On the other side, I hear Akor giggling wildly. “Oh, the things I’m going to do to you…”
I hear Kastros grunt in pain, and I lean back to look, hoping that Akor’s gotten creative tonight. The giant demon’s wings are bent in the wrong direction.
Suddenly, he plummets like a stone.
“Fucking hell, Akor! Now the ground’s gonna hurt him more than we are!” I yell.
“Gahh!” Akor balls his fists, and his eyes go wide. Of course, the lunatic didn’t remember that when he went into pain-mode. Lovely.
We both dive down towards Kastros and latch onto him. It takes both of us heaving in unison to stop him from slamming face first into the metal roof of a warehouse and lugging him up a few feet so that we can then let him slam onto the metal roof from a much less lethal height.
Kastros smashes into the roof, which gives a satisfying reverberating sound, like the angry intro to a Tool song. A low groan emanates from the demon’s throat, though he immediately clamors to his feet and uses his wings to fly up, despite his injuries.
I glance over at Akor and smile. “After you,” I gesture, magnanimously.
He wiggles his fingers and cocks his head, his spiky mohawk pointing at me as he studies Kastros from head to toe. “What to do first? Should I make your teeth turn to acid so that they melt the inside of your mouth and drip down your throat? Or—”
“STOP!” Van’s voice cuts through the night sky.
A wave of magic hits me. Only it’s not Van’s normal lust magic. It’s the damn post-orgasm haze, the dull empty-of-all-thought feeling I get after I come. It makes my limbs go numb and my head fuzzy.
I turn to glare at Van, barely remembering to use my wings to keep myself from plummeting to the ground. Stupid lust demon.
I hear Akor call out in a slurred voice, “Fuck you, Van!” Van must have hit him with the same wave of magic.
“You have before, and you liked it,” Van replies evenly. “But we are not doing this in the sky. You all don’t get to do this.”
That wanker!
“You mean you aren’t as furious at him as we are?” I yell.
“Of course I am!”
“Then have a go!” I spread my arms and gesture towards Kastros like those plastic titted women on game shows pointing out prizes.
“I don’t give a shit how angry you are at him,” Van snaps, and his eyes dart to the side. “Drop the grenade, Akor!”
Akor bares his teeth at Van, but drops a second bedazzled grenade. I ignore the boom and the scent of burning metal that wafts upwards through the black sky, even though the smell is nostalgic and reminds me a bit of the weapons forges back home.
“Who the fuck made you in charge?” I growl. Out of all of us, Van should understand emotions fucking best. Fucker.
Through it all, Kastros remains silent at my side. He flaps his wings only enough to remain in place. He doesn’t use his hands to staunch the blood flowing from his wounds.
Because he knows he deserves this.
He deserves more.
“I’m not in charge, you ass! But Katrina needs answers. We owe her a chance to ask questions! She should decide his punishment! She’s the one who almost died, not you!”
I couldn’t feel worse than if you’d stuffed me into a Goodwill suit and dumpster-dive loafers crusted over with spaghetti sauce.
Fuck me.
My claws flex and then retract as I give a curt nod to Van, hating that the asshole’s right.
Akor flies over and grabs my shoulder, turning me towards him. “Don’t worry. I’ll convince cherry to let us strip his skin off little by little with vegetable peelers.”
I gag a little in my mouth. I’m bloodthirsty, but that is a bit much, even for me. Still, I nod. Because if that’s what Katrina wants, that’s what I’ll do.
I turn my eyes to stare at the traitor, hoping the daggers in my glare give him all kinds of internal injuries.
Kastros meets my gaze, but I’m not sure if he really even sees me. His expression is flat and dull and listless.
“She’s going to hate you,” I tell him.
His eyes lower, and finally, that face of his shows a hint of emotion. He bites his lip, and I can tell he’s not looking forward to it.
Good.
I want him to hurt. And maybe Van’s right. Maybe the best way to hurt Kastros right now isn’t physical. Maybe the best way to make him