Chapter 6
Kent was damn glad for the silence in the SUV. Daniel sat in the passenger seat staring straight ahead, while Steve sat in the back. At a red light, Kent glanced in the rearview mirror and caught Steve staring at him.
Great.
He looked back at the light and took off the second it turned green.
“So, anyone going to fill me in on where we’re going or is it a secret?” Steve broke the silence as he sat up, sticking his head between Kent and Daniel.
Neither of them answered.
Steve sighed dramatically. “Come on, guys. This is more awkward than the time I had to sit across from Slade and tell him about my itchy balls. You two still having issues?”
Daniel laughed, shaking his head. “You are one fucked-up dude, Steve.” He chuckled, still staring straight ahead. “And I wasn’t the one with the issue.”
“Yeah, well, when the nuggets itch, you take that shit seriously,” Steve replied, as if this were a normal conversation. He then looked at Kent. “And you?”
“Me what?” Kent frowned, keeping his eyes on the road.
“Do you have an issue?” Steve asked, as serious as Steve ever got.
“Yeah.” Kent pulled onto the ramp heading toward the freeway. “You invading my fucking space and talking about your balls. Sit the fuck back.”
Kent tossed a quick glare at Steve who, of course, ignored him.
“Listen, I’m just saying, whenever Warriors have issues with each other, shit doesn’t click.
And we need shit to click when dealing with dodgy situations.
” Steve pointed between them. “Just because we got our own Demon Slayer doesn’t mean shit isn’t going to get dodgy.
Actually, with our luck, it means it’ll get extra dodgy with a side of what-the-fuck. ”
Daniel’s mouth twitched.
Kent gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Does he ever shut the fuck up?”
“He means well,” Daniel said, a humorous smirk pulling at his mouth.
Steve leaned in farther. “See? Daniel gets me.”
“I said sit back,” Kent growled.
“I am back,” Steve argued, not moving. “This is just my upper half. My ass is back against the seat.”
Kent stopped at another red light and seriously considered running it just to get them where they were going faster.
“Well, since everything seems hunky-dory in the land of brooding silence, anyone want to clue me in on where we’re going?” Steve asked, looking between Kent and Daniel.
“A surgical center,” Daniel answered as Kent pulled into the parking lot.
Steve blinked, then slowly looked at Kent. “Ah. Finally getting your head removed from your ass.”
Kent’s elbow shot back, but Steve was already gone, plastered against the seat like he’d been born avoiding death.
“Fast for a dumbass,” Kent muttered, pulling into a space.
“It’s a skill I learned being around moody Warriors I pissed off on the daily.” Steve grinned, then leaned forward again, because apparently, he had learned nothing and liked to live dangerously. His eyes moved over the building. “So, why exactly are we here?”
Kent backed into a parking spot so they were facing the building and could see the door. “Slade wants us to check the place out. Look for anything out of the ordinary and see how many front staff they have.”
“Why?” Steve frowned.
Kent had wondered the same thing, but figured if Sloan wanted him to know he would have told him.
“No clue,” Kent replied, his gaze sweeping across the parking lot which was pretty empty.
“It’s going to look pretty suspicious if we all go walking in there,” Daniel said watching the door. “Steve, you go in invisible and check the place out.”
“Yeah. Okay,” Steve said, then went invisible. “You want me to get a price on that head-from-ass removal while I’m in there, Kent?” The back door opened and shut before Kent could respond.
Kent’s mouth tightened as he stared through the windshield.
Fucking Steve. He then watched as the door to the automatic surgical center doors opened with no one there indicating it was Steve.
Jesus. Couldn’t he have waited for someone to walk in, so it didn’t look like the fucking place was haunted?
“What are the chances of him fucking this up?” Kent asked, still watching the now closed door.
“It’s Steve,” Daniel said after a second, his gaze on the surgical center. “So pretty damn good.”
Kent snorted.
“But he’s one hell of a Warrior,” Daniel added. “Trouble just has a hard-on for him.”
Kent glanced over before he could stop himself. Daniel sat there like always, calm as hell, like the world hadn’t done its best to turn him into something ugly. And maybe that was what had pissed Kent off the most. Not really Daniel himself.
The kid, no, not kid. Man. Daniel was a man, and one with enough power running through him to make most assholes piss themselves. Yet Kent had never heard him use it to make anyone feel small. He had never heard him tear someone down just because he could.
