The Demon's Song - By Kendra Leigh Castle Page 0,2

him to say? That he’d been pissy because of this strange, nebulous longing he couldn’t seem to shake? Yeah, right.

“You’re not going to try to hug me or something, are you?” Phenex grumbled. “You’ve been into some weird shit since you got married.”

Justin laughed, and some of the tension Phenex was lugging around like a ton of bricks lightened, just a little.

“No, Phenex. I need my limbs to stay attached. And I wouldn’t want to ruin Vivi’s good opinion of you. She likes you, for some strange reason.”

Phenex didn’t have much to say about that, but he couldn’t stop his lips from curving. He liked the vamp king’s wife right back, not that he intended to admit it. She was little, beautiful, and mean if you crossed her.

“Whatever,” Phenex grunted. “If you’re done with the psychoanalysis, I’m going back down. The mood here sucks tonight.”

Justin sighed. “You mean your mood sucks tonight. I don’t have a replacement, Phenex. At least half those people are in there because of you.” He paused, and Phenex knew what was coming.

“I’ll pay you double if you stay, all right? Make a habit out of this and you’re out of luck, but tonight I really need you to stay. If you’re having some kind of personal problems—”

“I’m not,” Phenex interjected. “Hellfire, can’t I just have an off night? It happens.”

“Not to you it doesn’t.” Justin looked at him with a degree of earnestness that made Phenex want to groan. He’d fought beside the vamp. Justin was as badass as any of them. But he was also basically a good guy. And that was still something Phenex wasn’t quite sure what to do with. He felt himself relenting and tried to tell himself it was because of the money, even if he had the unpleasant suspicion that he was bullshitting himself...and not doing a great job of it.

“Fine. Free drinks, though. It’s the least you can do,” Phenex said flatly. Justin’s grin told him they had a deal. The realization that he’d just done something nice for no particular reason left Phenex feeling confused and slightly nauseous.

Working for the good guys was screwing him up. He could feel the changes deep in his ancient bones, strange and worrying. But unless he wanted both Heaven and Hell trying to take him out, there wasn’t a thing he could do about it. Having wings meant picking a side. That was one rule he hadn’t figured out how to break.

“Thanks,” Justin said, but Phenex had already turned around and was walking away. He’d been joking about the hugging thing, but some part of him still worried that Justin would try to give him a friendly pat or something. And then he’d probably end up impaling him with the neck of his guitar, which wasn’t going to make anyone happy.

He made his way back through the thickening crowd, already brooding about what he might play. Cheering himself up wasn’t exactly his forte. Maybe he’d try some more flamenco, if he could manage it.

“Hey, watch it!”

Phenex jerked to a stop so quickly that he nearly fell over the woman who stood in the middle of the corridor, glaring up at him. He’d come so close to flattening her that it surprised an apology out of him, something he wasn’t in the habit of giving.

“Sorry,” he said. In an instant, his lousy mood had vanished, replaced by interest as keen as the edge of a blade.

She didn’t belong here. He knew it instantly. But then, she wouldn’t have been half as interesting if she had. Most of the human women who frequented Amphora were too perfect, too rich, walking ads for plastic surgery, here to see and be seen. This one didn’t look all that happy to be seen, at least by him. Pale green eyes, the color of seawater, glared irritably into his own. Such beautiful, light eyes, Phenex thought, the kind that could make you forget everything else. In marked contrast, the rest of her coloring bespoke sun-kissed warmth—long waves of dark brown hair, long dark lashes, and gold-dusted skin. Her lips were bee-stung, the color of coral, and pursed as she watched him.

Phenex let his eyes drift down over a slim waist and luscious curves, all displayed in a little black dress that glittered as it caught the light. By the time he’d shifted his attention away from her shapely legs and dragged his eyes back up to her face, a pretty flush had covered her cheeks. She knew