“What?”

  “The newness in the way you perceive everything. Your emotions… They’re new, aren’t they?”

  My body tensed as I stared at him. “She told you?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “So, Maureen is aware?” I frowned. How did he know then? He chuckled lightly at my confusion. “No, I recognize it because I was the same.”

  I regarded him cautiously. “You were cursed too?”

  He shook his head. “No, but explain what you mean.”

  Grimacing, I glanced down at my hands. I didn’t have any reluctance in telling him, especially if I’d get to know what he meant about us being the same. “A witch cursed me with the ghost of one hundred and thirty-seven hearts from people I killed with my pestilence. Their presence has grieved me and made me know pain. Understanding it, however, has given me a new outlook.” I closed my palms into fists. “I judged them and their feeble, sad existences. I couldn’t figure out why they fought so hard against death.”

  Grim plopped down on the rock beside me with a thoughtful frown, his dark eyes appearing serene. “Like you, I was a being created without emotions. God made me with a purpose and that was it,” he admitted, and somehow I wasn’t surprised. “I used to judge humans for being such flighty and pathetic creatures. Believe it or not, I still catch myself looking down at them.” Grim drifted off and gazed into the distance. He blinked rapidly a few times before continuing, “Strange thing happened while observing those creatures. I found myself questioning their behaviors and their erratic moods. My curiosity grew regarding one emotion in particular—love.” I watched him silently examining his outstretched hands. He made a face and said, “Maybe it was because, at the time, I was only made up of bones. I created fantasies in my head of all these things I could never have—flesh and blood…a heart. Then one day I had those things along with love.” He glanced at me. “Yes, I fell in love with a human.”

  “Your wife is a human?” I knew that couldn’t be true. I had seen her do everything Grim could do, maybe even more while we were in the human world saving lives. Saving lives. It was a weird but not an unpleasant thought.

  “She was then,” was all he said. He paused for a long moment. “Jackal?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Where did you find Maureen?”

  The memory brought back my anger like a volcano slowly churning. “A vampire kidnapped her. I killed him before he could do anything more than bite her.” That alone left me seething.

  Grim clenched his knuckles so tightly they turned white. He let out a breath and his tension released. “I thank you for going to get her. Kitty would have never found her in time. Obviously, the vampire calculated the abduction or else he wouldn’t have caught Maureen off guard.”

  Grim dragged his fingers through his hair and arched a brow. “But why did you run to her like you did? Not that I’m ungrateful, mind you, but you helped us too.”

  “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

  “Fair enough,” Grim replied, cupping his fingers together. “I’ll ask again, especially now that we know you can reverse diseases. Will you help us every time there’s an outbreak? Each day there are dozens of new illnesses.”

  “I will.”

  “Is it because of Maureen?” he asked.

  I stood, back so stiff that it cracked painfully. I wanted to tell him to leave. I didn’t want to explain myself to anyone, especially my thoughts on his daughter, but since he was Maureen’s dad, I didn’t. I just couldn’t handle anymore questions. Not when I was far too confused myself. “You should go,” I told him.

  “We all need rest,” Grim agreed, not taking my words offensively. “Oh, and Jackal?”

  “Jack.”

  He was clearly amused. “Jack, about my daughter…”

  I was edgier than I was ten seconds ago. “What about her?”

  “If you plan to be around Maureen, you should understand some things about her. If my daughter starts saying things she obviously doesn’t mean, it’s a sign that she’s uncomfortable. Instead of sharing her emotions, she'll hide them. Watch her actions, and you’ll find the truth.”

  I nodded. “I already know.” Why was Grim telling me this?

  A smirk sneaked across his face. Had my answer surprised him? “Well, then, I guess there’s only one thing left to say.” I waited for him to go on. He pressed his lips into a thin line and cocked his head to one side as if weighing his words. “If you hurt her in any way, you’ll wish you weren’t immortal.”

  With that said, he tossed up his hand and faded from the cave.

  Chapter 22

  Maureen

  “Man, I’m really hungry.”

