the door on him.
"I'm only leaving if you'll agree to coffee. I want to talk to you. I know we can work this out. Please.”
"Yes, whatever. Just please leave!" Karen hissed in desperation. “Now, please.”
"I'll text you," Colin managed to shout before Karen slammed the door shut in his face.
She turned to find everyone in the diner looking at her with great interest, enjoying the scene that had just played out before them. A few Vamps giggled and whispered together. Weres tried pretending they weren't watching but it was a dead giveaway when they actually made time to chew their food carefully and slowly. "What?" she asked, her hands flying in the air in defeat. She hated the attention, had always hated being in the center of it. Especially of a scene like that. "Oh, just eat your damn food and leave me alone." She blushed as she retreated to the counter where Sylvester was watching her with as much amusement as the rest of the place.
"Well, that was fun, not completely unexpected, but fun none the less," Sylvester remarked with a wide smirk. “And very, very interesting. A date with the ex, hmm?” he drawled and sipped his blood with what Karen thought was a very pointed manner.
Karen groaned. "I got rid of him, didn't I? Don't judge me, you- you- you dead thing!" She was unbelievably embarrassed. Mostly because all of that happened in front of Cef of all people. Why did this have to happen in front of Cef?
"Very well, then," Sylvester said in a laugh, shaking his head at her. He then turned his attention to the newly arrived Demon. “Good evening, Cef. I didn't expect to see you today?”
Cef cleared his throat awkwardly, with his hands firmly in his pockets. He hadn't expected to be there that day either. Since Tamas happened, his night had, admittedly, been a little fuzzy. But he knew why he had come. He locked eyes with Karen, she was still blushing, nervously fiddling with the notepad in her hands. She quickly looked away, her dark lashes fanning her cheeks as she shifted from one foot to the other. She probably didn't even know how absolutely enticing she looked.
He had come for her and her only. But he could think clearly now, he could be rational. Nothing but trouble could possibly come from trying to claim her, no matter how badly he wanted her. And then there was that business with the puny, little human that had touched her, had his hands on her, pawed at her as if she belonged to him. That has never stopped you before, he thought bitterly, A woman with another man used to be only a challenge for you. His inner beast roared with delight at the thought, ready for that challenge. But he suppressed it. She had been with that little ferret, that little rodent, she could not possibly want a Demon.
“Karen, I...” Cef began but didn't quite know how to finish. She looked up at him in shock, her wide eyes hopeful. Were they hopeful? Surely not. He was going insane. His brain had to stop it with the wishful thinking, it was disturbing him. Squaring his shoulders and running a hand over his face to rub the rest of his fight induced haze off, he sighed. He shrugged off his coat, sat down at the counter in his usual place and whipped off his beanie, shaking out his hair.
“Yes?” Karen asked softly, trying not to be impatient but desperate to hear him speak again. “You wanted something?” He had wanted something, hadn't he? He had looked so determined when he came in, so fierce and magnificent she could have burst.
“Yes,” Cef finally said, “Coffee. No cream, no sugar. Just straight. Thank you.”
“Al- Alright." Karen nodded. And scurried away. Feeling oddly more embarrassed than before.
twelve.
The machine's gentle hum began as soon as Karen dropped in the coins. Music to her ears, it wasn't always as simple as that, sometimes she had to slam her hand down on the lid a few times before it started. The launderette was empty at that time of night and she had her pick of the machines, she always chose the one in the far corner. That one never ate her socks. Only a thong once.
Having carried her load of laundry on her back, in a giant old sack she had found under the bed, for several blocks before she finally found the one launderette in the neighborhood that was open twenty-four seven, she was tired and sweaty, which only added to her grumpy mood. She didn't even care that someone had spilled what appeared to be a milkshake in front of the machine, making the floor a strange mix of slippery and sticky.
She glanced out the large windows along the wall, only her reflection stared back, outside was pitch black. Sometimes a car would drive by, lighting up the stree
t, people passed, laughing and talking, but no one else came inside. It was a bit of an odd time to do laundry, she admitted. It was three in the morning. Her one day off that week and she was spending it doing laundry. She hated that, it made her feel like a proper grown up. She wasn't even going to do the damn laundry, but she couldn't just stay home in the apartment, pacing furiously up and down the small kitchen.
