I try to ignore the squelching sound my water-logged shoes are making and the breeze I feel on my exposed ass cheek as I make my way deeper into the house. Grumpy Lurch is stammering incoherently like he doesn’t know what to do about me. I look back to find him staring murderously at the mess I’m tracking through the pristine hall, my muddy footprints leaving dark watery puddles in my wake.
Whoops.
If he is a demon, I could definitely see him murdering me for making a mess, so I pick up the pace to round the corner, but I slam face first into a warm, rock-hard road block.
An oomph rushes out of me as I bounce off the wall of muscle. Large hands reach out to keep me from falling, but I wince in pain from the touch on my already wrecked body. I reach up and grab my nose, trying to breathe through the stars. I’m pretty sure it’s now bleeding. Great, just fucking great.
“Sir, I...she just pushed her way in…” Grumpy Lurch stammers, finally catching up to me. His look of outrage morphs into disgust as he takes me in.
I open my mouth to ream him, but the brick wall I just crashed into, aka Jerif, cuts me off. His dark, strong hands continue to hold my arms, and he looks down at me with glittering orange and yellow eyes while his fiery hair gives him a hellish halo around his head. “It’s fine. I got her.”
Behind me, Grumpy Lurch huffs and storms off, mumbling about needing to clean the despicable mess I made. I can practically hear him saying, this is not the last you’ve heard about this in his angry steps as he disappears back down the hallway.
Once we’re alone, Jerif takes a step back and runs an icked-out gaze over me as I glare up at him. He finally lets go of my arms and wipes his hands on his gray shirt in an effort to remove the muddy slime he acquired when he grabbed me. I cock a brow and look pointedly at the front of his shirt. He quickly discovers that I sludged his whole front when I slammed nose-first into him. I feel a weird sense of victory at his grimace.
“I didn’t expect you to come back. Or to be covered in mud,” he says.
“I fell in the stupid fucking marsh.”
The corner of his mouth twitches, and I immediately raise a hand. “Don’t you fucking dare, Jerif,” I tell him. “I am not in the mood.”
Eyes glittering with amusement, he backs up and sweeps his arm out, indicating I should follow him into the room down the hall. I do and then pause when I realize all of the hot demons are gathered around a large dining room table, looking confused and concerned at my presence. Jerif’s big body was blocking them from view before, but as soon as I get an eyeful, nerves immediately begin to battle with my rage.
“Jeter, what the hell happened to you?” Crux asks me as he stands up, and the hint of judgment in his voice brings my anger back to the forefront.
“What happened to me?” I growl, repeating his question as I stand there in all of my disastrous glory. “I’ll tell you what fucking happened to me. I had no food! I holed up in my house like a hermit because I was so damn paranoid all week that you guys would jump me!” I shout, glaring murderously at them as mud drips off my hair. “I left my lights on all the time, so White Hair over there couldn’t Shadow sneak attack me,” I add, pointing toward Echo. “But you guys didn’t even show up, which you know what? Is a little insulting.”
Iceman rises to his feet from the head of the table, and even though he’s wearing a shirt this time, I can still see the outlines of his muscles and his dark blue hair is combed back from his horns. “Are you hurt? I think I smell blood beneath all the muck,” he says, his blue face screwing up into a frown.
“Yeah, I’m fucking hurt!” I snap, swiping some of the sludge away from my cracked lips. “I went to get ramen and then got attacked by demons on the way home!”
The four of them exchange a look as fury and fear makes up a really intense sphere of emotion that snowballs through me.
“Yeah. That’s right. Little green circus freaks who belong in Cirque du Soleil and should lay off the steroids. They attacked me in an alleyway, and I had to fucking sweep the goddamn demon leg!” I say somewhat hysterically as my voice raises to an octave I didn’t even know my vocal cords were capable of. “Oh, and Mrs. Lee was not the cute, adorable, elderly woman that I’ve come to know, and it’s your fault! Just like the fact that I fell into your stupid fucking marsh is your fault!” I shout, my chest rising and falling rapidly as I pant out part of my anger. My vision has curled with black spots and evil thoughts. “I am feeling very murdery right now.”
“Oh shit,” Echo mumbles, leaning forward on the table, his tattoos standing out against his pale skin.
“Oh shit is right. You assholes are in big fucking trouble. What the hell did you do to me?” I demand, placing my hands on my hips.
“Do to you?” Iceman asks.
“Yes,” I snap. “I never saw demons before you guys, and I sure as hell never got attacked by any.”
Echo’s contemplative stare turns delighted. “Did you slaughter them?” he asks excitedly, his black eyes sparkling like a starless night sky, and I know for sure his tattoos move this time.
His enthusiasm catches me off guard. “How the hell would I be able to kill twelve pickled-prick demons by myself?” I
