Daughter Trilogy Bundle (133 page)

Through the eyes of a Poseidon

I hate it when people are late, and Bob should have been in this godforsaken noise box thirty minutes ago.  The damn music is killing my oversensitive ears, and these mortal women annoy me with their wanting eyes.

They have no idea what an impossible feet I am.

I need to hide my damn ring finger.  Perhaps I should invest in a wedding band just to deter the foolish women from drooling like savage beasts.  Knowing my luck, they would probably just throw themselves at me all the more.

As soon as I sign the tab the flirty waitress hands me, her eyes clock the finger I was trying to hide.  Her cheeks blush, and I roll my eyes at the foolish pile of drool forming around her frothing lips.

Definitely buying a wedding band.

My eyes cut away to resume watching the station I requested the television be turned to in order to deter any foolish thing she might try to say.  As long as I make it obvious I’m not interested, she’ll go away.

Damn.

I almost regret watching the news now.
 
Another attack has just happened close to my current apartment.  Mom will be exhausted if she has to keep cleaning up after these unknowns.

I
’m almost sick of how close they keep getting.  They shouldn’t be finding us so often.

I
’m a little caught off guard by someone far too close clearing their throat.

Where the hell did she come from without me seeing her?

Small beads of sweat form on her brow as she waits for me to act as though I’m interested.  Of course it’s a mortal girl, but damn she’s gorgeous.

I force a callous stare despite her breathtaking appearance, and then I very impatiently murmur,
“Yes?”

She looks absolutely terrified.  Poor girl.  Her mortal eyes tremble in panic as though she has forgotten how to speak.

It’s almost funny, but I shouldn’t laugh at her.  That would be cruel.

“
Hi,” she bumbles out, and I suddenly find her young age to be a little refreshing. 

She
’s not like the aggressive immortal women I keep becoming entangled with, but she’s still just mortal.

I can
’t.

I turn the rest of my body to face her in hopes it will intimidate her enough to end this sad, embarrassing display.

“Hi,” I coldly reply to keep the conversation curt.

I almost feel like the man who just stole a child
’s sucker when she almost pouts with her sensationally exquisite lips.

Damn
.

Her eyes are phenomenal.  They
’re a cool blue with a hint of green promising to tint the edges if you look close enough.  Her long, dark hair looks soft enough to touch, and I have to refrain from actually trying to do such a foolish thing.

Her skin looks so fucking soft, and it makes my lips beg to touch her body.  She
’s so incredibly perfect.  How is she mortal?

What the hell is wrong with me?

“I was wondering if you maybe you wanted to dance?” she stammers out somewhat pitifully, and now I feel my foolish body betraying me as it tries to get closer.

You don
’t want me honey, oh but the things I want to do with you would surely cause you to fall in love.  You’d be obsessed within a few days and infected within a month.

I
’ve got to get a grip.

I can
’t control my urge to laugh at myself and this ridiculous situation where I actually feel compelled to ravage this ravenous creature whose veins course with mortal blood.

“
No thanks, sweetie.  I’m not interested,” I lie through my laughter, but I’m still curious as to why I can’t see anything she’s about to do or say.

It
’s starting to agitate me slightly, and I feel like an absolute ass when I see I’ve just humiliated her with the laughter she thinks stemmed from her dance proposal instead of my own inability to fight off the temptations she causing me to suffer.

Damn it. 
Why is she getting to me?

I pretend to turn my attention back to the news, although she
’s all I want to look at.  She rushes back to her table just as the very late Bob walks up to greet me.  If he had been here on time, this mortal wouldn’t be getting under my skin right now.

Bob
’s pompous face annoys me, but he’s got an idea that will pay out profusely very soon.

I
’ve been bored for too long, so it’ll be good for me to have my mind distracted.  Even though now I seem distracted from my planned distraction.  That girl is really starting to drive me mad.

Why can
’t I fucking see her?

“
Devin.  Nice to see you.  Are you ready to run over the schematics?”

I
’ve been ready, you fat, late slob.

“
Yes I am, though it’s quite the odd scene you’ve chosen for business,” I very cordially reply despite my underlying irritation.

Bob laughs at my obvious distaste for the club scene I find to be very unprofessional.  The meeting being so late was annoying enough. 

“I like the young air in here.  It reminds me that life isn’t always about work.  I think a youthful surrounding is good for you, considering you’ve forgotten how young you are.”

I know everything he
’s going to say before we even sit down, and I’m not even sure why I agreed to this fruitless meeting, other than the fact I was too bored to sit at home again.

Other than constantly battling with the unknowns, nothing spectacular has been happening.  Now this damn girl won
’t get out of my head.

I feel like a bit of a creep when I intentionally tune Bob out and start listening to the conversation of the little anomaly I
’m struggling to understand.

“
That was brutal,” one girl whispers with a hint of smugness.

I
’m sure she’s jealous of the beauty my little invisible girl carries with effortless ease.

“
Yeah.  I know.  I was kind of there,” she mumbles in response, and now I feel a need to go and apologize for my crude behavior.

Fuck.  I have to stop.

One girl, who seems to be a true friend, places a sympathetic hand on my mysterious wonder’s shoulder.

“
He has to be gay,” her friend asserts, and I stifle a smirk.

