I adjusted my welding goggles as I looked through my magnifying glass above my work bench. I was attempting my best to delicately braze weld the brass gears together. I had found some old brass gears in my boxes of random items I had found during my scavenging and scrap hunting. I had needed to keep myself busy since I wasn't taking the chance of going back out to my stall. The last encounter with the goons had been too close to call. I wanted my scent firmly gone for the next few days until those apes fucked off.

I waved my blowtorch over the joint in the gears, fusing them together before I shut it off and set it down. I had managed to use up all of the gears I had found. It wasn't many but it was enough to get a good start on the dragon's body. I pulled my goggles off and stretched, letting out a groan as my tense back protested slightly. I had been bent over for a bit too long.

"Finally back to join reality?" Stinky's snarky voice was not entirely what I wanted to hear at the moment but I ignored him as I rolled my head before rubbing at my neck with a pleased groan. My muscles were tense and I honestly could have gone for a nice hot bath in my cramped little tub. "Do you have to make those irritating noises?" He was gritting his teeth and I could just imagine the bulge my not so little friend was making in his pants.

I felt a smile cross my face as I cleared my throat and gave a perfect rendition of a panting moan. "Please." I made my breathing heavy as I stroked my neck as seductively as I believed I could make it as I continued my perfect rendition of heavy sex breathing. "Revan, please. Harder." I gave another long and low moan at the end of the word as if I had reached my perfect completion that resulted in a choked sound from the male I had just been trying to get to respond. Perfect.

"Don't." The word was growled and I spun around on my chair with a wide grin.

"Every time you tell me not to make a contented groan. I will make a grade fucking A moan with your name attached to it." I touched my tongue to my top lip as I gave him a quick wiggle of my eyebrows. He was breathing heavy, his knuckles white from how hard he was holding his hands into fists. Someone's control was getting a bit frayed. I liked that. I gave him a toothy grin.

"I need to get out of here." He started pacing and I doubt the words were meant for me as he muttered them.

"You are free to leave, stinky." I wasn't requiring him to stay and hover. He seemed to be the one who wasn't willing to leave my sight or have me leave his. If I didn't know any better I would have said he was getting attached.

However stinky never, ever, ever wanted anything to do with a mongrel. I wanted to smirk at that. There were certain parts of Revan the pureblood elitist bastard that certainly did want to get down and dirty with me. I glanced at him, trailing my gaze over his form. He really was a superb looking male. Whenever I looked at him I felt oddly... hungry.

If one looked passed his bitter scent and his hatred for those of lesser blood and his huge ego then he was downright delectable. Someone I wouldn't mind licking up and down for a very long time. He had a body made to be savoured but sadly I knew his taste would be... off. He smelled far too bitter. Even if sometimes that dark cherry whiskey scent sunk deep into me and made me want to pin him down and have my wicked, dirty mongrel way with him.

I looked away from his pacing form and slid off my stool. My stomach was cramping, reminding me that I hadn't eaten for the day. I pulled off my gloves and tossed them onto my welding bench. My belly needed food. I skipped over to the fridge and pulled it open. There was a box of chicken chow mein that I snagged with a low hum of happiness. I adored chinese take out.

I grabbed a fork and started eating as I watched Revan pace back and forth tugging at his hair. He caught me staring and glared at me darkly. "Why the fuck aren't you heading out to the stall?" His pacing became more erratic as he stared at me. I forked another mouthful of chow mein into my mouth before pointing at the window.

"Looks like rain." I muttered it out around the food in my mouth and he gave me a look of disgust.

"Do you have any want to have any form of class?" He spat the words at me as if expecting me to flinch but I smirked and shook my head as I continued eating my late lunch. He stalked towards the window and gave a heavy snarl as he looked out. "Not a fucking cloud! Why do you insist upon lying to me?" He whirled around and I chewed thoughtfully for a moment before swallowing.

"It looked like rain before but now I think I cricked my neck a bit. Must have slept on it wrong." I rubbed at my neck as if to give credence to my claim and he gave another snarl as he once again started his erratic pacing. "Stinky... The door is right there. If you want to go you can go." I kept my face neutral as he glowered at me darkly. He was going to say no and I had no idea why.

