Demons Like It Hot (Demons Unleashed #2)(5)
“Serah, you know how much I hate beating around the bush.” Her friend’s hazel eyes sparked and swirled. Her fingers gripped the side of the desk as her knuckles whitened. Even before unlocking her succubus nature, Lucy was a force to be reckoned with. But now, the potent energy rolled from her every pore. Frightening, yet amazing just the same. “So spill it.”
Why did Lucy have to be so damn astute? Then again they were best friends. They’d known each other for over twenty years, so reading each other had become second nature.
So did bullshitting. And Serah could BS with the best of them. Taking a deep breath of air, she leaned in to challenge Lucy’s stern glare. “I have nothing to spill.”
“Except a pot full of chocolate,” she muttered. “Oh wait, that was more than a spill.” Resting back in the chair, Lucy heaved a sigh. “This is serious, girl. I’m worried about you. Something’s going on. I know it. And I know deep down inside you know it too. What about the Bernstein’s Bar Mitzvah? Pork Rolls? Even I’m not that stupid.”
Oh no. Not the Bernstein’s. Leave it to Lucy to bring up her most infamous culinary catastrophe, and Serah’s first run-in with malevolent minions of hell. Apparently some of these demons didn’t like her much. Why else would they have replaced her chicken kabobs with pork instead? Thank goodness she tested all the food before she served it, and thank the gods for Kalli and her magical “cleanup” abilities. Crisis averted.
“For crissakes, Lucy. Did you smell demons when you came in? If there was a demon in my kitchen, they would’ve left a bigger mess than an exploding pot of chocolate, don’t you think?”
“Fine. I’ll wait until Rafe gets here. Maybe he can get the information out of you.”
Serah shrugged. “I’ll tell him the same thing. I don’t know what’s going on.” Not a complete lie. She knew an occasional demon or imp enjoyed giving her a hard time, but this wasn’t a demon. This was all Serah. Something inside her made the pot erupt like Mount Vesuvius. White-hot energy streaked through her, radiating to everything around her. Uncontrollable. Scary, yet exhilarating—And she didn’t like it one bit.
***
Matthias sheathed his sword. This had to be some cruel joke at his expense. The Fore-Demons knew his secret. They were deliberately toying with him. He’d rather be a mercenary for an eternity than weakened by her hooded sapphire gaze. Never mind that gaze was framed by a sinfully sweet oval face. Shifting to ease the discomfort his tight blue jeans suddenly caused, he stifled a growl. Not in front of Deleon. He was the last person who needed to know what was going on.
The door to his personal chambers flew open, a cold burst of air spiraling around him. Rafael Deleon strode into the room, slamming the oak door behind him. With a steely gaze, he scanned the room. “Are you ready yet, Ambrose? We haven’t got all day.” Rafael swiped a strand of dark hair from his face. With a snort, he glanced down at the gold watch on his wrist.
Odd. He remembered the old pocket watch the brute had always taken such good care of. Perhaps Rafael Deleon was succumbing to modern inventions after all.
“Where’s your pocket watch, Deleon?”
He shrugged. “I wanted something newer, and it was a gift from Lucy… my fiancée.”
And succumbing to human emotions as well. To each their own. If it was what Deleon wanted for himself, then so be it. Matthias, on the other hand—he’d given up his humanity a long time ago. There was no way he’d ever get it back. Which was fine by him. He wouldn’t know what to do with it anyway.
“How touching.” Matthias said with a chuckle. “Who knew that the ever-so-staunch and severe Rafael Deleon would fall in love.”
“I wouldn’t say staunch, Ambrose.”
“Oh what would you call it then?”
“I had a stick up my ass.”
And he’d grown a sense of humor too. Well, good for him. “Sometimes a stick serves a purpose.”
“A purpose maybe, but uncomfortable still the same.” Rafael’s gaze grew serious. “If you truly want to be a Paladin, the stick serves a better purpose elsewhere.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Rafael crossed his arms and leaned against the alabaster wall. “I’m sure the idea of protecting a human leaves little to be desired, but Serah SanGermano isn’t just any human. There’s something special about her. Plus, we need your help locating the assassin who was hired to kidnap her.”
Matthias’s blood, had he been truly alive, would’ve run cold. He struggled to rein in every bit of calmness within his body. This would not go well. His first mission as a Paladin trainee would end in failure. Perhaps this was what the Fore-Demons had planned.
Deleon was right about one thing. Serah was not just any woman. She had power. That much he could tell. He was lucky he was able to wipe her memories. If only he could wipe his own. If only he’d never taken the mission in the first place. The Infernati, however, drove a hard bargain.
If Deleon knew the truth, he’d be beyond pissed. He’d probably send Matthias back to limbo for an eternity. The mad side of him sank. The sane part of him cheered. Limbo was a better fate than guarding Serah SanGermano. Matthias stifled the chuckle that threatened. The only thing Serah truly needed protection from was him.
He balled his hands into tight fists. He wouldn’t let Deleon see him in such a weakened state. That was the Paladin way, as he remembered. Never succumb to your emotions. Then why in the hell was Deleon still a Paladin. He’d succumbed to the most infamous emotion of all.