Uninvited Roommate: A Sci-fi Romance (Marnak Series Book 1)

by Layla Stone

  His little roommate glaring at him. “Give me my Minky pad.”

  Through gritted teeth he said, “I will break it in two seconds.” Which would be easy considering he was in that much pain. “One… two...”

  “My dad! That was my dad – don’t break it,” she shouted, and removed her hand.

  Naff fell forward, crumbling to the floor, gasping for breath. Seth of Stars, he would have to remember her grip-of-fire for next time. So much pain… but it was worth it.

  Her dad.

  Even with the lingering pain he heard himself chuckle. Her father was looking for her. Not a Demon. And not a mate that he would have to kill.

  “You’re a jerk, you know that? Why are you laughing?”

  Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself up and came face to face with his Baby Steps. “Why is your dad telling you to come home?”

  Her eyebrows furrowed. “Because he’s my dad, he thinks he knows what’s best for me. But he’s wrong.”

  “Tell him to go to hell and stop taking his calls.”

  “He’s my dad,” She said again, like that answered everything.

  It didn’t. “You’re an adult. You make your own decisions.” And he didn’t need a father getting between them. Especially now that she was his.

  “Your parents never bug you? Tell you what you should do?” she asked with a snort of disbelief.

  “My parents are dead. Have been since I was twelve.”

  “Oh, wow. I’m sorry.” She covered her mouth for a second then reached out like she wanted to touch him – a touch of concern. But he knew those hands intimately, which was why he leaned back and gave her a pointed look.

  “I’m a Demon. That kind of thing is normal. Most Demons raise themselves.”

  She let her hand drop. “That’s sad.”

  Yeah well, he didn’t care if she thought it was sad. Back to her issues. “Why does he want you home? Answer me.”

  Her eyes were evasive, but he could still see plenty of emotions in them. Hell, he could feel them. Sadness, frustration, resignation. “Because he wants me to find a mate.”

  “Your kind… mates?” Honestly, it was the dumbest thing he could have said, but he was not prepared for the intense desire to claim her.

  But, his kind didn’t mate. Well, almost never. And they weren’t really mates, not in the way most races used the term. But, still. He was a Demon and he knew what he wanted. He knew what he possessed. And he would have to be dead to let it go.

  Something flashed in her eyes, but it was too fast. “Hettens mate for life. It’s so intense that if one dies the other will die, too.”

  Dying together was extreme. And like an idiot, all he could say in reply was, “Oh.”

  “You think it’s stupid, don’t you?”

  Did he? No and yes. “You can’t help what you are.”

  “True.”

  Naff watched her and felt an extra amount of despair. Was she making him feel this way? Or was it leaking out of her? Despair was not something he felt. Even if he was lying in the gutter on the verge of death. Therefore, this despair was hers.

  Which meant…. What?

  He had no idea. But, he would deal with that later. Right now, he had a father to cut out of her life. “So, you’re hiding from your family because you don’t want to get mated? Or are you afraid to be mated?”

  She gave him a side glance and then started walking out of the room, “I’m not afraid to get mated.”

  “Then why did you run away?” he asked, following her out.

  “I didn’t run away… I’m an adult, remember?”

  She ran away. “Uh huh, sure. Then why aren’t you mated?” he asked, cutting her off so she would talk to him.

  She rolled her eyes, but he felt the deeper hurt. “I’m dysfunctional.”

  He didn’t like the defeated tone. Especially since he saw nothing that looked wrong. He reached out and pulled her chin to face him. “What do you mean, dysfunctional?” He knew what messed up looked like, and she was perfect.

  She pulled out of his grasp, “It means, I’m not like the normal Hettens.” Taking a hand full of hair, she flicked it at him. “For starters, Hettens are blond with light eyes. I have brown hair and can only affect people with my right hand. Most don’t even have to touch you, they can do it from a distance.”

  Thank Seth she couldn’t affect him from a distance. Wait… she was affecting him. Did she not realize that?

