Page 70 of Demon Kissed
Where are you, love nugget? Come out, come out, wherever you are.
Before I can pound it into submission—that fucking love nugget, I mean, not William—Kastros enters the classroom, his shirt sleeves rolled up to reveal his muscular, enticing forearms.
Immediately, that elusive love nugget makes an impromptu appearance, and I practically sag in relief.
There you are, little bastard. Why didn’t you come out earlier?
I mentally do a choreographed dance and cheer that my feelings haven’t completely changed. I still love William. I mean, I’m assuming the love nugget is for him. Who else could it possibly be for? The demons? Ziel, a guy who doesn’t even fucking exist?
Snort.
That’s laughable.
Kastros, ignoring the excited murmurings of my classmates, turns towards the whiteboard and writes in elegant scrawl,Tournament in Illinois. Three weekends from now. Space is limited, so we will have try-outs this afternoon, which will have two parts. An improvisational speech and a super quiz.
Almost instantaneously, the enthusiastic whispers turn into disgruntled huffs. Janie looks particularly pissed, her scrawny arms crossed over her chest and pouty red lips pursed. I can’t help but smile smugly, because ha! If she thought she could share a room with my demon, then—
Woah. Calm your tits, Katrina. He’s notyourdemon, and this isn’t Janie’s imaginary world where fate will place them in a room together and they’ll stare into each other’s eyes…
Fuck Janie!
I’m stunned by the direction of my thoughts and the almost vehement vow I make that says Janie won’t lay a manicured finger on any of the demons. I have to tell myself repeatedly that they’re not mine. They haven’t ever been mine. Apparently, they belong to some bitch named Center or something. Well, fuck her too. It’s a stupid name.
Kastros removes a sheet of paper from his briefcase—literally, the man carries this giant ass briefcase into the class, but the only thing present inside is that lone slip of paper—and tapes it to the wall. I can distinctly readSIGN UPSwritten in all capital letters and underlined three times.
Immediately, the students converge on the damn paper like pigeons flocking to a chunk of bread in the park. Janie all but elbows her way to the front of the line, tossing back her silky blonde hair like a weapon, and begins to write her name on the list. Abruptly, she pauses, brows furrowing together.
“Why is Katrina already on the list? She didn’t sign up!” she huffs, tossing her head in my direction to level me with a penetrating glare. I shrink further into my seat.
“Um…” I glance wide-eyed at Kastros, who stares at Janie as if she’s a bug under his shoe. In all honesty, I kind of want Janie to be put into a room with Kastros. I have a feeling he’ll eat her skinny ass for breakfast. And not in the hot way.
Too much?
“That’ssonot fair,” Janie screeches, her shrill voice causing both Tim and Wade to cover their ears. Even Molly—her bestie—looks slightly wary as she tentatively pats Janie’s shoulder like one would a dog.
When it becomes apparent that no one is going to jump to her defense, she scribbles her name down, glares in my direction, and stomps back to her seat near the back of the classroom. Literally stomps, as if in her demented mind, she believes she’s a giant and I’m poor Jack trying to climb the beanstalk. But in this story, Jack ends up crushed beneath her stiletto and begging for mercy.
“Kastros,” I hiss through gritted teeth, and Darrel, who is still sitting beside me, jumps slightly at my tone of voice. I can be a scary motherfucker when I want to be. Hear me roar. Actually, don’t. I’m pretty sure I’ll sound like a hairless cat. Though, now that I’m thinking about it, hairless cats sound just like normal cats. Maybe I’ll sound like a cat who’s secretly part goat? A mutant cat? A mutant ninja cat?
Kastros rolls his eyes but complies, crooking his finger in a come-hither gesture. I jump to my feet and follow him out of the classroom into the hall, ignoring the eyes I can feel burning a hole into my back. I’m pretty sure Janie believes she has laser-vision with how hard she’s glaring at me.
When we’re far enough away as to not be overheard, I whirl on Kastros, vitriol spewing from my eyes.
“What the hell was that?” I demand, throwing my hands up into the air.
He grunts, rolling his eyes, but I refuse to let him dismiss it this easily.
“Seriously, Kastros, what was that? Why did you sign me up?” The anger drains from me quicker than water down a sink as my body physically deflates. “You know that I’m not able to do that type of shit. An overnight stay? In a different state?” I scoff once, and this time, the anger bleeding from my voice is directed solely at my parents. “I can’t leave Adam alone for that long.”
The demon’s eyes harden, resembling chips of obsidian, as he begins to sign. Unlike last time at my house, it isn’t demonic sign language or whatever the hell you call it. It’s regular ASL, and though I’m rusty, I’m able to piece together what he’s saying fairly easily.
You deserve this.
“Kastros,no.”
He continues signing before I can finish my thought.You do, Katrina. You deserve this and so much more. Why do you constantly hold yourself back when you deserve the world? I don’t think it’s Adam stopping you from going.
“You don’t know what you’re—”
