Grave Mistakes (Hellgate Guardians #1)(41)

“Suit yourself,” he tells me with a bright smile. I can just make out pointed canines amidst all the straight white teeth.

I automatically run the tip of my tongue over my normal human-like canines and wonder what it would feel like to have those pointy teeth skimming across my shoulder. I shake my head slightly to clear it of that thought and continue to give him a dirty look. His eyes light up with even more amusement.

“Delta doesn’t share food,” I announce, doing my best to channel Joey from Friends. “Especially when it’s my punishment food, because I know that bastard will just serve me shit again if I don’t eat this,” I add with a whisper, hoping GL doesn’t hear.

None of them argue that point.

“Fair enough, Maverick,” Iceman concedes, pulling my attention over to him. “Let’s move on to a more pressing issue. After you’re done with your…um...breakfast,” he says, shooting my plate an offended look, “we will go to the Gate.”

Well, shit. And here I was hoping we could skip the drag me to Hell and back part of today’s activities.





10





I let his words float about the room for a bit. “You know, normally I would be up for an adventure that could potentially get me killed or sucked into the bowels of Hell, but today is not a good day for me. Rain check?”

I push my chair back from the table and try to figure out how I can stand up and storm out without mooning everyone again.

Eh, fuck it. Give ’em something to remember me by.

I stand up, and all the hot demons do the same. I get the distinct impression that if I make a break for it again, they may put up a fight this time. I pause for a moment, intrigued, and then make a dash for the exit just to see what they’ll do. My pants are fucking huge, and I have to hike them up so that I don’t get tripped up. My waddle-run comes to a screeching halt when I slam into a tall, bony body. I bounce back from the impact, but this time, there are no strong arms to stop my fall.

I land on my ass, one half exposed cheek making a slapping noise as it hits the shiny—probably freshly polished—wood floor. I look up to find Grumpy Lurch staring down at me with satisfaction.

“Oww!” I grumble.

He tilts his head in mock sympathy. “My deepest apologies, miss.”

Grumpy Lurch promptly spins on his heel and leaves, not even offering me a hand up. I turn around and notice that the hot demons are still just standing around the table. I glare at them all. “Why the hell do you guys keep letting me run?”

Echo cocks a brow. “Was that what you were attempting to do just then? Run?” he asks mockingly. I wish I still had my sludge plate, because I’d chuck it at his frustratingly attractive albino head.

“If I’m so special, shouldn’t you guys at least try to keep me here?” I gripe as I rub my ass with one hand and fist my too big pants with the other as I stand back up.

Iceman snorts. “We’re not kidnappers. We won’t keep you here against your will. What kind of demons do you think we are?”

“Uh, I don’t know, demonic ones? Thieving, murdering, kidnapping...all of that should be your forte, right?”

“We’re Inner Ring demons,” Jerif says, as if that explains everything.

“So? That tells me nothing.”

“Inner Ring demons don’t live off of petty actions like theft and murder,” he scoffs. “We’re much more advanced than that. We maintain the balance, and there’s nothing more important to us than that.”

I stare at him incredulously. “Did you just say that murder is petty?”

“Okay, we’re getting ahead of ourselves,” Iceman interrupts, and he walks forward, leading the way for the others. “Let’s go to the Gate, and then we’ll explain the ins and outs of Hell once we figure out what kind of demon you are.”

“I don’t want to go to the Hellgate!” I argue, barely stopping myself from stomping my foot like a kid.

Some girls get taken to the movies by the hot dudes. Or dinner. Or at least the back seat of a car. Why is it that I get taken to a Hellgate? It’s like sophomore year all over again. They don’t even give a girl time to come to terms with her demons—and the fact that she just so happens to be one—before trying to drag her off to Hell.

It’s total bullshit.

“Nothing will happen to you,” Crux says, coming to my side and tossing his muscled arm around my shoulders. “We’ll protect you.”

I shrug him off even though his arm feels really warm and my skin does this tingly thing when he touches me. “Excuse me while I stay over here on Doubt Boulevard where I remember a horde of little green men attacking me and you guys were nowhere to be found,” I say dryly.

“Again, not kidnappers or stalkers,” Iceman puts in unhelpfully before turning and striding out of the room. Like good little school children, the others follow behind him in a line. Crux reaches down and grabs my hand this time, tugging me forward. His grip is firm, not letting me squirm out of it, but let’s be real, I don’t try that hard, because feeling him hold my hand like this is kind of nice, and where the fuck am I going to go otherwise?

I’m not eager to admit it, and if asked I would deny it vehemently, but I’m kind of curious too. As much as I’ve been trying to ignore it, there is a part of me that questions whether this is all legit. Not that they’re demons, for some reason I have no issue accepting that now, but the fact that I might be one too—that’s what’s really fucking with me.