Demon Kissed - Katie May Page 0,16

much. Well, I drank. Once. When I was fifteen. At a party Stacy threw. Anyway… There’s something about Zolroth that seems to innately command—no, demand—my complete and utter attention. He’s like a drug, one that I wish to dispel from my system. I’ll hate myself forever if I become one of those girls who believes her stalker is sexy.

Though he is… Sexy, I mean.

And my stalker.

Thus, he’s a sexy stalker.

Stop it, Katrina! I mentally berate myself, dropping my head into my hands.

Demon or no demon, I refuse to let Zolroth get to me. He’s a pest, one that I need to exterminate. If he thinks he can stalk me without repercussions, he has another thing coming.

William waits for me in the hallway when I exit the classroom, Zolroth a healthy distance behind me, having been stopped by Mr. White.

My heart judders in my ribcage as I feast my eyes on the sheer perfection that is William Washington. Today, the first few buttons of his shirt are undone, showcasing his toned chest and a splatter of blond chest hair. His face is sun-kissed, his honey-brown eyes penetrating my skin and seeing directly into my soul. Remember how I said I don’t swoon? That’s a complete and utter lie. I’m totally swooning right now.

“Hey, are you okay?” he questions, leaning against the nearest locker. It probably belongs to someone in desperate need of his or her books, but no one would dare tell William to move. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you late to class before.” He smiles, and I swear the sky opens up and I can see into Heaven itself. It’s a genuine smile, unlike Zolroth’s prickish one.

“I…um…” I awkwardly rock on the balls of my feet, struggling to articulate my words. Should I be witty or sincere? Funny or flirty? A mixture of all of the above?!? “I ate a bad taco.”

I. Ate. A. Bad. Taco.

That is what I come up with.

Fuck my mouth. And while I’m on the “fuck you” thought process, fuck Zolroth too. I’m totally blaming him for the painfully awkward word diarrhea.

William’s face creases in sympathy, but I can’t help but notice the glimmer of disgust in his eyes. “Oh. That’s awful. I’m…sorry.”

I’m sorry too.

“It…um…wasn’t fun.” Now, a normal person would stop there. Accept the loss. But this girl? This girl, apparently, has a horrible disease of talk-out-of-her-ass-itis. “A lot of bathroom trips. All morning. You could say I’ve been visited by a demon.”

William’s face grows significantly paler the longer I talk, until he appears ashen and almost sickly.

Stop talking, Katrina.

“Had to leave my house,” I blurt. “Got a hotel room. Because of the…bad taco,” I finish lamely, forking my fingers through my vibrant pink hair. Why the hell does my brain do this? It’s torture. Full-on demonic torture. I swear, ninety-nine percent of the time, I’m a fully-functioning individual. It’s whenever I see William that I just can’t seem to word.

“That’s—”

I never get to hear what William thinks of my taco incident.

His eyes widen suddenly as he stares at something over my shoulder. I don’t need to look to know that he is creeping up behind me like some sort of parasitic beast.

“Hey, Katrina,” Zolroth rumbles, his voice an almost physical caress over my skin. I try my damndest not to shiver as goosebumps skitter up and down my arms. “I’d be willing to take that tour now.” He moves to stand directly beside me, his arm brushing mine with every breath he takes.

“Huh?”

What the bloody fuck is he talking about now? And why the hell is my brain using British curse words?

Is this a new stalker method? Confuse the shit out of your stalkee?

“What?” William asks sharply, eyes narrowing into slits. He stares between the two of us, dozens of questions bubbling to life in his vibrant, honey eyes. I could be mistaken, I usually am, but it almost appears as if he’s jealous.

But that’s comical, right?

William Washington would never be jealous over me.

“Katrina here agreed to give me a tour of the school,” Zolroth continues in that charming accent of his. I mean, that disgusting accent of his that makes me want to vomit.

I’m too flabbergasted to contradict him.

What the what of the what?

William’s lips purse delicately as he stares at me intently, almost as if he has just seen me clearly for the first time in his life.

“Oh. I see you. I guess I’ll talk to you later, Katrina?” His voice starts off confident, cocky almost, but it wavers towards