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“I see you survived after all, Pipsqueak,” a deep voice rumbled, causing the group’s collective eyes to swing toward the thick shadows blanketing the ground and my muscles tensed as two identical demons sauntered closer.
Monstera planted her hands on her hips. “You’re fucking late.”
“Pffft. Not my fault, time works differently in Hell, the Human Realm, and the Fairytale Realm.”
I edged a few feet in front of Miko, widening my stance.
Freddie whimpered in my mind.
“Shut up, dumbass! They’ll hear you,” Marv accused.
“It doesn’t matter,” Freddy gulped. “You know Ezra and Gideon are Hell royalty, they don’t need to hear us to sense us.”
The more vocal of the pair bounced on his toes. “We sure can, assholes.”
“There’s no time for a poorly planned exorcism, Brother,” the twin warrior braids said flatly, sighing as he plucked a silver cigarette case from his pocket. His hard stare met mine. “I’m Gideon, and this is my brother, Ezra.”
Ezra feigned right, then disappeared into my shadow. Spinning, my eyes darted in every direction, finally spotting him as he remerged from the shadow of a towering elm stretching into the clearing, directly next to my honeybee.
“Holy shit,” she blurted. “How did you do that?”
Ezra bent at the waist, squeezing her into a hug so tight, the absurdly muscled arsehat smooshed her face against his tattooed biceps. “It’s called shadow walking,” he answered.
Gideon slid a cigarette out of his case, lighting it with a purple flame glowing on the tip of his finger. My eyes flicked to where his middle finger of his opposite hand tapped against the side of his thigh. “How many times do we have to go over this? You cannot touch people without their permission, especially humans.”
“Oh, come on. You’re no fun in your old age. I couldn’t resist fucking with him. His protectiveness over the little human practically dared me to test him.”
“I’m only a minute and a half older than you.”
Monstera cleared her throat, cutting through the awkward tension, and shoved the slender man forward. “This is my cousin, Dax. He’s from a coven in Antarctica.”
I eyed him, trying to decide if the frigid magic pulsing from him could be trusted.
Dax playfully elbowed Monstera in the ribs. “It’s not in Antarctica, Cousin. We live on an island near Antarctica, the northernmost landmass in the world, the human one anyway. So, I’ll give you that.”
Monstera lifted Miko’s wrist glancing down at her watch. “Fuck-nuggets-and-fries. Time to go,” she insisted, shooing us toward the golden portal hovering a foot above the ground.
CHAPTER 38
Demon Brothers
MIKO
Nerves skittered over my skin as painful awareness heightened my senses, preparing for imminent danger. The sound of our troops littering the clearing vanished as I moved through the portal. Bane flexed his wings beside me, brushing my cheek gently with the tip of one.
The hairs on the back of my neck poked against the flexible gorget protecting the vulnerable area as we crept along the forest edging the meadow surrounding Queen Grimhilde’s castle. I studied the open plain stretching in front of us, stillness whispering over lush magenta grass, almost morbid in its peaceful quiet. An intense craving overtook me, spearing through my mind.
What would it be like to feel the soft plant’s fibers kiss my naked skin? I sighed, my anxiety drifting away like lazy fireflies. I knew happiness was close at hand, all I needed to do was to surrender all doubt and lie among the welcoming grass with Bane, enjoying the pleasures of his body. Not a terrible cost for life free of worry’s shroud… A life I’ve never known.
A voice swore, but when I glanced around me, no one was there besides my mate and I.
“Miko,” that same mysterious voice called and my brows furrowed. Something about their voice sounded off, perhaps angry? No, that wasn’t right. Cautious…Insistent…Determined.
“Snap out of it woman. It’s an illusion, the whole meadow is steeped in it.”
“Why didn’t we plan for this? I should’ve known she would be especially susceptible to mental fuckery. Honeybee, open your eyes.”
My fingertips rose to my lips as I felt the press of lips who could only belong to one person. I gasped, eyelids springing open, and grimaced, the dull pounding warning signs of an inevitable migraine blooming above my left eyebrow. “What happened?” I croaked.
