Chapter 5 – Soren #2
Opening our apartment door, I look at the door directly across from ours.
An instant later, it opens. The dark-haired female from the balcony starts out, pauses when she sees me, then turns away to lock her door.
I will myself not to notice that she wears jeans as well.
A dark pair with rips in the front that hugs the delicious curves of her body.
Again, my gaze goes to her ass. She’s strange, but her ass is perfection.
Scowling, I turn and lock my own door.
We reach the top of the stairs at the same time, and a breeze teases her hair, which has now been pulled back into a ponytail at the base of her neck. She tucks the hair behind her ear, and her gaze travels up to mine in an almost shy way.
I gesture with my hand for her to precede me on the stairs.
Both her brows shoot up. “You can go,” she says. “I’m not in a hurry.”
“I would never forget my manners in such a way,” I tell her.
She tilts her head, and there’s something unreadable in the depths of her striking blue eyes before she turns away from me and starts down the stairs.
Her reaction is strange to me. Harleen didn’t have these coy little smiles, but she always expected us to treat her like a lady. Even covered in blood from a battle.
What is wrong with this woman?
I follow behind her, catching her scent on the air. For some reason, it suits her. It isn’t fruity or flowery, it’s almost masculine. Rich.
And so distracting I nearly miss a step and fall. Luckily though, I catch myself in time.
Smooth, Soren, very smooth, I chide myself.
She turns on the sidewalk in the same direction I must go. It’s the quickest path to town. It’s a sidewalk that weaves through the center of the drab apartments, winding past the buildings, and the spattering of grass, trees, and bushes. I feel awkward as I walk behind her.
“Where are you going?” she asks, over her shoulder.
I stiffen, not wanting to answer her question, but seeing no reason to lie or ignore her. “To town.”
She glances back at me. “So am I. Why don’t you walk beside me instead of at my heel?”
I scowl. My mission is very clear: find the hellhound and get out of here before my brother brings the wrath of the gods down on us. I don’t have time for this woman, with her coy smiles and her amused expression. But walking with her won’t take more time than walking beside her, so...
Internally sighing, I speed up until I’m at her side.
Then I match her pace. She’s a tall woman, this Cerce.
Not massively muscular, but I can see the swell of muscles in her arms as she walks.
She’s still a head shorter than I am, and barely half my size, yet she seems sturdier than most of the females I’ve met.
Like a warrior. Again, the thought comes. A strange thought.
Females aren’t warriors.
Silence swallows us as we leave the apartment complex and walk together on the sidewalk to town. There are little buildings and shops separated by the woods along this path. A town carved out of a flourishing forest. It’s both a strange place and a place I enjoy.
But when I reach the center of town, I’ll have to look for signs of the hellhound. I’ll need to speak to people, gather gossip and pull out the truth from what I hear. We’ve done this enough times now to know the drill.
My gaze slides to the woman. I should be asking her questions, even though she makes me uneasy. It’d be stupid not to. So why aren’t I?
I search my thoughts for the best way to approach my subject carefully. “Have you lived in this town long?”
“No,” she says simply.
“And what brought you here?”
Her teasing smile is back. “Business.”
I frown. “What kind of business?”
“My business.”
My scowl deepens. “Do you not wish to speak with me?”
Her brilliant blue eyes lock onto me. “I wouldn’t mind speaking to you, but I’d rather not be interrogated.”
“Interrogated?” I feel my brows rise in surprise.
She raises a brow. “Yes, interrogated. Haven’t you ever spoken to another person before?”
I hate that she’s making fun of me again.
Yes, it’s true that I’ve been in my stone form for far too long, and that even before that I was mostly just a tool my masters used to fight.
But even though I have little experience making polite conversation, and even less speaking to females, I don’t think I’m interrogating her.
“How else should I get to know you then asking questions?”
“So you want to get to know me?” she asks, her gaze returning to the street ahead of me.
“Well, yes,” I say. But it’s strange, that’s not what I want, right? So now why does it bother me so much that she thinks I’m getting to know her so poorly?
She sighs and tucks her hair behind her ear again.
My gaze moves to her arms and her back. She has… a lot of scars. They’re small, faint pale lines, but now that I see them, they’re all I can see. She looks like she was attacked.
