This time Jess throws the ball. “I wish Dante would just come out of hiding already. Once we destroy his ass, maybe your anxiety attacks will go away.”
“Speaking of Dante, I hope Ronin found something on him.” I can’t believe he and Zarreth haven’t tracked him down yet. They’ve been scouring the realms for months.
Jess shoves the blanket off her lap and stands, stretching tall. “All I know is he’s bringing back a case of demon brew tonight, so I better get to bed so we can celebrate.”
“Good idea. Sounds like you need to recover from your sex-capades last night. Who knows, maybe we’ll actually see the boys drunk for once.” I keep the hopeful expression glued to my face, not wanting her to sense how hard this is without Nate. This is the first time I’ve agreed to do anything fun since we’ve been back. I won’t ruin it.
I pull myself together and focus on Jess as she responds. “I’d pay good money to see that.”
CHAPTER 2
Frankie
“Ouch!” I yelp as Jess pulls a small branch from my curls. The smell of damp soil and pine fills my nostrils as fallen leaves crunch under our feet.
“Hold still. It’s almost out.” She tugs on my hair once more. “You should’ve left your braid in.”
I glare at her, even though she has a point. “Sorry, Jess! Not everyone is blessed with stick-straight hair.” I normally put my hair up when I’m in the woods for this exact reason, but I wanted to leave it down. What if Zarreth and I do that tantric thing tonight? He loves my hair down. Of course, that’s probably only true when there’s no tree bark in it. She untangles the final knot and we go back to gathering sticks for the fire.
We’re halfway back to the house when MJ starts frantically barking. I’m actually surprised she followed us out here. Jess’ dog is the biggest baby I’ve ever met. Whoever said pitbulls are scary has clearly never met this one.
Jess tucks the kindling under her arm, bending down to pet her. “What’s wrong, girl? What do you see?”
I squint in the direction she’s barking. My vision might be sharper than the average human, but I still can’t see shit compared to full-blooded demons. “I don’t see anything.”
“It’s probably just a deer,” she says as MJ cowers between her legs, whining. The pitbull looks at her for a second then beelines it toward the house. “But maybe we should skedaddle, just in case.”
“Don’t gotta tell me twice.” The last time she reacted this way was when my stalker found his way into my bedroom. She might not be very brave, but she’s great at telling you when there’s trouble. I follow Jess as we hurry toward my house.
Jess throws her bundle of sticks next to the fire ring. “I’ll get our rations,” she says, making her way inside.
I toss my bundle on top of hers. “And leave me out here with whatever is in those woods?”
“Yeah, you’re a badass now, remember?” She smiles, pointing to the fire ring. “Plus, someone has to get that started.”
Yeah, because Zarreth and his fire abilities aren’t here yet, even though he promised.Where the hell is he?I stack the twigs into a teepee, shoving dried leaves in the center. Maybe I should grab some newspaper. Nah, the wood’s dry enough. I probably don’t need it.
The lighter I pull from my pocket has a cowboy on it. His chaps drop when it tilts. Must be Jess’…or Ronin’s. I flick it a few times, but only get a small spark. “Dammit.”
“Why don’t you just wait for Zarreth?” Ronin’s voice makes me jump. I spin around to find him holding a bottle of demon brew in each hand. His blond hair pokes out from under his black stocking cap, giving him that laid-back surfer look he somehow pulls off even as a demon. His grinis infectious, and his blue eyes have a sparkle in them that would make anyone swoon. Anyone but me—I mostly want to punch him.
“Um, because she’s an independent woman, duh.” Jess sets a canvas bag on the table, bottles clinking together as she pulls out whiskey, marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars. “Can’t have s’more flavored whiskey without having actual s’mores.”
I hold my hand out. “Oh thank God. I need a shot, this lighter is starting to piss me off. It’s not working.”
“Hey! I’ve been looking for John Wayne,” Jess pouts, taking a pull of whiskey directly from the bottle. I trade her the lighter for the alcohol, and take a swig of my own. I shudder as it burns down my throat. The sweet smell does nothing to hide the bitter taste, but it serves its purpose.
“When will Zarreth be here? I’m not watching over you two all night.” Ronin pours himself a glass of demon brew like he’s some kind of gentleman and drops into a camping chair.
Jess crosses her arms and mocks, “When will Zarreth be here? I’m not watching over you two all night.”
Ronin grabs her wrist, pulling her onto his lap. His arm wraps around her head as he rubs a knuckle over it. She squirms. “Stop! You’re gonna wreck my hair.” When she pulls away, one of her braids is messed up.
A real smile pulls at me until Ronin’s question cuts through the moment. “I have no clue where Zarreth is. I was hoping he was with you.”
A flicker of confusion crosses his face before he hides it. “Oh yeah, of course. He was…I wasn’t sure if he decided to go flying before he came over.”
I purse my lips together. Ronin looks guilty as hell. Something is definitely going on, but I try not to focus on it so I don’t ruin everyone’snight. “I’m heading inside to find a lighter that actually works.” I barely finish the sentence when the kindling ignites, fire coming to life.
