“Don’t tell me you swore you’d never take advantage of your bond to command him. Hedemandedyou call on him before you risk your life, and he will be pissed if you don’t. Besides, you don’t have to command him, you just have to ask.”
“And then listen to him complain about it until the end of time,” Mal groused.
“Don’t be a baby.”
“He’s probably in the middle of an orgy.”
“He’ll get over it.”
“It’s rude.”
“All the more reason to do it.”
“Oh, fine.”
Are you there?
The connection between them was like an open phone line that neither could hang up, though Mal could, and had, squeeze it so tight, he couldn’t talk to her.
He responded almost immediately.
What’s on your mind, Mistress?
She gave a mental sigh. He only called her that to annoy her. Now. In the beginning of their relationship, the word had been full of raking fury.
I apparently could use a bodyguard. But you don’t have to come if you’re busy. It’s not a big deal.
“Why does that phrase always worry me?”
Even half expecting him to just pop in, his arrival still made her start. The demon wore a human guise, but at least he’d decided not to come as Law’s identical twin. That creeped her out to no end.
Instead he’d stuck with a look he’d worn before. Blond, broad shouldered, sculpted face with hawkish blue eyes, and the body of an Olympic god. He glanced at Law then at her, his eyebrows rising. A half second later, he’d shifted from casual to a designer tux.
“Verynice dress,” he drawled at Mal, scanning her up and down with slow appreciation.
“You can look but don’t even think about touching,” Law growled, his jaw knotting.
“But thinking is so fun,” the demon replied, taunting. “There are so many naughty possibilities for that dress. And those delightful shoes. And, Mallory, I think you’re not wearing a stitch of underwear.” He licked his lips. “I could just eat you up. I imagine you’re just delicious.”
Every teasing word turned up the heat on Law’s ire, which was the entire point. Well, maybe ninety percent. So’la had been working on getting Mal between the sheets for a while, now. He was hedonistic as hell, and she was pretty sure he’d fuck a camel given half the chance. Mal resisted the urge to remind Law it had beenhisidea to call on the demon.
“Demon,” Law growled, sliding a possessive arm around Mal. “She’s your mistress, not your dinner.”
“Witch,” So’la said without bothering to look at Law. “She’smymistress and I’ll thank you to remember that.”
“What the fuck? Now you’ve all of a sudden decided me holding your chain is a good thing? Is having the biggestdickthat important?”
“Yes,” they both said in unison.
“Oh my god, I’m living in a reality TV show. Could you two cool it and remember we’re running out of time?”
“We are?” So’la asked with interest. “What calamity is about to strike now?”
“We’re looking at a giant civil war with a side of pixies,” Mal said.
“Pixies?” So’la repeated with a mix of both horror and interest. “How big is this giant civil war? And whose side are we on?”
Mal shook her head. The demon enjoyed nothing more than mayhem. Having him here had every chance of making things worse. A whole lot worse.