"Just be nice to me today," she sternly told the machine, "No more bullshit, alright? Just a nice clean wash. Easy peasy." While emptying the sack full of laundry into the open machine, she imagined the look of horror on her mother's face because she wasn't bothering with any of that separating colors business. She took a little pleasure in that fact, but only because she was in such a horrible mood. She closed the lid on the top loader, careful not to slam it shut, although that was what she really wanted.
She didn't know why she was in such a bad mood. A lie. Of course, she knew. Colin. Damn fucking Colin. What possessed him to show up at her work? Her work? Of all places. And create a scene like that! She had been too shocked to be angry yesterday. Or, that morning, as she had to remind herself that it had been. Time was becoming a little weird in her mind since she started working nights and sleeping during the day. But how dared he? She never wanted to see him again, he could come and collect his stuff, take all of it for all she cared, and then be gone out of her life forever. She was not going out for coffee with him either. To think he had demanded that of her. And he had done so in front of Cef as well! Cef! Cef saw him. She groaned loudly and gently kicked the machine in front of her in deep embarrassment and annoyance. Cef was the last person she wanted to see that.
And Cef, well, Cef was a completely different set of problems. She had been so sure he wanted something, something from her when he showed up. Or was her imagination playing tricks on her? It was so difficult to say. She had fantasized enough to make herself doubt the reality of anything he did anymore. He could have just wanted coffee, it was entirely possible he just wanted coffee. The Demon always wanted coffee. But he had never asked for it with such an air of possession, such intensity. It made her weak at the knees how he had charged in, his movement demanded her attention. He looked as though- as though- as though he had come just for her.
She caught herself sighing longingly at the notion. Feeling like a heroine in a gothic novel, as they wistfully stared out of their bedroom windows at night, waiting for their lover to come. She snorted away the thought, shaking her head. No. No more. No more thinking about fucking Demons and their mind games. She slammed her palm down on the washing machine lid for emphasis. It answered by spluttering at her and she jumped back, slid on the milkshake as she wobbled away. She was so done. Completely done. Cef could go hang himself for all she cared. She would not spend another minute, another second thinking about him or his sexy crooked smile, or his strangely perfect thick eyebrows, or his dark, dark eyes that made her tingle all over when he looked at her. He was a mean, stupid, arrogant individual who was enjoying toying with her way too much. She wouldn't stand for it.
With a determined huff, she walked to the chair in the corner and sat down. And then realized she had forgotten something to entertain herself with, no book, no magazine, nothing. Even her phone was running low on battery and would be no good. Damn, this was going to be one long wait.
✽✽✽
Cef stomped down the street, his big boots hammered on the pavement. He was in a peculiar mood. That morning he had wanted Karen so badly he actually sought her out, he had stooped to that level. He should be angry at himself for allowing that to happen. Him, a Demon, going after her, a human.
Even if the battle had clouded his mind, he wasn't used to tracking down a specific female. Back in Hell, there had been women aplenty willing to soothe a hardened warrior like himself. He had been able to pick and choose. Which he did. Often. Sometimes didn't choose at all, sometimes he'd grab the handful, filling his massive bed to the brim.
The thought left him confused. He had run in a beeline for her. A human. He had wanted her so badly he had been able to taste it. He had ached for her, shuddered in anticipation and raging lust for her that burned in him from his core. He had needed her. There had been so many women, he had passed so many on the streets on his way, he could have satisfied himself with the ones that shot him desirous glances as they left clubs and bars, reeking of human spirits. But he didn't want them. Any of them. If he had been in such desperate need, surely one of them would have done the trick. But they couldn't possibly have. Because they weren't her, they weren't Karen.
But as it turned out, Karen had another. The weakling, the little rat. What did she call him? Colin? Yes, that was it. The little man. She preferred him. He didn't know much about human interaction, he had always stayed away, but going out for coffee sounded an awful lot like something two people did when they were enjoying each other’s company, something that in his experience lead to sex. His lips curled into a snarl. She couldn't be mated to that rat, could she? Surely not.
