Chapter 2 Demons Are Never Nice #2
Kalypso cut herself off. Bubbly woman or not, divulging her past and the lengths she’d gone to help her and her sister survive was not a talk she wanted to have.
Even if right now she really wanted to get into a fighting ring.
“Yes, I have a lot of tattoos,” Kaly said instead, then adjusted the sleeves on her shirt to make sure everything was still covered. “Any chance they have chest bands? Or a spare weapon I could borrow?”
“No luck on either count,” Brioni said with a shrug, back to her casual sway from foot to foot. “Does that mean you’re still going to try to leave?”
Kaly moved toward the drawers in the bedside table, yanking them out only to find them empty. “Obviously. If I can’t find something useful, I’ll just have to take out another demon.”
“Another?” Brioni gasped, chasing after her. “What about the purple one?”
“Preferably it’s him. That sickle looks fun.”
“I really don’t think—” The woman sucked in a sharp breath when Kalypso turned and nearly ran her over. But she still chased after her as Kaly tore the room apart looking for something sharp. “Kalypso, I really don’t think you should leave. What Rosalind is setting up—”
“You keep saying that name,” Kaly snapped. “I don’t know Rosalind. I don’t know these demons. I don’t trust anyone. So if you’re not going to help me find my sister—”
“If you would listen to me for one second, you’d know I was trying!”
Brioni slapped a hand over her mouth at the end of her shout, and Kalypso was both surprised and impressed enough to shut up.
The woman blew out a long breath through her fingers, then dropped her hand.
“While you were unconscious, most of us filled out some forms to get us into work pairings. Rosalind was another human with us, and she’s incredibly smart and protective, like you, so she’s been finding us jobs that fit our skill sets.
Real jobs, with money, and all the protections that we need to start a new life here.
” Her shoulders softened. “That includes you. And Kat, who is here and currently safe. So I’m just saying…
maybe the best thing to do is hear them out first.”
Kalypso despised being wrong, and even worse, when the anger she constantly felt was turned inward.
“Fine,” she grunted and turned toward the bed, feeling safer to put her back to the woman than lash out further.
Jobs. It was… a promising option, now that she considered it.
But what sort of skill set did she share with Kat that would keep them close?
Kaly had poured every coin she’d earned into giving Kat the better life after…
everything. She couldn’t just concede to these demons, especially the oversized eggplant.
Even worse, Brioni had mentioned filling out paperwork.
Would Kalypso be asked to do something like that, too?
Even if she could, eventually they’d find out she lied just to be close to her sister.
She had no idea how big Achreos Barrens was, and how could she fix this mess if she couldn’t easily grab Kat and run?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a scraping noise outside, and Kaly was on her feet in an instant. She grabbed the back of Brioni’s dress and yanked, putting her body in front of the smaller woman for protection.
“I don’t think—”
A blue demon yanked the door open, his black, depthless eyes glaring right at Kalypso. She bared her teeth, fists lifted despite the fact that with one swipe of his claws, she’d be flayed.
But then the purple demon stepped in behind him, spikes raised and fangs bright against his dark skin.
Now, Kalypso could understand why her body’s reaction to the demon’s snarl had been to freeze.
She was tall, but this thing was giant. Not a whole foot on her, but close, which was something she never experienced with human men.
Nor was the purple tail swishing lazily behind him, additional spikes lining the spine.
But what really had her attention were his arms—strong, corded muscle, and yes, more spikes, but also thick lines of ink across his skin. Curious, in a way that she didn’t want to admit called to her.
The silence stretched as they stared at one another, and Kaly was not about to lose another fight to this posturing bastard.
“Hi, Garion,” Brioni called from over her shoulder.
The blue demon softened, eyes shifting to the other woman before he gave her a small smile and wave.
Kalypso blinked, then turned her confused look to Brioni who was waving back. She saw Kalypso’s look and blushed, wave dying out as she dropped her hand to her side again.
“Sorry,” she whispered, ducking her chin.
When Kalypso glanced back at the purple demon, it seemed he was turning back from having the exact same reaction toward the blue demon. Both their glares returned in full force, but this time, he spoke.
“You. With us.”
“I think not,” Kaly snorted. “Where’s Kat?”
He shrugged. “Ask Rosalind.”
“Who the fuck is Rosalind?” she shouted, throwing her hands up.
Garion’s hand immediately twitched toward the sword in his belt, but it was the purple demon’s lack of response that made Kalypso furious, as if none of her previous threats had even broken through his thick skull.
“I’m taking you to her,” the demon said, then gestured toward the door. “Because of your unstable emotions—”
“I’ll show you unstable—”
“—you are to be escorted to interro—your interview under strict supervision,” he finished, a curl to his lip like that disgusted him.
Well, the feeling was mutual. “I don’t trust you.”
“Nor I you.” Kalypso blinked at the quick language, but the purple demon was already moving on.
“But I’ve been tasked with getting you to that interview, and since they didn’t clarify how, I think you know I’m willing to drag you there kicking and screaming if I must.” His teeth flashed. “So, what will it be?”
Fury burned in her chest, but that was a good thing.
It kept her focused. And if talking to this Rosalind person was the only way to get real answers, she’d concede…
for now. Even escorted, she could get a better sense of this building, and once she knew where her sister was, it would be easier to come up with an escape plan.
But that didn’t mean she had to make it easy.
“Fine. After you,” she growled.
The purple demon only smirked, his hand still raised toward the door. “Nice try.”
It was only because he’d clarified kicking and screaming, not dead or alive, that gave Kaly the confidence to storm past him and give him her back.
For now, she’d let him think he’d won. Soon enough, she’d use his underestimation of her to her advantage.