Page 21 of The Good Char (Soul Taker)

DZIK

She thought she could keep her secrets from me.

As I stood there, in the shadows, watching her flit around her little apartment, I curled my lip at the dilapidated neighborhood and its location. How this place wasn’t scheduled for demolition years ago was beyond my understanding.

I had been checking in on her for the past few weeks. Human authorities would call it stalking, I called it making sure my damn employee made it to work alive.

She only recently started visiting more often instead of veering back toward her parent’s home in the nice suburbs. I didn’t pretend to know what was going on in that little pretty head of hers but I knew one thing, she wouldn’t make it without me.

Hell, just the other day I stumbled upon a bastard messing with the communal mailbox while I was getting a closer look at her little hell hole she called a residence.

I made quick work of him, weeks of frustration pouring out of me as I choked him unconscious, dragged him out into a more secluded area and began clawing his skin until I reached tendons and muscles.

Lost in the euphoria of torture, my flesh suit ripped and once I was done bathing in his blood, I had to sneak back into the underworld, dragging him with me.

Melkgard scowled and complained that I had dirtied the meat but it didn't matter. Because it seemed I gave Daniel a companion for his stay.

Watching her light turn off, I grunted and straightened from leaning against my Camaro. This time around, there weren’t any further distractions as I made my way inside the building, taking more of the visual atrocity in. It was evident whoever ran the place pocketed all the money.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the master planted another demon here.

The scuff of a shoe had me turning to find a man down the hall from Kimmy’s apartment, staring at me for a few seconds before he disappeared into his own hell hole.

Peculiar, but not my damn problem.

I had curated a copy of the key to Kimmy’s place and quietly unlocked her door and made my way inside. The sound of light snores floated in the air as I walked a few more steps to find her sleeping soundly on a mattress and box spring that sat directly on the floor.

How she found it within her to come to work as bubbly as she did nonplussed me. Or perhaps she was delusional from lack of sleep and appropriate sustenance—that would make more sense.

Standing at the foot of her bed, I watched her breathe.

It was nice not hearing her blabbering a million miles a minute, something I had come to learn was a reaction to her worries, frustration and nervousness.

Taking a few steps forward, I leaned down and stared at her relaxed face—one I came to expect everyday.

“Who are you, Kimmy Ngo?” I whispered as I inadvertently took in her scent again. The musk was lighter… until she turned and slapped me in the face.

Gritting my teeth, I cursed her under my breath as I shook my head.

“No, of course I’ll get you a corndog!” she giggled then drifted back into silence.

Seemed the tortures of The Good Char haunted us both. Something we had in common.

Looking out her clouded window, I flicked my gaze to her one last time before leaving. The halls were quiet as I went down the couple flights of stairs, creaking the metal with each step.

Before I could fully exit the building, something pulled me back. I looked over my shoulder and grumbled about worthless employees before forcing myself to leave. This unwanted attachment was the bane of my existence. Scowling, I removed myself completely before something else pissed me off.

“Piece of crap apartment. How the hell am I supposed to keep up maintenance when crap keeps going out in every damn place?” came a growl from behind the shadows of the building.

My ears perked.

“I should just let this place burn to the ground, tenants and all.”

My nostrils flared at his last statement and I stomped over toward his location, grabbing the scruff of his shirt before he was aware of my presence and slammed him against the wall.

“What did you say?” I snarled in his face.

“Who the hell are you? Put me down this instant!”

The desire for death and destruction grew within me like living fire. He dared to threaten to burn my employee where she slept soundly? My fangs grew as I gave him a menacing grin.

“Oh, I’ll put you down alright. Straight into hellfire.”

My claws ripped through my fingertips, piercing the flesh of his chest. His cry of agony was music to my ears, relinquishing me of the mix of emotions I left with.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Please, don’t hurt me!”

“Did you want to burn with them? Because I assure you, I can make that happen. I’ll even send you to an after party with a few demons back home,” I taunted.

Light chitter chatters floated around us, the sprites having caught on to our little game in the shadows. No one threatened what was mine.

Mine?

I scowled at memories of Kimmy’s arms around me, making my phallus slap against the fabric of my pants.

“Wh-What do you want from me? I’ll give you anything. Just please, don’t hurt me!” he whimpered like the pathetic creature he was.

Disgusted with this pitiful human I dropped him to the ground and brought my boot against his chest to keep him there.

“Anything, you say?”

“Y-yes. Please,” he begged right before the harsh smell of urine invaded my nose.

I was going to have to disinfect my boots after this encounter. Disgusting creature. A thought struck me and I snapped my fangs in his direction.

“You’re going to give me an apartment.”

“I am?” he asked, befuddled.

“Yes, you fool!”

“But there aren’t any vacant?—”

I pushed my foot down until it crunched. He cried out in a higher pitch and grabbed my ankle.

“Okay!” he squeaked and I nodded, removing my boot and wiping it on the grass beside him.

“Have it ready for me by tomorrow,” I commanded before returning to my Camaro with a new purpose.

I ignored the sounds of sprites as they appeared behind me, continuing to wreak havoc on him as he ran back into the building.

Hopefully, tales of my deeds in the realm of men didn’t return with them once they went back to the underworld. I frowned at what Zychor and Belchar would say about what transpired here. They didn’t understand what I had to deal with during my sentence. They never would.

Hell, they should be happy I was adding souls back home.

“I should have killed him,” I grumbled as I started the car. But I didn’t know the ins and outs of how to maintain a building if he went missing. I didn’t need a miserable Kimmy coming to work or worse yet, not coming at all.

This was getting more complicated than I anticipated.

The blasted little human, what was she doing to me?