Page 31 of Kiss of a Hellish Prince

Kylie shrugged. “It’s a strong possibility.”

“She is already kind of beat-up,” Rune said.

I hated it when people talked about me like I wasn’t even there.

“I am sure she can take a little more. It’s only a few tests,” Kylie reasoned, crossing her arms across her chest. “What is the worst that could happen?”

Darrius smiled, causing a shiver to run up my spine and the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. “Only one way to find out.”

8

My Mom Says I Am Special

Performance anxiety is a thing. It’s definitely a thing.

I walked to the gym with Rune and Murmur on either side of me, Kylie leading the way and Darrius and Ulric behind me. I felt like I was being led to the gallows.

Impressing Rune was important, but worse, having his father here made itmoreimportant. If I failed, would he think I wasn’t good enough for his son? Would he tell Rune he needed to find a full-blooded demon and not a half demon?

Would Rune listen to him? Or would he think that without Ulric saying a word? Would they even let me stay if there was nothing special about me?

I didn’t know. I hadn’t spent enough time with Rune to know anything about him other than he was sexy as fuck, kind of intense, and our chemistry was off the charts.

Then there was Kylie.

She looked so excited about having another woman on the field. To be honest, I kind of loved the idea of spending my time patrolling and protecting people. I had even considered being a cop at one point, but it just didn’t feel right. This—finding out I was a part of something else, something bigger—feltright.

I just needed to not fuck up.

The gym was somehow more intimidating than the first time I had been here. Probably because this time I could really look around. One side was filled with weights and cardio machines. Balance beams hung from the three-story ceiling, and blue mats covered a huge section of the wood floor.

The sun flowing in from the skylights made this place seem warm and happy. The massive air conditioner vents kept it comfortably cool. I had a feeling if this went well, I would spend a lot of time here. Running in a well-lit gym was definitely safer than a park alone at night.

“You two, go sit and watch over there,” Ulric barked at Murmur and Rune while pointing at the far wall.

“But—” Rune started.

“Nope,” Ulric interrupted. “The evaluation will be done by Darrius, Kylie, and myself. You two get to watch. From over there. I’m only letting you stay to make the girl more comfortable. If you disrupt, I will kick you out,” Ulric said in a tone that screamed nonnegotiable.

I gave Rune a little smile, hoping it conveyed that I was okay and not nervous as fuck.

“Tori,” Darrius said, standing next to me with a small remote in his hand. “We are not expecting miracles. We know you are a little beat-up, so you can take it easy. We just want to see where your natural talents lie. No need to push yourself.”

“What if I don’t have any natural talents?” I asked.

“Then you don’t.” He shrugged. “Not every demon does, even the full-blooded ones. But let’s cross that bridge when we get there.”

I nodded, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling of everyone watching me, expecting something.

“Let’s start with dexterity,” Darrius said with a calm smile. He pressed a few buttons on the remote, and one of the large wooden beams suspended close to the ceiling moved down until it was only about four feet off the ground. “Hop up.”

“Um, okay.” I sat on the beam and then pulled myself to standing.

It wasn’t too narrow. My feet had to be one in front of the other, but there was enough room that the entire width of my foot fit comfortably. I stretched out my arms to my sides and took a few steps to make sure I had my balance. It reminded me of the gymnastics class my father took me to when I was a kid.

It was one of the first things that had stopped when he left. The demon blood might come from him. I wondered if he took me to those classes to see if he gave me any special gifts. Was I bad at this? Was that why he left, because he thought I was a normal human?

“Tori.” The edge in Darrius’s voice made me think he had said my name several times.

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