If I knew they were my mates, they knew I was their's. It was why they were so persistent with me, the fear I smelled earlier.
I couldn't abandon them, but I also couldn't accept them. I didn't know which was more cruel.
They didn't know what they were getting themselves into by sticking with me. They would be hunted, tortured beyond horrors of nightmares. All of the pain they'd be put through would be in my name, because of what and who I was.
"So is that a yes?" Green eye pleaded with me to accept.
Say no.
"Sure," I sighed. "What are your names?" I would be a good girl for as long as I could last.
"Alistar." The fae stepped up to me, offering a hand.
I took his hand in mine, expecting him to shake my hand. He brought my knuckles to his lips. They were soft and warm against my skin.
The incubus nudged Alistar out of the way, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "I'm Valentino. And you are?"
"Token." I shrugged him off me. I didn't like to be touched by strangers if I could help it. "Where are we going?"
"Usually we'd be heading home after a job and meeting up with the rest of our team, but we told them to meet us here instead." He smiled at me.
I looked up at Alistar. "He likes to think he's in charge, huh? I bet you're actually the boss."
Alistar laughed. "It's because he's the baby of the group."
Valentino reached behind me to smack Alistar. "Shut up, man."
Alistar brushed Valentino's hand aside with no effort.
I winked at Alistar and a genuine smile formed on his face. Cute. "So we're meeting up with your friends and . . ." I toyed with a loose string on my shirt.
Valentino looked past my head to Alistar, which wasn't difficult. My head skimmed the bottom of his chin.
Fuck my height. I'd kick their kneecaps from under them if need be.
"We'll go wherever you want to." Alistar spoke up.
"So how many more of you are there?" If there was a dozen of them, I was going to say fuck it and leave. There was only so much socialization I could handle without exploding.
"Two more, but one's a little bitch." Valentino chuckled to himself.
The smell burning wood brushed against my nose, a cinnamon aroma intermingled with it.
Shit. I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice and ignore it.
I continued to look around until I spotted the tallest person in the room. His rugged auburn hair and tan skin rose above the rest of the crowd. Golden eyes meet mine from across the lobby. He carried himself with strength that'd take centuries to obtain.
Now that was a dragon on a fuck ton of steroids.
Next to him was cinnamon boy, who stood only a few inches shorter than the dragon. His hair draped down his shoulders in dark dreadlocks. Light gray eyes popped brightly in contrast to his ebony skin.
At first I couldn't place what he was, until I smelled his fear. If not for that, I would've never guessed he was a ghoul. His terror gave me a headache.
I bet he's the little bitch Valentino mentioned.
The towering masses of muscle met us half way in the lobby. Crap, they were taller than the two beside me. I needed to buy heels next time I went shopping or cut off their legs. Cutting off their legs sounded easier than walking in heels.
"You guys too?" Valentino asked.
The dragon nodded, his eyes as gold as the bracelet around his wrist.
"But she's a tiny human." The ghoul scowled at me.
Shit, now he was begging me to gut him. "The 'tiny human' is right here you fucker."
"Careful with what you say, Malachi, she'll knee you in the balls." Valentino winced.
Alistar ginned. "Or decapitate you."
The ghoul, Malachi, frowned at me. "She can't be capable of that much damage."
Valentino winced, covering his dick. Alistar grinned at me, as if giving me silent permission to fuck Malachi up.
I'd let this one go, a free pass for being one of my mates. Only this once.
"Enough." The dragon huffed, running a hand over his beard. "Did you two finish what you were supposed to do, or were you too distracted?" He glanced at me.
I almost took offense until Valentino draped an arm around my shoulder, exclaiming, "Nah, we didn't do shit. This little badass decapitated him before we even got to gut him."
"Like you would ever risk getting dirty." Malachi scoffed.
I brushed Valentino's arm off my shoulder once more.
"What's your name?" The dragon looked down at me.
I tilted my chin up. I needed heels. "What's yours?"
A grin of approval stretched his face. "Brynjar Rune Halpain."
Valentino snorted. "And you make fun of me for arrogance when you're the one spouting your full name to her like a proposal." Valentino nudged me. "Just call him Rune, it's what we all call him."
Brynjar narrowed his eyes at Valentino, who wisely shut up. "Do you have any plans tonight . . ." He trailed off, waiting for a name.
"Token."
This was the part where I fucked up. They were trying for me, thinking I was human. I wanted it so bad, but I couldn't complete a mate bond with them. To reach that level of intimacy while they were oblivious to what I was, was cruel. It was best if I let things go sooner.
"Sorry to be the one who ruins things, but we better start heading home soon or find a place to crash." Malachi stared at the ground. Fear was still pouring off him, more than before.
I couldn't leave them, not when that exact fear was dripping off one of them. "You can crash at my place or, if you prefer, the hotel rooms here. If you want to go back to your homes, I get it."
"I'll crash with you." Alistar took a step closer to me. "Do you live nearby?"
I lived on the top floor of this hotel. "Yes."
Malachi tugged at a dreadlock. "I think I'll—"
Brynjar smacked Malachi's chest, smiling at me. "Do you have enough room for the four of us?"
"I have a spare room, couch, and floor." They wouldn't be in the same room as me when I slept. I wasn't that comfortable around them.
I'd need to shove another knife or gun under my pillow before I went to sleep tonight. They may have been my mates, but that didn't mean anything to some people. I didn't know their intensions.
"I call dibs on her spare room." Valentino tugged me to the entrance of my hotel. "Where do you live, Beautiful?"
