"Don't call me dollface," I snap to cover the sound of my thundering heartbeat that I'm sure he could hear.

He towers over me when he braces muscular arms at the top of the doorframe, invading my personal space. I hate that I like it too much.

His lips curl upward into an amused crooked smile. His eyes do another slow sweep of my figure. "You look adorable. But are you sure you want to go dressed like that?"

Adorable? Why did it sound like an insult? I briefly look down at the modest dress I have on. "What's wrong with the way I dress?" I ask defensively. I had my doubts about this dress but now that he mentioned it, I feel like I have to defend my choice.

"You look like you're heading to church with your grandma instead of going out for the night."

I almost choked on my own spit at how accurate he is. I used to wear it to church with my grandparents. But he couldn't have known it, right?

I straighten my spine indignantly. "Are we going soon or are you having too much fun insulting the way I look?"

"But I said you look adorable," he protests with an innocent charming smile.

I won't let that smile fool me. I shoot him an icy glare as I shoulder my way past him. I fumble with my key, trying to lock up and the smirk on his face grows, letting me know that he's enjoying riling me up.

Afterward, we move toward the staircase. This building is five-story high and the elevator hasn't worked for as long as I've been living here. It's a good thing that my apartment is on the second floor.

It's still early but the street outside isn't too busy even though the stores are still open. This is not a trendy part of the town but it's quite safe...mostly. There are a group of men smoking in one corner, eyeing us up.

His hand on the small of my back propels me along and it makes me feel oddly protected. Safe. It also feels more intimate than it should. The butterflies are fluttering in my stomach. The heat from his hand seeps through the thin material of my dress and I feel it everywhere.

He's leading me across the street, towards a classic muscle car- a Mustang, or something...I'm not good with cars. It is parked between the street lights so that it's in the darkest part of the street across from my building.

There's a silhouette of a man leaning against it. A small red glow of a cigarette moves with his hand and smoke swirls around him. I can't see much of him but when he straightens up, I realize how big he is and my steps falter.

Why am I going with Joshua King again? Doubt and a dose of fear start to form in my stomach like a hard lump of ice. I suppose I'm attracted to him. I'm crazy attracted to him, but I don't know him. This is how young women get kidnapped, especially stupid ones like me. My taste in men is crap and I can't be trusted to make good life decisions.

Joshua nudges me forward and I'm deciding whether or not to scream when he hollers, "One of these days, that nasty thing is going to kill you."

The man shrugs and flicks his cigarette to the ground. "You told me not to smoke in the car. Don't you give me grief about smoking outside now," returns the man.

"Damaris, this is my friend, OJ," says Joshua out loud before he leans in to whisper in my ear, "That's short for orange juice."

"Ummm..." I stare at the big guy skeptically and warily. Orange juice? I doubt it. The man looks positively scary and I don't want to offend him by saying the wrong thing or calling him by that stupid name...if it's not his real name.

He probably has an inch or two over Joshua King who's probably around 6′ 4". He's even bulkier too and that makes him look like a giant to me. His skin seems dark bronze in the dim light from the laundromat across the street but his hair is almost white and cropped close to his skull.

"Otto Jagger," the scary-looking man quickly declares, offering me his hand. I hesitantly take it and my tiny hand disappears in his firm grip. "OJ for Otto Jagger, not for orange juice," he further clarifies, flicking his gaze at Joshua King before glancing back at me. There must be an ongoing private joke about it between them. "And you can call me Otto or OJ."

Joshua King makes some kind of noise like he's trying not to laugh and the big man flashes me a quick grin. It instantly changes his whole face from intimidating to oddly sweet. He's not devastatingly handsome like Joshua but he's ruggedly attractive...in a scary-adorable sort of way. "Can't have a pretty lady thinking that my parents were imbecile," he comments.

"Come on," says Joshua who walks ahead to open the car door for me.

Just as I'm slowly walking past Otto Jagger or OJ, or whatever his name is, he leans down, almost burying his nose in my hair, and breathes in deeply. I jump in fright and stumble back, knocking my body against the side of the car.

I glare at him as I rub my sore elbow but he's not looking at me. His eyes are narrowed, looking at the ground as if deep in thought and he's holding his breath.

After a while, he slowly lets his breath out with a deep rumble from his chest before he turns his attention back to Joshua King. "You're right, she's a halfling. A Cambion."

A what now?

"Does she know?" he asks Joshua over the top of the vehicle.

"Nah, she thinks she's a full-blooded human."

I scowl at them both. Scary or not, they're pissing me off. They're talking about me as if I wasn't here or I as though was an object rather than an intelligent human...or whatever it is that they think I am. What the hell are they even talking about?

Joshua pulls the passenger seat up and I camper into the backseat. I'm too curious now. What did they call me again?

"To be fair, she doesn't look like one and the smell is very faint. I would've thought she was a human if you didn't warn me," states Otto from behind the wheel. "I doubt others could've sensed it either."

"You think she could be one of Belial's?" asks Joshua King from the front seat beside him.

"No," replies Otto. "Too pretty to be Belial's."

"True." Joshua nods before he turns around to study me with a raised eyebrow. His pale blue eyes seem to glitter strangely and eerily in the dark. They wander over my features and my body critically before he suggests, "Asmodeus's?"

"Demon of lust?" Otto also turns to spare me a look and now both of them are scrutinizing me. "Nah, too virginal," he decides.

What the hell?

"If you saw her last night, you wouldn't have said that," replies his idiot friend, Joshua King. His lips curl up into that sexy amused lopsided smile.

"Hellooo! If you're talking about me, I'm right here!" What are they talking about? Who's Belial? Who or what in the hell is Asmodeus?

"We know exactly where you are, sweetheart," drawls Joshua. He sinks his perfectly straight white teeth into his bottom lip while his eyes make another slow trek down my body as if he's remembering last night...or my body without my clothes on. Jerk!

"Who are your parents?" asks Otto suddenly.

"Who? Me?" I point to myself in mock surprise. "Oh, wow! Now you're talking to little ol' me?"

"You didn't tell me she has an attitude," mutters Otto, leaning slightly toward Joshua. "Maybe she's Morningstar's?"

Joshua coughs to cover his snicker. "So? Who or where are your parents?" he repeats his friend's question a while later.

"I don't want to talk about my parents." I stick my nose up in the air and fold my arms over my chest. Then I let out a disdainful snort before swiveling my head to look outside my window.

We're on the six-lane highway now. The traffic is slow but at least we're moving.

"You're not sulking now, are you, dollface?" teases Joshua King.

"Oh, shit! I didn't hurt your feelings, did I?" asks Otto, shooting me a quick glance. He looks genuinely remorseful.

"I don't talk about personal things like my parents to strangers," I announce.

The truth is, I don't know much about my parents. My grandparents raised me and they never mentioned the man who fathered me once. They never had anything much or anything nice to say about my mother, who was their daughter either. My grandparents were extremely religious. But they were cold people...to me, at least, especially in private.

*************************************

Hi, my dearies!

I hope everyone is doing great.

Finally, I'm home from my long summer holiday.  I just got over my jetlag and I'm hoping to get back to my regular writing and updating time. 

Anyway, here's my latest chapter and if you want to read a few chapters ahead, go to Inkitt:

https://inkitt.app.link/RA_NicoleRidd3y

Have a great day/evening and stay safe!

- Nicole♥