  Was she messing with him? It didn’t sound like she was lying. “Your people are stupid, because you’re perfect… ly healthy and the water under the skin trick is amazing.”

  She smiled, the sadness in her eyes lightening. “You think I’m perfect?”

  Naff was losing his damn mind. He was a nightmarish beast telling a beautiful empath she was perfect.

  Which reminded him, he would be late for the restaurant. Turning his heel, he left the room.

  In the kitchen, he opened the refrigerator, full of food and grabbed the closest bowl. Setting it in the warmer he never used he asked, “Did you leave yesterday?”

  The warmer dinged before she answered, “Yes, I left to get laundry detergent. I had no idea what kind of females you brought home, so I figured it would be best to clean everything.”

  Removing the bowl, he scowled at her for thinking he was dirty. He wasn’t. He didn’t have much, but he was clean. Digging his hand in the food he shoveled some into his mouth.

  “Am I not allowed to leave?” Her question sounded more of a mock than a genuine question.

  He chewed, swallowed and said, “I’m letting you stay so that the rent gets paid on time. I don’t care where you go.” A massive lie.

  He wanted her inside his apartment at all times. She was too small and could easily get snatched, and he didn’t want her leaving – but commanding her to stay in the room forever made him sound crazy.

  Naff shoveled in more food, chewed, swallowed and repeated.

  “Are you always going to eat…” she stopped herself.

  “Am I always going to eat… what?” he said with a mouthful. Was she about to tell him to find his own food? She was living there for free, if he took a few things here or there, it was fine. She would learn to deal with it or get smart and stop buying food.

  “Nothing.”

  “No,” he said with a snarl, “finish what you were going to say.” He didn’t know why he was so mad, but he hated being so… he hated that he cared about what she thought. And in the end, it would not matter because eventually… she would find a mate.

  A mate that was not him.

  And then he would kill him – which would crush her…. everything between them would get messy.

  Why the hell did she have to rent his apartment of all apartments. Seth of Stars this was infuriating to feel… his own feelings.

  “Are you always going to shovel food in your mouth with your fingers instead of slowing down and eating a proper meal?”

  It wasn’t as harsh as he expected. Naff swallowed and said, “To me, this is a proper meal.”

  “It’s barely warmed up.”

  He was about to say at least it wasn’t someone else’s half-eaten scraps, but he didn’t want her to think of him like that. Like a male who couldn’t afford to feed himself. “I’ll give you extra money for the food I’ve eaten.”

  “I have money, and I can pay for the food. It’s the least I can do since I’m not paying rent.”

  He slammed the food down on the island; the rice spilled out on the hardtop. “I’ll pay for the food; you keep your damn money. And don’t go to the underground markets because they’re unsafe.”

  Money was already tight, but he would be damned if he let her take care of him. And he would be doubled damned if he lost her.

  Quick as lighting she snatched his wrist and dug her nails in. His knees buckled, searing heat. Naff held himself up, barely. It felt like everything in his body flooded with iron hot pokers; his body shivered with wrath.

&nbs
p; He lost all thought, all everything.

  She grabbed his shirt and leaned in. “It’s early, and I’m done fighting with you. You want to argue, you’re going to have to wait until I’ve had my Nebula energy drink and I can keep up with your craziness.”

  When she released his shirt, she also let go of his arm and he had to do the impossible. He had to stop himself from grabbing her neck and punishing her for what she just did. Years of fighting burned inside, and he kept beating it back. He would not harm this female.

  Seth give him strength.

  He grabbed the side of the counter, digging his finger in, hearing the tile fracture. The white line from under his palm creeped in a zig-zag to the middle of the counter. “Don’t do that, again.”

  Adya stared at him for three seconds. She snorted and rolled her eyes like he wasn’t a death-dealing Night Demon. Passing him, she brushed his shoulder, not a hard shove, just a light brush as she reached out, opened the refrigerator and picked out an orange Nebula. Standing right in front of him, tempting him or maybe she was testing him – she popped the top, took a long drag. “I won’t do that again, if you won’t pick fights with me.”