  I’d repeated those words out loud to myself dozens of times to justify the reason my dinner table is covered in food—food I prepared. The need to justify my actions got so bad at one point, it felt like tiny claws digging and scraping my innards. The sensation along with the sick smell of desperation mixed in with skin lotion sickened me.

  Oh, God.

  I finally sent Kitty a text, telling her there was food available. Yeah, I know I was trying to ignore the real reason I cooked.

  There’s food at my house that will get thrown away if someone doesn’t come eat it.

  I was a badass femme fatale who didn’t just whip up a meal at the spur of the moment. I took pride in what I did but it made me lonely. Last night, sleeping alone, I realized that being by myself wasn’t something I wanted anymore. Sniffing back a sob, I set my phone down and pulled out two plates. Yeah, there was a third one, but I wanted to pretend it wasn’t. A simple slip-up. An over sight. I wasn’t planning for someone else. Besides, who counts the number of plates they set out?

  “Did someone say food?” Kitty faded into the house.

  I gave her a once-over and smirked. “Why are you in pajamas?”

  She shrugged, eyes on the table loaded with a variety of dishes. “What’s the occasion?”

  “There isn’t an occasion. I just materialized all this food with the wave of my hands.”

  Her eyes moved to the spotless, shiny sink. All the evidence of my excessive cooking spree was hidden before I texted my sister. She lifted a brow, flopped down on a chair, and said, “Mm-hmm.”

  Slowly, I made myself a plate. Every few seconds, I glanced up and watched Kitty shovel in food. Her appetite put Jackal’s to shame. I should have taught him about materializing food from the human world. If he could materialize a weapon, then he could learn to do the same with everything else. I didn’t know if he had that ability though. Did he get hungry last night? I shuddered picturing him scarfing down another rat in an alley. At least, I’d introduced him to plates and spoons. Much better than the night I fed him by hand. The memory put a smile on my face, and then I shook my head. Why did I feed him with my hands? I groaned aloud at the memory. The action was totally unlike me. Then it occurred to me, maybe I wasn’t acting out of character. Maybe I was finally comfortable being me. The person before the curse.

  That startled me. I was my curse. Wasn’t I?

  I watched Kitty put more food on her plate. Maybe I shouldn’t have invited her over. If he didn’t drop in soon, Kitty would eat it all. Not that I cared, but he did say he’d see me tomorrow. That was today.

  I rubbed my forehead now. “What’s with you?” Kitty asked.

  I dropped my hand. “Nothing.”

  “Are you going to eat?”

  “Yeah.” I pushed my food around.

  Just then a dark, penetrating presence hit me. My heart beat stronger as I sensed Jackal porting into the house. I sat up taller and put on my resting bitch face. With plenty of attitude in my voice, I asked, “What are you doing here?”

  “You’re finally here,” Kitty said, and I tensed. “Maureen made you some food.”

  “I didn’t,” I clipped out. Keeping my eyes lowered, I put my chin in my hand and noticed how excessively warm my face had become.

  “I can tell the difference.” Kitty smiled knowingly.

  Gah, I shouldn’t have invited her.

  Jackal’s heavy footsteps pounded the floor. He stopped near the kitchen island, pulled out a chair, and dropped his oversized body into it. When I glanced up, his eyes met mine, and he said, “Needing food to sustain oneself.” He rubbed his toned stomach. “It’s tedious.” His gaze swept over the food before he started making himself a plate. “But good food makes it better. Makes you want to eat even when you’re not hungry.”

  I tried hard not to show my excitement, but Kitty noticed as she shot a grin at me. “I’m always hungry, so I can’t relate.”

  He turned his head. “Gluttony?”

  “You know our sins?” Her lips curled up. “How interesting.”

  “Almost everyone in the Underworld knows our sins.” I stabbed the hunk of meat on my plate, sticking a piece into my mouth.

  “This is your cooking,” Jack mumbled softly, using his utensils like a good boy. He scarfed a bite. “I can tell.”

  Kitty beamed at him. “Good, right?”

  He groaned his response, and my legs trembled. “Why are you staring?” It took a second for me to realize he was talking to me.

