Demons Prefer Blondes (Demons Unleashed #1)(85)
“I’m afraid so.” Serah scanned the room, searching every corner. With a quick snort, she narrowed her eyes, yet said nothing. Clearly this whole sex demon thing had taken its toll on her. She turned her gaze back to Squeaky and nodded. “Let her read the letter.”
Lucy arched another bemused brow. “What letter?”
A squeaky huff flew from the chimp’s mouth. “This letter.” Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a rolled parchment. Leave it to those Fore-Demons to go all out with an antique and faded scroll.
“How very… umm… official.” Unrolling the paper, she gazed down at the script. Latin, of course.
To all Paladins and the like:
It is hereby noted that the Paladin, Rafael Deleon, has severed ties with the Fore-Demons and his fellow Paladins. He and his sister, Jacoba, have been spotted consorting with the enemy, Belial, Prince of the Northern Regions of Hell. It is recommended if you come in contact with either that you exercise caution, as both are armed and extremely dangerous. The Fore-Demon Council offers a hefty reward for the capture of these two Infernati—dead or alive.
Infernati. Seeing that word used to describe Rafe sent aching chills through her body. The dead-or-alive bit only intensified the ache. “Wow. That’s harsh.”
Serah grabbed her shoulders, her sapphire eyes sparking. “He’s working for Belial!”
“Belial?” She still couldn’t wrap her head around it. “But his sister!”
Squeaky snorted. “His sister is not a prisoner. Trust me.”
“You need to get out of here. It isn’t safe. You need to trust us.” Fingers digging into her skin, Serah pulled her toward the door. Cold chills raced from her arm, through her body. This wasn’t right. Never had her friend’s touch been so icy.
Stomach clenched in knots, she let the cold realization sink in. This may have been Serah’s body, but it wasn’t Serah. How could she have been so stupid? Even after Rafe’s previous warning.
“She takes many forms. An innocent baby, your prized family pet, a friend… a sister.”
Lucy didn’t care how convincing she was; she should’ve known better. She was taught better than that. Fucking bitch!
So Lamia was taking the BFF costume for a test spin? Maybe it was Lucy’s turn for a test spin—one of the silver katana variety. She managed to control her anger earlier when Lamia fondled Rafe. Something told Lucy she wouldn’t have much control this time.
Now what was she going to do? Then again, didn’t a demon have to leave when they were no longer welcome? She wrenched her arm from Lamia’s grasp. “I can take care of myself. You both need to leave.”
Try and get out of that one, bitch!
Lamia scratched Serah’s chin, her blue eyes swirling and stormy. “No.”
Huh? What the hell? Then again, she was working with the Infernati, and from what Lucy could tell, the Infernati didn’t follow rules. Just her luck.
“You aren’t safe here. Rafael is dangerous,” Squeaky squeaked out, a wince of irritation sweeping across his furry face. Every time he spoke, a similar look of constipation clouded his expression, as if his own voice annoyed him. One of Lamia’s cronies, obviously.
“So where did the elusive Rafael Deleon wander off to?” Lamia twirled a curl around a fingertip.
Reaching down, she grabbed the blade and lunged over the table. The sound of metal against metal rent the air as she pulled the katana from its sheath. Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits, she held the blade to Lamia’s neck—far enough away as to not mar her friend’s skin.
“Cut the crap, bitch. I know who you are.” With a quick swivel, Lucy turned to face Squeaky’s body. Larissa! “And here I thought you were such a nice woman.”
Larissa opened Squeaky’s mouth to speak.
A gust of chilling air swirled throughout the room, filling her with icy dread. Her heart plummeted as her breath caught. Her fingers damp with sweat, the blade slipped from her grasp.
The icy air intensified and swirled, stronger and stronger by the second.
“I’ll be taking that,” Lamia said, extending a scaly arm, swiping the katana from her grip.
With a loud cackle, she swung her other snake-like arm out, sending Lucy crashing against the wall. Body crumpling against the hard surface, Lucy sent a quick thanks to the gods and goddesses for her newly acquired high pain threshold.
“Larissa! Now!” Lamia screeched.
However, those thanks were short-lived. A flash of silver caught her eye as searing pain ground inside her stomach, radiating through her entire body. Squeaky’s not-so-innocent chimp face stood over her, twisting a dagger. With a maniacal gleam in his eye, he pulled the dagger out and wiped it on his expensive overcoat.
What have I done?
“I wanted to do that for the longest time.” Larissa punctuated her sentence with a swift kick from Squeaky’s foot, Lucy’s head slamming against drywall in a giant thud that reverberated throughout her entire body. What kind of silver was this bitch using?
“Enough,” Lamia hissed. “Belial wants her unharmed.”
Unharmed? He who attacked her in her shop? Then again she did draw the first move. Her jumbled thoughts moved back to Rafe. She had to protect him. She didn’t want him hurt because of her stupidity. She didn’t want to be the reason his mission would fail.