  Who was this female to tell him what he wasn’t going to do?

  “I fight for a living. Picking them is the best part.”

  And he was picking a fight with her again.

  She pursed her lips. “If I’m not allowed to react, then you can’t pick fights. That’s not fair.”

  He pointed a finger at himself. “Demon.”

  She smiled. “Yes, you are. But Demons can also be decent. So how about we cap it at one fight a day?”

  She was laying down rules. What the hell was going on? Worse, why wasn’t he stopping her?

  “When’s your day off?” she asked before he could get his thoughts in order.

  “Never.”

  She frowned. “Everyone has a day off.”

  “Not me.”

  Adya breathed through her nose. He could feel the anger, taste it. Cinnamon-y.

  She took another drink and sat on the stool and watched him. He picked back up the bowl and finished his food. When he was done, she took the container with two fingers, lifted an eyebrow as if silently scolding him for not throwing away his own trash… and let it drop in the round bin.

  The simple act made him feel odd. He almost laughed at the moment. Was this what it was like to be… domesticated?

  “Thanks,” he said, trying to smooth over her anger.

  She took a drink and said with an air superiority in her tone, “You’re welcome.”

  Naff could imagine leaning over and kissing her temple. But he didn’t because they were roommates, nothing more.

  At the door, he heard himself ask, “You going to be here when I get back?”

  “Yep, I don’t even plan to go out.”

  Good. “Lock it when I leave.”

  Adya took another sip as if she was proving she didn’t have to hurry and do what he said. He closed the door behind him and waited. When he didn’t hear the lock engage, he called out, “Steps. The door.”

  Steps growled and he heard the lock slam home. His shoulders relaxed and he turned towards the elevator. As he left, he felt a small sadness. A sadness with longing and he didn’t know if it was him, not wanting to leave her – or her feelings that leaked out of her. Either way, she was doing something to him.

  8

  The restaurant was busy all day, and he was glad he ate first. After his nine-hour shift he had enough time to think about what Adya had told him about days off. He knew a lot of the other clean up guys worked every day, but the cooks, the servers, and the manager, they all got days off.

  After his shift he knocked on the manager’s office.

  “Hey, I wanted to know if I could talk to you about moving up to a cook.”

  The manager winced, “I’m sorry there aren’t any availabilities.”

  Naff knew that was a lie and called him on it. “Jorg quit last week and you haven’t replaced him.”

  “I have someone in mind for that.”

  “I’ve been here for years, every day, no matter what. That means I’m reliable and you know me. I’m better for the job.”

  The manager looked away and tapped something on his Minky before responding. “No. I’m sorry, it just wouldn’t work.”

  Naff thought about pushing forward and making a deal, in which the manager wouldn’t take and would force his hand – to ruin the business, in true Demon fashion. He held back because he needed the job until he could find a better one.

  One where he could take a day off.

  A day where he could just lounge around the apartment with Baby Steps.

  There wasn’t much to do at his place, but they seemed to converse pretty easily, he could see them spending the day talking about nothing and everything.

  “Yeah, okay,” Naff finally said.

  “I really am sorry.”

  No, he wasn’t, but Naff didn’t care. His head already imagined the possibility of something better.

  He had a few hours before he had to be at The Pit. He was scheduled for the last fights of the night. With the hours he had, he was going to stop and check out a few places that needed new workers.

  9

  Naff was tired of hearing no or I’m sorry but the position has been filled. He spent too much time looking for other work, that he was down to twenty minutes to shower, eat and head to The Pit.

  He stopped. Something was wrong.

  It was then he recognized the sizzle in his stomach. In that moment he knew, with no logical evidence, but he knew something was wrong with Adya. That she was, scared, distraught and pissed. Maybe all three.

