“Areyou the devil?” My heart pounded against my ribs. I don’t know why his answer mattered so much to me. What did it matter who and what he was? I was going home soon.
Grayson watched me for a second, deciding on whether or not he should say the things hidden behind those dark eyes. “I’ve been called King of the Underworld by those who know of me.”
I swallowed hard. What does that mean? “Is that why you found it so funny when I said my name was Persephone?”
He chuckled again, like he did that day. “You were spot on, Princess.”
“King of the Underworld,” I mused. I was clueless to the reason why people would crown him as such, or if he was even telling the truth, but somehow it felt right for him.
I was quiet for a while, but my curiosity got the better of me. “Why do they call you that?” Did I really want to know? My insides twisted a little.
Grayson gave an amused snort, then lifted my chin. “I’ve told you this before.” His eyes darkened as they swept over my face. “Even the highest-ranking monsters of this world fear me.”
A shudder rippled through me. “Why?” I whispered.
His lips turned up into a chilling smile. “Because I can raisehell.”
“Like the devil,” I breathed.
“Like the devil,” Grayson echoed, tenderly sliding his finger around the contours of my jaw, his twisted eyes holding me captive.
“I’m not scared of the devil.”
Grayson lifted my chin a little higher. He had a devilish gleam in his eyes that sent hot waves of electricity through my body. “That’s not very smart, Ava. You should always run from the devil,” he whispered ominously.
“No. I’m not scared,” I whispered back, but my heart skipped a beat, and my breathing stopped.
A slow grin spread across Grayson’s face, and I swore the skies darkened. “Wrong answer, little witch.” He snatched me into his arms and lifted me off the ground as I yelped in surprise. He ran to the pool, my scream of protest cut off as he dove us both into the icy water.
“You bastard!” I screamed in shock as we resurfaced and pushed him under again. He didn’t come back up this time. “Grayson?” I called after a while, a little panicked, not being able to see him. Was he okay?
Suddenly, his fingers closed around my ankles, and I managed a little gasp of shock, before he dragged me under.
I would have gladly stayed right there, under the rainbows, for the rest of the day—playing, bickering and laughing with Grayson, while he held me warm, but it was Grayson’s turn to make dinner.
Imagine that. The devil cooking for his family. It was like there were two different beings in his body that left me utterly confused.
So, we got dressed, packed up and made our way back to the cabin. I picked a few wild herbs and mushrooms for Grayson’s soup, which he eyed suspiciously, and asked more than once if I was sure it was edible. I enjoyed the look on his face as I pretended to be a little uncertain.
The beautiful cabin appeared through the trees. I stopped. I needed him alone for a few more seconds. “Hunter says you sneak up the stairs at night.”
Amused surprise flitted onto his face. “What an owl.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You come into my room when I’m sleeping?”
He shrugged, giving me one of his half-smiles I’m sure he perfected to entrance women. “I don’t sleep much, so I sit on the windowsill and watch the trees.” He took a step closer to me. “And sometimes I watch you.”
“So you’re a creep.”
My insult didn’t faze him much. “I’m fucked in the head, Princess. I thought you understood that by now.” He lifted my chin and unleashed the full force of his eyes on me, making me wonder if he could see all the way into my soul. “If it bothers you, I will stop. But I don’t think it does. I think you like the idea of me watching over you at night, however messedup it might seem to the world. And I think, if you stopped lying to yourself, you’ll find you’re just as fucked in the head as me.”
A shiver rolled through my body. I cleared my throat. “Or you’re just a lonely creep.” It didn’t come out as snarky as I intended with my voice so shaky.
Grayson chuckled. “Or I’m just a lonely creep.” He nodded and flicked my nose. He started walking towards the cabin again, speaking over his shoulder as he went, “A lonely creep whose ass you’re ogling right now.”
Laughter came bursting from my tummy. “I never said you were anuglycreep. Race ya!” I yelled and started running, giggling at Grayson’s surprised protest. He ran anyway and it didn’t take him long to catch up to me. He grabbed me around my waist and lifted me off my feet. I yelped in surprise. He twisted me around and threw me over his shoulder and the backpack.
“Put me down, you creep!” I giggled as he ran the last few metres to the cabin and up the porch. I was still laughing and squirming from being poked in the sides, when he walked through the front door with me.