He clicked his teeth together but didn't say anything and I watched him with amusement. He was really getting worked up. He honestly did not like my half baked excuses for why I wasn't leaving the apartment. Yesterday I had told him that because I stubbed my toe I hadn't wanted to make the walk. I also said that the sky wasn't the right shade of blue and then I had changed it and said that the one cloud in the sky was shaped like a bad omen and I didn't want to risk angering the gods.

I got heavy amounts of amusement from each and every excuse I told him. Especially when he reacted to them like I wanted him too. He was always so predictable. I would have thought he would have seen my poking for what it was but to my great delight he never did. Such a stupid male he was. I finished up my chow mein and threw the take out box away as I tossed the fork into the sink.

Stinky was still muttering to himself and pacing. Such a crazy man. He had to be a bit touched in the head. There was no way he wasn't. I leaned against the counter as I watched him. His eyes were darting back and forth and his movement were almost twitchy. As of he sensed my gaze on him, his eyes snapped to mine as he flashed teeth at me. "What, little rat?"

I lifted my hand and inspected my nails in a rather unconcerned fashion. "Oh nothing. Just watching the actions and mutterings of a mad man." I watched as his face twisted.

"Tell me why you are staying here?" He ground the words out and I blinked at him.

"That would be because I pay rent and I live here."

He pinched the bridge of his nose as if I were giving him a headache. I liked that thought. I hoped I was. "Why aren't you going to the stall?"

I shrugged as I patted my belly. "Can't do too much strenuous activity right after eating." He gave a low growl of frustration and I moved to sit at the table.

"You keep lying to me." He hissed the words out and I shrugged. He should have known I would. I didn't like telling him anything that he could use against me. The whole reaction to the Lily thing was enough for him. "I bet you saw someone you knew." The words made me raise an eyebrow in his direction but I kept my mouth shut as I watched him.

"Perhaps an old flame who wouldn't take no for an answer?" He studied my face and I bit back a smirk. That was actually fairly close to the truth. MacIntosh never took no as an answer for anything. Foul little creep that he was. "No... You would have killed a man for that..." His voice trailed off with confusion and I gave him a grin that felt a bit brittle on my face. How I wished I had gutted MacIntosh when I had the chance. To dig my blade deep into his flesh and render his muscles and organs to ribbons.

"I want to play a game." His eyes danced with a sudden excitement and I found my grin widen.

"Me too. I call strip poker!" I wiggled my eyebrows at him and he looked a bit startled at my sudden declaration. "If you keep your mouth shut it might even be enjoyable for me." I blatantly looked him up and down and he gave a heavy growl.

"Why would I agree to play that with you when you already insist upon showing me everything below your clothes anyway?" His voice was agitated and he had a point but I shook it off.

"I still have something you haven't seen." I touched my tongue to my bottom lips before I smiled and slowly spread my legs. His gaze trailed down my body before he seemed to catch himself and scowl darkly.

"Nothing I wish to see, mongrel." His mouth said one thing but the bulge in his pants said another entirely.

"Fiiiiiine." I drug the word out as I fished a deck of cards from a pile of junk. "We can play go fish." I pulled the cards out and started shuffling them.

I could hear him make a sound of disgust at my declaration. "I have no want to play such a childish game."

"A childish game of if you get a pair you get to ask the other person a question they have to answer. But if you don't want to fish for some answers I guess we don't have to play." I set the cards down and looked at him. He seemed torn before he stalked to the table and sat down. I smirked as I once again picked up the deck of cards and resumed my shuffling. "Let's see. Hand of five." I quickly dealt him out five cards to us both before setting the leftovers in a stack in the middle. I picked up my cards and grinned.

"Two pairs! I get two questions." I tossed my pairs down and looked over the table at him before I tapped my bottom lip in thought. What could I ask the crazy crazy man?

"I have a pair." His voice was slightly growled as he glowered at me.

"I bet you do." I winked at him and his lip curled up at me as if in disgusted but the action seemed almost half-hearted.

"Of aces." He tossed the two cards down and I tsked at him.

"I called my pairs first so I get my questions answered first." It was the rules. Well I wasn't sure what all the rules were to be fair because I had kind of made the game up on the spot but he didn't need to know that.

