One
Fuck this shit. Fuck it straight to hell and back. And fuck the demon who made this son of a bitch.
The half-demon stared down at me, his head slightly tilted as his red eyes scanned me. There was a black woven collar around his neck, and the gold chained leash hooked onto it connected him to his handler. A handler who looked between the two of us like he wasn’t quite sure what was happening.
Yet.
Half-demons were few and far between, but the majority of us were connected to a handler. Rogue half-demons were considered dangerous - never mind the fact that I’d lived on my own playing human for the past two years. I wouldn’t consider myself dangerous…I just needed to keep myself out of situations that could cause heightened emotions.
The half-demon in front of me was well over six and a half feet tall, having to tilt his head down to look at me. But half-demons could sense other half-demons, which meant this dude could sense me.
Normally it wouldn’t bother me. But his handler was one of the most powerful handlers I’d ever seen. Unbridled power swam beneath the surface of his skin, and I knew this piece of work could likely bond with two half-demons.
So forgive me for once again saying - fuck this shit.
I practically pleaded with my eyes whenever his handler wasn’t looking at me for him not to say anything and rat me out. To which he only smiled slightly, his full lips quirked just a bit at the sides.
I really should have been paying more attention to my surroundings. It had been so long since I’d seen another half-demon, or a handler, that I let my guard down and got too close before I realized my mistake.
His eyes shifted to a bright blue, and he glanced at his handler.
‘Don’t do it, you overgrown prick.’ I thought at him, hoping my short-lived death glare would portray that sentiment.
“Sorry about him.” The handler finally said, drawing my attention away. “He’s not usually this…attentive towards people.”
Yeah, because the dude probably hadn’t ever seen another half-demon.
“It’s okay.” I placed an easy smile on my face, playing the role of an unsuspecting human. I’d been doing it long enough.
The half-demon chuckled. Obviously not fooled by my act.
The handler looked up at the half-demon, his hazel eyes narrowing slightly in confusion. He wasn’t stupid. He could tell something was wrong.
Which meant I needed to get my ass in gear and go in the opposite direction that they were going to go in. Fuck if I’d get collared and placed on a damn leash like a dog. I wasn’t sure if the handler would even want to bond with another demon, but a lot of handlers were known to be power hungry.
I didn’t want or need that kind of negativity in my life.
“Anyway.” I took a step away, hopefully in a way that didn’t look like I was running. “I have an appointment to get to.”
An appointment that was super far away from wherever these two were.
“Liar.” The half-demon murmured, which apparently tipped his handler off about how I wasn’t quite human.
The handler ran his free hand through his dirty blonde hair, mussing up the top even more than it had already been as his eyes met mine.
I gave him a thin-lipped smile. “Not sure why he’s calling me a liar. I have a hair appointment in” - I made a show of looking at my watch - “a half hour.”
That’ll show them.
The handler and the half-demon gave me a dubious look.
Or not.
Instead of sticking around and making up yet another excuse, I waved at the two of them before turning and walking in the other direction.
“She’s my kind.” I heard the half-demon murmur.
Wow. What an asshole.
“She’s what?” That tone of voice from the handler made me pick up my pace, crossing the street so quickly that I likely just proved what I was. But at that point, I knew better than to stick around. I needed to get as far as possible, as quickly as possible, or-
“Get her.” The low command from the handler had my ears pricking back. Any other human wouldn’t have heard it at this distance, but God forbid I actually be human.
I glanced behind me and saw the handler no longer had a leashed half-demon beside him.
I turned just in time for said half-demon to swing his arm down in an arch, and I dodged right at the last second, pressing myself against a nearby wall.
“Can you not?” I asked in disbelief. That shit could have hurt.
While still collared, the leash was gone. The guy was impressive, in a wants-to-capture-me-for-his-handler type of way. He had to be at least two times my weight in muscle, but it didn’t look strange on his tall body.
“Want to come willingly?” He asked, tilting his head.
I rolled my eyes. “Is that a real question? Are you some sort of traitor to your own kind or something now that you’re collared like a dog?”
He huffed an amused laugh. “I just do as I’m ordered.”
“Like a dog.” I sneered.
“Do you honestly believe it’s not mutually beneficial?” He smiled a little. “A handler keeps our demon side in line. He’s really not bad. Very…caring.”
If I cared enough, I’d ask what the hell he meant and why he said it in the way that he did.
“You both can kiss my ass.” I said.
He smiled then, flashing long, sharp fangs. His blue eyes melted into red and I had about three seconds-
I dodged yet another attack, skidding my knees on the concrete when he lunged for me. I felt my own eyes shift - my vision becoming clearer - and I narrowed them at him.
His eyes flicked down to the blood on the concrete, then up at me as I stood.
“Quit playing around, Alexander.” The voice came from behind me and I stiffened, turning towards the voice seconds before the half-demon - Alexander, apparently - wrapped his arms around me, caging me against him.
I struggled, but he didn’t even budge.
Where were the cars and people when you needed it? Because of course it would be dead in this damned area at this time. I could have screamed for help, but I could still tell my eyes were red and most people didn’t take kindly to halfsies.
This was why I couldn’t be near people or places that stressed me out.
The handler tilted his head. “Knock her out and bring her in. I have some questions before I collar her.”
I ground my teeth so hard that my jaw popped. “Don’t you fucking da-”
And of course the oversized prick at my back did what he was told. Just like a good little collared half-demon.
What a dick.
