I didn't know what to say, I was still stunned at his sudden appearance. His words were only slowly starting to process in my mind when Xander fired his gun again, hitting the man higher in the chest— right over his heart.
The force of the bullet threw the man off balance a little, but he only stumbled back a single step before he turned to look at Xander. I'd never seen even a hint of fear on Xander's face until that day, and even then it was brief. There for a second and gone the next. So quickly that I didn't know if it was my own imagination playing tricks on me.
The next thing I knew the fear that I had sworn I saw was replaced with Xander's signature anger. The second that I saw the shift I knew that the man had picked a fight he wasn't prepared for.
Chapter 7
The man looked down at his, now bullet-riddled, suit then his glance fell back to Xander.
By the looks of it he was more concerned about the damage to his threads than anything else.
He looked up at Xander with an evil smirk on his face. His eyes went from normal, to all black and I nearly jumped back.
Was he a demon? Like me?
All I had learned about demons was from television shows and the Bible. Both probably not the most authentic sources for information on the paranormal subject, but I wasn't quite sure because I'd come to terms long ago with the fact that nothing in the world was as it seemed. When my parents told me that anything was possible when I was growing up, I didn't meant they fucking meant it literally, but there I was standing in what was about to become a battle between a demon and a merman.
Who would have ever thought that I would have been able to say those words.
"Is he with you?" The demon turned to me, gauging my surprise.
Why the hell was he so concerned with me?
He looked at me, waiting for my response like it was about to dictate his next move. I felt like I had been caught up in a trick question, and I didn't know what the right answer was.
If I said yes, would he kill him?
If I said no would he kill him?
Fuck, the world was so much simpler when my life just consisted of vampires and werewolves.
His pitch-black gaze burned into my eyes and I felt the weight of his stare. I felt the electric tension that hung in the muggy air.
"Yes." My voice cracked, but I stood up straight and tried to look as confident in my answer as I could.
The stranger groaned and looked down at his suit one last time before he returned his pitch-black eyes to Xander.
The black in his eyes slowly receded until his stare was normal again, and he straightened out his suit.
"Well then, you're lucky kid. But don't let me catch you without your girlfriend."
The word hit me like a glass of cold ice water being thrown against my skin.
Girlfriend. I didn't know why the word was such a shock, but it was.
The man turned, about to make an exit I guessed when I called out for him to stop.
"Wait." The words tumbled out of my mouth, my boldness surprising even me.
He stopped in his tracks, before spinning back around with a devilish smile on his face.
"Yes beautiful?"
My cheeks sizzled at the word, but I ignored it.
"Are you the one who killed these people?"
I didn't expect him to answer, in fact I was surprised when he did. He was a random stranger who I'd almost killed in an abandoned hotel. He didn't owe me a single answer. So why was he acting like he knew me?
"Of course, I am. Haven't you heard it's a free for all up here?" His smile never wavered. "The building's clear. You're welcome."
With that he spun around and disappeared in a mysterious puff of black smoke.
I had heard what he said, but for what it was worth I didn't trust him as far as I could throw him, which was also probably not very far.
If I had learned one thing, it was that my weakness was a devilish grin plastered on the face of a handsome monster— Drax was obvious proof of that.
But it was also that everyone had a motive.
What the hell was his?
"What the hell was that?" Xander asked once the smoke had cleared and we were certain the stranger was gone. "Did you know that guy?"
I shook my head, and it wasn't a lie. I didn't know him, but again I couldn't help but feel a connection to him.
Just what I needed, another brooding alpha male supernatural with a thirst for death.
The universe wasn't cryptic when it sent the curveballs my way.
"Let's just get to the basement." I said, sick of the awkward silence as Xander tried to make sense of whatever the fuck happened.
I followed him closely, my trigger finger ready to intentionally go off this time. I didn't care how handsome the guy was, or about the fact that it seemed like bullets didn't affect him. I was going to unleash an entire stream of lead on him if he had the nerve to return.
Every corner we took, and every door we opened my heart skipped a beat. I expected for him to pop out at a moment's notice. But he stayed true to his word, he was gone.
And even more, we didn't run into any other people— living that is.
We finally made our way to the basement, notably the creepiest part of the hotel. We creeped down the cement stairs and went into the small door that led into the machinery room. Xander shone the flashlight on all the machines; they all looked like furnaces to me, but the way that Xander examined each one and murmured to himself made me think that they weren't.
Again, glad that Xander was there.
But I refused to tell him that, his head was big enough without me pumping it full of praise.
"Aha!" He yelled, nearly making me jump out of my skin. "This is it!"
"What?"
"The generator." He slapped the side of a large metal motor-looking machine.
"This can power the entire hotel?" I raised an eyebrow, doubting the power of the small thing.
"Hey, don't knock it. It's small but it's powerful, kind of like you."
His compliment blindsided me, and I couldn't fight the smile that curled the edges of my lips.
Okay, maybe I could afford to give him a little compliment every now and then.
He pressed a button on the side of the generator and the motor clanked loudly before it started up and settled into a steady purr.
It was so loud it was almost deafening, especially standing right beside it. But after a few seconds the lights stuttered on flooding the small cement room with light.
It took a second for my eyes to adjust but a big smile spread across my face.
Xander stared down at me with a smirk on his face.
Inside something familiar stirred.
At the wrong time.
I pulled my eyes from his and walked back out the door, trying to quiet the need that bubbled up. I tried to fight it. I tried to push through, but it was like we were magnets. No matter how many times I tried to walk away, my body screamed to be pressed up against his. It was an ache that was so unbearable that I almost couldn't fight it. I made my way to the bottom of the staircase, proud of the progress I'd made. I was proud of my self-discipline. But every ounce of self-discipline that I had went out the window when Xander reached out and wrapped his hand around my wrist.
I looked over my shoulder just in time to watch as he yanked me close to him, sending my body colliding with his.