  Naff pushed for the elevator. Too slow. He grabbed the door to the stairs and took them two at a time. Bursting through the fifth floor he ran towards his apartment. He pounded on the door, “Steps…”

  The door opened, without the lock disengaging, and instead of Adya standing in front of him, it was Frank.

  The bastard held a pistol pointed at his chest. “Now move back, real slow.”

  Naff didn’t move. Peering past Frank, he saw another Demon in the apartment, a bigger one with red skin and a gun pointed into his living room. Ignoring Frank, he called out to the Red Demon as if he was in the arena and he was trying to psych out his opponent. “Hey, Red.”

  The Demon slanted his eyes in his direction.

  “Yeah, you. When I’m done with Frank. It’s me and you. But if you so much as scare my female, I’ll skin you while you’re still alive to feel it.”

  The Red Demon smiled evilly, “Looking forward to it, nip.”

  Frank pushed the gun further into his chest and Naff stepped back, not because he was afraid, but to lure the Terran to his death.

  As soon as Frank closed the door, Naff whirled on him, grabbed the pistol as it went off. The shot clipped his shoulder. Pain flared, but nothing close to being incapacitating.

  Naff held on to the gun and the hand as he jumped up and twisted in the air, ripping the arm from the socket dislocating his shoulder, and making Frank hit headfirst into the brown-stained carpet.

  Frank’s high-pitched screams didn’t even register.

  Naff dropped the arm, stood up, grabbed a leg. With his boot, he smashed it down on Frank’s ankle.

  The Terran’s screams grew louder.

  Naff tucked the other leg under his arm and brought Frank’s leg down, breaking the knee cap. Frank wouldn’t be going anywhere for a while.

  Naff picked up the gun and tucked it in the back of his pants.

  This time when Naff stepped up to his door, he didn’t bother knocking. He pushed it open and to see the Red Demon holding Adya with a gun to her head.

  Naff snickered, “I guess Red Demons are as stupid as they say.” He walked in, taking in the room and the male when two pops echoed. Naff felt the hit in his back, and the sudden loss of oxygen.

  He hit his knees just as Adya screamed his name.


  “Got him boss, I think we should let him bleed out on the floor. Give Frank something to clean up when we’re done.”

  The male behind Naff made the floor creak. Even though Naff’s brain was screaming at the injury, he pushed it aside and waited until the nip was close enough. Naff grabbed the other male’s ankle, twisted it, while using his legs to prop him up.

  The male oofed at the sudden attack – and a second later Naff had his hands on his face, turning it until his neck broke.

  Dead.

  Naff looked up to see the Red Demon holding Adya with a gun pointed at her temple.

  Her eyes wide. “He shot you,” she said with distress.

  Naff nodded, forcing air in and out of his one working lung. “Takes more… than… bullets.”

  The Red Demon took the gun away from Adya’s temple and pointed it straight at Naff’s head.

  Naff dropped his gaze to Adya and hoped she understood. It was time to use her ability to take out the bastard who was holding her.

  It took less than a second, but it felt like forever as she moved her right hand behind her and winced. The Red Demon behind her howled and jerked. The gun in his hand went off.

  By the mercy of Seth, Naff didn’t feel another hit, but he wasn’t able to jump up and break the male’s face with his bare hands like he wanted to. Instead, Naff pulled the gun from his back, aimed and squeezed off one shot.

  In the head. Not where he was aiming, but it did the trick. The Red Demon flopped down in one fat lump.

  Naff took in another harsh breath before saying, “Good… job… Steps.” When she didn’t come to him, he figured she was too scared to move. He stood up, walked to her, wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to his chest. “Never… open… the door… to…”

  A male voice he didn’t know cut him off, “Well, I’ll be damned.” Naff turned and saw three more males in his living room.

  One was sitting in a chair with an air of smug arrogance, as if he was not bothered by his dead comrade. A second male held a gun at an older male with light hair and light eyes sitting on his couch, wearing a fifty-thousand kelep suit. Adya’s father.