A quick shower later, I pull Fritz's location up on my phone, readying for whatever is to come. Knowing I'll be working with other demons, I let my monstrous form come out, breathing a sigh of relief at the freedom of this size. I had to build my home to be extra tall and wide to accommodate it, but it was worth it to be my true self while in my house.
The journey through the Aether is as easy as breathing now after decades of practice, and I can sense two demons on the other side of the landing before I can see them.
My eyes land on a nearly feral Fritz, his brown eyes so large it's comical, and an unknown other man next to him, who I can only assume is Caspian, looking similarly terrified. My first thought is to wonder where the fuck his shirt is, but before I can have another, a quiet voice reaches me, shocking me because I certainly hadn't sensed another person standing there.
"That's a big motherfucker," the feminine voice mumbles, the sound floating into my head like a powerful intoxicant.
A red haze fills my vision, fear and fury filling my veins as my eyes reach the source of the voice.
The most terrifyingly beautiful creature I've ever seen stands before me, hands on her hips as if her attitude could hide her thrumming pulse. Gray-green eyes meet mine, not lookingaway;meeting the challenge it is head-on. Long, flowing brown hair, a coolness to it like it's been kissed by moonlight, drapes across her shoulders. One immaculately groomed brow raises as if she's completely, utterly unimpressed by the monster before her, waiting for me to say something rather than just stare at her.
My eyes narrow, pissed that the answer to all of Fritz and Caspian's problems was right in front of them and they were too fucking stupid to see her for what she is.
"Why is there a hunter in your home?" I finally ask, and all the attitude drains from her face. Her expression and arms fall, trepidation taking over her body.
No one answers me. A silent beat passes as the three of them look at each other, and the woman freezes. Confusion twists her features for a moment before the mask of calm takes over again.
Upon realizing she's not going to say anything, Fritz's gaze turns to Caspian, accusation filling his tone, "Did you know about this?"
Caspian offers a slight shrug, looking chagrined, "I had my suspicions." He turns to me, the motion clear in my peripherals, but I find myself completely unwilling to take my eyes off the hunter before me, an uncomfortable new sensation making my chest hot. "How can you tell?"
"Simple," I bite. "I couldn't sense her standing there." Her eyes narrow back at me, arms lifting to fold in front of her, creating a shield between us. "Now I'll ask again. Why is there a hunter in your home?"
With a slight shake of her head, she argues, her furious voice filling my mind again, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you talking about? I'm not a hunter. I'm here trying to find my friend. The same friend that these assholes got kidnapped." Her fingers point between Caspian and Fritz in accusation.
Probing her mind, I find no trace of a lie, but that doesn't mean there isn't one, only that she's adept at not letting her thoughts find mine. A small laugh almost slips out of me at the lack of fear she's showing, literally surrounded by three monsters who could each kill her without even a fraction of effort. Instead, I push to see if deception or an answer to my question will bleed through her thoughts. "Whether you have chosen to step into the role or not, it's in your blood. What's your last name?"
Parker,the thought comes and then goes just as quickly, but rather than share it, she scoffs, "None of your fucking business, asshole."
Surprise leaves me frozen; no one dares to be so brazen with me in my mortal form, and certainly not this one.
My teeth grind together as I ask the question again, pushing her to my will even though I already have the answer I seek, "What's your last name?"
"Parker," she bites finally.
While I know the family name, I've been fortunate not to have run-ins with them. They usually do things behind the scenes, sending others to do their dirty work.
As the three of them begin doing the puzzle of figuring out where this Bel might be kept, I find myself wondering how it is that this girl escaped from her family's machinations. I now know her family name, but no one has mentioned her first name yet. The mystery of it plagues me for reasons completely unknown. Her gray-green eyes keep wandering to me, and mine to her, as she drifts through the apartment. I can almost see the wheels turning in her head, making sense of the madness around her.
Something urges me to mess with her, make snide comments, find all her buttons, and push them until they give under pressure. While she may not be involved with the hunters, that doesn't mean she's not still one of them. The instinct to fight us and kill us certainly resides inside her, whether she knows it or not.
And yet, I find myselfneedingto know her name.Achingto hear her say mine. I haven't met many female hunters in my time, them not being let out of their compounds very often, but none of them made my teeth tingle and beg to sink into their flesh like this.
She grabs an unused city map from a drawer, requesting a handful of items. Without any thought, I obey, handing her the things she needs and standing far closer to her than could be considered appropriate. If she and her hunter blood are going to unnerve me, I'm more than happy to return the favor.
Every biting comment she makes fills me with both unbridled anger and a craving to bend her to my will, make her fear and surrender to me, offer me anything and everything I could take from her.
Curious how she might respond to my kinder form, I disappear into the hall, transforming into it and throwing on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt. As I reenter, my gaze immediately finds her again; she seems frozen, transfixed by the motion of me zipping up my fly. Her eyes drift up, slowly past my chest and shoulders, landing on my face as I lift one hand and run it through my hair, thoroughly enjoying her attention, even if she's giving it to me against her will.
"You gonna stare all day, or are we gonna get to work?" I taunt, watching a furious blush rise on her cheeks as she snaps her head back down to focus on what's before her. Her pounding heart and grinding teeth fill me with a sick sense of pride; pushing her buttons is as easy as breathing. Her hunter instincts tell her to hate me, yet her body clearly does not, goosebumps rising on her skin as I sink onto the couch beside her and help guide her to the answers she seeks.
Frustration fills her as she comes to what she believes is a dead end, but Fritzreaches out to comforther: "This is a huge start, Isla." The rest of what he tells her does not register in my mind now that I've heard her name: Isla. Isla Parker.
The name repeats over and over, leaving me wondering if there's some importance to it or if being this close to a hunter and not being allowed to harm her is playing tricks on my psyche.
As she narrows it down further, I tease her about her hunter instincts, indulging in the angry red that spreads across her face.
Everything has been fun and games until I make the mistake of telling her that she's going to be staying here, where she's safe, while Fritz, Caspian, and I go in search of her friend.
