Page 25 of Semi-Reckless

Then there was the way he was looking at her. His focus was terrifying, but the look in his eyes wasn’t necessarily threatening. It was more like…reverence. Which begged the question, why the hell did the flesh-melting demon revere her?

Oh, Lord. She hoped he didn’t think she was his fated mate or anything. That’d be awkward. But…no, he wasn’t looking at her in a lustful way, either. Which meant she’d probably just read too many fated mates romance novels lately.

He held his hand out to her. “Come. You must leave this dimension with me…”

Whatever else he was going to say was cut off by the blade Roan hurled at him. The one that lodged in his throat.

Haven threw her hands wide. “Jesus, Roan, you don’t think that whatever he was going to say next might’ve been good info to have?”

He gave her an incredulous look over his shoulder. “I was more concerned with the whole ‘leave this dimension’ thing, Haven. I assumed you didn’t want to leave the dimension with him?”

She rolled her eyes. “I mean, of course I don’t want to leave the dimension with him. But I kind of want to know what the hell is going on.”

Levi popped up behind her. “Guys, think you might want to stop bantering and do something about the giant demon that looks pretty pissed right now?”

They both shifted their eyes to the demon. Yeah. He did look pretty pissed as he ripped the mostly melted knife out of his throat and tossed it to the ground.

“What a waste of a good knife,” Haven said, shaking her head.

“Take her out of here, Levi,” Roan snarled, letting his hands fill with balls of hellfire.

Levi snorted. “Have you met her, man? She’s not going anywhere unless she wants to.”

“He’s right. I’m not,” Haven agreed.

Roan let out a roar like a pissed off bear and tossed both handfuls of hellfire at the demon. It was enough to knock the bastard down, but not enough to stop him. “Fuck this,” he muttered. Flinging his arm out, he tore a rift open.

Haven grabbed two fistfuls of his shirt. “What the hell are you doing, Roan?”

He looked back at her over his shoulder as the demon climbed to his feet and started toward them again. “I can’t get you out of this dimension, but I can get him out. Drop him somewhere where I might have more of an advantage.”

Her eyes got so wide she probably looked like an anime character. “Where does that rift go?”

He swallowed hard. “The worst place I can think of.”

Nexxus. He was talking about his home dimension. The one with fire pits and hellhounds that were way meaner than Fluffy and giant man-eating worms and hundreds of his dead father’s soldiers who were probably still pissed at him. Sure, the practically poisonous air there might kill or disable the demon, but Roan would be in just as much—if not more—danger. And that was assuming he could get the demon through the rift without getting his skin melted off in the process.

“You can’t,” she whispered.

“I don’t have a choice. You know I love you, right?”

She fought the urge to nut-punch him. “Now you tell me? Now?”

That’s when another blast of hellfire, two knives, and a crossbow bolt hit the demon squarely in the chest.

Haven had never been more relieved (or terrified) to see her family in her life.

“You good, kid?” Gabriel asked, eyes on the demon who was once again down on the ground, but not defeated.

Haven nodded and glanced past Gabriel to her aunt Seven and…oh, Jesus. Her very angry-looking mother and father.

Harper had her crossbow aimed at the demon’s head. Seven and her father had obviously thrown the knives. Her father jerked his chin in the demon’s direction. “What’s the plan? Knock him into the rift or detain him?”

Either option would’ve been great...if the demon didn’t give her one last longing look before opening his own rift and diving into it.

“Well…shit,” Riddick muttered when the rift closed.

Harper wasn’t a demon, but Haven could’ve sworn she saw fire in her mother’s eyes. “We need to talk, young lady. Right fucking now.”

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