Copyright © 2020 Kaizer Wolf

Innocent Devil's Harem | Chapter 7-3: Being a Good Guy for Her

Once I’d collected my thoughts and gotten my mind off doing her, I made my way back, unwilling to make eye contact now. I was thankful that she realized I was still struggling a little.

“I think I’m done looking for now,” she said decisively, grabbing the books from my hands. “I’m going to go ahead and get these four books, and then do you want to check out the food court?”

I cleared my throat, feeling bad about ruining her fun, but also really needing a change of scenery at this point. “Can I buy them for you?” I wondered, finally glancing down at her. However, I immediately had to look away when her emerald eyes were suddenly full of affection. “Careful,” I said quietly.

“Oh, sorry,” she whispered. “Yes, I’d really like that actually. Not that I can’t afford it, of course, but it makes it feel more special knowing you paid for it. It’s like a gift then.”

I smiled, still averting my gaze as I turned to head toward the check out. However, she didn’t follow. I glanced back at her in confusion. “Coming?”

“Oh yes, sorry,” she said, catching up. “I wasn’t sure if you needed to get away or not.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m alright.”

As expected, the line to checkout was decently long, but they had enough cashiers to make it go quick enough. After only about five minutes, we were finally leaving, heading back into the mall toward the food court, with me carrying Gabriella’s bag of new books.

Once we got there, we decided on getting a couple of giant cinnamon-covered pretzels that came with a frosting dip, before sitting down across from each other at a small secluded table next to the only wall that had seating. I was grateful she seemed to know to avoid the word ‘dessert,’ instead using the word ‘snack,’ since the former held a significantly different meaning for me right now.

I wasn’t sure if she was doing that consciously, or not, but I definitely appreciated it.

I was angled more toward the wall, with the rest of the food court behind me, focused intently on Gabriella as we carefully socialized.

It was while we were talking about possibly going to one of the jewelry stores in the middle of the mall, to get her ring sized for future reference, that I caught unexpected movement from the corner of my eye.

A guy who looked like he was on steroids had been walking by, but he unexpectedly changed directions, and headed straight toward us. I was sincerely shocked when he continued to walk right up, as if he knew Gabriella, only to place his hand on the table between us, giving my date his full attention.

It all happened so fast, and was so bizarre, that I didn’t even know how to react.

Did she know this guy from somewhere?

“Hey there, babe. Why don’t you come hang out with me? I’m much more fun than this guy.”

What the hell?!

Was this bastard for real right now?

I immediately closed my eyes, suddenly trying to restrain myself, as I had the urge to rip out his throat. And not for his blood this time.

No, I just wanted to slaughter the bastard.

A small part of me was glad I was at least facing the wall as I felt my chest and back turn gray, knowing no one would see if my face showed signs of changing too. Still, I couldn’t believe this was really happening right now. How could someone be so arrogant and bold to just approach some random girl and try to steal her, while she was clearly on a date!

Something didn’t feel right about this.

Did this kind of thing really happen to her?

I mean, I knew she was hot, but seriously?

This was ridiculous. To the point that I wouldn’t believe it if it wasn’t actively happening right now. Was Gabriella some kind of magnet for assholes or something?

Forcing my transformation into my eyes to stop my skin from graying more underneath my clothing, I tried to take comfort in the fact that Gabriella knew how to handle herself. After all, she’d dealt with this kind of issue for years now, and had always been able to get out of these situations on her own.

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Not to mention, the way this guy looked – the way he smelt – I suspected that me trying to intervene would actually just make him more aggressive. The only person who could truly shut him down was her, which meant I just needed to let her do what she already knew to do – make it clear she wasn’t interested.

I still hated it though. Hated that I couldn’t just get up and shove this guy on his ass.

Because, while technically her job was to say ‘no,’ I felt like my job was to intervene if he didn’t respect that no. But could I? Could I make him go away without transforming?

Gabriella’s tone was firm. “Not interested,” she snapped. “Leave us alone.”

It was obvious she was pissed, but I also noticed a hint of concern in her tone too, likely because she’d noticed that my eyes were closed.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t so easy.

The asshole didn’t let up.

“Oh?” he scoffed. “You’re with him? I thought that was your brother or something,” he laughed.

This wasn’t my first time dealing with jackasses. I knew he was intentionally trying to be offensive, especially since Gabriella and I didn’t look anything alike. If anything, he probably thought that putting that idea into her head would make her reconsider her choice, which was stupid as hell.

Either that, or maybe he was actually hoping for a fight.

Gabriella ignored the comment, apparently smart enough to not let the guy bait her into arguing with him. “I said, leave us alone,” she repeated firmly.

“Hey now,” the bastard replied. “I’m just trying to have some fun.”

