Page 20 of Demon Kissed
I peel away from the pair and push through the cross traffic, anxious freshmen still sorting out their social pecking order and a couple of sophomores who are busy tossing a nerf football in the halls.
“Where are you going?” Stacy calls out behind me.
But I arrive at the counselor’s door just then. I point at it, then yank it open. Stace knows how my parents get about college stuff and how often I’ve had to go to this annoying office, so she just waves and turns to walk off with David.
I stride into the small, utilitarian waiting room, surprised to find it crowded. A lot of seniors are squashed into the small space, girls and guys chattering in low tones. Are they all like me? Are they worried about their letters? I can’t see over the heads of the tall guys or the girls wearing heels. I try to peer between them, but it’s impossible. I yank out my phone to see how much time I have before the next bell, thinking I’ll come back later.
But that’s when I hear a voice.
A familiar one.
No fucking way.
I shove through the other students, apologizing awkwardly as I go. “I’m sorry. It’s an emergency. Excuse me.”
One guy pushes me back, but instead of falling, a hand catches mine and yanks me forward. I find myself falling into a brown sweater vest. It cushions my cheek, and I’m grateful for it, because if I’d fallen right into the hard six pack I can feel beneath it, I might have bruises.
I awkwardly use my hands to shove myself upright so that I can glare at the new counselor, who smirks down at me.
“Did you have an appointment?” Van’s smooth voice makes my nipples pebble. Or is it the way his five o’clock shadow frames his jaw? Or the twinkle in his eyes? Or those perfect shoulders? Or…
I realize I’m blinking dumbly at him, and I force myself to snap out of it.Lust demon, Kat, I scold myself. It’s not real. I glance around me at the stupefied students and realize that all of them, even the guys, look just as entranced as I did a second ago.
How dare he!
“Yes, I have an appointment,” I growl, marching into Ms. Simmons’s former office with an irritated authority that’s new to me. New since meeting these overbearing, romance-ruining demons, anyway.
Well, I’m done. I mean it. I couldn’t say a damn thing in front of my other teachers when Zolroth showed up. I couldn’t chew out a new teacher in front of my entire gym class. But I can damn well scream my head off in the counselor’s office.
I throw my bag down forcefully and take a seat in the crappy blue plastic chair for students. It’s not really meant to be comfortable. I’ve always felt like that was deliberate, so that the counselors can get us in and out as fast as possible.
Van trails in slowly after me, raising a hand and running it through his auburn hair. The movement causes his sweater to hike up a little and reveal a patch of his stomach. I avert my eyes, not wanting to see that, and realize that four other students have crowded into the room.
I stand and whip around. “Get. Out. Now.” My growl has the intended effect. Their eyes snap from Van to me, and they slowly back away. I follow them to the door and latch it behind me, not giving a shit about school rules or propriety at this moment.
When I release the doorknob, I clench my fists so hard that my knuckles go white. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Van leans against the front of his desk and casually crosses his feet at the ankles. He smiles at my fury like the asswipe demon I know him to be. Instead of rising to the bait, I glare at the computer so his stupid sexiness won’t distract me.
“We’re here to help you.” Van’s tone is magnanimous. Like some damn king gifting a peasant with his presence.
“Well, you’re not helping. I want you out. All of you!”
“Sorry, no can do. You summon, we respond. It’s how demons work.”
I step forward, livid, my entire body shaking with anger as I get in his face. “I’m changing the rules.”
He laughs then. “Oh, sweetie. You don’t know anything about our rules. Now that we’re here, we’re going to make sure William falls in love with you, whether you still want him to or not.”
8
I’m fucking fumingby the time I leave Van’s office. The lobby is still crowded when I emerge, and I physically have to part the throng of students like freaking Moses did the Red Sea.
I don’t bother to head to my next class. Instead, I stalk towards the parking lot, easily able to bypass the lone security guard they have patrolling the school grounds.
Stupid, sexy demons ruining my life. I hope they choke on their own cocks.
Muttering inarticulate phrases in my head, I unlock my car and practically launch myself inside of it.