Kent couldn’t say the same.
He shifted in his seat, gripping the wheel a little tighter. He’d been an asshole to Daniel. More than once. Hell, more than he cared to admit. And Daniel had taken it with that damn grin, like Kent’s bullshit didn’t even deserve the effort of getting mad.
The only time he ever saw Daniel’s easygoing nature disappear was when he had been a total dick to Raven or Katrina. Never once when he had called him a freak.
Kent looked back at the surgical center, jaw tight.
Being a Warrior meant something to him. It meant more than he’d expected it to.
And somewhere along the line, he’d started realizing the shit he’d dragged in with him didn’t belong here.
Maybe life hadn’t handed him much without a fight, but that didn’t give him the right to take swings at people who’d never swung at him.
“Hey, man,” Kent said, the words rougher than he meant them to be.
Daniel didn’t look over. “Accepted.”
Kent frowned. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You were going to,” Daniel shot back.
Kent let out a humorless laugh. “Yeah? You reading minds now?”
“Don’t have to.” Daniel’s mouth kicked up at the corner. “You get this constipated look when you’re about to apologize. Saw it when you apologized to Katrina.”
Kent shot him a look.
Daniel’s grin widened.
Kent looked away first. “I was a dick.”
“Yeah,” Daniel agreed easily.
Kent blinked, then gave a short laugh. “Damn.”
“I accepted the apology.” Daniel shrugged. “Didn’t say I was gonna lie.”
Kent huffed, shaking his head, but the truth of it sat heavy between them. He had been a dick. To Daniel, Raven and Katrina. Hell, to anyone who’d had the bad luck of standing too close when Kent’s arrogant pride reared its ugly head.
Daniel finally looked at him, the humor fading just enough to make the next words clear.
“You’re not a bad man, Kent. You just spent too long thinking everything had to be fought for.
Sometimes, when someone else walks in and proves they belong without bleeding the same way you did, it pisses you off. ”
Kent’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel. Damn, man, how Daniel could do shit like this was beyond, but he was a hundred percent right.
“And Raven and Katrina proved they belonged,” Daniel added quietly. “Over and over.”
Kent stared through the windshield, throat working once. “Yeah, they did.”
For a second, he didn’t say anything else. Then he reached his hand toward Daniel.
Daniel took it without hesitation.
“You’re a good man, Daniel,” Kent said, his voice low as he shook his hand. “And I know you accepted, but I need to say it. I’m sorry for being such a dick. You’re not a freak. You’re actually pretty fucking cool.”
Daniel laughed, and for some reason that made Kent feel less like an asshole.
“I am a freak, Kent.” Daniel shifted in the seat, a half grin on his face. “Seriously, it doesn’t bother me. Maybe it did before I knew what I really was, but now?” He shrugged. “Yeah. What I can do, what I know, is pretty fucking freaky.”
Kent chuckled despite himself.
“And for the record,” Daniel added, his grin widening, “Raven could kick your ass. You know that, right?”
Kent frowned, then shook his head. “Yeah, I fucking know.” He replied after a second of hesitation.
“That was hard to admit, wasn’t it?” Daniel smirked glancing his way.
“You have no idea,” Kent snorted, then looked away from Daniel, but the corner of his mouth twitched. “I may not think you’re a freak, but asshole? You definitely are.”
Daniel laughed, and Kent joined him, the sound easing the tension between the two men that had been present for way too long.
Then Kent looked toward the surgical center, his smile fading.
“What the fuck is taking him so long?” he mumbled. “All he had to do was get a feel for the place.”
“Knowing Steve, he really is getting an estimated price on removing your head from your ass,” Daniel said with a chuckle.
Kent opened his mouth to respond, but Daniel leaned forward, his expression changing so fast Kent’s hand went for his weapon before he even knew why. “What?”
“Demon,” Daniel’s voice dropped. “Stay here.” Daniel opened the door and got out.
Kent scanned the lot. All he saw were parked cars, a quiet building, and nothing moving.
“The fuck I will,” Kent snapped, getting out and following Daniel, who was already heading across the parking lot toward the side of the building where a smaller parking lot was located.
Turning the corner, Kent cursed.
A man stood leaning against a car, staring at the building as if waiting for someone. He turned, looking straight at Daniel.
