frustration palpable. I knew he was moments away from running laps around the town or scrubbing our whole house with a toothbrush.
“Look, sorry we didn’t come back right away,” I said. “We’re back, we’re in one piece, you don’t have to arm yourself to the teeth this time. Can you just relax for once?”
“Relax? Relax?” He stared at me incredulously. “Stavros, we’re in the fucking apocalypse and you want me to relax? You’re damn lucky you had it handled, but what about next time? What if there’s something out there that’s stronger even than her?”
It would be important to mention that the hellions wore protective coverings against our holy water, but now didn’t seem like the right time. Kais was on edge, and he needed to walk away from it.
“What are you really worried about, man?” I kept my tone even, the epitome of calm. “Is this like the whole squadron thing or—”
“Fuck you, Stavros!” He spun on me, fists clenched at his sides. and for a moment I thought he might actually take a swing. “Just...fuck off.”
Kais took off before I could say another word.
21
Thoroughly Debauched
Deyva
Kimaris grinned at me, mouth full of long fangs at jagged angles. I gasped, fear forming a brick in my chest as he leaned in close to me. His breath was hot, rancid garbage and I couldn’t get away.
“Deyva, Deyva,” he taunted, repeating my name in a sing-song way. “My minions tell me you’re feasting on priests, protecting their precious human settlement.” He dragged a long claw down my cheek and my skin burned from the unwanted touch. “I’m so disappointed.”
“Leave me alone,” I hissed, trying to gather courage in my voice. “You pushed me out.”
“You ignite such passion in me, succubus,” he purred. “I did it to teach you a lesson, but playtime is over. King Belial wants his favorite toy back.”
I shuddered, bile rising in my throat. My back was pressed to a rough surface, shredded stone or metal scratching at my back as I tried to scramble away.
“Look at you, your feast of sweetness has left you weak,” Kimaris hissed, lowering himself closer to me, the heat of his flesh abrading every inch of me, my eyes dry and stinging. “How do they taste, little succubus? I think I should like to find out.”
“No!” I cried, strength finally returning to me. I thrust my hand forward, ready to tear into Kimaris, to protect my men at any cost, to rend him down to bones and then grind that to dust and toss it in the deepest well of fire Hell had to offer.
I sat up with a gasp, my hand grasping at air, a strangled scream in my throat. My free hand rose to clutch at my chest where my heart was hammering so hard it burned.
“Deyva?”
I flinched at the sleepy murmur, my shoulder striking the wall, before the vision of Hell’s wildly shifting dark depths and Kimaris' face, huge and vivid in front of me, finally faded in my mind.
“Deyva,” Zach soothed, his hand reaching up to pull mine down from the air.
We were in Stavros' room, the gap in the bed between us still mussed from when Stav must’ve gotten up to patrol. Zach squeezed my hand in his, resting it on Stavros' pillow, his eyes squinting and blinking in the dim dawn light filtering through the window.
I meant to reassure him that I was fine. I only needed a shower to wash away the itch on my skin and the char taste in my mouth.
What came out of my parted lips was a tiny whimper. I pressed my mouth shut and tried to turn away from Zach, but he was too quick.
“Hey, hey, come here,” he breathed, scooting across rumpled sheets, sitting up just enough to catch my shoulders and then drawing me gently down to the bed.
I remained stiff but Zach was patient, wrapping me up in his arms inch by inch, slowly pressing closer until he replaced the stinging aching sensation on my back from the dream with his own warm chest. I blinked, but it was Kimaris behind my eyelids and I shivered, pressing back into the rise and fall of Zach’s chest.
“Better?” he asked.
“I’m okay.”
“You know what I’ve been thinking about for...years, basically?” Zach asked, nuzzling into my hair. I shook my head and he continued. “Well, nightmares are kinda run of the mill around here. And even when I was...you know, taking celibacy really seriously, I kept thinking about how nice it would