He felt his hands curl into fists at the thought. He could crush him, there was always that possibility. Colin would be no kind of opponent. He could crush that little man between his hands if he wanted to, he knew he could. It struck him that he didn't want to. No, what he did want, what he secretly wanted, was for Karen to choose him. He felt ridiculous for wanting it, ridiculous for even thinking it in the first place. But it was true. It was hard to admit to himself. She was still only a damn human.
For the first time in Cef's life, he didn't just want to claim a woman, he wanted the woman to come to him. He wanted the woman to claim him. He wanted Karen to claim him. He toyed with the idea of asking her again, asking her to come to him. But that hadn't worked so well last time. And showing that kind of weakness? What kind of Demon would that make him? Besides, Karen would not come, she made that clear, she would rather be with the weakling.
He stopped dead in his tracks on a crowded street, making a man walk right into his back. After receiving a few colorful words, the man continued onwards. Cef was dumbfounded. Not about the man, he didn't care about him. But the realization that Karen was so deeply embedded in him, so damn important to him, that he could not get her out of his mind. This would not do, this could not be happening. He needed to be in control, he could not have her create such havoc inside of him.
His resolve would have to be stronger. He needed to cut her from his life. He was done, completely done with her. She was controlling far too much of him, demanding far too much space in his brain, and she didn't even care. He was a Demon. He would be damned if he let a woman mess with his mind this way. Growling angrily to himself, scaring a few passers-by, he continued stomping down the street.
Home. He was going home. He needed to paint, needed to clear his head, push out all thoughts of the damn human if it killed him. No more. No more Karen. Determined, he turned down a less crowded street, and that was when Cef noticed something in the air. A sweet scent tingled in his nostrils, teasing him. He followed. He recognized it, it was that deodorant he liked, mixed with that lovely perspiration and natural scent he craved so much.
Karen.
Was he imagining her? Had his mind conjured up her scent just to add insult to injury? He walked faster, he couldn't stop himself. Half running, he ended up outside huge windows, low hanging lamps in the ceiling bathed the room in a harsh light he almost had to shield his eyes from, the drab interior was gray and white. Rows and rows of machines he didn't recognize lined the walls. He could hear a low hum through the glass, it was almost vibrating with the sound. And there on the little plastic chair in the corner, Karen slouched, with her head resting on her fist. She kept blowing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes, then waited for it to fall, and then blew it away. Only to wait once more for it to fall.
Cef knew he shouldn't be watching her. He should go away. But he was fixated on those soft lips, every time she blew the strand away, he felt a sharp breath escape him. He was going insane. Absolu
tely insane watching her. He should stop, but he couldn't move a muscle.
✽✽✽
Washing powder! Fuck! Karen forgot all about her hair and jumped back to her washing machine, tearing open the lid. The machine beeped a warning at her, so loud she almost jumped away from it again. "Easy," she scolded it, "I'm allowed to put washing powder in. Now shut up." She was glad no one else was doing laundry at that time of night, she liked being able to talk to the machine without getting weird looks.
Karen reached for the powder on the table next to her, the packet was a little damp and the plastic covered cardboard hard to get a good grip on. She scooped out a single spoonful and let it fall into the water.
Pretty proud of herself for not sitting through a whole wash without remembering to add washing powder, she smiled in relief. But she had forgotten about the slippery mess she was standing in and when reaching to put the powder back on the table, her right foot slid across the floor. She managed to steady herself against the machine, but the box of powder flew out of her hand and landed in the water.
"Oh no, fuck no," she hissed, pulling out the box. She hadn't closed it and now the whole content of the box was in the water. She threw the empty box on the floor in anger, trying to think of a way to scoop most of it out without destroying the wash. Sticking her hand down there might be the only thing she could do. She formed a spoon with her hand and reached into the machine. Unfortunately, the floor wasn't done with her, her left foot slid backward at that precise moment. Then she felt her back hit the floor and her legs flew into the air. The lid on the machine slammed shut and it began washing.
✽✽✽
Cef watched her curse at the machine. And then he watched as she suddenly disappeared behind a table. He craned his neck but still couldn't see her. He growled at himself for caring but still opened the door and stepped inside.
