Page 55 of In the Devil's Shadow

She was right. Anyone that opposed her would get torn apart by her fuckboys. Her Penis Parade?I definitely prefer Penis Parade.

The meeting had ended on a positive note. Most of the people there agreed to join us, with a few saying they’d have to go back and put it to a general vote. Mal moved the table back to its original place in the center of the room, along with all the chairs. Charlie met up with us, as he chose to forgo the meeting. Our crew, Judas’ people, Diana’s family, Tyran, and my brother Apollo stayed behind to hammer out some of the finer details over a catered buffet dinner. Stir fry, beef Wellington, twice baked potatoes, cheesy cauliflower au gratin, and bread. The guys would have to roll my ass out of here by the time we were done.

“Damon is becoming a distraction,” Judas commented, pushing his stir fry around on his plate with a fork. He sipped a wine glass of blood, before continuing. “We need to get him out of the way so you can focus on Red.”

“And we need to continue Diana’s magical training,” Bash said. “It makes me nervous that she’s so far behind. We have no clue when Red will strike or how, and I want her to be as prepared as she can be.”

“He makes a solid point, dollface. Tonight’s magic was powerful because it fed off your emotions. Emotions are fleeting, and you can't rely on them to power you through,” Desmond agreed.

“How about I put together a team to take out Damon so you can focus on everything else?” Judas asked. “A lot of my intel through the grapevine is about Damon, so I already have some leads.”

“Who else would be on your team?” I only wanted the best if they’d have anything to do with Diana.

“Me, duh,” Apollo said. “I hate that fucking prick, and youralephi psychiis family now. Sign me up.”

The only person I trusted as much as my crew was my brother. Out of all my family on Mount Olympus, he was the only one who kept in contact with me. He had never disowned me like they had, and he didn’t pretend to disown me publicly while talking to me on the sly. He had integrity.

“I’m always down for a mission. Plus, my services could be useful,” Tyran offered. He finished his whiskey, smiling as he placed the glass back on the table. “What better way to punish an immortal pain in the ass than sucking out his soul?”

“I can call Bain and see if he’s willing to help,” Judas said. “The man is a magical powerhouse and has personal vendettas against Red and Damon.”

“I’m in.” Angela said. “Don’t you dare try to talk me out of it either,Belissima. I can’t just sit here in a resort all day while you’re fighting for your life. I love you too much to sit on my hands.”

“I love you, too,” Diana said. The expression on her face was serious. “If you need this, I won’t talk you out of it. But Judas needs to be okay with you coming. It’s his mission.”

She says I love you to her sister, but not to you…The voice teased.Are you sure she even likes you at all?

Shut up. You’re so gods damned dramatic. I’m trying to pay attention.Stupid Voice.

Nonna and Charlie glared at Judas, who pointedly ignored their ire. He pretended to think about it and put an arm around Angie.

“Of course! I can’t think of a safer place for you than with a vampire, Greek god, sluagh, and hopefully a renowned necromancer,” Judas said through a smile, his entire face alight with gushy romanticism. He had it bad.

She shrugged his arm off and got up from the table to get more food. Diana, Nonna, and Charlie followed.

“You want more food?” Nonna asked me before leaving the table. She snatched my plate without waiting for an answer.She is so nice.

“Is anyone going to bring up Diana’s surprise headgear, or am I the only one who noticed that?” Mal asked. He pointed two fingers out from his forehead. “She didn’t have those yesterday…”

“She shouldn’t have them at all…she’s a witch-angel hybrid, not a demon,” Bash commented.

“They did sorta fit though…ya know because of how horny she is all the time.” I slapped my knee, laughing more to myself.

Oisín punched me in the shoulder. “Shut the fuck up. Don’t talk about my sister like that until I’m out of earshot, asshole. They did disappear, at least, unlike your immaturity” he commented, glaring at Ares before turning to the rest of the group. “I have a theory. Have there been any other strange occurrences where her appearance changed?”

“Well, she bloody glows gold–like Ares does–which is odd because angels usually glow silver. In all my times visiting her in her dreams, she has never done that,” Bash mused aloud.

“Yeah, her eyes turned pitch black earlier today when we were…spending time together,” Desmond added. “They actually reminded me of Bash’s eyes.”

“Did anyone notice that her hair has growna lotsince we arrived in Las Vegas?” Azazel asked. “It used to hit her shoulders, but now it’s down to her breasts. That seems fast…”

“No, probably because you’re all too busy staring at her breasts. Don’t forget, I was a cat in your home for a while. I saw the way you animals looked at her. You’re lucky she didn’t notice,” Oisín said. He crossed his leg so his ankle was resting on his opposite knee. “Have some fucking chill.”

“Ha, says the man who stares at Charlie like he’s a walking, talking steak,” Mal quipped. He handed Diana’s brother a bottle of steak sauce. “Here, just in case he gets bored talking to August and comes back to the table.”

Ouch.Mal had been on his best behavior so much with Diana I forgot how brutal he could be. Oisín refused to turn around and look at Charlie and August, choosing instead to carry on with the conversation.

“Diana told me at the pool that she thought all of her powers were unbound, but that Michael said he and Lucifer needed to be together to unbind the rest. I’m thinking that she may have body manipulation powers like I do. I imitated other people’s features often as a kid, before I grew into the power and could morph my entire body. She’s obviously not doing it on purpose, only when her emotions are heightened–when she’s stressed, angry, or passionate.”

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