Page 91 of Run Like the Devil

“What’s wrong?” I asked when I couldn’t figure out what I’d done this time to spoil the mood.

“You look different,” Hale said. “You don’t wear clothes like that.”

“This isn’t that weird…”

“It’s not weird, no,” Gorrin said, speaking slowly as if searching for the right words. “It’s just not your usual style.”

“And what is my usual style?”

Tyrus, Gorrin and Hale all exchanged looks, as if they’d sensed the minefield they currently were trouncing through.

“Normally you wear things that barely fit you and are often wrinkled and dirty,” Yazmor chimed in.

I opened my mouth to argue, but fuck it, he wasn’t entirely wrong.

“Well, then enjoy this because it might not happen again!” I crossed my arms in a huff. “Also, FYI, Mr. She’s our girlfriend, you should know that the rule is you always compliment whatever your girlfriend is wearing.”

“That’s a rule?” Yazmor stared down at the floor for a moment, then nodded as if accepting it. “You should write a manual for me. I don’t have enough experience to know these things and you’ll get mad at me far less often if you write it all down.” He pointed one of his long fingers at me. “I said less often, so expect to still get mad at me.”

His words were so direct that I couldn’t stop the way it stole any annoyance I’d had. While their reactions hadn’t made me feel good, something about Yazmor’s honesty chased that negativity away.

It also gave me a moment to look at the four of them. They’d washed and changed as well, and while I’d gone with something different, they’d picked clothing in their more common styles.

Hale wore black jeans and a black T-shirt along with a large black hoodie sweater. Tyrus had found a suit, though it wasn’t all back as I’d grown accustomed to for him. Yazmor remained nude—though since he didn’t appear human it didn’t look strange. Gorrin was the one who gave me pause.

I mean, he’d worn such a weird outfit before, and that wasn’t the sort of thing that they’d probably have here, after all. Still, seeing him dressed in a suit, much like Tyrus, had my mouth almost hanging open.

“What?” he asked, his tone defensive.

Right, I’m doing what he did to me, aren’t I? Instead of apologizing, I went up to him and reached for his tie. He lifted an eyebrow but didn’t stop me as I straightened it.

The door opened, silencing anything else we might have said.

Nona looked just as she had before, a bright smile as if she hadn’t just had us locked in here.

Though her appearance at least eased some of my worries. It meant they hadn’t planned to lock us in here until we starved to death or something.

“You all look wonderful,” Nona said. “I bet you feel better after washing up. The Path isn’t as dirty or dusty as the Chasm, but it still feels wonderful to clean up, right? I remember my first bath when I arrived here, how I just soaked for hours until the water went cold.” She moved away from the doorway, waving for us to follow.

The room outside of the ones where we were locked in appeared different. The seating that had been there was gone, and in its place was a long formal table and chairs, all set with fancy china and crystal glasses.

Part of me expected someone to show me to a kids table, because I sure as fuck didn’t belong in a place like this.

In addition to the changes of décor and furniture, others moved around the room.

They startled me as much as anything else. Sure, Nona had appeared normal enough, in a Suzy-Homemaker sort of way, but I’d figured she was the exception, not the rule.

That didn’t seem to be the case, since every person I saw looked just as normal as she did. They wore a variety of clothing, but it was all clean, well-tailored, and fitting to the individual. Furthermore, the people all appeared human.

I turned a look on Gorrin, my eyebrow lifted in question.

They were from the Chasm, right? How could none of them be damned? Why weren’t they twisted into monstrous forms? Were they all demons?

“You look confused,” a man said who left a group of people and approached us, a kind smile on his face. He wore a suit, but it appeared an old style, made of a thicker, light gray fabric like wool.

“Why do you all look human?”

He didn’t answer immediately, as if my words surprised him. After a moment, he let out a soft laugh. “Forgive me, but your bluntness surprised me. I am used to people who prefer to temper their words with honey, but you don’t seem to do that.”

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