Chapter 10:

〰 Proximo 〰

She focused on her cards, trying to figure out whether she should fold or challenge the man's bet while I rose her dress higher so I could make her grow more irritable. Her soft skin against my hand was antagonizing to me as I felt up her leg and felt nothing covering her.

The she-devil.

"I'll challenge you." She says in a tight voice, placing her cards down and pushing her chips in front of her before digging her claws in my hand. I pulled away, knowing I could easily make her come in front of the human that she was favoring.

Everything within me was telling me to kill the man who stared at her with lust, but I knew that would upset her. For some reason, that was what as keeping me from killing the man.

That and before I had a hand roaming over her.

"My dear. Are you sure? You'd be putting all in." The man says in a soft tone before glaring at me. "It'd be a shame to see you leave so soon." He admits, the genuine tone making me shake my head.

If he calls her his dear again-

"I know. But my boyfriend still waits for me... Unless you would like to have some drinks afterward?" She gave dug her claws into my groin making me hit the table and avoided the man's gaze.

The searing pain crawled within me and ate at my lust for her before she let me go and sighed deeply at the hand.

"Looks like you've won." She sighed, shaking her head before standing up. "I would offer to pay for drinks, but you've stolen all my money." Her soft voice was soothing yet dangerous. I continued to whimper from where I was, trying to recollect myself while the man stood up.

"That is not a problem. It'd be an honor to drink with a lovely player as yourself." He says, Hrudra's eyes softening at the kind compliment.

Holding his arm out to her, she hooked her arm with his as they started walking away and towards the bar. I continued sitting there and tried collecting myself when there was a soft tsking soft behind me.

"My god, Proximo. You are pathetic." Valrun tells me, pulling my chair back and helping me up.

"The she-devil is playing a bad game." I snarl, my limit coming up with her as Valrun picked up my winnings and steered me into a booth near the bar they were at.

"Don't blame her for harming you. You were practically molesting her." She tells me, ordering a beer for each of us and staring at a few men who walked by us.

"I'm her mate. I can touch what is mine." I growled at her, knowing that the others were waiting for us to return but it was fun playing poker with them.

"That's not what you said last night. Remember?" Valrun comments, knowing full on everything that happened since she refused to help me without knowing why she left. Though Hrudra can't blame me!

She didn't want anything between us!

"She's never wanted anything more than enemies with benefits," I growled at her as she leaned back and nodding her head at Hrudra and the man.

"Look at Hrudra." Valrun orders when I dragged my gaze at Hrudra and the man. She laughed at something the man said as the bartender flipped a shaker for her entertainment. The man smiled at her, telling her something under his breath that made her blush softly.

The sight causing me to clench my fists tightly and look away in a defeated way. The waiter brought our beers as I popped it open and drunk it deeply.

"Hrudra doesn't laugh, she doesn't blush, and she doesn't soften to just anyone," Valrun tells me, destroying my confidence. "Would you like to hear a story?" She asks, twirling her finger and letting them she wants a few more beers.

"Do I have much of a choice?" I mumble, leaning on the table and letting the cool surface calm me down.

Don't kill the man.

Don't kill the man.

"I was once married," Valrun admits to me, wrapping her hands around the bottle. "His name was Leo Bauer. He was fantastic and the only love I've ever had. He allowed me to fight on the battlefield despite me being a woman. He saved me from slave traders and had killed them for crimes against the city.

"The first time we spoke, I was mesmerized by him and I couldn't help but fall in love with him. It was as if fate had him save me. We married a little while after that and he trained me to fight since he was the general of the third legion. One of the strongest in the army.

"We promised that after the enemy was dead that we'd have children and have a home." She says, her voice dripping in sorrow when wiping away at her eye. "The day I met Hrudra was the worst day in my life. I watched the enemy decapitate my husband, destroy the legion, and kill me in the process. I knew that it was my time to die, but I murdered leader of our enemies.

"But Hrudra saved me. She gave me a new life and had helped me grieve about my beloved dying, our future forever destroyed. It took almost a century for me to finally get back on my feet, yet Hrudra remained by my side and defended me in the direst situations. If not for her, I would have never come back to my old self." Valrun finishes, sipping onto her drink while I shook my head in confusion.

"Why do you tell me this?" I ask her when Valrun twirled the bottle in her hands.

"Because never once did Hrudra tell me that our friendship was nothing to her," Valrun says in a hard voice and stared at me. "We all have our own troubles. She may hide hers better, but just because she does doesn't mean you have the right to treat her like a piece of shit." She hisses.