I pulled him to a stop. "Wrong way."
Frowning, they followed me to the back of the hotel once more, where I unlocked a steel door with the words "fuck off" sprawled across it. I was that one person that didn't need to fuck off since I put it there. It was of course so far away from the main elevator and lobby I didn't need to worry about customer complaints.
The only thing on the other side was a stairwell and an elevator.
"Maybe we should go, this area is restricted." Malachi waited on the other side of the door, refusing to enter. "She could be waiting for us all to follow her up, then murder us."
"Yes, I'm going to gut you while you sleep then bathe in your blood." I deadpanned and hit the button.
Valentino snorted. "You really think a tiny human like her will do that?"
My glare pierced into his skull like my knife would tonight. "You'll be the first to go." A knee to his balls didn't seem to be enough.
Alistar chuckled. "I'll help you dispose of the body." He knew the way into my heart.
The doors to the elevator opened and I stepped onto the illuminated glass floors. They all followed me inside, Malachi more reluctant than the rest with his grumbles.
I pressed the only other floor available from this elevator, waiting in the cramped space for it to hurry. It was agony waiting for the elevator to get to my floor. Their scents were the only thing I inhaled with every breath. Every nerve in my body tingled alive.
I needed to beat the crap out of something.
"Where are we?" Brynjar stepped out of the elevator first, into the small hall leading to one door.
They all eyed the empty hall and single door. My floor wasn't all that big. I took what space I needed for myself.
"This is where I sell my secret stash of drugs and hide all the dead bodies." It was my home.
Valentino laughed.
"You live in a hotel?" Malachi spontaneously choked on a grunt and I grinned, picturing Brynjar smacking him.
"I own the hotel." I unlocked the two deadbolts on my door, swinging it open with a sigh. I had the best view in the entire city. From my living room and kitchen, you could see each towering building twinkle with lights. The entire main boulevard was packed and bright until 3am some nights.
"You own this entire hotel?" He looked at me with disbelief.
Fuck, he was a little bitch to heart. "And the club downstairs."
I opened the fridge in the corner of my kitchen. It was smaller than average. I rarely had food. Alcohol usually filled the shelves.
Most of the mundane food I ate didn't provide the same sustenance fear had. I only ate for the pleasure of eating.
Tonight there was nothing but a bottle or two of beer.
My cabinets had a small variation of canned soup and instant noodles. "Are any of you hungry?" Screw it, I'd order from the restaurant downstairs.
"What do you have?" Brynjar peered over my shoulder and into my fridge with a frown. "What do you eat when you're home?"
"I go out to eat. Pizza? Hamburgers? What do you guys want?" I turn to the ghoul. "I can see if they'll deliver me a raw steak or whatever you want? All you have to do is name it."
Malachi flinched and everyone in the room stilled.
Fear filled the empty spaces.
I could've been less of a bitch with breaking the news, but that was too much work. Besides, it wasn't easy trying to hide what you were when your diet wasn't normal. I would've figured out he was a ghoul in a week if I didn't already know now.
"You know what I am?" Malachi glared at Valentino and Alistar.
Valentino stepped behind Alistar, taking cover.
"Yes, you're a ghoul. Now what do you want to eat? Are burgers fine?" I was already regretting my decision to let them in. I wasn't shitty enough to throw my own mates on the streets though.
Brynjar stepped up next to me. "Burgers are fine. You only need to order three. Malachi already ate and Valentino has a different type of diet."
Sex. Valentino fed off of sexual energy, the lucky bastard.
"I'm going to smash both of your skulls in." Malachi took a menacing step towards Alistar and Valentino.
"No fighting in my home, it's a bitch to clean up after." I dialed the number to the restaurant downstairs.
Alistar raised a brow at me and glanced at my front door.
The slab of wood was chipped and punctured with markings from my knives. Each solid thunk the knives made when sinking into the wood was very stress relieving.
The three boys bickered while I placed the order for two hamburgers.
When there came a point where I couldn't hear the lady speaking on the other end, I let the blade of my kitchen knife fly. It sunk into the wall directly between Malachi and Alistar, who was shielding Valentino.
They all shut up and stared at me while I finished ordering.
"You're not going to eat?" Brynjar nudged me.
Shit, I should've ordered something to blend in. "No, I ate before you all showed up." I was already full from the vampire. "Who's going with me to pick up the food?"
Alistar blinked to my side in less than a second, tugging at my arm towards the door. "I'm going."
"Hey, don't leave me here with them." Valentino rushed behind Brynjar.
I patted Alistar's bicep, ignoring the muscles. "Teleporting? Now that's an awesome power. Wanna trade with me?"
"Depends, what's your power?" He, of course, didn't know my power was a form of illusion.
"Being a bitch." I smirked. It was close enough.
"I think you got the better power. You did kick Valentino's ass with it."
"Yeah, now I'm going to kick his ass." Malachi reached behind Brynjar, who pulled the two children apart.
"Do not make me shoot you." Valentino reached for the gun tucked in his waistband.
It was always a pain to get the bullet holes filled, not to mention the number of customer complaints. "If you shoot your gun in my home, I'll rip your balls off this time." I turned to Brynjar. "Make sure they don't destroy anything."
His gold eyes swirled. "You have my word."
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Author's Note (1/30/21):
Vote, comment, share, and keep reading. :)
As I go back and edit these chapter, some of the comments disappear when I republish the changes. I'll look into finding a way to prevent that.
Chapter Edited <3