Page 74 of Demon Kissed
I write my name on the scantron, and then I wait for the first question of super quiz. There’s no way Janie and the dingbats will make it through this round. I’m even a bit scared for William. But I know one thing—I’m going on this damn trip, come hell or high water.
24
I’m pretty surethe demons are in a state of shock. Should I slap them? Shake them? Shove a putrid-smelling sock up their noses? Flash them my tits? I think I read somewhere that titty flashing can pull a male out of shock.
Zolroth insisted on driving me back from decathlon practice in Akor’s minivan, since my parents still have my car keys, despite having no intentions of picking me up from school. Kastros sits in the passenger seat, muscular arms folded over his chest and his customary scowl etched firmly in place, and Raz and Van sit directly behind them. In the back, with me, is Akor, who’s resting his head on my shoulder and humming “Hit Me Baby One More Time” in my ear while stroking my thumb. Not my hand, mind you, just my thumb, like it’s some sort of micro-penis.
“I can’t fucking believe it,” Zolroth mutters for the one billionth time in the last minute. Somehow, his accent makes the crude words sound…well…almost sexy. The way he says “fucking” conjures up intoxicating images of the two of us—
Playing chess, obviously. What else would we be doing?
Cue: awkward, high-pitched mental laughter.
“How is this possible?” Raz demands, leaning forward so his arms rest on the center console. I want to reprimand him for not having a seatbelt on, but then I remember he’s a super scary, all-powerful demon, and the words get caught in my throat.
AndthenI remember that his fucking Center is around, causing him to be vulnerable, and I can’t resist squeaking, “Put your seatbelt on!”
He turns marginally in the seat to stare at me, one eyebrow quirked and a smirk playing on his devilishly wicked lips. Even beat to a pulp, he’s sinfully hot. Still smiling slightly, he slowly, purposefully, clicks the seatbelt into place and gives me a look that says, “Better?”
“Thank you,” I huff as Akor transitions from humming to singing the words beneath his breath. His hand continues to stroke my thumb, practically jerking it off at this point. Not that I have any idea how to actually jerk off a cock, though I did do my research. For scientific purposes, of course. I wouldn’t want to embarrass myself if the biology teacher asked me to point out the ballsack. Though…
I should probably switch schools if he ever asks me that.
Unless Raz transfers to my biology class.
And asks me to point out his balls.
And—
Conversation, mercifully, saves me from my own, idiotic mind.
“I don’t understand how William, of all people, scored perfectly on the scantron,” Van snipes, stabbing his fingers through his reddish-brown hair.
“I thought you guys did that on purpose,” I admit, leaning forward slightly. Akor immediately protests and yanks on my thumb, propelling me backwards until my body is flush against his. The hard contours of his chest press against my soft, delicate curves, and my breath automatically hitches. Working to control the rapidthump-thump-thumpof my heart, I add, “Wasn’t that the whole point?”
Raz releases a guttural growl, eyes bleeding red, before he takes a deep, fortifying breath.
“No,” he hisses simply, crossing his arms and glaring straight ahead.
I was shocked out of my mind when Kastros wrote the results on the board and put William—William freaking Washington—on top of the list. William received the highest score on the team. Honestly, it seemed so impossible that I justassumedthe demons were behind it. But the expression on Kastros’s face when he read the score? The horror intermixed with something akin to loathing? That couldn’t be faked.
“Maybe he’s just super smart? Heisin some of my AP classes with me. Granted, he sleeps the majority of the time, but that isn’t the point,” I argue, slightly indignant that all of the demons are adamant he cheated somehow. Though, how he could’ve done that with Kastros in the room is beyond me. The vengeance demon has laser-eyes.
Besides, I’ve known William for longer than they have. He doesn’t need to cheat. Sure, he’s not the brightest bulb, and I never catch him in the library, but that doesn’t mean he’s not smart. For all they know, his secret hobby could be reading Wikipedia.
Zolroth snorts, ignoring the glare I level his way. “Smart, my ass,” he quips.
“Shut up. Maybe he watches Jeopardy or something,” I toss out.
One thing is certain—William Washington is traveling to Illinois with me. Well, me, Alanna, Wade, Tim, and Janie. Yes,thatJanie. Despite the clusterfuck that was her speech, she did surprisingly well on the examination portion. Not William-level, of course, but decent enough to come in at seventh place, beating Molly for the final spot.
“Can we stop dissing my future boyfriend?” I ask, throwing my hands in the air and dislodging Akor in the process. All five of the demons stiffen, but before I can comment on the stony glares they exchange with one another, we pull up to Adam’s preschool.
“What…huh?” I ask in disbelief as Akor reaches behind him, into the trunk, and procures a carseat.
What is going on? Why is Akor installing the carseat in between us right now?
“We hacked your mom’s phone,” Zolroth admits conversationally, seemingly unperturbed by what he just confessed. But me? I’m extremely,extremelyperturbed. “Apparently, she and your dad have a dinner planned with some fancy client this afternoon at some fancy ass restaurant.”
