Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Hack
There isn’t a patient bone in my body, yet I’ve waiting almost two days to come back here and get some much needed time with my chosen
After last night’s dinner and advice from my brothers, I stocked up the fridge, made sure the entire house was clean, and bought her all the hygiene products she could ever need.
Before heading for the portal in the early afternoon, I showered and changed.
It was the first time in decades that I felt the need to dress up, make myself desirable for the woman I would burn a thousand cities for if she asked.
When I looked in the mirror I saw the same face, same age, same darkness swimming in the depths of my demon eyes, but last night, there was hope there, too.
I may or may not have followed her while she traipsed across the tourist attractions in The City with Dei Desdemon and his sister. To my horror, I stood watch as that motherfucker took her back to a kyn club where she was bored out of her mind.
In any other life, I would have swept her up onto my shoulder and carried her back to our place, but I’m exercising patience and trying really hard not to scare her away.
So here I am…at her front door now, hoping she’ll let me in.
Every time I lose my chosen one, a little piece of my sanity leaves with her. Therefore, it’s no surprise that waiting for Aiyana to answer her door as she goes through a whole list of internal questions is physically killing me.
It doesn’t help that I’m standing in the shadows worried that if she sees me on camera, she’ll refuse to let me in.
She’s lucky I didn’t just barge into her world and demand that she sit and listen while I present her with her options.
Not that she has many. The soul wants what the soul is fated to have, and whether she likes it or not, she’s mine and I’m hers. End of story.
But I’m not a complete demon, I do have a past life as an anthros somewhere inside me, which means I need to present this whole situation in a way that won’t have her punching my balls right off my body.
In all the centuries we’ve been brought together in her past lives, this is the first time she’s reacted to me in this way.
Usually, one look or one touch would connect us, bring us together in a way that’s impossible to deny, then I’d take her to my bed and make up for thirty—sometimes more—years of celibacy as our soul bond rekindled all over again.
I’m guessing in this life, she’s being a little brat and that’s okay…I’ll get through to her. One way or another.
First, however, I had to get rid of that piece of shit who apparently forgot the meaning of the word no.
As luck would have it, I arrived at her shop just as she was telling this Professor—who the fuck has a name like Haught?
—that she wasn’t interested. And yes, I looked at his wallet after I dragged him into the nearby alley and threatened to rip off his head and shove it up his disrespectful ass.
Or disgusting ass, if that nasty body odor was any indication.
It felt like I had an unhealthy mixture of tar and stale fish stuck up my nostrils.
I’m guessing the former has something to do with the road work down the street but the latter? That was all him. Fucking gross.
That’s not even the worst part of our altercation.
This motherfucker thought it was a good idea to talk back to me.
He somehow believed I’d understand his rapey tendencies.
I did not. In fact, I was so far off his line of thought that even my demon and Cirrus were appalled.
My transformation came without summons and despite my better judgement.
One second I was a normal anthros, the next, I was close enough to killing him that I could taste his stench on my tongue.
I don’t know what he thought when my head transformed into an evil pumpkin and the muscles in my arms grew vines that slithered around his body and threatened to strangle the life out of him.
Kyn aren’t, under any circumstances, supposed to expose ourselves to the anthros.
If the SOS, the Society of Soulkeepers, hears word of this, I’m fucked.
The good news is that I didn’t kill him, but the last thing he heard before running away with his tail tucked under his ass was my final warning.
“Come near her again and I will enjoy ripping you apart, one limb at a time. Your death will be slow and it will be painful, I promise you that.”
To be clear, I will make good on my word. For Aiyana, I would slaughter the entirety of this universe if it meant keeping her safe.
The snap of a lock brings an automatic smile to my face. The second click makes me stand to my full height. When she turns the last of her locks, I raise my gaze just as the door begins to open at a snail’s pace that tests the theory of my patience.
When her dark hair falls to the side as she peeks her head in the crack of the door, all I feel is comfort knowing her curiosity is part of the fiber of her being. At the same time, she couldn’t have known it was me, which means she is, therefore, putting herself in danger.
