“You little brat!”

Mina was beautiful beyond comparison. Her voice, however, was raspy when she screamed for her stolen purse. Her silky golden brown hair swayed as she and I chased her boss’ son down the arcade.

Lucky for her, she had decided to wear a simple ocean blue dress that reached her knees, making running easier for her. Unfortunately for me, I had decided to wear a red sheath dress: A dress so tight on my legs that running was almost impossible for me.

I usually didn’t go to events. But Mina outright begged for me to come to the anniversary party of the company she currently worked for. I couldn’t say ‘No’ to that wonderful face. The face that got me to date her in the first place. And now, clearly, things weren’t going as well as we thought they would.

We ran through game after game. Table after table. Wrecking things on the way. We bumped into games that people were currently playing and I had to apologize for ruining some of their gameplay. And we ran until Mina finally caught her culprit right in front of his own father at the arcade’s bar.

Mina’s breathing became more rapid than usual. I could hear her lungs struggling for air. A mucus-like substance blocked her airway while she struggled to breathe. Her breathing only made my eyebrows furrow from worry. But she didn’t notice it as she started yelling at the spoiled brat, her voice struggling to adjust to the sound she wanted to express.

I could see the father’s anger rise as he watched Mina yell at his son. He crossed his arms over his large stomach and tapped a finger on his forearm.

“What she means is-” I interrupted to give Mina’s lungs a break as well as to try to calm the man’s growing temper. I held out my hands over my chest with palms out facing the boy. “You shouldn’t be taking other people’s things. Especially if you’re running around like that. People, including you, could get hurt. ”

Before I could show him the slightest smile as a gentle gesture to the boy, the boy stuck his tongue out towards me. I didn’t know whether or not I should be surprised by this kid’s reaction. He had proven himself with one gesture that he was a spoiled brat. And his father’s silence made me think he didn’t care that his son just stole a woman’s purse.

The man’s glare was simply focused on Mina. “Will you stop yelling at my son?!” His deep voice was as loud as thunder. His face was clenched from anger and a side of his upper lip lifted to reveal his yellow teeth.

My nose clenched followed by my baring my teeth in disgust at the man’s words. But Mina let go of the boy, her face full of boredom with a tweak of irritation.

And the kid slipped. He slipped onto his bottom and began whining. “Dad!” I took a step back, now holding Mina close at my side with one arm. “Kill her! Just kill her right now! She’s being mean to me!!” Oh hell no!

A single stomp forward from the man had me going back a single step. The stomp was as brutal as his current facial expression. I could’ve sworn that the ground shook a bit. “Gladly.” And his growl—a tiger’s growl— sent my heart beating faster than it should be.

Gladly?!

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My eyes widened upon hearing the sound. The man’s teeth growing sharp sent me into hyperventilation. Shit. Shit. Shit!

I took another step back, keeping my eyes on the man and his now smirking son. Though the urge was there, it wasn’t me, but Mina who said “What are you doing?!”

Her voice. Her poor voice was weak. And her heart. I could feel her heart from the pulse in her arm. It was slowing down. Her eyes and face completely lost their color at the sight of what was in front of us.

I need to do something. Anything.

I didn’t know what I was thinking, but I made the stupid decision of reaching down my waist, feeling my hand just slip down my gown instead of into a pocket. My dagger was at home. And in the corner of my eye, I could see the people around us.

They didn’t see this.

How. How could they not see this? The sharp teeth. Was I going crazy? Was I already crazy? Were they just ignoring us?

The only eyes I could see on me—other than those of Mina’s boss and his son— were a pair of crimson eyes that seemed to narrow at my staring at them.

The man crept closer and I took another step back, my eyes focusing back on him. He was taunting us with those oh-so-slow steps. His eyes were now focused on me. If I landed a blow, would it even cause him any harm?

I struggled to bring Mina with me another step. She had gone as still as death. I pulled her in front of me, now holding her with both hands. I had done it so quickly that her back slammed into my breasts and I flinched from the pain while hissing through my teeth.

“What’s wrong?” the creature that seemed to be Mina’s boss opened his mouth. His lips twitched into a smirk, “Surprised to see Meistec in this city?”

My already fastened heartbeat became faster. Fast enough to make me feel dizzy. I definitely wasn’t going to be able to overpower him. Not even close. So, I stayed silent to think about any other options I had here.

No knife. I couldn’t attack him. The crowd didn’t seem to even see this. They weren’t gonna be any help either. Meistec were faster than humans. Running wasn’t an option either. Especially knowing Mina was as still as a trunk.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

“Monsieur Darik?”

The crimson eyes that seemed to have been watching me belonged to a tall man. I blinked myself out of my thoughts to get a glimpse of the man who seemed like he was going to save us.

The man was dressed in a black-tailed suit, like a showman’s or a butler’s wear. His honey-colored skin flickered in slightly different hues under the arcade lights. His hair was an abyss black that was combed back but still let a few strands loose on his forehead. His leather black shoes seemed almost silent with each step he took towards Mina and me from behind her boss.

A few more steps in, and he was tilting his upper body slightly. A couple more, and he was just a few feet in front of us. Of me and Mina. He swung his upper body forward and up straight again before stopping right in front of me, staring down at me with a calm, seemingly bored expression on his face. And with two fingers, he held my chin and tilted it to one side. Then the other, humming. I did nothing while he assessed me.

After his assessment, he turned his head to half-face Mina’s boss. “You know, Monsieur Darik?” Mina’s boss. “It is not polite to stun a woman like this.” Through that calm facial expression, his voice was as cold as ice.

Darik barked a laugh and unsurprisingly enough, so did his son. His wide stomach bounced once or twice and it almost made me let loose a laugh. If I wasn’t so paralyzed by the situation.

“I don’t give a shit about being polite if these girls harassed my son!” Darik’s tone was cruel. I would’ve punched that smile off his face if I stood a chance against him.

Unimpressed. That’s how I’d describe the new facial expression on the man saving us. The only person who seemed to notice our panic. My panic. As he was the only one staring at me since this whole thing with Darik started.

“Close your eyes” the crimson-eyed man whispered to both of us as a soft command. His soft voice made my face redd ever so slightly. Not that I didn’t love Mina with all my heart, but I had to admit: He was hot. It made me guilty just thinking about it.

I squeezed my eyes shut after Mina closed hers. And all I could hear after that was screaming.