Page 70 of Higher Demon

“Fuck, you’re dumb.” I stomp on his foot, hard, and when he howls and grabs for it, Gabe takes possession of the sword, returning it to its sheath and leaning it against Connor’s desk. “He’s not mind-controlling me. We discussed our travel options with Tasha. I didn’t want to fly. Neither of us was looking forward to driving. This was something we talked about andIdecided to do. And it was a damn good idea, because it took less than a second and had no side effects.”

“None?” Gabe asks, sounding intrigued. Connor’s still glaring.

“None,” I confirm. “It took, like, a second for me to realize we’d arrived. It was completely seamless.”

“Thank you.” Marc preens.

Connor makes a sound that’s either a growl or… I guess he could be constipated?

“Do I need to call Kieran?” I ask, bringing out the big guns. “I will, and then you can explain to him why you thought it was a good idea tothrow awaythe truce we all worked so hard for.”

I can actually see the second my words sink in. Connor closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. When he opens them again, he looks slightly more rational. This reaction doesn’t bode well for me telling him that Marc and I are together, though.

Gabe yanks me into a hug. “Good to see you, Ian. We’ve missed you.”

I give him a good squeeze. “Missed you too.” Then I jab my fingers into his sides, where he’s particularly ticklish, and he squeals and jerks away. “That’s from Matt. He made me promise.”

“He really did,” Marc confirms. “It was a most enlightening conversation about family dynamics.”

I flip him the bird, but Gabe and Connor ignore him. Instead, Con looks me up and down, then wraps me up in a bear hug. “Stupid little brother,” he mutters.

“Aw. Love you too, Con.”

Chapter26

Marc

Ian’s brotheris just as tiresome as always. Does he really think his little glares bother me? He’s lucky I didn’t eviscerate him for laying violent hands on Ian.

That reaction was a surprise. Irrational rage and blinding protectiveness are new emotions for me. I’m not sure I like it.

We’re currently taking a tour around the compound. Ian’s been here before, of course, but it’s my first time… that they know of. I haven’t seen all the buildings, anyway, and while Ian offered to show me around on his own, Connor wouldn’t hear of it. It would seem that he plans to supervise Ian for every moment of our visit. I think Gabe came along to prevent further attempted attacks.

“And here are the guest barracks, where we’ll be staying,” Ian says, pointing to a long, low building that has absolutely no aesthetic appeal.

“What? No, you’ll stay with us,” Connor protests immediately.

“That’s so kind of you,” I drawl. “I accept your gracious offer.”

“Notyou. You’re lucky I assigned you a room in the barracks and not the dumpster.” He turns to Ian. “I made up the bed in the guest room for you.”

Ian shrugs. “Sorry, Con, but I won’t risk the truce. I need a room next to Marc’s so if someone who can’t stand the thought of a demon being here tries something, I’m close enough to bear witness that it was self-defense.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Gabe muses. “Has it been necessary before?”

“Not yet,” I concede. “But prior to Ian chaperoning me, I spent very little time at the compound. I certainly didn’t wander around on my own.”

“I overheard a group of idiots talking about how they’d do it,” Ian says, surprising me. “This was a year or so ago, but it’s why when Marc started spending more time at the compound, I decided not to leave things to chance.”

Connor and Gabe both frown. “Who was it?” Connor asks.

“I dealt with it. Let’s leave it at that.” Ian’s statement is firm, and Connor’s brows lift. Gabe smiles.

“Look at you, all grown up,” he teases.

Rolling his eyes, Ian boasts, “Yeah, I can tie my own shoelaces and everything. So… room for me?”

Connor’s jaw sets, but then he sighs. “Fine. I’ll put you next door to the demon.”

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