“What the hell are you doing here?” She’s cute when she’s trying to be feral.
“A better question would be…what the hell are you doing opening the door not knowing who’s behind it?” I cock my head to the side, waiting for her reaction, and she does not disappoint.
“Who the fuck do you think you are coming over here with all your…” She twirls her finger all around like she’s casting a spell and I swear to all the gods, if I weren’t afraid she’d scratch my eyes out, I would kiss the fuck out of her.
It’s only been a minute and I’m already trampling my well-thought out plan.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” My humility is drowned out by her unintentional admission.
“…hotness and muscles.” Then she slaps her hand over her mouth, her eyes big and round. “I didn’t mean that.” I can barely understand her mumblings but it doesn’t matter. Behind her hatred lies our unbreakable bond.
“You’re right, but I need your help. It’s a matter of life and death.” This gets her attention, her empathy rolling off of her in kind waves.
“Wh-What do you need?” She steps just an inch closer to me and it feels like an impossible win that I can’t ignore, despite the distrust that swims in her guarded eyes.
“Look, can I come in? I promise I won’t hurt you, but I need a remedy for my roommate.
” Okay, so maybe my plan didn’t account for outside interference.
It should have been plain and simple. In my defense, between Dei Desdemon and the fucking professor, I was close to losing my mind.
Not to mention that the mere sight of her alters the chemistry in my brain.
“Your roommate?” She’s right to be skeptical. I’d rather sleep on hot coals and listen to banshees singing all night long than share a home with my brothers. Someone would die suffocated in their sleep.
“Well, not exactly.” I stretch out the middle vowel for effect and it only makes her more wary. Dammit, I’m fucking this up. “Look, my best friends and I all live on the same property, so even though we’re not technically roommates, I swear sometimes it feels like it.” There, that’s the damn truth.
“Fine. What do you need?” I take on a non-threatening posture with my hands sliding into the pockets of my jeans and my shoulders slumped a tiny bit to reduce my bulky appearance.
Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I look up at her through my lashes and flash her my best boyish grin. There’s nothing youthful or innocent about me but I fucking try.
“Aiyana—”
“That’s the second time you’ve called me that, which leads me to think you’re off your fucking rocker or…
” She raises a brow like her next words are the ultimate truth spoken by the Moirai.
“You’ve got me confused with someone else.
” Fuck, I don’t even know her name in this life.
I’ve been so preoccupied with her hatred for me that I’ve lost complete sense of normal human interaction.
Sometimes I forget how complicated and, by definition, frustrating, anthros are.
“Right. If you’ll let me in, I can explain all of this to you.” I quickly add the most important reason I’m here, which is a complete lie, but as the infamous they say, it’s easier to ask for forgiveness and all that shit. “And also buy the yohimbe bark.”
Aiyana, whose current name I don’t yet know, snort-laughs then shakes her head. Mind you, we’re still in the fucking entrance and I’m losing hope here.
“That’s your big emergency at fuck-all o’clock at night?” I frown at her accusation, like my brother’s health is somehow lesser. Granted, everyone’s fine and I’m not even sure which of my brothers I’m referring to when I say I need help. Probably all of them.
“Yes, it’s becoming a huge problem. The sudden outbursts are dangerous, I’m afraid of losing a limb.” At this, my chosen one laughs even harder, doubled down and wheezing.
What the fuck?
So I try again. “Look, he’s never been like this before. I was limping for two days the last time he had an episode.” Instead of feeling empathy, she’s now on her knees fighting for breath. That’s how hard she’s laughing and I have no fucking clue why.
Like I said, my patience is thin on a good day. So, I lift her up and throw her over my shoulder as I take a step inside and close the door, making sure to lock all three bolts.
I expect her to fight me but she’s too busy choking on her laughter to even care that I’m stomping my way to the front of the shop where they keep the witchy shit. There’s a clear chance she’s lost her fucking mind, which is fine; I’ll take her any which way.