Something within me tightens, like I’ve been punched in the belly. This woman mocks me with her teasing smiles. She bates me with her words. And yet, someone has hurt her. There’s no denying it.
“I volunteer with a veterinarian,” she says, her words uncharacteristically soft. “That’s where I’m going now. It’s a good place. A place that helps animals. A place where they try to find homes for animals without families.”
It’s strange. I can feel that her words are a peace offering, but I’m still distracted by her scars. I want to ask her about them, but I won’t. If she didn’t like my other questions, I suspect she won’t like anything brought up about her injuries.
Which bothers me a little. But I press on, determined not to focus on anything but my task.
“You sound as if you enjoy your work.” It isn’t a question, nor an interrogation. Just a statement.
She looks at me, and her expression has gentled, if only by a little. “Of course I enjoy my work. Who wouldn’t enjoy helping animals who need it?”
I shrug, thinking of the hellhound. An animal doctor might be just the place to start. “I don’t have a pet, but I’ve been thinking of getting one.”
“A cat?” she says, her nose wrinkling in a way that almost makes me smile. “You seem like a cat person.”
I don’t know why, but I think she’s trying to insult me. “No, I like cats, but I’m more interested in getting a dog.”
She stops on the sidewalk and turns to look at me, her expression serious. “Do you actually want to get a dog? You’re prepared to walk it, feed it, and give it the love and care it deserves for a lifetime?”
“Perhaps.” I keep talking before she can stop me. “Could I go with you to see the dogs there and learn more?”
Some of the fight goes out of her eyes. “Alright. But just to see them.”
As we continue walking, she mumbles, “But I still think a cat might suit you better.”
“Why’s that?” I ask, not being able to stop myself from challenging her.
She shrugs. “Dogs need strong alphas to lead them. Cats need servants to tend to their needs.”
My jaw drops open. “Do I look like some animal’s servant?”
Her gaze flickers to me. “I wouldn’t want to answer that and risk offending you.”
I glare. “You are the most irritating woman I’ve ever met.”
“At least I don’t look like the kind of person who would glory in cleaning up cat shit.”
My fists clench. “I—I do not!”
She flashes an odd smile that’s all teeth. “It’s strange to meet a man with the cock of an alpha and the attitude of someone’s bitch.”
I step into her path, towering over her. “I could snap you like a twig.”
But instead of cowering away from a big man, that toothy smile of hers comes again, and she actually reaches out and pats me on the head. Like a fucking pet. “I’ll agree with you, since it’d be impolite to do otherwise.”
When she steps around me, I stare after her in shock.
I am not someone’s bitch. I am not a servant. No woman would ever consider me such a thing. Doesn’t she have eyes? Can’t she see that I’m built like a warrior?
Hurrying after her, I remember something else. She said I have the cock of an alpha?
Some of the fight goes out of me, and I feel my balls tighten. That’s right, she saw what I’m packing. And she knows it’s something impressive.
It still doesn’t forgive her other words, but my pride is a little soothed.
We continue walking through town, but I stay a few feet behind her. And I’m glad she doesn’t look back, because I’m staring squarely at her ass. Ever since she mentioned my cock, the bastard’s been hard as a rod, begging me to show her what else he’s capable of.
Traitor.
After a few minutes, we reach a tiny building near the center of town. It’s brick and has a tall brick fence concealing the backyard. The sign out front says, “Pet Vet,” and nothing more.
She pauses just outside of it and glances at me. “Just promise me you won’t get a dog unless you can handle it.”
“I could handle a pack of dogs!”
An unexpected laugh, one that’s almost husky and uncertain, comes from the woman. “We’ll see.”
As I follow her inside, I find that my gaze instantly goes to her ass again. Her delicious, round ass. My heart races a little faster. My job is to get information. Not to get involved with this strange woman. Nor argue with her.
I don’t like her. I don’t trust her. And I refuse to be distracted by her.
Even though she’s without a doubt the most beautiful woman I’ve seen in my many lifetimes.
And she’s a woman who thinks I have a nice cock. The thought warms my chest as I follow her inside.
At least that’s one thing we can both agree on.