yet? That’s a good one.”
“No! But I heard so much about it. Is it on Netflix?” I tuck my feet under me and turn slightly away from the movie, toward him.
“I don’t know. But it’s got the best shopping scene ever.”
“Can’t beat Pretty Woman,” I counter. “It’s a classic.”
“Completely beats the skirt off Pretty Woman,” he declares.
“Sacrilege!”
On and on we go, discussing in detail the various plot-holes we find as well as our favorite movies. She’s the Man is forgotten as we debate best comedic scenes, and Van actually works up a neck blush because he gets so damn into it.
It’s kind of…adorable.
Honestly, my feelings for these demons are giving me emotional whiplash. One second, I’m terrified of them, and the next, we’re watching romantic comedies and gossiping like pre-teens at a slumber party. But I can’t deny that the more time I spend with them, the more they grow on me. Like a mold. A disgusting, sexy mold.
If mold can be sexy, of course.
Which it can’t.
But they are…
Stop thinking, Katrina.
Kastros and Raz reappear about thirty minutes into the film. Kastros immediately goes to lean against the wall, once more adopting his no-nonsense scowl with hard, granite-like eyes. Raz throws himself into the armchair, gaze fixed on me.
“Adam’s asleep again,” he tells me. “I read him a few bedtime stories, and he was out cold.” Despite his apathetic expression, there’s something soft in his voice. Something that demotes the scary demon from intimidating to approachable.
“I know,” I admit unrepentantly. When he raises an eyebrow, I confess, “I checked on you guys a few times.”
Van, still beside me but now even closer than before, snorts. “A few times? Try every five minutes.”
“Only on commercial breaks!” I protest. “And when it went silent for longer than two minutes.”
I expect Raz to be mad or even indignant, but instead, he smiles. Fucking smiles.
Good lord, if he wasn’t pretty before, he’s damn sure gorgeous now.
“You love him,” he states candidly. “You love him as if he was your own child.”
My blush comes on full force as I sheepishly pluck at the edge of my gray tank.
“He’s my little brother,” I admit at last. “And I know my parents won’t give him the world, so why can’t I?”
Before he can respond, the door careens open, bouncing against the wall with a deafening crash.
Instantly, all three demons are on their feet, standing in what almost appears to be a protective blockade in front of me.
“What the fuck?” Van curses as Kastros grabs my arm, gently—but very forcefully—pushing me behind his huge body.
“Errr, guys.” Akor limps from around the corner, Zolroth directly behind him. Both men are covered in a myriad of bruises and gashes. Their mottled faces do little to distract from the anger burning in their eyes. Akor’s smile is as dark and as haunting as a cemetery; it probably contains just as many dead bodies, too. He winces as he holds his dislocated shoulder. “We have a big fucking problem.”
13
I hurry forward, my eyes roaming over both of them, horrified that the guys got hurt but also way too aware that my level of horror—like nine out of ten—is completely disproportionate to the amount of time I’ve known them. I try to shove that feeling aside as I mentally assess their injuries and decide what exactly I might have to treat them.
“I’ll grab ice. Go sit on the couch,” I order, hurrying into the kitchen. I shove open a drawer and grab two kitchen towels before I yank open the fridge and pull out the icemaker.
Fuck! What the hell happened to them? What could possibly hurt a demon? Is it still out there? Did they lead it here?
Shit.
My hands shudder like tambourines, and I end up spilling ice all over the floor, but I don’t pick it up. I just set the ice container on the countertop half full as I grab my two homemade ice packs and hurry back into the living room to see Akor slouched on the couch and Zolroth pacing, ignoring his own injuries.
I get there just in time to hear Van proclaim, “Our Center’s got to be close. It’s the only possible explanation.”
“Oh really? That’s a brilliant deduction. We hadn’t realized that. Are you certain you’re not an intelligence demon instead of lust? I mean…pure genius.” Zolroth’s scorn flashes across the room like lightning. A tiny bit of lightning also appears in his palm.
My eyes widen, and my steps slow. “Um. Hi. Human here. Please don’t burn down my