Demon Kissed - Katie May Page 0,50

man, but it somehow fits Zolroth’s personality perfectly. He’ll never be an outdoorsy type of guy, and I don’t want him to be. I much prefer this natural, sweet scent combined with the peppermint of his toothpaste.

And…

Now I’m sniffing him like a total creeper.

Fuck.

Zolroth lowers his arm from my shoulder before placing his hand on the small of my back and guiding me towards the shoe rental stand. A familiar man smiles zealously when I approach, his gorgeous green eyes languidly trailing up and down my body…and completely ignoring Zolroth still standing directly behind me.

“Jason,” I say in greeting, nodding curtly at the jock from school. His smile widens to almost dopey proportions.

“Katrina. I didn’t expect to see you here.” He places his elbows on the counter and leans forward almost imperceptibly. If he were a woman, I would say he was trying to flash me a hint of cleavage. Instead, I’m pretty sure he’s trying to show off his impressive biceps and the smooth contours of his muscles beneath the thin black BAS shirt he wears.

“Yeah, you know me. A bowling fanatic,” I quip sarcastically, because everyone in the world knows that I’m more likely to smack myself in the face with a bowling ball than actually hit a pin.

“Let me guess? You bowl a three-hundred on average?” he teases, and I can’t help but notice he has exponentially beautiful eyelashes. Seriously, it almost appears as if he’s wearing mascara. They’re thick and luscious and a sooty black; all I can do is stare at them in abject wonderment.

“Subtract a couple hundred, and you have your answer,” I reply. I can feel the heat of Zolroth’s body as he steps up behind me, his warmth almost palpable. It seeps through my skin and sets my veins on fire. When his chest is flush to my back, I note for the first time how stiff he is, how tense. What the fuck is his problem?

“I’m sure you’re not that bad. Honestly?” Jason leans even closer—close enough for me to see a scatter of delicate freckles on his nose and cheekbones. “I once bowled a thirty-two.”

“You did not,” I say with a snort. “That’s like a hairdresser with a hideous bowl-cut. Impossible.”

“It’s true!” he protests, biting down on his lower lip. But I still can’t draw my attention away from his fucking eyelashes. Seriously, how did he get them so full? I’m actually kind of jealous. I don’t wear makeup normally, and when I do, my lashes always appear clumpy. What I wouldn’t give to have natural lashes like his.

A throat very pointedly clears behind us, and I turn, leaning to the side to see around Zolroth, to see all of the demons. Somehow, the rest of them showed up here, even Akor, whom we left at my house. And they’re all glaring at us, their eyes spewing vitriol. Raz’s teeth are clenched so tightly, I’m afraid he’s going to break his jaw. His hands are clenched into fists, and Van has one hand on his shoulder, as if to hold him back. The lust demon isn’t faring much better. He’s glaring at Jason with so much fury, it deserves to have its own element on the periodic table. Kastros has his muscular arms crossed over his chest as he scowls. Honestly? He’s intimidating as fuck on a normal day, but right then, he is piss-your-pants scary. Zolroth is still pressed against my back, so close that I can’t read his expression, but if his taut body is any indication, he’s as angry as the rest of them. Why are they all even here?

And what the fuck is their problem?

Do they not like Jason for some reason?

I don’t know the guy well, but he seems nice enough. Talkative, for sure. None of that explains why the demons are staring at him as if they wish to remove his spleen from his body and then eat it.

And Akor…

The pink-haired demon stands off to the side, a cold, malicious smile curling up his pink lips. Something undefinable dances in his eyes. Something calculating, almost, like a scientist preparing to cut into a frog and dissect it.

“Um…s-size five, please,” I stammer, refocusing back on Jason. I wonder what he’s thinking right now. The gym teacher, the counselor, and the decathlon coach all head to the bowling alley together… I’m sure there’s a joke in there somewhere.

I can’t help but notice that Jason seems slightly disappointed, his shoulders physically sagging, but he grabs me a