A Beautiful Evil (A Beautiful Book. 1) #Wattys2015

Chapter Three - Close Quarters

Princess. The word bounced around my head like a pingpong ball, jumbling my thoughts. I haven't been called princess in ages. I don't know why, but the word stirred something inside of me that hadn't been awoken for years. I didn't like it. At all.

Adrenaline still pumped through my veins from our scuffle with the gargoyle, but it was fading fast. Another perk of being my father's daughter.

"That thing was ghastly looking, wasn't it, luv?" asked Charles, bending over to pick his arrows up off the ground. I nodded. His shirt rode up in the back, and I looked away, blush creeping into my cheeks. The arrows didn't burn with the corpse, but it's not like they could, either. Nothing could destroy such a dark artifact. Not even fire.

"Well," he stated, picking up the rest of his arrows and stuffing them into a leather quiver resting on his back. I hadn't even seen it materialize in the first place. "That was exciting and all, but unless you have a pint in your trousers of sweater, I think I should be heading." He bowed at the waist, outstretching an arm to take my hand, and pressed his lips against my cool skin. "It was a pleasure fighting with you, luv," he purred with a mocking smirk. The bow in his other hand and quiver on his back shimmered, and the air around them seemed to have an electric spark. They faded, and finally vanished all together, materializing into nothing.

I rolled my eyes, yanking my arm out of his grip. "Get over yourself, Alvah," I laughed, grabbing him by the collar and hauling him out of his courtly bow. "Lets go get you a stupid drink."

* * * * *

It was at least past two a.m by the time Charles and I stumbled out of a bar we'd discover driving down the interstate. It was more than a shack than a bar, with a stone parking lot and a cheap, burnt out sign that was suppose to say, "Bill's Bar & Grill", but instead read, "ill's Br & Gill". Charles insisted it was a great place to get filed up on wings and drunk on vodka, which meant he'd been here before, and I was happy to accompany him.

"Wanna come back to my place?" Charles slurred, his eyes cloudy and unfocussed, but somehow sparkling with desire. The shock sobered me up a bit. He never looked at me that way until now. Being under Charles unmoving stare made my fidget. He was as old as time, but yet didn't look a day over twenty-five.

I wanted to say yes, to spend a night wrapped in this old friend's arms that I hadn't seen in centuries. He was the only familiar thing that I had to tether me to my old life; to tether me to him. What would it hurt? It's not like hemissed me. He made that clear. But the nagging in the back of my mind wouldn't quit. So, knowing that I'd regret this later, I refused his offer.

Charles straightened, his eyes going hard for a second. He stared at me, his eyes seeming to bore holes through my body. It was as if his gaze was a physical thing and I could feel it on my body, taking in everything I had to offer. Then, for a split second, rage twisted his features, and he looked as terrifyingly beautiful as he had fighting the gargoyle earlier that night. But the look soon passed, and he shrugged as if being denied by a woman was a normal thing for him.

But then he stated what I was dreading, and praying to The Big Guy himself -it's not like he would have taken it into consideration anyway, but still- that he wouldn't ask. "Is this about Huarwar?"

The muscles in my entire body went ridged, refusing to move. My jaw locked together, and I ground my teeth, focusing my thoughts on the Cooler's Light bottle cap sitting on the ground, next to an old cheeseburger rapper. "It's none of your business, Alvah," I said cooly.

"It's Charles, now," he said, his tone matching my own. He'd looked like he'd been slapped. "But whatever, princess."

Now it was my turn to act as if I'd been slapped. I shoved him, and he stumbled back into the brick wall. He growled, eye's flashing. "Watch your self, luv."