Demon Fire (Angel Fire #3) - Marie Johnston Page 0,58

ignore reality to get through this.

Chapter 13

Home filthy home.

Sandeen hovered in the Gloom around his shack of a house. The inside was nicer than the outside, but if he made it look like trash, fewer demons messed with him.

He couldn’t see any other demon lingering around his place, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. How far did Andy’s reach go down here?

He searched the craggy, barren hills around his stone shack. Nothing grew in this realm. The place looked as dark and dirty as the creatures that inhabited it. What did Numen look like? They were supposed to be the good. Not exactly pure, but good. He heard they could grow trees with their energy. Grass too. It’d be thick and plush, a stark contrast to the dirt he’d been raised in.

Permanent smog blanketed his realm. The Gloom was smothering, oppressive, but he didn’t feel like he was developing lung cancer just walking around it. No wonder all the demons had leathery, mottled skin, blackened teeth, jagged fangs, and just a general shitty attitude.

Why was he different?

He hadn’t figured that out, and his sire, Zadren, wasn’t talking. It wasn’t like Sandeen really needed answers. He wanted an escape. He wanted to roam free. Drink a fucking latte and taste it with his own taste buds. He wanted his sire to never be able to find him.

Whatever made Sandeen different gave him the ability to blend in with the humans like no other demon could. Sure, his wings were an issue. And his horns. But he could take a page from Boone’s book and get a cabin in the middle of nowhere and just be. It was all he’d require to live out his existence.

In order to do that, he needed his stash. He’d given the warriors enough information to motivate them to move quickly with Andy. He’d warned Sierra. The rest was up to her. All he had to do was gather his vials of Jameson’s blood and slip away. The warriors could hunt down Andy and they all could leave him the fuck alone.

He stepped out of the Gloom and refrained from furtively looking around. The less suspicious he acted, the more— Nah. Demons would be suspicious anyway.

He went into his house, opening his senses. He never locked it, or put traps around it. Then others would know he was hiding something and that meant they’d want it. Open or bolted, it was a risk.

He inhaled, filling his lungs with the stench. The fetid swamp at the base of the tallest hill around his house permeated every stone that made up his home. The rotten smell was so strong that even other demons gave his home a wide berth. A small price for some privacy.

The dirt floor revealed footprints that weren’t his. Another demon had been here and it wasn’t his sire. The prints were smaller and tipped with claws. Much like the rest of Sandeen, his feet resembled a human’s. His human form was a detriment in many ways in this realm, but he’d learned how to turn his weaknesses into strengths. Like differentiating prints.

He eased in and shut the door behind him. He waited while his eyes adjusted. Some demons could summon a flame. They bartered the ability. Sandeen didn’t dare make a trade. His eyes weren’t as strong as his counterparts and he had to keep his skills strong.

When he could make out details, he moved farther into the room. Awareness prickled along his skin and made his feathers twitch.

Another stench permeated the air.

“You’ve been gone long enough.”

Aw, fuck. The last time he’d been home, Gerzon had confronted him. He could handle the male again. But his second-in-command was another story.

Zanda reclined on the stone slab that was his bed. His dreams of sleeping on a nice comfy mattress tonight evaporated. He’d have to deal with her.

She had one leg crossed over the other. The way she propped herself on her elbows lifted her breasts into the air. She was nude. Her claw-tipped wings were half folded behind her and draped across his bed like a bony leather blanket. As far as demons went, she wasn’t the ugliest. Far from it. Her burnished brass skin was relatively unblemished with the typical pocks and boils that occurred while living in this type of environment.

Because she was attractive with dainty fangs and delicate horns, she’d become a coveted item. He shared a kinship with Zanda. He used his intelligence to keep on top of the power struggles