Runes of Truth (A Demon's Fall #1)(14)

“Too slow, love,” he says.

“Not another nickname. It’s bad enough what he calls me,” I point a finger at Connor, who leans closer, picking a strand of my blue hair up, twirling it around.

“But, Blue, it suits you,” he says seductively. Then he asks in a more serious tone, “How did you get your hair like this? Is it dyed?” I pick up the drink Nix poured for me, downing it before answering him. I’m tempted to lie, but there really isn’t much point. These guys won’t survive long, anyway.

“I’ve always had blue hair. I had a witch friend, who said the only way to get my hair this colour was to use the blue rune when I was too young, and for far too long. I must have been almost killed as a baby or something, and I called my rune subconsciously,” I tell them, and Trex stares at me as he downs his shot, pouring himself another one. I feel them all staring, but I just hold my hand out for the bottle, and Trex hands it to me. I don’t bother with the glass, just drinking from the bottle and putting it on the table, loving the burn of the liquor down my throat.

“I’ve heard of someone who has white hair. He used the white rune when he was four years old to heal himself from a deadly attack, and it turned his hair white and he couldn’t change it,” Trex says, and for a moment, we stare at each other. For a moment, I think he might be redeemable, and not a total asshole, but then he keeps talking. “It’s likely your parents knew what you were and tried to kill you for it.”

“The blue rune is holy fire. Holy fire only kills demons, so I wouldn’t have called it to kill my parents. It’s more likely demons tried to kill me and my parents, and I survived somehow,” I tell them, and a deep voice clears his throat from the end of the table.

“You called me, Evie darling?”





Evie


I look over to the demon overlord leaning against the table, a smirk on his pretty lips as he watches me. Seth has always been pretty, but his pretty face doesn’t work on me, and he has tried many, many times. I know how much of a shithead he can be, and I don’t sleep with assholes like him. He has white hair, braided at his neck, and dark-red eyes that hide how smart he is, but hidden from most with their beauty. He is the very definition of deadly beauty, just like his brothers, I’ve met, are. His suit shirt is loose, and there are lipstick stains on his neck telling me he had been having a good night until I interrupted. He smirks, looking around at the protectors, and then back to me.

“Interesting friends you’ve got here, Evie darling,” he drawls.

“We need to speak, privately,” I answer, watching as he stands taller, and nods his head to the left.

“My room then,” he says. Connor gets out of the booth, and I follow, looking back to see Trex pull the bottle of Jack out of Nix’s grip, and glare at him. There are some problems in paradise, clearly. We walk through the nightclub, to a small set of stairs where two demons stand guard. They glance once at Seth, who simply nods, and they let us all past. At the top of the stairs, Seth opens the door to a large room. It has a glass floor, so we can see the people dancing on the dance floor below. Trex closes the door behind us, and I wait as Seth goes over to a little table, pouring himself a drink.

“Do you want one?” he asks.

“No,” I answer for us all.

“So, Evie darling, are you going to explain why the fuck you have brought three Protectors into my home?” he asks, his eyes starting to glow from his anger.

“It’s complicated, but I’m not here to talk about them. You owe me a favour, and I need to collect,” I say, and he chokes on his drink.

“You’re kidding me? Right?”

“No, not one bit,” I bite out.

“What do you want exactly?” he enquires.

“I need to get to the bottom layer of hell, and for that, I need an overlord demon at my side,” I say, and he laughs, until he meets my eyes and realises how serious I am.

“Fuck, Evie Darling, that’s a death sentence, even for me,” he says and pulls his phone out.

“I know someone who might go with you, but I can’t,” he says, and I swear under my breath. If I can’t get an overlord to come with me, I’d have to fight to get into the third layer. No one is that strong, or stupid.

“I saved your child, does that not earn me a debt?” I say. Three years ago, his five-year old-daughter was kidnapped and everyone was called to search. I was the one that found her and brought her back alive when no one else could have.

“And I helped you by not warning every demon you walked into here with three Protectors. One word from me, and you’d be dead,” he answers back. Asshole.

“Unlikely,” Trex comments, and Seth narrows his eyes on him.

“This is why we don’t treat demons fairly, they don’t keep their word,” Connor spits out.

“No, he is right. Bringing you here was a mistake, and in Seth’s eyes, we are even,” I say, frustrated.

“You came to Seth, and didn’t even think to ask me? I’m offended, Vi,” a familiar deep voice says before he steps out from the shadows in the corner of the room. Azi. My demon ex, and the very last person I want to see. I take a step back, narrowing my eyes on his red ones as he stops in the middle of the room. Azi hasn’t changed a bit since I last saw him three years ago. When he broke my heart, and I made sure he paid for it. His black hair is short, his pale skin still makes him look like a vampire or something, and his red eyes glow lightly. He has an expensive suit on, covering his muscular and impressive body that I used to love.