"Then tell me. What the hell am I supposed to do when she ignores me?" I ask her in a furious tone, hating that she was railing me like a mother.

"Who said she ignored you?" Valrun leaned forward before nodding the Hrudra again. "What is he doing that you aren't?"

〰 Hrudra 〰

"You're boyfriend truly doesn't care for you? He just lets you do this?" Claus asks me when I sighed and swirled the scotch around in the glass.

"He doesn't know what I am doing, but he knows that I leave at night," I tell Claus as he watched me from my left. "He doesn't try enough and I don't trust commitment," I admit to him before smiling at him. "I sound like a girl, huh?" Sighing, I look down at my glass and drink the remaining scotch in it.

"No. You sound like you need love." He says, ordering us another round when I chuckled humorlessly.

I felt so loved last night...

"I think I need anything but what I have," I said while running a hand over my forehead.

"Are you alright, my dear?" He asks me when I nodded and smiled at him.

"Yes. Don't worry, Claus." I got up from the seat and grabbed my bag from the bar. "I should head home. I hope we meet once again." He stood up as well while I slipped his coat off and handed it to him but he shook his head.

"Let me walk you out, my dear." Claus held his arm for me as I hook it with his and let him lead us out of the casino. We passed by several people from the Lore, a few vampires glaring heavily at me when we passed by.

They better not follow us outside.

I could feel the demon and Valrun following us out while he opened the door for me. Ignoring the eyes of Claus's guards, we exited the casino and walked down the walkway beside each other.

"Will I see you tomorrow night around the same time?" Claus asks me when I let out a small breath and shook my head.

"I'm afraid not, my mafia," I admit to him.

"Who are you, Hrudra?" He looks down at me with wonder. I stared up at him, wishing that I was human and could admit that I am a normal woman. But I couldn't.

"I am not human," I tell him when he nodded.

"I know." He admits as I tilted my head at him. "I know about the Lore, my dear." He says with a small chuckle at the bewildered look on my face.

"How do you know...?" I mumble under my breath while he wrapped the coat more around me.

"I am part Satyr." He confesses as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "My father was full Satyr and my mother was human. I was born without my goat form so I've always been the human of the Lore. This casino was my great-grandmothers." Claus informs me when I sighed and smiled softly at him.

"Then I guess you know who I am?" I comment making him chuckle calmly and nod.

"Who wouldn't know the famous Valkyrie?" He says as I shook my head and glanced around his shoulder and saw Valrun and the demon coming towards us. "My men were scared shitless when you walk in earlier." His words made me laugh out loud, loving that people were still scared of me.

"I didn't mean for that to happen, Claus," I tell him while they joined me. "Guys. This is Claus. He is a Satyr." I introduce, watching the demon scoff and look away. Valrun held her hand with a kind smile put in place.

"Nice to meet you, Claus. My name is Valrun the runner of light." She bowed her head in respect.

"I've heard many good things about you, Valrun. Hrudra speaks proudly of you." He told her making her chuckle and glance at me.

"I am honored to be her partner in crime." I nodded in an agreement before sighing and looking up at Claus.

"I am sorry, Claus. We have to leave right now so we can stay on course to our destination." I said sadly causing the demon to walk away in anger.

"Of course." Claus watched the demon stop away before turning to us again. "What is the demon's problem?" He asks curiously causing us to share a look.

"She's her boyfriend." Valrun blurts out while I shoved her hard enough to push her on the ground. Claus chuckled softly and looked over his shoulder at the demon glaring at us.

"Well, that makes sense now." He murmurs in defeat when I pulled the coat off and handed it to him.

"It's not like that. We aren't anything that was just a cover story, Claus." I gave him one last smile before leaning up and pressing a soft kiss on his cheek. "This is farewell, my mafia." The action caused the demon to roar in anger but Valrun said something to him make him still with fury.

"Farewell, my dear. Come visit sometime." He took the jacket as I nodded and walked towards them. Claus stood there, watching us leave when I shoved the demon roughly.

His eyes seemed to darken with the action as he stood a little taller than before. He hovered over me in a challenge with Valrun still gripping his arm for him to control his anger.

But I almost wished he'd showed the power of his anger. At least then he wouldn't be thinking with his dick and with his fists.

"You had no right to be angry." I snap, jumping into the car and waiting for them to get in as well.

I had little patience with the demon because of how he humiliated me in the casino and how he had the nerve to say we are nothing. Gods! If only I was mated with someone as kind as Claus.