Chapter 3 Off to a Great Start
OFF TO A GREAT START
Ozirax
Ozirax glared at the side of the spicy human’s head as she once again refused to answer any of Argeth’s questions.
Right about now, he was actually wishing Tonomoch were here to gauge her emotions beyond her obvious intention of simply being a pain in everyone’s tail.
But the gold demon was currently seeing a healer for the concussion he’d suffered at the hands of Spicy.
At least they were already in the infirmary, so he hadn’t had to go far.
Ozirax’s eyes lifted to the sconces, wondering why the calm-emitting flames seemed to be having the opposite effect on the woman at the table.
Though, the more he thought on it, it didn’t seem to be working on Rosalind, either.
She appeared calm on the outside, but her heartbeat was still elevated and the edges of her lips were strained despite the soft smile she wore.
“Kalypso, please, we are trying to help,” Rosalind said, empathy heavy in her tone.
Ozirax didn’t need his heightened abilities to know that empathy was the very last thing Spicy would respond to.
Kalypso, he supposed he should call her, but that would break a barrier he had no business crossing.
He was simply here to make sure she didn’t attempt to use the quill in front of her to rip out Argeth’s eyes.
An instrument she hadn’t touched, even as Argeth pushed the documents closer to her.
“It is imperative we understand your skills so we may better assist in your assignment in Heck,” he urged.
“I’m not telling you anything until I see Kat.”
Again, what in the Blazes was a cat?
Rosalind glanced at Argeth. “Do you mind if I have a moment alone with her?”
The councilor frowned, his gaze lifting to Ozirax. “I’m afraid the best I can do is leave Ozirax. She could still—”
“Fine,” Rosalind said, waving him off with a flourish of her hand. The councilor nodded, collecting his own papers before leaving, and the moment he was gone, she sighed. “Kalypso, I understand this is a lot to come to terms with. I respect that your past is—”
“You know nothing about my past,” Kalypso growled, then for good measure, snarled at Ozirax.
Rosalind’s gentle demeanor shifted fast enough Ozirax had to give her credit for the facade. “Actually, I do. I’ve already spoken with your sister. Kat told me everything.”
Spicy’s jaw clamped shut so fast, Ozirax heard her teeth clack. But at least he had an answer.
She’d been trying to find her sister.
Ozirax didn’t have siblings, but he’d seen familial bonds. Seen how fiercely they would defend one another from harm.
As much as he hated this human, he could at least understand her motivations.
“I have been trying, Kalypso,” Rosalind said, fingers curling over the arms of her chair.
“You’re not the only one here, and your actions could have endangered all of us if it wasn’t for your sister’s answers.
I know you’re doing everything for Kat, but there is only so much I can do for you right now after your actions and… plans to leave.”
Spicy’s nostrils flared, her glare narrowing despite the way her heartbeat ticked up with nervousness. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that you shouldn’t have said so much in your room with Brioni. Demons have better hearing than we do.”
Well, Ozirax had to hand it to the smart one. Argeth’s strategy had been failing, so Rosalind took a different approach, and all the fight drained out of Spicy.
“What will they do to my sister?”
“Nothing!” Rosalind answered quickly. “But whether we want it to be or not, Heck is our new home. And because of your… escape plans, the demons believe it’s best that you don’t have contact with your sister until they feel it’s safe that you won’t endanger their peaceful city.”
“Peaceful?” Kalypso snorted, giving Ozirax a look of disgust. “Right.”
He barely restrained himself from snapping back.
“Fill out the papers, Kalypso,” Rosalind said again, pushing them closer.
Spicy frowned at the documents, eyes jumping all over the pages, and just when Ozirax thought she’d finally concede, she shoved them back toward Rosalind.
“Not until I at least know my sister is safe. Where will she be?”
To her credit, Rosalind didn’t let her frustration show. “No jobs in tailoring would be a good fit right now. There’s another opening at the post, which might work. It’s alongside Brioni—”
“There,” Kalypso blurted. “Put her there.”
“I’ll ask if she’s comfortable—”
“I said put her there. With Brioni. And I want reassurances of her safety from you or Brioni only, even if I can’t see her yet. Final offer.”
Rosalind forced a breath out through pinched lips. “Okay. Deal.”
