The demons around him sent up a cheer of agreement.
Aimee sighed. "I have to get into Kalosis."
Xedrix gave her an unsympathetic sneer. "Go eat a Daimon."
Kyle laughed. "That won't get her in since they tend to turn into dust when they die and torture doesn't work either. We tried that last night. Little boogers are highly uncooperative."
"And so are we." Xedrix reached for a hammer so that he could return to work.
Aimee turned a pouty look to Kyle that made Fang want to hold her.
Kyle winced, then put himself in front of the demon to cut off his path. "Xed, c'mon. I've done a lot for you guys. Can't you help a brother out? One demon to get us in and out of there. No one has to know."
Xedrix tossed the hammer back into its toolbox. He looked at Aimee. "Why is this so important to you?"
"Fang saved my life. I want to return the favor."
Xedrix scoffed. "Bullshit. People and especially Were-Hunters aren't that altruistic. Trust me. I've been around them since the dawn of time. You little bastards are self-serving to the end. Give me a reason to be suicidal."
Aimee cast a sheepish glance to Kyle before she answered. "He's important to me."
"And my body parts are extremely important to me."
Thorn turned to look at Fang while the images flickered around him. "Your little bear thinks an awful lot of you, doesn't she?"
Fang didn't answer. He was too floored by what she was trying to do on his behalf.
"Please, Xedrix," Aimee begged. "I've lost enough people I cared about in my life. I don't want to lose another. Fang is a good wolf and I can't leave him like he is. We only have one more Daimon to kill to free him. For once I can save someone I care about. I can't live with myself knowing that I failed this close to my goal."
A female demon stepped forward and gave Xedrix a chiding stare. "Look at the poor bear. She loves him . . . how could you say no to that?" The demon shook her head, then looked at Aimee. "I'll take you."
Xedrix held his hand up. "No, you won't. I won't risk any of you. You have your freedom, you might as well enjoy it. Apollymi will take mercy on me for the desertion-which only means she'll kill me quickly as opposed to torturing me first." He sighed heavily. "I'll take them in."
The demons let out noises of protest.
"You're our leader," another of the men snapped.
"Yeah, head asshole, that's me." Xedrix pulled the towel from his shoulder and handed it to the male who'd spoken. "Enjoy the bar, guys. Remember what Kyle said. Only eat the tourists. No one will miss them." He transformed into his true demon form, complete with black horns and wings. His clothes disintegrated into a loincloth.
He met Aimee's gaze and his eyes glowed a sinister yellow. "Follow me."
Aimee pulled him to a stop. "Thank you, Xedrix. I really appreciate this."
"Really wish I could say the same. Damn bears, getting demons killed. What did we ever do to you?"
Kyle let out a nervous half-laugh. "Well, you did try to eat me."
Xedrix scoffed. "Man up, Kyle. We only took one small bite."
"And it got infected. That bite hurt for a month."
Aimee laughed. "Be grateful it didn't turn into rabies or something worse."
Xedrix arched a brow at her comment. "You know, bear, I'd wait on the insults until after I get you inside and return you. It's not too late yet for my common sense to prevail."
Aimee waved his comments away. "Common sense is seriously overrated. You're a demon. I thought your motto was 'spoils to the victor.'"
"No, our motto is 'everything tastes better with hot sauce.'"