Demons (Darkness #4)(24)

She shook her head, ripping her eyes away. “I don’t even want to know. He’s got a plan, and I don’t even want to know.”

“He’ll probably rip it open with his teeth. She really likes anal stim—”

Ann cut Charles off with a savage punch to his stomach. He wheezed out a breath, trying his damndest not to hunch over.

“I said I didn’t want to know,” Ann reiterated slowly.

His face burned a light red.

“Sir, we need to get going,” Jonas said to Dominicous in a polite snarl.

Dominicous smiled at Jonas agreeably. “Fascinating. I would assume, then, that you would speak to your mage, who is currently in charge of the procession.” It was hard to mistake the sharp edge beneath the words.

Jonas slowly turned his wild-eyed stare my way. His teeth ground together and the scars on his neck looked white against his temper-filled, heated skin. He flashed me a well, come the f**k on kind of smile that resembled a fanged grimace. My butt tingle sounded for the second time that night. While I did need to learn to lead, I did not need to practice on Mr. Bat-Shit-Crazy right out of the gate.

Nodding diplomatically, I said, “Yes, we need to see to that site. Jonas, lead the way.”

“Oh, well, thank you so much, Mage.” His eyes widened further and his smile looked like a contorted snarl. He whipped around and started stalking down the hall, his hands clenching and releasing as he went.

Dominicous watched him in speculation the whole time.

“What?” I asked quietly as Charles fell way back. If Jonas took his temper out on anyone, it would be him. He was no dummy. Anymore.

“I marvel that Stefan is able to keep that male reigned in,” Dominicous noted in a deep voice. “He has a severe problem with authority, and his anger redlines fairly easily.”

“Yeah, Jonas is a real treat,” I said dourly. Ann snickered behind me.

Dominicous turned his steel-infused eyes my way. “A mage should not have to keep on the knife-point with a member of the Watch. I’m sure someone else would step up and take his place beside you …”

I waved his concern away. “Jonas has faults in plenty, but there is no one else, besides you and Stefan, that I would want at my back. That guy would—” I shook my head. “He would jab the devil in the eye to keep me safe. He’s proved it.”

I heard a throat clear behind me.

“And obviously Charles, too. At my back.”

The corner of Dominicous’ lips quirked as he ingested what I said.

As we stepped outside, I slowed for Ann to walk beside me toward Jonas’ Hummer. “How’d you get so far in without someone stopping you?”

“Walked in. No one bothered me.”

“They all know you’re Sasha’s friend. Prudes of a feather flock together.” Charles walked around the far side of the vehicle, steering clear of Jonas, who was waiting at the driver’s side door, watching them all intently.

“What’s that about?” I asked Ann as I hesitated in my walk to the front passenger side door. Regardless of the fact that Dominicous was older than everyone, and the most superior and adult-like, and should probably go in the front like parents were supposed to, as the leader of this crew, that place was reserved for me. I felt awkward.

“When we were at the lodge—the place where you trained in the woods with all the cabins...”

My face lit up in recognition.

“He hit on me. Well, that’s not true. What he actually did was ask me if I wanted to have sex. Just like that. Point blank.” She put on a dopey expression to mimic Charles. “‘Oh hey, animal-human lady— if you’re not doing anything, want to have sex? I’m horny—I could do with a lay. Doggy style is fine—I’m not picky.’” Ann threw a glare into the car.

“So what’d you do?” I laughed.

“I punched him in the nuts, obviously!” Ann scoffed, trying to hide the smile. “He’s hot, though—if he put a little time and effort into it, I might’ve.”

She lowered her voice to a whisper, glancing at the driver’s side where Jonas waited with his forehead against the steering wheel. “Jonas hasn’t freaked out that I’m going. Is that because of Dominicous?”

I matched her tone—it was best not to aggravate the guy any more than he already was. “He’s so mad right now that he has to have some quiet time or he’ll explode. If it was just me, he’d rant and rave and argue. If Dominicous or Stefan is around and he’s like this, he simmers in acute aggression. Word of advice: Don’t badger him until he calms down.”

“I’m not suicidal,” she said, scurrying into the car. She’d sit between the two guys in the back.

I headed to my spot and climbed in, with Dominicous getting in as well. Once we were all settled, Jonas took his head off the steering wheel, flashed me a look promising pain, and jerked the ignition, starting the car.

“Sasha,” Dominicous spoke up over the roar of the motor. You would almost believe he was a gardener of beautiful flowers rather than a lethal predator. “Did you plan to ask Stefan to dine with us, tonight?”

“Uh…” I hadn’t had much time to think about it.

“I would encourage you to bring him, if you like,” Dominicous continued. “I rarely get to see the pair of you outside of a work capacity. Dropping titles for a family dinner would be a luxury.”