Demons Like It Hot (Demons Unleashed #2)(2)
Taking in Rafael’s countenance, Matthias blinked. Was this the same man? Where he had once been brutally formal and uptight, his aura now remained peaceful and serene. He could try to mask it behind all his pomp and arrogance, but Matthias knew better. The rumors were true. He’d fallen in love with the half succubus he’d been sent to protect. Blasted odd; he’d always thought love a weakness in demons. Yet here stood Rafael Deleon, as proud and strong as ever.
Matthias raised his chin. “I don’t need to answer to you, Deleon.”
Rafael snorted. “I beg to differ.”
“Are you a member of the Fore-Demon Council now?”
“No.”
“I only answer to them or who they choose for my handler.”
Raking a hand through dark hair, Rafael turned to the council. “So you haven’t told him yet?”
“We were just about to, Deleon,” Astra said with a flick of her barbed wings. “He seemed too deep in thought.”
Rafael nodded. “I might as well do the honors.” With a devilish smirk he turned to Matthias. “Ambrose, you will answer to me because I—much to my chagrin, I assure you—am your handler.”
Handler? Deleon? Why? This couldn’t be. He needed a mission somewhere far away from Connolly Park and Serah SanGermano. With her best friend’s demon lover as his handler, all his hopes slipped away. “I cannot agree to this.”
“Why ever not?” asked the elder demon. “Deleon is a one of the finest Paladins and he needs your help.”
“My reasons have nothing to do with Deleon and are personal in nature.”
“If you let your personal grievances sway your decisions, then you will never succeed as a Paladin. If you want to prove yourself to the cause, you will accept Deleon as your handler.”
Exactly what mission was he signing up for? What was so urgent that the great Paladin Rafael Deleon needed his help? After all, wasn’t he the one that was prophesied? “Fine. I accept Rafael Deleon as my handler.” As soon as he muttered the words, he was certain he’d regret it.
As if reading his mind—which he was certain they were—the Paladin council stood and nodded to him.
An indiscernible smile crept across Astra’s lips. “Very wise decision, Ambrose. Now it is time to hear your mission. Deleon, do the honors.”
Rafael nodded in return. “Thank you, my lieges.” With stony silver eyes he glared at Matthias. “Your mission is this: You will guard my fiancée’s best friend: Serah SanGermano.”
The frozen tundra of Siberia sounded better after all.
Chapter 1
“Mon Dieu! The fondue!”
“What?” Serah SanGermano clutched her grandmother’s watch, its warmth flooding her body, and spun around. Flames shot out from the burners, flickering and taunting. Heat continued to flood her every pore. Her cheeks, fingers, and toes tingled. Every receptor fired in her body. She sucked in a breath. Would it ever stop?
“The stove broke!” Edie, her sous-chef shouted, her French accent thickening. She fumbled with the knobs, twisting and turning each direction. “Merde…” she mumbled beneath her breath.
Flames licked, flicked and taunted. More pans bubbled, threatening to spew their contents.
Oh God, not the vichyssoise too!
Serah shook her head to clear her jumbled thoughts. What in the hell was going on?—and she did mean hell. She had her reasons. But there was something different about this. Something unnatural, yet no evil lingered. She had a nose for it—literally.
She’d always believed in the netherworld and the occult. She never knew just how close it was—until now. Now those demons wouldn’t leave her alone. An imp here, a ghoul there. Nothing terribly harmful. They mostly just liked to stir up trouble. More or less just a nuisance in her busy life. Thankfully, she had Lucy, her half-succubus friend, and Lucy’s demon fiancé, Rafe, to help her. Who would have guessed that not all demons are bad?
More energy pounded its way through her body, filling her with intense heat—a heat she didn’t need or want. She shook her wrist, the silver band with its tiny diamonds sparkling and flashing.
Stupid watch. Nonni told her to wear it at all times, that she’d be there to help Serah claim her destiny. Well, where was Nonni now? Gone, and it was all her fault. Serah shuddered as she stifled a sigh. She’d always love her grandmother, but she couldn’t bear it anymore.
“You do something, Ms. SanGermano!” Edie flailed her arms back and forth, words so colorful they could only mean something she shouldn’t dare repeat spewing from her mouth.
More heat shot into Serah’s wrist and her head buzzed. Something wasn’t right, but she had a business to run. People were counting on her. She had customers to take care of. She couldn’t let them down.
A giant bubble of chocolate popped in the air, coating Edie and her purple, custom-made chef’s jacket in gooey chocolate. With that, another gush of chocolate erupted. Chocolate sprayed in every direction, all over the floors, the walls and ceiling… everywhere. Serah reached for a towel and lunged for the fondue pot, her Jimmy Choos slipping across the slimy chocolate coating the floor. Bad choice in shoes, she knew, but she had a client to meet with.
“Aiee!” Serah shouted as her legs slipped beneath her. Pitching forward, she threw her arms out in a futile attempt to catch herself. She only slipped more. With an unceremonious plop, Serah landed face first in the ocean of chocolate. Who knew one pot could hold so much chocolate? She loved the decadent treat, but this much and she’d end up in a diabetic coma.