Not Your Ex's Hexes (Supernatural Singles, #2)(86)

“And I told you I wanted to make sure she was okay first.” Julius—in full red-skinned demon mode—returned Damian’s punch with one of his own, landing a solid hit to the kidneys.

Damian winced, but didn’t stop moving. “Maybe you should have thought about that before dragging Rose to a Hunt involving a female Gryndor, asshole! Do you have any idea what that she-demon’s toxins could have done to her?”

“Yes!” The demon representative’s flushed face blanched to a pale petal pink. “Why do you think I brought her straight to the Prima?”

“Well, thank fuck you had some sense in your damn head.”

“Stop…” Rose’s voice caught in her throat, croaking softly.

The brothers continued their brawl.

“Stop it…” Rose demanded, clearing her throat.

Neither so much as acknowledged her presence.

“Guess we’ll do this the hard way.” Taking a deep breath, she summoned her Magic. Instead of its usual quick blast to the forefront, it slowly filled her empty well, gliding its way through her body and toward her palms like a leaky faucet.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Winded and a little light-headed, she leaned on the doorframe for support and kept her right hand trained on the dueling demons. The second she built up enough oomph, she fired.

A hot stream of Magic collided with Julius and Damian, the flickering pink power-surge spilling them onto their asses. It lacked its usual punch, but it did the trick.

They noticed her for the first time, Julius releasing a relieved sigh as he collapsed onto his back. But Damian’s emotions flickered over his face too fast for her to pin one down.

His gaze ran over her from toe to head, its intensity conjuring a fresh wave of goose bumps that had nothing to do with the room’s temperature and everything to do with the slight rev to her libido.

Rose mentally snorted. At least the Gryndor toxin hadn’t squelched her sex drive.

“Should you be out of bed?” Damian asked, looking ready to escort her back down the hall.

“Probably not, but it’s difficult to rest when two jackasses are butting heads in the next room. I was afraid if I let it go a second longer, one—or both of you—would come through the wall and land in bed with me.”

Julius smirked. “I wouldn’t have mi—”

Olive flicked her hand, magically sealing his mouth shut. “Now is so not the time.”

Rose chuckled. Her shy sis was turning into a badass … or was at least badass adjacent. Olive spared the demon rep a warning look before dropping her silencing spell.

Julius surged to his feet with an immediate apology. “Not that this hasn’t been a fun night—and morning, but I have Council meetings that I can’t cancel.”

“Then by all means, leave. Finally,” Damian muttered under his breath.

Julius ignored him. “I’m glad you’re okay, Rose. And I’m sorry I put you in that situation. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to give me a call.”

From across the room, Damian growled.

Olive glanced between the two brothers before pulling out her cell phone from beneath her bra strap. “Oh, look. Gran texted. She wants to see Vi and me up at the main house. Why don’t we walk you out on our way?”

Vi blinked, reluctantly pulling her attention from the show in front of her. “Gran doesn’t text.”

Olly elbowed her. “It looks like she took it up since we last saw her.”

“You mean an hour ago?”

Olive’s eyes widened pointedly behind her glasses.

“Oh. Oh!” Yanking her own phone from her pocket, Vi glanced at the blank screen. “Look at that. She sent me a text, too. We better get up there before her patience goes AWOL. Come on, Julius. Let’s order you a Ryde back to the city because we’re fresh out of demon portals.”

Vi slipped Rose a quick wink before ushering everyone out the door and closing it behind them.

“Sorry about them. They’re not exactly subtle.” Supporting her stomach, she ambled to the couch.

Damian hustled to her side and guided her slow sink into the cushion. “Can I get you anything? Pain meds? A blanket? If kicking Julius’s ass would make you feel better, I’ll go after him right now.”

She fought to keep her face free of a grimace. “There’s no need to go into doctor mode. I’m fine.”

Damian frowned. “Says someone who’d been lying in a pool of her own blood less than eight hours ago.”

“Well, yeah. I was a little unconscious for that.”

Thankfully. Unlike Olive, who possessed a stomach of steel, Rose couldn’t handle blood or bodily fluids of any kind. Thinking about what Damian might have seen when she’d been out cold turned her stomach.

“Do you want to tell me why you and your brother turned Edie’s living room into a WWE ring?” she asked, changing the subject.

“You seriously need to ask me that?” He pulled a frustrated hand through his hair. “Maybe we should have this conversation when you’re feeling better.”

“Maybe we should have it now.”

He shot her a half-hearted glare. “You’re pretty insufferable for someone who came within an inch of dying.”

She shrugged her unaffected shoulder. “Ask my sisters, but I’m pretty insufferable most of the time. It’s a talent. Now start talking, doc.”