to stay out of it. This is between me and the sperm donor.
“Delta, you are my progeny and therefore under my command. You will do as you’re told, or you will face consequences,” Tazreel threatens. “I will dismiss them and bring you to heel.”
“Just go with him, Jeter. We’ll be right behind you,” Crux encourages, and I stare into his pleading green eyes for a moment as I try to figure out what to do.
I don’t want to be separated, but I also don’t know what will happen if I keep pushing back against Tazreel. I just can’t help feeling like if I walk away from my demons, he’ll snap them away, and who knows how I’ll get back to them? Right now, I can’t even figure out how to get out of his fucking house. I let out an exasperated huff, frustrated that I have to behave as if I have a master. Show me the contract I signed saying this douchebag with wings should have any control over me.
I freeze, that thought sparking an idea in my mind.
“Fine, I’ll come with you to fulfill your progeny announcement obligation, but after that, I need to leave, because like it or not, you don’t own me like you think you do.”
Tazreel and the other Abdicated chuckle and shoot looks at me that say, awww isn’t she cute? Dumb, but cute. He chuckles. “I am your Sire, Delta. The only demon who trumps my word when it comes to you is Lucifer.”
I hold up a hand, and he pauses. “I signed a contract with the Perdition Estate to guard the Hellgate. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that a factor here? I gave my word as a demon to be tied to the Gate until the owners dismissed me.” I look at the Gate Guardians standing protectively around me. “According to that contract, I don’t belong to you. I belong to them.”
The humor in Tazreel’s eyes blinks out, and his mouth slightly parts with shock. His eyes flit from me to the other Abdicated, like, can she do that? I work to fight the smile that wants to break out on my face, because I can tell I’ve got him. I might not have known that I was a demon when I signed the contract to guard the Gate, but the contract didn’t know that. I’m throwing the dice on the rumors being true about Hell taking contracts seriously. I mean, everything I’ve ever watched in the movies about selling your soul to a demon seemed pretty legit.
“I’ll deal with that later,” Tazreel snaps. “But right now, there’s a party to address.”
“Fine,” I clip back.
“Fine,” he repeats, like his indignation somehow supersedes mine.
I glare as he holds his hand out to me like I’m going to take it. “One sec, I need my scythe.”
I turn to my demons and smile. “Check this out,” I tell them excitedly as I hold my hand out and will my scythe to me. My smile dims when nothing happens. I drop my arm slightly and then lift it again, furrowing my brow like it’s going to help me focus harder.
“Come,” I command in my mind.
Nothing.
“Here, little guy,” I try, but I’m only met with silence and nothing else.
Dammit.
I give up on trying to look cool activating my Thor skills, and stomp over to pick the testy Hell weapon up. I’ll have to think through what I was doing and feeling at the table when the little shit decided to pop into my hand and blow up the perfectly peaceful dinner I was not having.
“Cool trick,” Jerif snarks with a teasing smile on his face. I shoot him a glare as I straighten up from snatching the scythe off the ground, but then break into a smile because, touché
“All right, who’s ready to party?” Elle sing-songs as she heads for the door, and the rest of the Abdicated quickly follow her.
I try not to groan.
I may be a demon, but a party animal, I am not. Bring on the comfy pajamas and a hot cup of tea, because that’s a party I could get down with.
I gasp as I feel a hint of shadow caressing the globe of my ass again, and my eyes shoot to Echo, who has a very smug and heated look on his face. I forgot his shadows were still on me.
One shadow moves slowly, caressing the inside of my thigh, back and forth with tantalizing strokes like a delicious preview