  “I’m not,” I lied. I gathered my wits and stopped ogling him to take another bite of food.

  “I should go.” Kitty shoved the rest of her food into her mouth and then stood.

  I exhaled. “At least finish eating.”

  “I’m done,” she said around the mouthful. She waved her greasy hand around and faded.

  Dragging my eyes over to Jackal, I saw him hunched over his plate, but he wasn’t eating. He stared at me. No. His gaze devoured me. Like he was a giant monster, and I was the poor hapless creature on a platter.

  Needing something to do, I gathered my dark hair and tied it into a messy knot on top of my head. It was a bad move. Now his eyes ate away at more of me, straying to the mark on my neck. He swallowed, set his fork down, and then stood abruptly. “We should go to the human world.”

  “Are you rested enough?” I didn’t recognize my voice. The quality was too soft, too gentle.

  His eyes seemed to twinkle at me. “Would you care if I wasn’t?”

  “The better rested you are, the more you can get done in a day.” The words didn’t feel honest.

  His shoulders fell as he turned to the side. “Lead the way.”

  ________

  “Jack. Jack. Jack.”

  With every guttural groan from him, his name sounded desperate on my lips. All his weight rested against me, this time there was no help on his part. He’d exerted his power more than ever before. We knocked out eight cities today. It was a great feat that I didn’t take for granted. But the human world was a vast place, much bigger than the Underworld. There were so many cities and towns, and every day symptoms from new diseases popped up.

  Jackal was the beautiful exception to this new sickness mutating every minute of every hour. He could squash an invisible enemy on the inside without moving, but in return it took all of his strength. But there was only one him and so many humans still needing to be saved.

  I didn’t know why he pushed himself so much today. He blatantly ignored my demand that we leave when he began to sway on his feet. His bronzed godly physique was ashen and beads of sweat coated his skin. A pang of guilt slid through my gut, but I snuffed it out immediately. Without a doubt, if any of us could do what he could, we would be there to catch each other afterward, much like I was trying to do for Jackal now.

  But he was fucking huge, and I needed help. He was out cold in the human world. Letting myself fall to my knees with his arm draped around me, there was no way I could stand, so I faded with him to my bedroom.

  Now that I had him there, I had no clue how to get him back to wherever he’d been staying. Getting Jackal on the sofa or the bed wasn’t possible. It wasn’t fair. My dad, all three brothers, even Mom and Kitty had a bit of inhuman strength. Me? Nada. Why the hell did Kitty have all that strength and not me? What was she going to do wrangle the buffalo before she ate it? What I got instead was the ability to see the strings of fate. It was a great skill to have, nothing to complain about.

  But still…

  I stared down at Jackal sleeping on my bedroom floor. I didn’t want to leave him there, but I didn’t want to call Barron either. Bleh. I had yet to tell him about the whole ordeal with Gavin. I had yet to tell any of them despite the numerous text messages and phone calls from each of them.

  “Guess you’re stuck on the floor.”

  I gathered a pillow and tucked it under Jackal’s head. For some reason, I thought I could roll his big ass over to place a blanket beneath him. Yeah, right. I gave up that maneuver and dropped it on top of Jackal. The guy probably wasn’t used to comfort, anyway. Another wave of guilt hit me. He really might not. I’d only ever offered him my sofa, which was in no way big enough for him.

  Stop it.

  I didn’t care. I was pride. I didn’t care about anyone but myself.

  Usually.

  _________

  Smothering sweat covered me when I awakened. Did someone turn up my thermostat? Then I felt it—a massive weight pinning me to the bed. I glanced beside me and saw the mammoth-sized arm draped around my middle. I tensed as a million questions swirled through my head. Was Jackal asleep? When did he move up here? Did I really fall asleep so deeply that I didn’t sense him get into bed with me? Raising my head, I glanced at the clock. Only a couple of hours had passed since I’d covered him up, showered, and went to bed.

  His labored breathing told me he was asleep, but his face was pressed against the nape of my neck. Every hot breath was tantalizing. I’d spent my entire adult life alone. Cuddling with someone was a foreign gesture—too personal and too intimate. Everything in me screamed to wake him up and force him to leave.

