Page 3 of Orion: Galaxy Huntress

“What?” I grabbed his chair, spinning it to force him to face me. “I don’t want to be Alpha.”

The asshole had the audacity to pinch my fucking cheeks and then smoosh them with his palms. “Oh, the big, bad wolf is grumpy today.” He finished off with a condescending pat to my cheeks. His golden eyes flecked with black sparkled with mischief, cluing me onto the fact he was up to something. “You really need to get laid, brother. How about a mate to cheer you up? You like blondes? Busty? Slutty? Pro at blow jobs? My specialty.” He winked and waggled his brows.

“Not my type.” I paused for a moment, thinking. “Except the busty and good at blow jobs.” Fuck. Damn demon’s magick just coaxed that out of me.

He took the liberty and threw an arm over my shoulder as he often did, pretending to be my best friend, slyly swaying me into a shit deal that only benefitted him. “Busty brunette. Got it.” He raised his finger to click and seal the deal.

“No fucking way.” I shoved him off, grabbed his finger and snapped it before he fucked me over.

“Christ, Ace.” He rubbed at his broken finger, repairing it instantly. “Why do you have to be so heavy handed all the time? We’re old friends.”

Old friends? Hardly. This thing didn’t have friends when he screwed them over at any opportunity to cut a deal.

Realizing he wasn’t getting anywhere with me using his tricks, he sighed and lowered his shoulders. “How many soldiers for your army?”

“One hundred mercenaries.” At my reply, the demon bartender glanced at me, pouring me a tall glass of beer and setting it on the bar in front of me.

Vice whistled, testing my damn patience. “I don’t know if our deal will cover that, Ace. I mean that’s worth two thousand lifetimes of souls at minimum.” Fuck, I’d hate to know what an army of fifty thousand racked up.

Desperate to save my pack, I grabbed the collar of his leather jacket and shoved him up against the bar. “You’ll repay what you owe me, demon.”

He brushed me off and patted me on the shoulder. “Take it easy, beast.”

“Look who’s talking.” I gestured at his wings, tail, and single horn. Based on appearances, he was way more beastly.

“I can give you fifty demons.” He turned his dark, golden-flecked eyes on me.

I shook my head. “I need more.”

“Best I can do.” The gold fell away from his eyes like stars dying in the galaxy and going dark. “I can’t access Hell for any more soldiers.”

Rumors spread years ago that he’d been disgraced and banished from his home. For what, no one knew, and he kept it that way. But knowing Vice, it could all be a lie fabricated to make him sound badass.

“This will make us square, right?” The demon had never been duped before but I bested him, and he hated owing me.

Time for the caveats. “You will not screw me over, demon. That means the demon soldiers do exactly as I say, destroying our neighboring pack and do no harm to mine. Guarantee my pack’s survival. No curses, no disease, no starvation, no fucking castration or whatever evil scheme you might devise. Then, yes, we’ll be square.”

“Christ, Ace,” the demon whispered low, grabbing my shoulder, hauling me in for a little chat. “I’m in the business to fuck people over. Word gets out that I agreed to this and it’s gonna make business look bad. I’ve got a damn reputation to uphold here.”

The demon didn’t like to be weighed down by conditions when he was normally the one to sneak them into soul contracts. Shoe was on the other foot now.

“Just agree to the damn conditions and get the army to me within a week.”

The demon grumbled and produced a long contract with flames licking at the edges. “Sign here.”

I hit him on the back of the head, knowing this play all too well. “Fuck that shit. Stop playing your tricks and just agree.”

“Fine.” The demon irritably flicked his finger, motioning for another coffee, which was promptly poured. “One debt settled and a busty brunette mate.”

I hit him again and he flinched. “I didn’t ask for the mate.”

“She’s a bonus to give your grumpy ass a good customer experience.” He slapped me on the ass, and I jolted.

I grabbed the back of his chair, jerking it backward while keeping a hold of it. “If she fucks anything up for me, I’ll hold you personally responsible and the deal’s off. Then you will owe me double. Got it?”

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