Page 90 of Demon Demands

I scrubbed my hands over my face as Jack and Dolyn sniggered like five-year-olds at Soren’s shocked expression.

“For Devil’s sake. Can we just… you know what? Never mind.” I grumbled, clasping my hands together in a very Lucy inspired manner.

“Welcome to the First Legion. The five of you have highly sought-after skills and training. Between Stone, Hyland, and myself, we feel that you’ll make a great addition to our cabinet. We haven’t officially named all of our council yet, but with the threat of Satan’s horde, we felt it was most important to pick a legion first. If you would like to refuse the position, please do so now, and understand that your spot will be filled within the hour.”

Rissa twisted her head left and right, silently asking her brothers what they wanted to do. The twins nodded, Cercy rubbing his left hand over the stubbled hair on his head. “Is it safe to assume that we’ll be fighting Satan with you today?”

“What? No.” I furrowed my brow, resisting the urge to shiver.

I’d felt somewhat circumspect over bringing the triplets into the First Legion. Although their senses were unparalleled, they tended to foresee negative things, such as bad omens or deaths. I didn’t like that.

“We’re not fighting Satan today. We need a thorough plan of action before we take the fight to him.”

Bert shook his head, his red to yellow ombré hair brushing over his shoulders. “Someone in this room smells like Cappa and blood magic,” he informed us, stalking around the table as he sniffed everyone.

I tensed in my seat, eyes tracking Bert’s smooth movements. “My fae mate accidentally ingested Cappa beer on Tuesday. To my knowledge, no one here has performed blood magic, though.”

“Someone else is doing the magic,” Rissa answered, her eyes closed and her head tilted up and to the right. “Who is it Bert?”

“Definitely the fae,” he informed us, the deep timbre of his voice sounding ominous as fuck.

I really didn’t like that.

Vaughn bounced his head side to side, looking both pale and green. Sweat was beading across his forehead as he clenched and released his fists.

“I haven’t felt well all morning, but I was thinking that was from the beer, not blood magic,” he confessed.

Jack stood from his chair abruptly. “What do you feel like?”

“Just dizzy and…” My fae dropped to one knee, a magic circle lighting up the floor around him.

I shot out of my seat and into the flames as Jack exclaimed, “Grab him!”

The last thing I heard before we landed in Lilk was Jack cursing violently. And suddenly… everything made so much sense.

Jack’s disappearance had been Hannibal testing the warped angelic spells so that he could call the horde to him. The Cappa beer that Vaughn had drank must have had some of Hannibal’s blood in it.

The hot desert sand bit into my bare feet, and I knew I needed to act fast or else one of the demons would notice me. Satan and Hannibal couldn’t find out that I knew where they were.

Yet.

I needed help. I wasn’t sure that Vaughn and I could fight them and the horde without backup.

I stepped into my fae’s shadow and faded out of sight. “Act like a demon. I’ll be right back,” I croaked, hating the idea of leaving him, even for a few minutes.

“How!” he whisper-shouted at me, panic edging into his voice.

“Make horns and a tail out of ice. Do what they do. Blend in. I need five minutes, Vaughn. I’m going to get the guys and tell Dolyn exactly where we are, then I’ll be right back.”

I brushed my hand down his back as I stepped into the Void, rushing back to my dining room. It was utter chaos, but everyone was getting ready for an attack.

Novak was feeding Palmer mental images of where everyone kept their gear, and for once, I was fucking happy that he was nosy. My mage was pulling weapons and gear to him, depositing them into the waiting arms of their owners.

My pink duffle bag sat in my chair, fully stocked and ready to go, but I wouldn’t need it right away.

My demon pushed against my skin, demanding release. I could hear her thoughts as clearly as my own, feel her anger coursing through my body.

I walked into the hallway for a moment of silence so that I could have a conversation with her.