  But something was stronger than that instinct. A rapid fire burned in my heart and blood rushed to my ears. Every part of me tingled. Not only was I filled with lust that nervous energy was inside me again. I nudged into him slightly and then paused to see if he’d wake up. His only response was to hold me tighter. The curve of my ass fit perfectly into his crotch. He was comfortable.

  My tension eased, but I was still a bundled web of desire. It took a while to relax. I spent most of the time trying to convince myself to wake him until my eyes began to drift. I slid my hand down to the one palming my stomach—and I didn’t know why I did, but I brought his hand up to my chest and rested it with mine there.

  I spent so long wondering why I didn’t wake him up, or at least get up that I never bothered to wonder why he crawled into bed with me in the first place.

  _________

  When I awakened this time, I felt like I had a clogged artery. I was panting, squirming, unable to breathe as I gulped for air. I was hot again. Hot in a very different, delicious way. One giant paw of a hand was inside my shorts rubbing against my opening and missing my needy clit. Jackal’s other hand was beneath my shirt, pinching a nipple. His stiff dick dug into my ass as he ground his crotch against me. Making matters worse were my soaking panties. How long had he been awake? His fingers moved lower and then he slipped two of them inside me. A moan escaped when his teeth raked across my shoulder.

  His body shook. I was painfully aware of how desperate he was for me because I felt the same way long before I even woke up to him pawing at me.

  He gripped one of my breasts painfully, then loosened it only to grind into me some more. His fingers were just as rough, giving away his inexperience. He never once gave any attention to my clit, instead he was completely enthralled by the hole he sought to fill.

  That didn’t matter though. I’d never been so turned on in all my life. Guys with all the experience in the world had never broken me down and forced an orgasm out of me before. I didn’t think I’d ever been with anyone that cared. Their skill was extremely lacking even when they thought they knew how to pleasure a woman. My victory was in their succumbing to me, but Jackal made me surrender to him as much as he did to me. It was unraveling—equal defeat. It was addicting after only one taste.

  Without words, I pushed my hand inside my shorts with his and pulled his fingers out of me and moved them to my clit. I wiggled against him while swirling one large digit over my nub. He sighed—deep and guttural—and the sound made me ache more for him. Jackal slipped his hand out. I almost whimpered, and then he was pulling down my shorts and panties, leaving them bundled at the top of my knees. His jeans were gone, and his heavy cock nudged between my ass cheeks. Dropping my head back onto his chest, I thought he might enter me from behind. Instead, he nudged me forward onto my belly. Panic and lust seized my heart as Jackal’s knee forced my legs apart while he pushed me flat against the bed. Then his weight was on top of me. I flattened my palms out on the sheet and gripped it.

  “Let me get on top.” My trembling voice became my worst enemy.

  His weight crushed me as he leaned down, his full mass lying on me as he pressed his mouth to my ear. “For once, don’t fight for who comes out on top. Just let it be, let your walls down for me—forever, only me.”

  His words did something to me. He wasn’t even making eye contact with me when he said it, but it was like he was speaking directly to my core. I tried to relax but couldn’t help shaking beneath him. His weight was bruising, and he finally took some of it off of me. The trembling didn’t stop though. It was his words. They’d already set a fever inside my chest. He had no use for pride, showed none. He asked without restraint or embarrassment, and because of that, he was already mapping my climax, setting me at my peak before we even began. He showed what I could not. He nudged my legs further apart, his cock like a steel pipe pressing against my backside.

  I can’t. I couldn’t handle him. He was beyond my capabilities. My pride, however, frantically waved a white flag.

  His teeth bit along my shoulder, igniting goose bumps across my flesh. A hand teased along my slit, sliding up to my anus. His body was like a brick wall keeping me firmly against the mattress. Then his enormous, hot cock teased my pussy. I gasped. Immediately, my muscles tensed in fear. Jackal’s girth was too much in this position. Somehow, he stroked me just right. The tightness eased, and he pressed inside, paved a way like we did this every night.

 

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