Gabriella was definitely pissed now. “I said–”

Unexpectedly, I sensed him grab her arm roughly, immediately causing my eyes to flash open to confirm what my other senses were telling me.

Enraged, I did everything in my power to stay seated, while forcing my pupils into slits like a cat’s eye, my irises bright gold.

“Hey!” I barked out.

He turned to look at me with a triumphant expression, almost as if this was what he was aiming for, before he suddenly yanked back.

“What the hell!” he exclaimed in alarm, sincere terror pouring out of him.

My tone was ice cold. “I suggest you leave, before I gut you,” I hissed.

Without hesitation, my prey turned and bolted away as fast as he could, like he was sincerely running for his life, cursing as he went. My eyes closed the moment he was gone, my fists clenched in my lap, my palms hiding sharp black claws that were just beginning to elongate.

I could hear Gabriella shifting in her seat as she urgently looked around, making sure no one saw me. But I was pretty sure no one had been paying attention, though I was confident we definitely had people staring now, due to the commotion he caused.

She then leaned forward toward me. “We should just go.”

I quickly shook my head, trying to get ahold of my emotions. Part of me really wanted to run after him and make good on my promise to gut him. She waited patiently for me to respond verbally.

Finally, after a couple minutes, my eyes were back to normal, so I opened them to find her watching me in concern. She looked ashamed and guilty too, though I already was aware of that from her scent.

I tried to smile at her. “We still need to get your ring finger measured, remember?”

“No, seriously. It can wait,” she disagreed. “What if that guy tells security? Or calls the police?”

I sighed heavily, knowing she was right.

Dammit.

Standing up, we grabbed our snack to bring with us, prompting her to vent once we left the food court and began making our way to the exit.

“Jeez,” she hissed. “I figured that after yesterday, and this morning, I had used up my quota of bad luck for the rest of my life.” She then clarified when I gave her a confused look. “I do have guys come up to me like that sometimes, but I don't think assholes who are that arrogant are normal. The fact that he actually grabbed me is shocking. No one has ever gone that far before.”

I focused ahead as I considered that. “Yeah, actually there was something weird about it,” I agreed, thinking back on his behavior. “Honestly, it almost seemed like he was trying to provoke me, rather than trying to get with you. He acted almost…accomplished, when I finally reacted. Maybe he was just looking for a fight?”

“Maybe,” she replied. “He did seem like the kind of muscle-head who might do something like that. It just sucks that all our bad luck had to happen all at once.” She then was thoughtful for a moment, only to continue with an endearing tone. “Thank you, by the way. I really appreciate you coming to my rescue.”

I intentionally didn’t meet her gaze, knowing her expression would probably make my hair start turning white. “You’re welcome,” I whispered simply.

Once we reached my car, I sighed heavily as we climbed in, glad to have that over with. It was a nice date, but it ended up being more stressful than I anticipated. I spoke up again as I pulled out of the parking spot.

“Well, I'm glad all that was just a fluke, instead of the norm. I'm certainly not going to tolerate guys putting their hands on you.” My grip tightened on the steering wheel as I spoke, my knuckles turning white. However, after a second, I realized that what I’d just said might sound more controlling than I intended. I quickly focused on her. “You know you can walk away, right?”

Gabriella looked at me in surprise. “What? What are you talking about?”

I grimaced. “Like, if you decided you didn't want to be with me…” I paused. “I'd be devastated, of course, but you can do that. Leave me.”

“I don't want to leave you though.”

I realized she didn’t understand what I was getting at. “I mean, I just didn't want you to feel…trapped.” I glanced at her again. “Because you know my secret, and obviously I’m a lot stronger than normal people. What I meant is that I wouldn't hurt a guy if you let him touch you, although obviously I'd probably die on the inside.”

Gabriella immediately reached over to touch my arm, causing my hair to flash white unexpectedly. However, she didn’t move her hand, and I decided I didn't care if anyone saw me with white hair – for all they knew I could have just dyed it.

“Kai…” she began hesitantly. She then shifted gears, addressing what I was trying to tell her. “Thank you. I get what you're saying. You won't be a stalker ex-boyfriend, who hurts everyone I date, or who even might try to hurt me. But you won't ever be an ex, so long as you always want me. I don't just casually date. I've really only had the one other boyfriend, and it wasn't even that serious. I'm serious with you. I'm committed.”

I sighed, my breath coming out more ragged than I was expecting. I reached over with my left hand to place on hers still resting on my right forearm. “Me too. Even if you cheated on me, I'd still take you back in a heartbeat…” I grimaced again. “Granted, I'd probably have trust issues after that, if I'm being honest.”

“I won't cheat on you!” she exclaimed. “I'm not that kind of girl! I won't even be friendly with other guys! You're the only guy I need.”

Copyright © 2020 Kaizer Wolf