Demon Hunting with a Dixie Deb - Lexi George Page 0,84

and a craving no one but she could sate. What strange hold did she have over him? He should be running for the nearest portal, not mooning over her. She was not for him. She belonged to Wesley.

Wesley. That puling idiot did not appreciate the treasure within his grasp. When Grim recalled the denigrating tone the male had used with Sassy, he saw red. Wesley had as much as called Sassy a wanton. Only Grim’s respect for Sassy had leashed his fury at the insult. Barely.

Sir Wesley knew not how close he had come to a thrashing.

He should take Sassy for himself, Grim thought. Truthfully, he had been tempted to do so from the first. The sweet agony had heightened a hundredfold since that kiss in the river. ’Twould be the work of a moment to sweep her into his arms and away from Hannah, away from danger and her insipid betrothed. Take her captive as she had taken him. She would learn to love him. She would—

The bedroom door opened with a soft creak and Evan slipped inside. “Why are you hovering over Sassy like a vampire? Jesus, you’ll give the poor girl a heart attack.”

Grim straightened with a jerk. “I am not hovering.” He kept his voice low so as not to wake Sassy. “I am securing the house against intruders in our absence.”

“Uh-huh. You were creeping, Mr. Creeper McCreeper.”

Grim ignored this bit of incomprehensible nonsense and set to work weaving a protective web of magic around the structure, adding a buffer spell to ensure that Sassy’s sleep remained undisturbed. Satisfied the house was secure, he strode out of the bedroom.

Evan followed him out.

“Man, I feel sorry for you.” There was mockery in the demonoid’s tone. “You got it bad.”

“What are you babbling about?”

Evan’s satyr’s mouth curled in disdain. “Babes are soft. They smell nice and they’re fun to screw, but you never get your dick in a knot over one of them. Didn’t they teach you that in demon hunter school?”

Grim frowned. “I thought you cared for Sassy.”

“I like her a lot. She’s a good kid with a useful talent.”

“Sassy is a woman, not a ‘kid.’ What is more, she is not a commodity to be bought and sold.”

“Look, Big ’Un, here’s the reality. Every kith has talent, some more than others. Lolly? She’s one of a kind. She lures you in like an insect to a flower and wham.” Evan smacked his fist in the palm of his hand. “She hits you with her siren feel-good and you’re hooked. Got any idea what the right person could do with that kind of talent?”

“Let me hazard a guess.” Grim held on to his rising temper. “You are that person.”

“Why not? But I been thinking maybe we could work together. Our little gold mine needs to be protected. You be the muscle and I’ll be the manager.” Evan grinned. “What do you think?”

“I think you are a bigger simpleton than that piece of dung Wesley, and that is saying something.”

Wheeling about in disgust, Grim strode into the darkened foyer. “It is almost dawn.” He spoke into the gloom. “The wards have been set. We are ready to depart. ’Tis your watch.”

With a faint flickering, the shades of Junior Peterson and his canine companion appeared and solidified, shining with the light of a hundred candles.

Evan strolled in, squinting at the brightness. “Jeez, turn down the wattage, Casper. You’re blinding me.”

The Dalmatian barked.

“Trey says bite him,” Junior said.

The Dalmatian woofed something else.

“Trey says—”

“Oh, shut up, for Christ’s sake.” Evan looked at Grim. “What are they doing here?”

“The witch is still out there. I have tasked the shades to stand guard in our absence.”

“You are such a mother hen. Personally, I’d pick Shrewzilla over Fido and Pops any day.”

Meredith materialized on a sickening wave of scent. “Why, thank you.” She fluffed her hair. “You boys can be on your way. Mer-Mer’s here. I’ll make sure these two losers toe the line.”

Trey snarled and disappeared.

Meredith looked innocent. “Was it something I said?”

“It’s always something you say, Meredith,” Junior said. “You could slice a bowling ball with that tongue of yours.”

Leaving the two ghosts to their bickering, Grim strode out the front door and down the steps. Perhaps some air would clear his head and cool his heated blood. He needed his wits about him for the meeting with Conall. The captain had seen him in his cups, a fact that made Grim squirm.

And then there was the huntress. What business did the