The Order Ch. 01

She remembered him. His voice. He spoke to the attacker before she pushed him and tried to run for freedom. And then she awoke in her bed, the sexy man with the deep voice staring at the items on her dresser. She owed him more than words could say. "Thank you."

Andraemalek nodded as she stared at him in wide eyed appreciation. She was unlike any human he'd ever watched. Her movements said one thing while her eyes and tone of voice said something different. If one could not read her, one would never know her.

He shook his head. She was a mark, nothing more. He walked to the door and switched on the main light to the room. She stared at him silently, causing an unfamiliar cramp to form in the pit of his stomach. He ignored it.

"How did you know where I live?" Nadia couldn't stop staring at him. He was unreal; his muscles rippled beneath his dark blue t-shirt and made her shiver at the thought of their power. He fiddled with the bottle of oil in his hands. Was he nervous? He couldn't be; men who looked like him were never nervous. They were cocky and confident.

"I live across the quad." That made him sound too much like a stalker. He shrugged, thinking of something else to say. "There is also the ID card in your wallet."

"Oh." That would do it. The apartment complex wasn't a large one, in fact, it was the first one built in town. Never expanded, it successfully became the smallest in the county. If he lived across the quad, he would have definitely seen her. Paired with her ID card, there was no doubting where she lived. She looked down at her hands. "Thanks for saving me."

"You're welcome."

Nadia frowned. Was that all he could say? Suddenly uncomfortable, she moved to stand. She must have stood too fast as the pain in her head became excruciating. She felt herself falling backward and tried to brace herself. She could only gasp in surprise when she felt his hands on her shoulders. She was surprised; how could so large a man have so gentle a touch?

Andraemalek pushed her head forward to rest on his shoulder as he inspected the back of her head. He probed it gently and murmured apologies when he felt her tense in pain. "You need to take it easy." He felt her nod against him and pulled back when he felt a hot wave of desire creep up his spine. He fought hard to ignore the scent of her skin; that sweet, warm, and painfully intriguing tint of something he'd never smelled before brought disturbing and highly stimulating thoughts to him, thoughts he'd never associated with acting out with a human. But he wanted to, especially after the way she curled into him unconsciously and shuddered when he touched her. The bed was more than large enough for the both of them...

He stepped back. She was the mark. He needed to focus on the task at hand.

Nadia cleared her throat uneasily and sat down on her bed. She frowned in thought. "Did you carry me all the way here?" She watched as he nodded and closed her eyes in guilt. "I'm sorry."

It was Andraemalek's turn to frown. "For what?"

Embarrassed, Nadia kept her eyes closed. "I'm not..." Lord, he must have thought her the fattest woman on the planet. "I'm not exactly a bag of feathers."

Andraemalek smiled. That was such an odd reason for an apology. "You aren't heavy."

Nadia opened her eyes and stared at him. He didn't look like he had a problem with his vision. "Yeah... Sure..."

He looked her over carefully. Yes, she was round and full of flesh but it only added to her appeal. "What are you? One thirty-five? One fifty?"

Nadia only stared. Not only was he blind, but he didn't know how to count. "Two hundred-five."

Frowning, Andraemalek looked at her again. She couldn't possibly weigh that much. Where was it all? "Are you sure about that?"

"My height hides it well." Nadia looked away in shame when he openly stared at her. She should have kept up the diet and exercise regiment she set up for herself. At least then she wouldn't look like an obese mule.

Andraemalek shrugged. "I've lifted heavier for work."

Nadia looked at him and asked, "What do you do?"

He should have anticipated that. He couldn't exactly tell her he was a half demonic contract killer and demon hunter whose kills once totaled a thousand pounds, all of which he had to lift and carry himself. "Personal trainer." That made enough sense.

"Oh, no wonder."

"No wonder what?"

"No wonder the chiseled chest and pecks for days." Nadia felt her eyes go wide. She hadn't meant to say that. He only raised a brow to her statement but it was enough to make her wish she could disappear. They stared at each other for endless awkward moments. She tried to think of something to say but only drew blanks. Those eyes of his seemed to scream at her to remain silent. She began to fidget. Why was he staring at her like... like a piece of meat and he was a hungry predator?

She stood slowly and took a breath. "Anyway, thanks again..." She would have finished with his name but since she did not know it, she looked at him in question.

"Andrae."

Nadia nodded slowly, repeating the name to herself. "I'm-"

"Nadia." Andraemalek smiled knowingly when she stared at him in surprise. "I make it a point to learn about the things that interest me."

Nadia took a moment to digest his words. He was joking, she told herself, trying to end things on a light note. "The day I'm interesting..." She looked away when he frowned at her words and cleared her throat again. "Would you like a drink or something?" She fiddled with the buttons on her jacket as she waited for an answer.

"No." Andraemalek looked down at the bottle of oil in his hands. Something inside of him was fluttering. It was an odd feeling, as if a bird fought desperately to fly out his stomach. He liked it. He needed to leave. "What is this?"

"Cocoa butter oil."

He looked at the bottle for a moment before bringing his eyes to hers once more. "It smells good on you." She gave him a surprised look and soon after a new and faint smell wafted to him. It was slightly salty and had a trace of bitterness. An odd mix but it oozed off of her. She was nervous. Her body hummed it, forcing the scent off her. He wanted to know if the smell would intensify if he touched her. "I should get going." He turned and walked out of the bedroom.

Nadia only nodded as she followed him to the front door of her apartment. She leaned against the door and forced herself to keep from smiling when he turned to face her. "So..."

Andraemalek waited for her to finish the statement. "So?"

Nadia motioned to the bottle of oil with her chin. "So you're still holding my oil."

"Oh." Silently, he handed the bottle to her. He felt like a fool. He placed his hands in his pockets. "Take it easy."

Nadia let herself smile. "I will. Thanks again."

Andraemalek nodded silently. Her smile made him feel as if the sun were shining. "Stay out of those alleys."

"I will. I promise."

Without a word, Andraemalek turned and walked away. He heard the sound of her door close and the click of her lock and sighed. What was it about the woman? She was human. She was plain, too focused on things that were none of her concern, and too trusting. Tonight was proof enough of that. It was amazing that she was still alive.

One thing was certain. With that trusting attitude, it would be incredibly easy for him to learn what she knew of the order. The kill would be easier than he first anticipated.