Page 43 of Demons and Debts
Theo scoffs at my words. ‘We’re demons. Maybe we’re meant to suffer.’
I roll my eyes. ‘Don't give me that theological bullshit. You're going to start sounding like a member of the Order and I don’t think they let supes join.’
‘Maybe they have a point.’
‘Even if they do, we're going to have to deal with them sooner or later. It’s been, what, almost ten years since the world found out about supes. The Order have to realize by now that we’re not just going to go away.’
Theo looks nostalgic. ‘Ten years. It was easier when they didn’t know anything about us, that’s for sure. Remember when we fucked around at bars, picking up chicks? We could feed from anyone, anywhere, anyhow as long as we cleaned up after ourselves. No one gave a shit.’
‘It's probably for the best,’ I say.
‘Yeah, it probably is,’ he grants.
‘So what has she been doing in your room that you've caught on camera?’ I ask, unable to resist.
Theo smirks a little. ‘Besides practically pulling off her own arm trying to get out of the cuffs, not much actually,’ he hedges. ‘The only time she's really been in there is when she’s sleeping and when she disappeared yesterday, she was in the bathroom for most of the time. I don't have cameras in there. I do havesomestandards.’
Giving him a grin, I glance at my watch again. ‘It's almost ten.’
Theo inclines his head, gesturing at the screen behind me.
I turn and see that Kor is already in the ring.
Huh.
I turn my chair around to watch and I check my phone. Usually he lets me know when he arrives, but there's nothing from him. I frown, but from what I can see of the ring, Korban looks normal. He's dressed in just some black shorts, letting everyone see his rippling muscles, the tats that cover his back and his chest. His knuckles are wrapped in gauze and as he rips off the bandages, underneath the skin is raw and bloody.
‘He should have healed from his last fight. It was over two weeks ago,’ I say quietly.
‘He's been pounding the pads in the gym all day,’ Theo says.
That’s not like him. He usually relaxes in the sauna after a little pad work. He definitely doesn’t tear up his hands like that. But I don't say anything out loud, instead watching him and Callaghan begin to circle each other. Callaghan’s saying something as usual.
Smartass fuck.
I see Kor’s eyes darken with rage for a second, but he gets himself under control so fast that no one in the crowd sees he’s pissed off. I only do because I know him so well.
Their clash is sudden and brutal, fists flying, fingers gouging, legs kicking anywhere they can. This fight has no rules, but I’m not worried. Kor is an awesome fighter, and he rarely loses. After the first round though, I turn my chair back around. I know he's going to win, but tonight I don't like the journey of him getting there. No matter how much he loves the fight, he's been through a lot.
I know that every time an opponent lands a punch, he feels it deep. He hasn’t told me everything that happened to him, but he’s said enough, and that little human girl better watch her fucking back. Once she's contracted, she'll be a little safer. She'll be on the books and there'll be a record of her being in the house.
That’s not to say it wouldn’t be easy enough to hide a body and say that we didn't know anything about her if the authorities came snooping. They might suspect, but they wouldn't be able to prove anything. It makes me wonder why Vic didn’t choose that route. Sure, contracting another human female to the Club isn’t a big deal, but getting rid of a body would be a whole lot easier.
I hear the crowd cheer and glance back. Callaghan is on the floor, Kor standing over him, his eyes expressionless.
I feel a moment of pride for my best friend, my lover’s, victory. He truly is magnificent, and I'll be showing him just how proud I am of him later when we get back to the house and he needs me to sate his battle lust.
I’m just about to get up when I see Vic walk out of the crowd. He comes and sits down with us.
‘You late?’ I asked with a raised eyebrow.
‘I got caught by Maddox on the way in. He wanted to talk about the missing shipments. That, and he heard one of our guys was found in a dumpster.’ Vic’s lips curl up into a small snarl. ‘Good news travels fast. Bad news, faster.’
‘What did you tell them?’ Theo asks.
‘That we have it handled in-house. He’s invited us to his club next week to discuss protecting the shipments though.’
I can’t help my grin. I loveThe Second Circleand it’s been awhile since we partied.
