Clever as the Devil, and Twice as Pretty

Oxx could taste her fear but there were other flavors mixed in as well. It was all terribly intriguing. The mixed reaction to his presence made the man think that she might not be very boring at all. That was a good thing for her. If she was boring, then he'd get bored and if he got bored then he tended to get nasty. She didn't want that. Hell, he didn't want that either. Oxx was in too fine a mood for things to turn south.

The woman's words brought a low, throaty chuckle from the brute and he grinned anew, not trying to hide his teeth in the slightest. She played into his size and his vanity. He knew exactly what she was doing and he didn't mind one bit. Oxx was as vain as they came. He wanted to be told that he was handsome and strong and desirable and all sorts of good things. He loved being catered to and cared for. Loved being fussed over. That was why Isidora was allowed to stick around. She gave him something that he needed as much as he needed food and water. Attention. Devotion. Could this tiny beauty do the same?

Since she'd posed a question, Oxx would of course have to answer. "Why, I do have a very good idea of how you might live through the night, lady." Lowering his blocky skull, he placed his teeth right beside one delicate ear and gave a soft, whispering growl. "But there's a price for everything, isn't there?" Thick implications clung to those words. He wasn't trying to hide it in the slightest. He was simply trying to make her react and to gauge those reactions to see if she would be worth his time.

The beast pulled away, moving off a few paces before looking back over one dark striped shoulder. "So what do you say? Is the lady willing to pay for her protection or will she be eaten by beasts in the night?" Both of those statements would be true if she chose to come with him. As long as she kept up the admiration and witty banter, that was.

"Oxx Carpathius"