My mystery girl lets out a laugh at her friend
’s candor.

“
Let’s go dance.  I’ll drink on the way down,” she murmurs with exasperation and a little bit of wounded ego.

Her friend takes her hand, and they begin exiting the room.  Now I
’m really pissed.  I can’t hear them while their in the middle of that ridiculously loud mosh pit below.  I still can’t fucking see her, and I have to know more about her.

“
I tell you what, Bob.  You’ve already got the deal.  I’ll sign the papers and have my assistant bring them over tomorrow.  Go enjoy the rest of your night,” I mutter dismissively while standing to walk over to the large window overlooking the chaos below.

“
Really?  Just like that?” he gasps.

“
Just like that.  I have enough money to bounce around, and it’s obvious you have an idea worth investing in.  Go now.  Have a good time,” I rush.

“
Thank you, Devin.  This is amazing.  Thank you so much,” he murmurs in disbelief, and I shake his hand quickly before scouring the dance floor for my girl again.

My girl? 
Why do I keep referring to her as
mine
? 
Damn it.

I rub my face vigorously as if I can wipe away the foolishness I
’m exuding without any self respect for my years of preaching against mortals and immortals.

She
’s down there like a sought after lioness as she weaves through the hoard of eager men desperate to gain the attention she so freely offered me.  I regret having not taken her up on it now as I watch her sexy, smoldering body sway with the beat of the music, - that tiny red dress climbing up just high enough to make me all the more curious to find out what’s underneath.

It would be so much easier to just leave her alone if I wasn
’t blind to her future.

An old song starts playing, and I decide to descend the staircase to find this blazing beauty and end this madness.  Maybe if I sleep with her once, I can get over whatever spell I feel as if I
’m under.

She
’s dancing… a routine?  In a club?

It
’s a little too simply mixed with juvenile moves.  I laugh a little, but I find her adorable as she and her friend laugh wildly.

I join the intoxicated crowd in their applause, and then I see her being scolded by the bouncer for her lack of shoes.  She giggles with her friend as they rush over to reacquire their abandoned heels.

This girl’s smile is breathtaking, and I’m beyond intrigued by her.

I start making my way through the depraved crowd full of eager men and women, my eyes having only have one focus -
her.

I almost want to strangle the parasite hassling her when I overhear his accosting.

“So am I.  Your bitch friend thinks she’s too damn good to even speak to me,” the flea scoffs.

My neck cracks to the side before I risk being seen, and then I say
fuck it
and flash through the crowd.  I deny my Poseidon’s plead to drown the fool in his own alcohol, but my strength is wavering.

“
That’s because she is,” I growl out, and I see my girl starting to choke on an invisible knot in her throat.

She was scared, and this son of a bitch was the one scaring her.  I can feel my eyes starting to swirl as I tower over the piece of shit, and terror spreads in his eyes - as it should.

I move to be between him and her before I start again.

“
She’s with me.  If you have a problem with that, then you need to deal with me, not her.  Got it?” I threaten, and I can feel my protectiveness for her growing.

Why do I feel so damn attached to her?

The coward throws his hands up in surrender before responding, “Sorry, dude.  Didn’t know.”

I force the tidal wave flowing through me back into place as I turn to face
my
girl once more.

I
’ve got to stop thinking about her this way.

One night is all I need.  Once I get it out of my system, I
’ll be fine.

“
You okay?” I ask sincerely.

“
Yeah.  Thanks,” she mumbles with a bit of embarrassment, and I am quite certain her humiliation still stems from my earlier rudeness.

“
I’m Devin Cole,” I say softly, and then I proffer my right hand while holding my not-strong-enough scotch in the other.

She seems uncertain about putting her hand in mine, and when she finally does, it almost stirs my blood to a boil.

I swear I feel small sparks of electricity coursing through me, and now I’m all the more captivated by this unfathomably bewitching girl.

Fuck.

“I’m Alexius Smith,” she says with a deceitful tone, and I have to question her honesty given her incredibly telling eyes.

She
’s not used to lying, and I can’t help but smirk at her mischievous glow.  The scandalous intentions she must carry for telling such a fib fall into my plan perfectly.

She is the one to finally break physical contact, and I can tell I
’m placing quite the spell on her as well.

No surprise.

“Sorry about earlier, I was a little distracted.  I thought you were… different,” I lie.

It
’s not like I can tell her I rebuffed her attempts because she’s mortal.  Although if I was to tell her who or what I am, I’d probably get laid much faster.

Mortals do love romancing the deadly.

A devious smirk spreads, and I have to wipe it free from my face.

She shrugs while trying to act casual in saying,
“It’s okay.  I need to get back to my friends.”

What the hell? 
She’s
turning
me
down?  Did I miss something?

She starts walking away, and involuntarily, I grab her hand in mine.  I can hear her heart start racing, and I know she
’s fighting to stay away.

Why is she so determined to get away when she first approached me?

“Stay.  Dance with me.  Let’s convince the army of men chasing after you that you really are taken,” I tempt, and now I feel as desperate as the fools in here sniffing at her heels.

What is it about her that seems to be driving everyone so crazy, including me?  And why the fuck can
’t I see one little glimpse of her?  More importantly, why do I care?