Demon Kissed - Katie May Page 0,76

to justify the antithesis of her very existence is like getting a free pass at a bakery to eat anything you want. It’s goddamned decadent.

High-fiving Kastros would be inappropriate, but I do send him an appreciative smile. To my surprise, I get one in return.

Once her stumbling speech is over and Janie has flounced back to her seat, Kastros walks to the board. He writes, 5 minute break. Then we will start the super quiz.

I go get water at the fountain in the hall, because if round one was that intense, I can only imagine what two is gonna look like.

When I get back, William and Janie are gone. But so is half the room. Tim and Wade aren’t in their seats either.

I sit down and roll my neck, ready to dish out some factoids.

Kastros slides a scantron onto each desk. Most of them are empty, but when he slides mine toward me, his fingers brush over the back of my hand. I glance up sharply, then to the side, to see if anyone else has noticed. He can’t be doing that! He’s my teacher, or so they think anyway.

But everyone is just snagging pencils from their bags or slowly trailing in. I grab my own pencil and then hunch over my scantron, ready to earn my spot. But I notice a small note at the top, just above the bubbles.

I liked your speech. I, too, would rather think love is a choice, not a curse.

For some reason, reading that makes me smile. Inside, it feels like I’ve just watched half an hour of Funniest Home Videos and am sagging in contentment on the couch, ribs sore from laughter, but completely at peace.

I write my name on the scantron, and then I wait for the first question of super quiz. There’s no way Janie and the dingbats will make it through this round. I’m even a bit scared for William. But I know one thing—I’m going on this damn trip, come hell or high water.

24

I’m pretty sure the demons are in a state of shock. Should I slap them? Shake them? Shove a putrid-smelling sock up their noses? Flash them my tits? I think I read somewhere that titty flashing can pull a male out of shock.

Zolroth insisted on driving me back from decathlon practice in Akor’s minivan, since my parents still have my car keys, despite having no intentions of picking me up from school. Kastros sits in the passenger seat, muscular arms folded over his chest and his customary scowl etched firmly in place, and Raz and Van sit directly behind them. In the back, with me, is Akor, who’s resting his head on my shoulder and humming “Hit Me Baby One More Time” in my ear while stroking my thumb. Not my hand, mind you, just my thumb, like it’s some sort of micro-penis.

“I can’t fucking believe it,” Zolroth mutters for the one billionth time in the last minute. Somehow, his accent makes the crude words sound…well…almost sexy. The way he says “fucking” conjures up intoxicating images of the two of us—

Playing chess, obviously. What else would we be doing?

Cue: awkward, high-pitched mental laughter.

“How is this possible?” Raz demands, leaning forward so his arms rest on the center console. I want to reprimand him for not having a seatbelt on, but then I remember he’s a super scary, all-powerful demon, and the words get caught in my throat.

And then I remember that his fucking Center is around, causing him to be vulnerable, and I can’t resist squeaking, “Put your seatbelt on!”

He turns marginally in the seat to stare at me, one eyebrow quirked and a smirk playing on his devilishly wicked lips. Even beat to a pulp, he’s sinfully hot. Still smiling slightly, he slowly, purposefully, clicks the seatbelt into place and gives me a look that says, “Better?”

“Thank you,” I huff as Akor transitions from humming to singing the words beneath his breath. His hand continues to stroke my thumb, practically jerking it off at this point. Not that I have any idea how to actually jerk off a cock, though I did do my research. For scientific purposes, of course. I wouldn’t want to embarrass myself if the biology teacher asked me to point out the ballsack. Though…

I should probably switch schools if he ever asks me that.

Unless Raz transfers to my biology class.

And asks me to point out his balls.

And—

Conversation, mercifully, saves me from my own, idiotic mind.

“I don’t understand how William, of all