Page 37 of Claiming Demons

“But we’re both daemons of destruction!” she said cheerily, rubbing her bosom — which had nothing on Ana’s — over me as her hand slid into my pants.

“Whoa!” I reacted viscerally, my wolf coming out for just a second to lend some strength as I leaped up and tossed her off me.

“Is this how you want me? On my knees?” she asked looking up at me from the floor. Before I could answer she looked over at Grey. “Why didn’t you tell me you were friends with Fenris?”

“Didn’t think it mattered,” Grey said, dusting himself off.

“Of course it does, Zaggy. You know I’ve been searching for a soulmate, one who likes to destroy things as much as I do.” She looked back at me, that hellfire in her eyes now literally blazing and burning. “And now I’ve found him!”

She was crazy. That was clear.

“I’ve already got a soulmate, thanks,” I said.

“Fen, no!” Grey had tried to say while I’d been talking, and I found out why a second later.

“Then I’ll just kill her and have you all to myself,” Erini said with a manic grin. “I’ll show you how much we’re meant to be together, my love! I’ll show you!” That sounded too much like a threat.

I needed to get away from this madwoman, but also didn’t want to leave her with Grey.

“Ah…” I said, not knowing what to say.

“There you are!” Came an all too familiar, booming voice. It was the last person I wanted to see… usually. But right now…

“Sorry, Erini, I’ve got to run, my father’s calling me. And we wouldn’t want to piss off Loki, now would we?” I turned to Grey and mouthed the word “sorry,” then bolted.

Loki had just entered the lounge, and I got to him before he’d taken another step.

My father was devilishly handsome — or beautiful — in whatever form he decided to take, but his natural form was truly striking. Thick waves of golden-blond hair cascaded around his face and over his shoulders. Fair-featured, his face was narrow and all sharp edges, with pale-blue eyes like ice, and a mouth tilted in a knowing smirk. He was slender and tall, but far stronger than he looked. The two of us had never really gotten along because he loved that I was a world-ending daemon… and I didn’t.

He brushed some of those luscious locks back from his shoulder.

“That’s a good boy. You’re such a good boy aren’t you!”

He also loved treating me like a puppy.

A suspicious look sparked in his eyes. “But you usually don’t come when I call, so… what’s up, little wolf?”

“Nothing,” I said.

I’d learned over the centuries that to Loki, information was power and I shouldn’t tell him anything. He still had ways of finding things out, but I’d never give him the satisfaction of making it easy. He’d have to work for it.

“What do you want, father?” I asked, my tone gruff. He may have saved me from dealing with Erini, but I still didn’t much like talking to him.

“Always so formal, Fenny.” Loki laughed, then shook his head. “What happened to my little puppy that liked to tear up Asgard and destroy everything?”

“I grew up.”

Loki frowned. That was never a good sign. Loki never got mad, he got mischievous, and that was always bad.

Then he huffed. “You’re such a disappointment. I expected so much more from my little world-ender. I know you can’t officially destroy everything until Ragnarök, but you could at least be causingsomehavoc. But noooo… you insist on working human jobs. That’s so very beneath your potential, my son.”

Son?

Something was up. He never called me son.

“I like what I do. I’m happy,” I told him.

“You shouldn’t be happy. You should be ravenously tearing up the world.” He shook his head and his ice-cold eyes bored into me. “And what’s this I hear about you falling for some pretty young goddess?”

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