“Demon Slayer,” the man hissed in disgust, but Kent saw the fear behind his eyes.
“What are you doing here, Nix?” Daniel’s voice was calm as he stared at the man. “Better yet, who are you waiting for? Because if it’s for an innocent soul I’m going to have to disappoint you.”
“I don’t answer to you, Slayer,” Nix spat as he began to twitch.
Kent watched the human act peel away. One second Nix looked like a pale, nervous piece of shit trying not to piss himself. The next, his body snapped backward so hard Kent heard bone crack.
Then the demon underneath the skin came out to play.
Skin rippled and split, the human color draining into a slick gray hide that looked diseased before it even settled over him.
His face twisted, mouth stretching too wide as sores ripped open at the corners.
Human teeth fell out of its mouth as demon teeth pushed through his gums in thin, sharp rows, wet and black at the root.
Kent’s stomach tightened. He’d seen a demon shift once before, and yeah, it was just as disgusting.
Nix’s shoulders hunched, his spine bowed, and his fingers curled into claws. Black veins crawled beneath his skin. His eyes bled from human to a sickly yellow.
The smell of rot rolled off him next, thick enough to taste, and Kent’s lip curled in disgust.
Nix’s growl echoed in the parking lot as his attention snapped to Kent. “What are you looking at, human?”
“One ugly son of a bitch,” Kent replied with a snort, not in the least bit intimidated. “And you smell like death shit itself.”
“Good one,” Daniel said, but didn’t take his eyes off the demon.
“Thanks.” Kent watched as the demon glared at him.
“You’re breaking the rules by showing your true form in the human realm.” Daniel informed the demon, gaining his attention.
“Fuck the rules,” Nix hissed as spit flew from his mouth.
“That’s what I figured you’d say,” Daniel shook his head. Kent had to admit he was impressed how calm Daniel was when he himself had his hand on his weapon ready for the fucker to move a single inch.
“Damn, who shit himself?” Steve walked around the corner, then stopped. “Ah, demon. Explains the swamp ass smell.”
Daniel turned to look at them both. “Go back and let Slade know what you found inside. I’ll be back in a few days.”
“What?” Kent frowned, confused, then watched as both Daniel and the demon disappeared. “Dammit.”
“Yep, that’ll happen,” Steve said, nodding slowly as he stared at the spot where Daniel had just been.
“What the hell do you mean...that’ll happen?” Kent glared at Steve. “What the fuck did happen?”
“Daniel took him back to the demon realm,” Steve said as if discussing the weather. Then he looked at Kent. “You haven’t been there yet. Lucky you. It smells worse there than Swamp Ass, let me tell you.”
Kent had to admit this demon shit was still new to him. He’d had a few run-ins with them and heard about the Demon Realm, but yeah, he needed to up his game with these fuckers.
“Why did he take him there?”
Steve started toward the SUV. “Because it’s Daniel.” He chuckled. “That’s the simple answer. No one knows why Daniel does what he does, but my take? Daniel wants answers. If he doesn’t get what he wants, that demon is going to meet a grisly death that isn’t fit for human eyes.”
Kent followed him, jaw tight.
“Let’s head back,” Steve said, reaching the SUV, sliding into the passenger seat. “But first we gotta get something to eat. I’m so hungry I could eat the ass end out of a demon, and after smelling that bastard should tell you how hungry I am.”
Kent slid into the driver’s seat and glared at him. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“You just now asking that?” Steve snorted.
“Listen, if you don’t have a sense of humor after what we see day in and day out, you’ll go crazy.
You best get that surgical procedure done, my friend, because if you keep your head up your ass, you’ll lose your mind real quick.
Especially if Daniel ever takes you to the Demon Realm. ”
Kent started the SUV, not excited about that possibility. He liked it here in the Human Realm, whatever in the fuck that meant. This shit was seriously messed up, and he’d seen some messed-up shit.
Steve shook his head, his face twisting. “There’s some fucked-up stuff down there, man. Fucked me up for weeks. And that swamp-ass-looking thing we just saw?” He glanced back to where Nix had been. “Let’s just say he’d win a beauty contest down there.”
“Can’t wait,” Kent said sarcastically, but he knew Steve was right.
If Daniel disappearing into the Demon Realm with that ugly fucker had thrown him this hard, Kent had a lot to learn.
And something told him he’d better learn fast.