The humor in Tazreel’s eyes blinks out, and his mouth slightly parts with shock. His eyes flit from me to the other Abdicated, like, can she do that? I work to fight the smile that wants to break out on my face, because I can tell I’ve got him. I might not have known that I was a demon when I signed the contract to guard the Gate, but the contract didn’t know that. I’m throwing the dice on the rumors being true about Hell taking contracts seriously. I mean, everything I’ve ever watched in the movies about selling your soul to a demon seemed pretty legit.
“I’ll deal with that later,” Tazreel snaps. “But right now, there’s a party to address.”
“Fine,” I clip back.
“Fine,” he repeats, like his indignation somehow supersedes mine.
I glare as he holds his hand out to me like I’m going to take it. “One sec, I need my scythe.”
I turn to my demons and smile. “Check this out,” I tell them excitedly as I hold my hand out and will my scythe to me. My smile dims when nothing happens. I drop my arm slightly and then lift it again, furrowing my brow like it’s going to help me focus harder.
“Come,” I command in my mind.
Nothing.
“Here, little guy,” I try, but I’m only met with silence and nothing else.
Dammit.
I give up on trying to look cool activating my Thor skills, and stomp over to pick the testy Hell weapon up. I’ll have to think through what I was doing and feeling at the table when the little shit decided to pop into my hand and blow up the perfectly peaceful dinner I was not having.
“Cool trick,” Jerif snarks with a teasing smile on his face. I shoot him a glare as I straighten up from snatching the scythe off the ground, but then break into a smile because, touché
“All right, who’s ready to party?” Elle sing-songs as she heads for the door, and the rest of the Abdicated quickly follow her.
I try not to groan.
I may be a demon, but a party animal, I am not. Bring on the comfy pajamas and a hot cup of tea, because that’s a party I could get down with.
I gasp as I feel a hint of shadow caressing the globe of my ass again, and my eyes shoot to Echo, who has a very smug and heated look on his face. I forgot his shadows were still on me.
One shadow moves slowly, caressing the inside of my thigh, back and forth with tantalizing strokes like a delicious preview for what’s on his mind.
Well, okay then. Hell party, here I come.
8
I follow the group of excited Abdicated out of the dining room and up a massive set of stairs. We weave through Tazreel’s palatial house, and the more corridors we head down, the more turned around I become. I don’t hear any telltale signs of a party though, which seems odd.
Tazreel drops back to walk next to me, and he shoots my guys a look that tells them to give us a moment. I try and fail not to roll my eyes. What’s with this dude?
I want to refuse and reach out and grab hold of their hands, but I stop myself by taking a deep breath to bite back my temper. You catch more flies with honey, I remind myself. Then again, I’m not trying to catch flies. I’m trying to keep this arrogant demon from thinking he can rule my life. Bet there’s not a Southern saying for that. Or at least I don’t think there is...I’ll have to ask Flint.
My guys dutifully slow their pace, falling away from my sides. Echo even took his shadows off my ass, which I miss immediately. The other Abdicated practically snatch the guys up, and I have to stop myself from growling out a warning about keeping their Abdicated hands to themselves. My anxiety over the situation climbs to its peak when we reach the end of yet another corridor, and the Abdicated and my Guardians break off from us. I try to go with them, but Taz stops me with a hand to my arm. “Hey,” I say, moving away from him. “Where are they taking them?”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” he tells me. “They’re going into the regular entrance of the party. You and I have to make a formal appearance so that I can announce you.”
I bite my lip nervously, watching as the guys cast me looks before one by one being led off to the right, down another hallway.
“This way.”
“This better not be a trick, Taz,” I warn, though it’s not like I can really do anything against him if he is.
Or...can I?
I look down at the scythe in my hand, noting how the blades disappeared once again. “Do scythes work on Abdicated?” I ask.
Taz stiffens and whirls on me, nearly making me run straight into him. I screech to a halt, my heels almost toppling me over.
“Are you threatening me?” he asks, and I’m immediately taken aback by the hard glint of his gray eyes. His wings come out and so do mine, like they’re ready to show up for the face-off. His power pushes at me, making my tongue heavy and my head dizzy, and I know he’s forcing the truth right out of me.
“N-no,” I stutter. “I was just asking. I was curious.”
Fuck, he’s scary like this.
He comes off as shallow and a little ridiculous, like he’s the sun of his universe and can’t help but be blinded by his own light. But in moments like this, I see what he purposely keeps buried. The dark violence he’s capable of. I realize that
