I pick up my green and blonde hair and start fannin’ the back of my neck. I don’t know if it’s just the swelterin’ Georgia heat, or all this talk of Hell and demons, but I am burnin’ up.
“Keep goin’,” I say, doin’ a circular motion with my finger.
Alder hesitates for a moment, like he expected me to ream him with questions. “Well...Delta learned she was a demon.”
I continue to fan my neck. “Alright. And what the hell do you want with me?”
Alder cocks his head. “You’re takin’ this a lot better than we thought you would.”
I squint at him. “How did you think I’d take it?”
Flint answers. “Maybe you would faint or scream or something?”
“Do I look like a fainter or a screamer?” I volley back, annoyed.
Flint’s lips curve up. “Maybe not the fainting part, but one night with me and you’ll be screaming, alright.”
I walked right through the front door of that one. But damn, that picture he just put in my head makes me squirm, my legs pressin’ together slightly.
I clear my throat just to make sure it doesn’t go all husky. “Answer my question,” I say sternly, lookin’ back at Alder. “What do you want with me?”
“To help you,” he answers quickly.
I tilt my head and scoop up my hair, shovin’ it up in a messy ponytail. “Help me how?”
“Again, we don’t have all the details, but Delta started being able to see through demon wards—to see us for what we truly look like. Just like you did last night in the bar.”
“But when I first got there, y’all looked normal,” I point out.
“Yes, and I’m not sure why. We’ll have to ask the others about that,” Alder concedes. “Something changed from the time you were in my office to when I saw you again in the bar.”
“Yeah, one minute, y’all are normal lookin’, and the next, you got glass patrons with no mouths and a tree tendin’ your bar,” I tell him.
“Right. The point is that’s only possible if…” he trails off and runs a frustrated hand through his yellow hair before lettin’ out a puff of air. “Dammit,” he says under his breath.
“Just tell her,” Flint encourages him.
Alder’s shoulders straighten as he looks at me again, and my own spine stiffens, waitin’ for the next bomb to drop. “You’re not…”
“I’m not what?” I press.
“You’re not a human,” he replies, makin’ blood pound in my ears and my heart screech to a stop. “I couldn’t see it at first. When you were in my office, you were one hundred percent human. No traces of being demon-touched. Not even a Diluted. But when I saw you again in the bar, your energy was completely different. There was no mistaking you. I can tell you with certainty that you’re definitely not human, Medley.”
Now it’s time for my head to rear back. “Are you tryin’ to tell me that not only are y’all demons, but I’m a damn demon, too?”
“That’s exactly what we’re saying, darlin’,” Flint answers.
I shake my head vehemently. “No way in hell. I can’t be a demon,” I scoff. “You two, fine. You look all...demony. But look at me,” I say, gesturin’ down my body.
“Oh, I’m looking,” Flint says smoothly, and damn if his flirtatiousness doesn’t make my panties damp. This would be so much easier if I didn’t wanna ride them six ways from Sunday.
“Delta looked human too,” Alder tells me, thankfully givin’ me an excuse to ignore Flint’s remark. The last thing I need is to start blushin’ up a storm in front of these two. I have a feelin’ that they could flirt their way into just about anyone’s bed. Which makes sense, given what they claim to be. Maybe that explains the pull I feel toward them.
“So...you’re demons. I’m a demon. And you wanna help me?” I ask dubiously.
“Yes, we want to make sure you don’t get hurt. We’ve had some...unrest in our realm lately. I wouldn’t be surprised if some Outer Ringers picked up on your trace and tried to attack you.”
Well, that sets off alarm bells. “Attack me? Why?”
Flint’s slate-gray eyes grow serious. “Some demons are power-hungry pricks who try to take down other demons so they can become more powerful,” he tells me. “And...we think you’re something special.”
That makes a humorless chuckle crawl right out of my throat. “I’m not,” I assure them. “There’s nothin’ special ’bout me.”
They don’t seem to share my quick dismissal. “That so?” Flint counters. “What about what happened last