She pushed the papers back toward Kalypso, but the woman ignored them. “I was hired muscle. I took jobs, did dirty work for bad people against even worse people. Debt collecting and… strong encouragement to fulfill contracts.”
No wonder Spicy hadn’t thought twice about fighting him.
“So, please,” she said with a humorless laugh.
“Tell me what respectable demon in this high society would be willing to work with me? Pay me a stipend and arrange housing for me so I can collect debt in the back alley of a tavern? Or am I meant to lick the shit stains off Ozzy’s boots when he returns from slaughtering outside the walls of such a peaceful city? ”
It took Ozirax a second to register that she was talking about him, and then another second for the very small shred of respect he might have had for her to wash away.
“My slaughtering saved your ass from those slavers,” he growled, jabbing a claw her direction. “And your sister’s, if you’ve forgotten.”
“Oh, how could I forget? Thank you so much, Your Royal Purple Cactus. How shall I pay my respects? Do you need help finding your tiny dick, my sweet hero?” she drawled, bending into a mockery of a bow from her seat.
Ozirax snarled, the spikes on his neck lifting. “Watch your tongue, human.”
Her grin was feral, a sparkle alight in her two-colored eyes. “Or what?” She gave a slow perusal of his body. “Those spikes give you away, Ozzy. You know you got lucky earlier.”
If it weren’t for the knock at the door, he might have laughed.
Argeth’s head peeked in. “Rosalind, a moment to discuss an opportunity?”
Kalypso huffed, slumping in her chair as Rosalind slipped outside. “By all means, go discuss my future without me.”
Ozirax shook his head, already fed up with this human.
What they should have been doing was tossing her out in the Dreadmoor like she wanted.
Why did they go through all the trouble of saving her when she would rather get herself killed?
Fine by him, one less annoyance taking residence in his thoughts with her size and general piss-off attitude.
“What are you looking at?”
That attitude.
He refocused his glare on her face. “Why are your eyes two colors?”
If the question surprised her, she didn’t show it. “Come closer and I’ll show you why.”
The memory of her smashing her forehead into his face popped into his mind clearly. “I’m good.”
“Then don’t ask stupid questions.”
“You’re a real treat, you know that?”
“So I’ve been told.”
“Is Kat just as obstinate?”
Spicy moved, faster than he expected, but not as fast as he was.
She lunged for him, and he had to admit she gave it a good effort for the distance between them.
He twisted with her momentum, trading places as he shoved her against the wall.
His forearm pressed against her chest, spikes flaring until they were hovering just below her chin.
But the position didn’t stop her from baring her blunt teeth at him—again, was that meant to be scary?—as she snarled, “Keep my sister’s name out of your mouth.”
“Make me.”
She made an admirable attempt to shove him off but got nowhere, and despite her disadvantage, it was impressive that she refused to give up. Including the string of profanity spilling from her mouth between grunts.
No wonder the sorcerers had needed more of their magic to subdue her.
It was probably a stupid idea, but Ozirax found himself saying over her increasingly labored struggle, “Stop trying to overpower me.”
“Get off.”
“Make. Me.”
Fury flared on her features, but she only continued the same failing attempts to push him away.
“That might work with humans, but demons are bigger, stronger, even if you’re too stubborn to admit your disadvantage.”
Her fight softened, almost imperceptibly, as she glared up at him.
Underneath his pressure, her chest rose and fell rapidly with her breaths, bringing his spikes up to the soft skin under her chin.
But despite the tap of the blunter backs of them against such a life-threatening spot, Spicy didn’t flinch.
Maybe it was respect, more likely pity, that he offered, “You were clever in the hallway, up until you tried to use brute strength against me. You’re not dumb, so don’t act like it. Outsmart your opponent.”
Her glare shifted, and the seconds stretched between them as her brows pinched into a frown.
Up close, without the urgency or surprise from before, he could see the bright colors of her eyes against human-golden skin. Not the magical, demon gold of an empath, but an oddly beautiful shade that he’d never seen before as anything other than hideous.
Kalypso’s knee jerked up. Despite the distraction, he knew the move. His hips shifted out of the way, but to his delight, she expected it. Unfortunately for her, he wasn’t going to let his guard down around her again.
Her hand grabbed for the sickle at his belt, but inches before her target, his tail slapped her wrist away before banding around her torso, pinning her arms to her body.
