21. Never Bet Against a Demon
Never Bet Against a Demon
Aloud burst of laughter had all eyes darting to Luna in surprise.
She held her hand firmly over her mouth.
Her eyes wide, she looked just as shocked as the rest of them at her outburst. Clearing her throat, she lowered her hand and squared her shoulders before she narrowed her gaze as if daring them to say something.
Malachi nodded approvingly. “That’s it, embrace that demon side! Hold on to your darkness.” He tilted his head the tiniest fraction and widened his eyes briefly. It was their agreed-upon signal for her to do her part of the plan.
They quieted when a tray of drinks thumped on the table as their waitress returned.
“Sherry!” the husky-voiced woman blurted.
“I’m Sherry, if you need anything else.” Her chest heaved with the force of her announcement while she fluffed her hair nervously.
“Is there a model convention in town?” A small smile trembled over her lips as she plopped a hand on her hip, trying to regain her sassy personality.
“Four gorgeous people and an adorable pup coming in this dump? So, what’s the story? ”
“Oh, my dear Sherry,” Flick crooned, drawing her attention to him.
His eyes grew larger, turning a glimmering coppery shade like shimmering pennies as he slowly traced a finger down her forearm.
She shivered at the contact and leaned toward him without realizing it as he mesmerized her.
He reeled her in further by tossing his shoulder-length locks, using his powers to slow the movement so he looked like a lifeguard from a show popular for its slow-motion running.
She moaned quietly as he purred, “No model convention, but thank you for the compliment. There’s nothing special about us, just average people enjoying a night out.
Tell me, what’s your deepest… darkest… desire? ”
Jaxon snorted and glanced away, speaking from the corner of his mouth. “Malachi, you two must spend entirely too much time watching television.”
Placing his hand over his heart in mock offense, Malachi inhaled sharply, nostrils flaring.
“I cannot believe the audacity. I don’t know where you got it, but you need to put it right the fuck back.
I sincerely hope you kept the receipt for that.
” He smirked then, tossing his silky waves out of his face the same way Flick had done before he leaned in conspiratorially.
“I do know if they ever make a movie about me, there is a handsome British black-haired devil who is certainly worthy of the role.” He turned a smoldering gaze at Sherry, adding to her distraction.
For her part, Luna was still staring in fascination as Flick charmed the waitress into refilling their drinks steadily and forgetting their extraordinarily good looks. He traded numbers with her, promising to give her a night she’d never forget.
When Sherry stumbled away as if she were the drunken one, Jaxon turned to Flick. “What is that? Are you an incubus too? Or was that just standard demon magic? Is anyone safe?”
Blowing air through his lips, Flick shrugged and waggled his fingers.
“Just standard demon magic. She was paying too much attention to us, and she needed to keep some distance for when shit does down. Malachi is usually better at that kind of thing, being part incubus, but I just wanted her to leave. Not make her blow you under the table.”
“I would never… oh, well actually yeah, I would,” Malachi interjected over Jaxon’s choking sound.
“As I was saying,” Flick groaned theatrically.
“We can all influence people to some extent. But depending on the type of demon we are, we have different specialties. You already know Malachi can do the incubus thing and the smoke thing, but that’s not what I am.
Our mothers are sisters, thus us being cousins.
Both of my parents are ash demons, so I can do the smoke thing too.
Since I didn’t get anything extra in the magic department, I just became extra charming.
” His lips spread in an especially large grin at his last words.
“You mispronounced annoying,” Luna muttered in a fair impression of Chuck.
“And what kind of demon are you?” Jaxon asked Luna.
She started to answer, but Malachi put a staying hand on her arm and shook his head.
Grunting in irritation, Jaxon lifted one of the glasses of whiskey and mockingly saluted Malachi before knocking it back in one long pull.
A sharp whistle drew their attention to Flick again, who nodded appreciatively. “There you go, Jaxon! A man who can suck down that much whiskey without coughing or crying can’t possibly be as big of a douche bro as Luna thought you were!”
Glaring at Flick in annoyance—no longer bothering to correct him—she rolled her eyes as she picked up her glass and downed the alcohol without blinking. She then turned her gaze to watch the bikers who were now arguing about someone cheating in their game.
One of the men noticed her attention and began catcalling her, his friends soon joining in.
They invited her to come over, making several crude gestures as the demons had hoped.
One man began grabbing his crotch and grunting suggestively.
Malachi clicked his tongue in approval and nodded to her.
This was the one. Slowly, Luna uncurled from her chair, much like a sleeping dragon unwinding, ready to lay waste to a town.
Jaxon watched with fear, clearly worried she was either going to get hurt or start the aforementioned riot.
Malachi quickly placed a heavy restraining hand on his arm as the officer was half out of his chair, ready to intervene.
A small head shake and shove had Jaxon sitting again, still staring at Luna as she sauntered over to the bikers.
Her hips swayed seductively, and she tossed her hair over her shoulder as she smiled with a sultry pout that was foreign on her innocent face.
Malachi was also anxious, even though this was his plan, so he braced himself in case he needed to be the one to intervene.
He knew Jaxon meant well, but even he couldn’t take on that many bikers without risk of injury.
Chuck would never forgive him if Jaxon got hurt during one of his shenanigans.
Luna and Reena were also on her list of those who should not be harmed.
Flick, though, was questionable, unlikely at best.