"Fine." The word was clipped and I once again tapped my lip in thought.

"When is stinky's birthday?" I crossed my arms and leaned against the table with a broad smile. Just how old was my king of the trash heaps? He looked almost taken aback by the question, as if he hadn't actually expected such an innocent one.

"January eleventh." He said it slowly as if slightly wary of me. I wiggled in excitement.

"How old are you?" Was he a decrepit old geezer? Far too old to even look at the pretty ladies like me?

"Twenty-nine." He narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously.

Twenty-nine? Only a four year difference between us. Definitely not too old, not that his age had ever really been much of a concern. I'd still have licked his body up, down and all around. He was a fine piece of ass, anyone who said otherwise was either blind or brain dead. As I was neither, I could fully admit to it. No, the problem was the fact that he was just too much of an elitist prick and every time he spoke my lady bits shrivelled up like a fucking prune. If only he wouldn't speak. I looked him over slowly, enjoying the way his face pinched together in irritation, "Hmm..."

"What?" He growled out the question between his teeth, such a paranoid beast.

I shrugged my shoulder, lips twitching upward, "Nothing."

If his eyes narrowed any further I might start to think he was going to start shooting lasers out of them, "You're really starting to annoy me, rat. You really don't want to do that. My patience only stretches so far." I snorted at his remark. It was so easy to get under his skin, which is what made it so fun to poke at him like I did.

"Are you going to ask your question or are you going to spend your turn threatening me?" I batted my lashes, giving him a closed mouth smile.

Stinky stared at me for a heartbeat without a response, before letting out a low rumble, "Fine." I wiggled in my seat, curious if he was going to ask me what I thought he was going to ask me. He was too predictable.

"Why aren't you going to your stall?"

So predictable like clockwork. I leaned my chin into my hand with a bored sigh, "Come on, Stinky. Where is the fun in going straight for that question? We have to work up to things. I mean think of it like sex. You don't just stick it in. You gotta play with things for a bit. Wet your palette." I let my voice trail off suggestively, enjoying the way he sneered, "Plus, I thought you liked games..." I fingered one of my pairs, spinning them in a small circle.

"You should just be thankful I am even humoring you by playing your little childish game, Rat. You asked your questions. This is mine. Now, I will have the answer." He leaned forward slightly, pressing his palms flat against the table. I watched the way the tension rippled through up his fingers, arms and into his shoulders. He really was not nearly as controlled as he believed himself to be. I had a feeling that this time he had spent with me was the first time in his life he had exercised any kind of control.

"How boring... Women must leave your bed quite underwhelmed. Which is sad and disappointing when you've got such a righteous meat cannon, Stinky." I was deflecting. I was the queen of deflection as I was pretty sure Stinky had learned during our short time together. His shoulders grew tenser and he hunched forward as he folded his fingers inward into tight fists. I gave a heaving sigh. "But fine, if you insist." I rolled my eyes.

"I wanted a vacation. I had a lot of projects to finish up and I figured having a few days to finish them would be better than just taking ten minutes here or there." I waved my hand flippantly. Truth. Not the entire truth but it was a by product of the actual reason. He couldn't call me on my bluff because I had been a diligent little worker bee. Flitting from workstation to workstation, finishing up numerous projects.

"Let's move on shall we?" I picked up my cards again, and watched as he did the same. The thought of such a powerful male reduced to playing go fish was more than amusing for me. My lips twitched and I fought to keep the smirk off my face.

I glanced up from my single queen to watch him frown down at his own cards, clearly he didn't have any pairs and he would also make a terrible poker player. It all went back to his lack of control, luckily for him that was something a person learned. And if Stinky was going to spend anymore time around me he was going to need to learn or I was going to wipe the floor with him, "Elitist asshole gets a pity turn because he's already one point behind the filthy mongrel, house rule."

He glowered at me, running his tongue over his teeth, "Do you have any threes?"

"Looks like I'm all outta threes, Stinky. Go fish." I waved at the pile and he picked up a card, his teeth ground together. He had a real shit poker face. "Do you have a queen?" I watched as his jaw tensed before he glowered at me. He slowly pulled a card out of his hand and held it out to me. I snatched it away with a chirp of happiness.