“Nice try,” he purred in her ear. “But you forgot we have tails.”
She went stiff in his hold. “Let go of me.”
Ozirax released her immediately, stepping out of reach. There was a glint of panic in her eye, and while he hadn’t meant real harm, he’d been all too quick to forget that he truly was a threat to humans.
Even to Spicy.
“You have fight,” he said to settle the thickness in the air between them. “Don’t do something so idiotic as dragging your sister into the Dreadmoor. Even the strongest of our warriors aren’t fool enough to stray from our paths.”
Her breathing was still stressed as she stayed pressed against the wall, away from him, and the anger hadn’t abated, but she appeared to take his words to heart. Hopefully.
“Well, you’ve certainly taken to a leadership role.” Ozirax looked back to see Argeth enter the room again, Rosalind on his heels. “Perhaps this isn’t such a bad idea.”
“What isn’t a bad idea?” Kaly growled.
The small human winced. “Well, it seems there’s an opening in the guard. In Ozirax’s squadron.”
“Fuck no,” he said at the same time as Kalypso. He glared at her, then focused on Argeth. “We might have an opening, but there are plenty of demons of lower rank who would—”
Argeth raised a hand. “It’s a request from Harrox. With the promotion on the line, and Kalypso’s… history, they feel it is a good test for the both of you.”
Ozirax wanted to retch.
“Prove you can work together, and there’s a promotion in store,” he said to Oz, then looked to Spicy. “Prove you are not a risk to our city, and—with Ozirax’s recommendation—we will allow you a supervised meeting with your sister.”
“Absolutely not,” Kalypso snapped, waving her hand toward Ozirax. “I don’t trust him.”
Rosalind shook her head. “The rest of your squad will also hold weight in determining if you’re ready, but it will be under Ozirax’s supervision. This is the best they can offer for everyone’s safety.”
Ozirax had a lot of complaints, and he had plenty of time to think about them in the silence that followed. But he knew not to show an ounce more of his disgust in working with this human, let alone training her and giving her weapons she might use against them.
Finally, Kalypso huffed. “Fine. Just keep my sister safe.”
Rosalind nodded. “Garion will escort you back to your room. There’s still some concern the healers had about the lingering aftereffects of sorcery in your body. I’ll be by to discuss this more when you’ve had some rest.”
At least Spicy was clever enough not to argue further, or show any more fury that might hurt her chances of seeing her sister.
Ozirax, however, didn’t need to hide his frustration from Argeth, of all demons, who had no stake in his position.
The moment the door closed on the humans, he snapped his gaze to Argeth.
“This is foolish. She’s going to die on her first scouting mission.
” He frowned, the realization hitting. “Wait, if those cuffs keep them within the borders of Heck, how can she even function with our squad? Going out a demon short is already dangerous enough, but trying to keep her safe? I thought everyone was concerned she was a flight risk?”
Argeth folded his hands in front of him.
“All valid questions and concerns. And, unlucky for you perhaps, it will be your responsibility to not only train her for the dangers, but also prevent her from leaving should she attempt. When she is deemed healthy enough to start, her cuff will be adjusted to allow travel into the Dreadmoor for missions. Her safety is now in your hands.”
Ozirax stared back, slack jawed.
“I understand this is not ideal but…” Argeth flashed a glance toward the door.
“We have nowhere else to put her that we trust she will not be a risk. You have seemingly handled the situation with her, and with the promotion on the line, Harrox needed a little more convincing that you are right for the job. This is a good thing, Ozirax. You keep her in line, and when you turn in the application, the position is basically yours. Simple.”
None of this was simple, but he couldn’t exactly argue.
It was already determined, wasn’t it? And if he held something that Spicy wanted—whether she’d be given permission to see her sister or not—then maybe she’d be a little easier to manage.
He’d already seen how quickly she conceded when Kat was involved.
“I have business to attend in the barracks, then, if we are preparing for a human. Garion will remain stationed for now, and I will return when she’s deemed healthy enough to begin training.”
Argeth grinned wide. “Look at you. Your father taught you well.”
The demon slapped him on the shoulder before leaving, but Ozirax stood there for much longer, staring at the door as he grappled with the inky feeling those last words left in the pit of his stomach.