Watching Luna sashay over to the pack of bikers, he nodded to himself when her eyes glittered with an obsidian gleam. It seemed their little Nephilem was all in on trying out her darker succubus tendencies despite her early reservations.
“That’s an awfully dirty mouth you have there,” she purred as she slunk up to the man.
The women at the next table were watching disdainfully, elbowing each other, and exchanging snide glares and nasty whispered comments.
Luna ignored them and trailed a finger down his chest as she smiled coyly. “How about a little wager?”
The man smirked and shrugged as he shared a disbelieving glance with his friends over his shoulder. “Sure, what’re your terms?” he slurred over the encouraging shouts from his posse.
“A simple game,” she simpered and widened her eyes innocently, twirling a lock of hair around her fingers.
“I’ll play you a round of that game there.
You win; I’ll go home with you and let you do whatever you want.
” She ran her hands down her slender form, the drunken man’s eyes following her fingers as expected.
“I win, I get the table to play a few rounds with my friends, and you buy me a drink.” She waved behind her negligently.
A chorus of rowdy laughter burst from around the man as his friends began clapping and cheering him on.
He grinned and bowed sarcastically, his eyes never leaving her face as his slimy smile widened.
“You’re on,” he growled and adjusted the crotch of his filthy jeans once more in another lewd gesture.
It was clear he anticipated winning and was already looking forward to his victory prize.
Jaxon glanced at Malachi with an arched eyebrow and jerked his chin toward the crowd that was building to watch how the bet played out. He was silently asking, now do we need to step in? But the demon waved him off unbothered.
Flick was watching the scene with undisguised glee as well.
He was sitting in his chair the right way now, rubbing his hands together like a B-movie villain and chortling wickedly.
It took special talent to chortle appropriately in a dive bar, surrounded by flickering neon and worn-out jukebox tracks, but somehow he mastered it.
Sherry dropped off another round, and despite his vow to have only one drink and leave, Jaxon absently picked up the glass and took a sip, far too invested now in the outcome of Luna’s challenge.
“So, Jaxon,” came Flick’s casual drawl, “Malachi says you stopped wearing Axe body spray after he told you how douchey it was. What are you wearing now? Because you smell amazing. Mouth-watering even.”
Startled, Jaxon stared at the demon in growing horror before his gaze whipped back to Malachi, anger burning in his eyes now. “Fucking demon ass, I never wore that! Quit telling people that!”
Malachi laughed, echoed by Reena’s wheezy chuckle, and shook a finger playfully at him. “If you say so, it sure smelled like it. But, if it wasn’t me, why the cologne changes, Jaxxer? Did the store stop carrying your usual scent?”
His cheeks took on an unflattering deep crimson as a blush crept up his neck, Jaxon spluttered, “M—Marla! Marla gave it to me for Christmas. It’s Dior now, but it wasn’t Axe before. It was Polo Ralph Lauren if you must know.”
Reena grumbled in disapproval before applying her dainty snout to her glass bowl of ‘top shelf water’ once more. Licking her chops after a few slurps, she whined at Malachi, pawing at his hand, indicating she needed to go potty.
“Of course, my darlin’” he cooed and gestured to Flick. “Do you mind? I want to keep an eye on the progress here. I promise if anything heats up, I’ll pause it until you get back.”
His cousin promptly scooped Reena up, carrying her outside for a walk without another word.
Scrubbing a hand over his mouth as he watched, Jaxon moaned. “What the fuck is wrong with me? Why do I put up with this?”
“Nothing major is wrong with you, Jax,” Malachi responded immediately. “You’re a pretty decent guy; you just got dealt a shitty hand and an awful name.”
Jaxon tilted his head and studied Malachi’s casual demeanor, then looked a little closer.
Unfortunately, the police officer noted the unease in his posture, the slight pinch between his eyebrows as he watched Luna from the corner of his eye.
“Do you actually believe that? Or are you so worried about her you’re just saying the first thing that comes to mind?
What’s really going on with her? She seems shy and timid one second, then acts like a tough badass the next.
It’s odd, like she’s putting on an act, pretending to be something she’s not. ”
At first, he wasn’t sure how to answer. Finally, Malachi huffed out a self-deprecating laugh and shook his head.
He kept forgetting that humans appreciated honesty first and foremost. “Clocked me, man. I am worried about her. The truth is, she doesn’t really fit in anywhere.
She’s half demon, yeah, but the other half is angel.
It’s an extremely rare combination, but neither side fully accepts her.
She wasn’t sure which way to lean, dark or light.
No one has wanted her, and she’s trying to figure out how to act.
I was hoping…” He trailed off as loud shouts sounded when Luna missed her first shot by a large margin.
“Look,” he finally continued with a wince after a clacking sound as the biker knocked another shot in.
“I meant it earlier. You are a pretty decent guy, and you’ve just had some rotten luck.
I know I can be a bit much sometimes. I’ll demon up and admit that.
But the fact that we’re here at all means I do actually like you, as she said earlier.
If I didn’t, I’d gladly let you rot in your own misery.
” He frowned and pursed his lips. “Although I’ll deny it if you ever tell anyone I said that. ”
Squirming uncomfortably in his seat now, Jaxon stared at him uncertainly.
“Yeah?” he finally blurted, then cringed as he realized how lame and hopeful it sounded.
Squaring his shoulders, he straightened and nodded.
“I always thought you just tolerated me because I’m friends with Chuck and you would do anything for her. ”
Another loud crack caught their attention as Luna knocked in three balls with one shot. It seemed the bet was heating up.