"I get another question!" I set the pair of queens down and stared at him for a moment. A wicked smile crossed my face. "Adding another rule. If you don't want to answer a question, you have to do a dare." He looked like he wanted to say something but he gave a grudging nod instead.

"So I noticed that you had a pretty little scent on you a few weeks ago. Why haven't you gone back to... tap that? Or anyone for that matter. Your balls must be an interesting shade of blue. Does no one else want to touch your meat cannon, Revan?" I batted my eyelashes at him and his nostrils flared as his eyes darkened.

"Not answering that." His voice was low and growled as he bared his teeth at me. Uh oh, I found a thorn in the beasty's paw. I grinned widely at him.

"Then it's a dare." I bared all my teeth at him and even my beast lifted her tail a fraction to see what was making me so happy. I had wondered when stinky would cave.

"Get on with it." He crossed his arms over his chest and glowered at me, his icy eyes pinned to my own.

"You have to lean over the table and let me smell you." I wanted to both make him uncomfortable and try and figure out what that fucking bitter scent was. The closer I got to him the easier it would be for me to do both.

His eyes narrowed further. "No."

"Then answer the question." I waved my hands flippantly and I got the feeling he wanted to slam his fists on the table like a toddler might. It amused me to think of him as a rampaging toddler. The man had no control unlike he so claimed.

"No."

I tsked him as I waggled my finger. "You have to play by the rules."

"As if I would put myself in a position where you could possibly slit my throat." His eyes flicked down to the table to where my switchblade was sitting.

I pressed my hands to my chest as if he had said something sweet. "Awww, I'll take that as a compliment but here, to put you at ease." I grabbed my switchblade and leaned over the table, setting it in front of him. "There. Now you don't have to worry about Mr. StabbaStabba turning into his brother, Dr. SliceySlicey because I have to reach into your area to grab him and you have full rights to stop me." I pressed my hands to the middle of the table and stared at him intently. The ball was in his court and he could either play the game or pussy out.

He ground his teeth together and rolled his head on his neck before slowly getting out of his seat. "Fine, mongrel. You try anything and I'll end you." He placed his hands in front of mine and leaned against the table, pushing into my space.

"You keep talking to me like that and I might think you like me." I liked the thought that he was wary around me, it let me know that he didn't see me as the defenseless rat he always called me. He hesitated for a moment before he tilted his head, baring his neck at me. I leaned forward and inhaled deeply.

His dark cherry whiskey scent was nearly as intoxicating as the drink and I couldn't help how my eyes fluttered closed. I forced myself to focus as I inhaled again. The bitterness was just hanging off the edges of his scent and I needed to place it. I moved a touch closer and took another deep breath. It was right there. I knew that scent.

The memory of my ma ushering me away from a group of tall, pretty purple flowers with yellow centers when I had wanted to pick them, entered my head. She had taken me to pa and he had reprimanded me, scolded me for going near them because they were dangerous. He had crouched down and repeated his words so I would remember before he pulled me back and told me to smell them again. He told me I needed to know the scent because then I would stay away from the-

"Belladonna..." I breathed the word out. I could feel Revan shiver as my breath caressed his neck. I pulled back a bit, he smelled like fucking belladonna. His eyes met mine and they darkened a fraction before they flicked down to my lips. I felt my breathing increase slightly. He was truly a commanding presence, it nearly enveloped me entirely, he shifted forward a fraction and if I didn't know any better I had a feeling that stinky really wanted to kiss me.

He jerked his head back as he quickly went back into his chair. His lip curled. "Your stench offends me." His eyes darted away from mine and I leaned closer to him, his throat bobbed as he swallowed. I reached out and grasped my switchblade in my hand.

"And you smell like belladonna." I leaned a bit closer to him. "Bitter and poisonous." The words came out on a rather rasping and sultry whisper that I had definitely not meant to use. I slowly backed away, flashing him a toothy grin as I sat back in my chair, picking up five cards from the pile.

"Do you have a six?" I tapped on my card and he shook it head. I picked another one up. Still no pairs. "Your turn."

