Page 46 of Demon Kissed
“Hey, you just need to stick with the plan. Jealousy will win out,” Zolroth reassures me.
“Whose jealousy? Mine? While William’s tongue is down Janie’s throat—”
Raz grabs my arm. “Shut up.”
Van grabshim. “Dude, you can’t touch her in school. You’re supposed to be her teacher.”
Raz doesn’t speak, his breathing coming out in stuttered spurts like he has just run a marathon or like he’s holding himself back. His eyes flash red for a second as he stares at me. Tension builds between us, as hot and thick as steam in a sauna. Why the fuck is he so pissed about this? I’m pissed at him for being pissed.
But then something changes. For a split second, I swear his eyes change color again.
Nope. I’m delusional. There’s only burning red.
Raz’s expression crumbles. And I don’t understand why, but don’t have time to process it because Kastros yanks Raz away and Zolroth steps smoothly into his space.
“Baby girl,” Zolroth takes a step closer to me, a mischievous smile illuminating his normally serious face, “if William has a date tonight, thenwehave our first date tonight.”
* * *
I don’t knowwhy I agreed to this. Honestly, I have no fucking ideawhy I agreed to this.A momentary lapse of sanity? Sheer stupidity? Jealousy?
Either way, I find myself waiting on the front porch at exactly seven sharp. I hired Sasha to babysit Adam tonight, and the fiery redhead had been over-the-moon at my offer to pay her time and a half for her services. I don’t know where Mom and Dad are, and honestly? I don’t give a crap. It’s not like they give a shit about me in the first place.
All Zolroth said was, “Wear something cute but casual. No skirt,” before swaggering away with that damn, devilish (see what I did there?) smirk on his gorgeous face. I’m pretty sure Raz blew a gasket, and I can’t help but remember his words from the night before.
“With our Center around, we’re fucking vulnerable.”
What did he mean by that, exactly? And what is a Center? He speaks as if it’s capitalized, as if it’s immensely important, but when I googled it this morning, I hadn’t been able to find anything. And Zolroth had implied it’s a she. A she-demon? Like the one who attacked Akor and him last night? Why are they so susceptible to she-demons? Feminine wiles, or something else?
Confusion swirls in my head like a rapidly growing tsunami, threatening to completely devour entire cities and demolish buildings. I’ll have to ask the guys about it later on. Well, demand and threaten. I don’t think they’ll answer my questions if I politely and calmly ask.
They can be pricks, those demons.
I smooth my hands down my new pair of skinny jeans I bought months ago but have never worn. They conform to my thighs and calves like a second, dark blue skin. And bonus, these actually have working pockets. Who would’ve thought? I’m wearing a light blue, off-the-shoulder sweater that reveals the pink strap of my bra. Not that I’m wearing a sexy bra for Zolroth, of course. Nope. Not me. Nada.
Oh hi, denial, my old friend.
I have no idea where, exactly, we’re going, but Idoknow that William and Janie will be there as well on their date. Vomit.
No, literally.
I vomited when I first discovered they were going on a date. Honestly, as far as supernatural matchmakers go, the demons deserve a solid zero out of five stars on Yelp. Do not recommend.
Trepidation courses through me as I tap my foot against the distressed wooden boards of the front porch. Fuck, what am I doing? Am I really going on a date with Zolroth in order to make William jealous?
Yes. Yes, I am.
Does that make me a horrible, shitty person?
Yes. Yes, it does.
Okay, mental voice. Time for you to shut the fuck up.
I wouldn’t be doing all of this if I didn’t honestly believe that William has feelings for me. I can see it in his eyes when he thinks I’m not looking. There’s definitely infatuation mixed with a healthy dose of lust. And when he offers me that crooked smile, a twinkle appearing in his eyes…
Ugh, I’m melting. Literally melting into a puddle of mush and feelings.
“Wow.” The soft, almost reverent, whisper shakes me out of my reverie. I snap my head up, stunned to see Zolroth standing directly in front of me. I hadn’t even heard him arrive.