"Do you have any threes?" He glanced at me and I held out the three I had just picked up. "My question. What about you? I haven't seen any of your... followers. Where are you getting your... jollies off?" I wiggled my eyebrows at him.

"Wouldn't you like to know. But tit for tat. I'm not going to answer that." He didn't need to know that those males of mine her imaginary. Well not so much imaginary as I never really gave them the time of day.

"A dare then?" His lips twisted into a smirk and I nodded sagely. "Has this little rat ever heard of the knife game?" I fought back the grin that wanted spread across my face. That was one game my brothers and I had played for hours. Our ma had scolded us for every stabbed finger we had ended up with but as a result, I doubted even Revan could beat me at the game.

I flicked Mr. StabbaStabba into the center of the table before I stood up and moved to the drawer beside the fridge. I pulled out the old smartphone and turned it on. I used it for emergencies and also for Ginessa to contact me if she wanted. Which really didn't help because I kept it turned off most of the time. It slowly came to life and I watched as it was bombarded with text messages from the little pureblood. I smirked at violent and raunchy wording of them as I walked back over to the table and pulled up the download I had for the knife game song. Nessa and I really liked getting absolutely smashed before we played the game. She was the only one I did it with now.

I shoved the thought away as I placed the phone on the table and grabbed my knife and flicked it open. I gave Revan wavering smile as if I were tentative about the dare. "I'm a bit rusty at this. Bear with me." I slowly placed my hand down on the table, spreading my fingers out before I gently set the knife down as I turned on the song. I picked up my knife again and listened to the beat of the song before it started on its rather fast version that Ginessa affectionately called 'Emily's beast mode'. Even half snapped I was more than capable of doing the motions.

I grinned at him as I stabbed the table between my fingers to the song. I didn't even really have to look. I had over fourteen years of practice with the little dangerous ditty. His eyes were trained on my motions as if mesmerized by them as the song played quickly. The sound of the knife point striking the table was almost comforting in is rhythmic sounds and the moment the last note hit I stabbed the knife hard into the table with a laugh.

"Told you. A little rusty." I shut the song off and slumped back into my chair with a grin.

Stinky was staring at me from across the table his blue eyes full of amusement, doing his best to keep himself from smiling, "That was a nice little show, Rat. Though it would have been more fun for me to have watched you bleed a little." He didn't resist the smile now. He bared all his teeth in a cheshire grin.

I blinked slowly, letting my eyes trek down his face to his chest and from his chest to his lap. I held my grin as I lifted my gaze back to his face, "Seems to me like Revan really enjoyed my little show. He's giving me a standing ovation. Maybe I should give him an encore..." I reached for the knife again.

Stinky lost his smile as he stretched out his hand across the table, grabbing onto my hand to keep me from grabbing my knife, "I've seen enough of your trick. More than enough." He hissed as he let go of me, pushing my hand away from his.

I chuckled, "You sure about that?"

He sneered at me, "I'm sure."

I leaned forward, licking my lips, "Do you want me to show you something else? I have better tricks."

Stinky glowered at me as he picked back up his cards, "I believe it's your turn, Rat."

I let my bottom lip stick out as if I were truly upset about his refusal. I picked up my cards again before I absently reached for my knife, tucking the blade back into the handle. "Got any sevens?" A card slid across the table towards me and I picked it up before removing the pair from my hand. "Who is Marguerite?" I had heard him mumbling the name when I forced him into bed. It had been a nightmare from what I had seen. His expression turned icy and cold.

"I'm not answering that." He ground the words out from between his teeth and I tilted my head, major soft spot detected. I resisted the urge to poke at it.

I let my gaze flick down to his jeans. "Then I dare you to take off your pants." I watched with heavy amusement as he tossed his cards onto the table.

"I have had enough of your silly little games, rat." He hissed the words at me as he stood up and stalked to the door, yanking it open and slamming it closed behind him. The wall rattled and I burst into peals of laughter as I stood up from the table. I shook my head with a grin. Revan might have been a king in his own world but under my roof he was still the King of the Trash Heaps and all of that power went out the window when I poked him hard enough.

I picked up the smart phone and turned on the music, swaying my hips to the beat. Revan could call himself a king all he wanted but in my domain he was a predictable little rat and I was a beast who liked to play with her food.